COACHMEN. .311 



provision should be made to ' prevent him and his 

 family from coming to the extreme of misery' savours 

 rather of the comic element ; and if a similar pro- 

 vision extending to all persons similarly situated 

 had also been inserted in the railway bills, the com- 

 panies would have had a considerable reserve fund to 

 provide. Moreover, his petition came rather late, as 

 it was not presented till 1846, when all the principal 

 lines out of London had not only got their Acts, but 

 opened part of their lines, and so far as coaches 

 out of London were concerned, had cleared them 

 off the road, together with their coachmen and 

 guards. Before this time, though, the petitioner gave 

 some advice useful even to young coachmen of the 

 present day, which I will here repeat as the result 

 of his extensive practical experience : 



' It is an old saying, and a very true one, that four 

 horses well put together are half driven, therefore no 

 man can be a proficient in the art without paying the 

 nicest attention to the bitting, bridling, harnessing, 

 putting to, and coupling his teams ; and without such 

 attention, as well as the proper length of each trace, 

 the pole-chains, and a proper adjustment of the curb, 

 and seeing that the collar, pads, and harness fit in 

 every part, that every buckle and strap is in its 

 right place, no man can drive in crowded streets 

 with precision and safety. 



