COACHING BUSINESS. 



From this it will be observed that the coach would 

 earn £4 10s. a mile in twenty-eight days, a rate at 

 which the proprietors could work it with a fair 

 profit. " 



The next account, although on the same road, is 

 made out differently, being a mail instead of a stage 

 coach account. For instance, the coachmen only 

 received a small weekly sum from the proprietor, as 

 they took fees from the passengers, as did also the 

 guards, although they were the servants of the 

 Postmaster-General ; but he only paid them the 

 trifling sum of ten shillings a week, on which, of 

 course, they could not have lived, especially as they 

 were obliged to have two lodging-places, one in 

 London and one at Bristol. As on the other coaches, 

 the distance between the two places being only 125 

 miles, three guards performed the duty ; but in 

 consequence of the arrangements by the Post-Office 

 authorities, as to the time of the mails leaving London 

 and Bristol, the proprietors found it more convenient 



in number — being two, one up and the other down, between 

 London and Newbury, fifty-six miles, and two below, between 

 Newbury and Bristol, sixty-nine miles — and three guards, one ui> 

 and the other down all the way, and one at rest ; one man resting 

 every third night. The coachman and guards were all paid by 

 the proprietors of this coach, in order to relieve the passengers 

 from the expense, and what was considered sometimes the annoy- 

 ance of being frequently called upon to take out their money for 

 the purpose. 



