336 Inejjicacy of the Act for regulating Stage-Coaches. [Nor. 1^, 
To the Tailor of the 'Monthly Magazine, 
SIR, 
T is with pleasure I see a disposition 
in your Magazine to correct all 
abuses that are injurious to the public; 
Slid) objects steadily persued must 
recoraineiid it universally; and, as there 
are none more deeply to be deplored 
than those which arise out of the insolence 
and injustice of stas;e coachmen, I must 
beg of you to state a very bad, but very 
comnmn, case, and my idea of an effec¬ 
tual remedy, 
I lately took my place in a stage going 
to London, under the profession, by pub¬ 
lic advertisement, that it was safer than 
usual, being a Milton patent, calculated 
to be loaded only in a luggage-box below, 
with safety wheels, &c. but before we 
had got ten miles the passengers found 
it had become the most dangerous to tra¬ 
vel in of any in the island, for the coach¬ 
man not only had thirteen passengers at 
the cop, but, in addition to the luggage- 
box-ful, he added as much as the coach 
could carry above, till the springs de¬ 
scended to play no more, and the body 
struck the axle-tree every gully it ran 
over. He next left the horses to the 
care of a passenger who had a child on 
his knee, and went to fetch parcels, and, 
to crown ail, insulted all who found fault 
with liim. Thus situated, tliree of Ins 
passengers demanded a chaise of the 
landlord of an inn where he stopped, w ho 
regretted he liad none, as he publicly 
ileclared lie believed the coach would 
break down before it got to Loudom 
All considered their lives as in danger, 
and one left the coach at last under that 
impression. To compleat ah, the coach¬ 
man refused to set dowti his luggage, and 
afteiwvards detained a part and over¬ 
charged the rest at the inn, compelling 
him to pay the overcharge before he 
would deliver it, notwithstraiding rlie 
gentleman bad come at bis own expence 
to town. Yet for all this there u as only 
one remedy, and that a very tioublesome 
one. He complained, and was recom¬ 
mended to inform, m order to enforce a 
penalty by the court. The coachman not 
appearing to the first summons but send¬ 
ing his attorney. Then at next appear¬ 
ance came .bis attorney, counsel, learned 
in the law, &c. and by a mere quibble, 
founded ( n tlie place not being taken 
in the n?.me of the passenger, but of the 
house he was to be called for at; bv 
concealing the way-bill and keeping the 
book-keeper out of the way; in short, by 
lii’ug evtrv evasion, he succeeded in 
avoiding the fine pointed out by the acts, 
and only refunded and paid costs in the 
end, employing a reporter to misrepre¬ 
sent the results, as if he iiad come off 
with flying colours. 
Tor the other offences the remedy was 
to return to twi> distinct counties, there 
wait till tiie magistrates met, and the 
coachman could be fijund there, sending 
a summons ten miles to meet him, and 
all this while neglecting your business, 
and living at an inn, or bringing an action, 
and staying in London two months to 
meet the trial. 
Thus, Sir, you wdll see that the remedy, 
as the law stands, is worse than the evil; 
and it is well known that under the late 
act they load more than ever; and penal¬ 
ties, if levied, which few will be at the 
trouble of soliciting, thev take care to 
recover by overloading again. 
My idea of a remedy, therefore, for 
these crying evils is, to bring in a new 
act of parliament, declaring that every 
stage coachman, who lets a place in any 
stage for a journey, shall only take half 
the price before-hand, and shall at the 
time give a policy or contract, signed, 
stating to wliom the numbered place 
actually belongs, svbat luggage is allowed, 
tlie terms on which they are to be con¬ 
veyed, the time be will set out and ar¬ 
rive, ban iiigaccidents of road or weather, 
the places at which only he will stop; 
tiiat he will not leave his horses but under 
the care of a regular hoisekeeper, that 
he will not load a patent-coach except 
beneath, or take more than a fixed num¬ 
ber of passengers inside or out; that he 
warrants against diunkenness in his 
driver, or starting into a gallop, Ike. 
That let tlie act express wliat shall be 
the penalty for each bieacli of contract, 
to be proved by the oath of the passen¬ 
gers, on his arrival at the end of the 
journey, before any sitting magistrate, and 
I trust we shall soon travel in peace and 
security. G. Cumberland. 
Oc/.'lO, 1811. 
P.S. Is there any reason why a person ha¬ 
ving engaged a place should not be at liberty 
Co transfer it ? 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine, 
SIR, 
^I^HERE is a peculiar archness about 
i some people which makes it dilff- 
cult to ascertain at all times whether 
they are in earnest or joke. It you are 
acquainted with your Hackney corre- 
spoiufenc, who signs himself F. (page 28, 
of tins volume) you may perhaps inionii 
tis 
