310 THE COACHING AGE. 



as shall prevent your petitioner and his family from 

 coming to the extreme of misery. 



' And your petitioner, as in duty bound, shall ever 

 pray.' 



I do not know in what manner the petitioner pro- 

 posed to raise a revenue from ' the present mode of 

 travelling ' which should ' surpass all others,' as the 

 great grievance of the coach-proprietors always was 

 the heavy taxation to which they were subjected, 

 and the unfairness of the duties to which their 

 business was assessed by 'Government — while the 

 imposts either on railroads or steamers were wholly 

 disproportionate, and did not place the different 

 modes of travelling on a fair basis of competition. 



In the early part of his petition the petitioner 

 states that he was ' not actuated by selfish motives 

 alone,' in presenting his petition ; and for this I 

 think one may fairly give him credit, knowing, 

 as he must have done, many persons engaged like 

 himself in the coaching business, and entirely de- 

 pendent upon it for their livelihood : so that while 

 advocating his own cause he was also assisting them, 

 but the concluding paragraph in his petition I may 

 now comment upon without fear of either hurting 

 his feelings or prejudicing his position. 



The request that in some, or at least one of any 

 railway bills to be introduced in Parliament, some 



