COACHING BUSINESS. 189 



undertake the horsing of a coach, and at what rate 

 they would decline to continue to horse one. But he 

 said it was difficult to see those accounts and acquire 

 that knowledge ; though the accounts were, so kept 

 and settled that there was no trade in which the 

 persons engaged knew so correctly what profits they 

 were making, as the settlements took place every 

 four weeks. 



He was engaged for years in overcoming the 

 opposition of the Postmaster-General to some im- 

 provements and acceleration of the Holyhead mail, 

 and in the course of that time he made it his 

 business to get all the information he could upon 

 the subject of mail-coaches. This he thought he 

 had obtained in a very complete manner, as Mr. 

 Waterhouse, who was then (in 1836) the proprietor 

 of the Swan with two Necks coach-office, allowed 

 him to see all his books and explained everything 

 he wished to know with regard to the horsing 

 of the mails ; he also acquired a knowledge of the 

 business of stage-coaches from the son of his land 

 agent being a proprietor of one of the Holyhead 

 coaches, constantly examining and seeing his books, 

 and exercising a sort of superintendence over his 

 establishment. 



The Swan with two Necks establishment, now 

 considerably altered and converted into a goods 



