174 THE COACHING AGE. 



all his coaches, with ' Cooper's Cottage, Thatcham,' 

 underneath. 



On his removal to Thatcham he gave up the post- 

 ing business, and, I believe in the year 1827, started 

 his coaches under the name of ' Cooper's Company ;' 

 but although called a company, I have understood it 

 was all his own from end to end, which was rather 

 an arduous undertaking for a man in those days, 

 considering that a great part of his business must be 

 far away from his home, and that locomotion then 

 was not so easy or expeditious as now ; neither could 

 you send a message or directions to any servant at a 

 distance by a telegram : and hence, having 125 miles 

 in length to look after, even with the assistance of 

 foremen and others, who much increased the expenses 

 of management, it was rather a hazardous undertak- 

 ing. He was the only man I have ever heard of under- 

 taking such a task. None of the London proprietors 

 would, if they could help it, horse a coach or mail 

 more than thirty miles out of London ; so that, 

 although they had concerns on a number of different 

 roads, they were all, so to speak, within a ring-fence, 

 close at home, and any part of them could be reached 

 from London in three or four hours. But it was 

 vastly otherwise with a man who, being in London, 

 might receive an urgent letter requiring his immediate 

 presence in Bristol. As all the day-coaches for that 



