COACH PROPRIETORS. 159 



' Star ' to Cambridge, driven up in the morning and 

 back again in the afternoon by one Joseph Walton, 

 popularly known as ' Joe Walton,' — in fact, I never 

 heard him called anything else. He had the reputa- 

 tion of being a first-rate coachman, but I never 

 travelled with him, or had any opportunity of forming 

 an opinion as to his abilities on the bench. He was 

 a tall, powerful man, and, so far as appeara,nce went, 

 looked as if he could pull all the horses' heads off. 



In addition to the reputation of being a very good 

 coachman he had that of being of a very bad temper, 

 in which I am inclined to concur ; and although I do 

 not profess to be a talented physiognomist, I should 

 say that his countenance and expression warranted 

 the presumption. 



It always annoyed him to have any females on his 

 coach, and the more so if they had luggage or parcels 

 which rendered it necessary for them to address him 

 respecting them, as there was not any guard attached 

 to the coach. I fear they did not always meet with 

 a very polite reception. 



I have heard that on one occasion a gentleman, 

 whose hat had blown off, asked ' Joe ' to pull up, but 

 he made no attempt to do so ; upon which the gentle- 

 man pushed Joe's hat off, which of course had the 

 desired effect — a mode of proceeding which I should 

 have thought rather dangerous, though it did not, I 



