COACHING BUSINESS. 195 



the business may not be out of place, especially as 

 tbey varied greatly from tbe expenses of coaching in 

 the present day, and therefore may prove interesting 

 to those who are now carrying it on either for profit 

 or pleasure. 



I will commence with turnpikes, which certainly 

 were a heavy item in the expenses of a coach, 

 averaging as they did, according to the experience of 

 some of the large coach-proprietors, no less a sum than 

 1 Is, 6d. a mile a month. All the turnpikes in and 

 around London having been removed, this sura does 

 not appear among the disbursements now. The 

 assessed taxes of various descriptions, now either 

 considerably reduced or altogether discontinued, 

 helped to swell up the list of expenses. There was a 

 payment of £5 for every coachman and guard, a like 

 sum for every coach, so that in cases where two 

 coaches were running, one up and the other down, 

 the amount would be £10, while for long distances 

 requiring three or four coaches to be used, there 

 would be a proportionate increase. 



The next important item of disbursement was the 

 duty on a. stage-coach — or perhaps it should more pro- 

 perly be called a duty on the passengers, as it was pro- 

 gressive, and dependent upon the number of passengers 

 the coach was licensed to convey, though it had to be 

 paid irrespective of any passengers at all being carried. 



13—2 



