The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-04-15 00:00:00

LITERARY NOTICES.

CHAIKRERB'I3 JOURNAL. —ln /these go-ahead days,
express trains are scarcely swift enough to convey us
from plan to place. What should we say if we were
carried a eentnry back to the good old times, when
everybody rode, except the very poor, "Minks his
snare." In the March part of Chambers's Journal, one
of the best of our serial publications, ws have a chapter
on "0 Id Roods and Slow Coaches," well worthy of
perusal. We often complain of the badness of the
roads in this county, what abail we my of the roads in
Sussex? " Fuliar beheld an old lady of that county
being dragged to church by six oxen; and • contem-
porary of his asserts that the reason why the Sussex
giehiare so long limbed arises from the necessity of
pulling the feet out of -the mud, which strengthens thei
muscle and lengthens the bane." We have ourselves
heard one of our ancestors state that when he went to
church to be married, one horse carried him and this in-
tended—he riding before and she behind, and Chambers'
informs ne that "When Queen Elizabeth went into
tbe city, she rode thus behind her .lord chancellor.
Consider the evabarrasament of that .highs fulotionary
now-adays in suph a position as this!- .The first stage
coaches we're wagons. It is related of f that valiant
knyght, Sir Hares, Sydney,' that on • certain day in
1583, he entered Shrewsbury with his Wagon. 'with his
trouspeter blowynge, verey joyfull to behold and see.
The first stage coach in the middle of the 17th century,
in the better part of the highways. about London,
travelled tithe rate of four miles an hour. In the
the winter they did not run at all, but were laid up for
the season like ships in Antic frost,. The each be-
tween York and Leeds performed its twenty-four miles
in eight boors, but the roads were so bad and dangerous
that the passengers walked Most of the way. Travel-
ling by I coach was in early times • very deliberate
affair- Time was of less consequence thee safety, and
coaches were advertised to start "God willing," and
about "'such and Such .an hour "se shall seem good"
to the majority of passengers. The difference of a day
in the journey from London to York was • small
matter and Theresly was even accustomed to leave
the coach, and go in march of fossil shells in the fields
on either side of the reed while making the journey be-
tween the two places The long coach put up at
"Sendown, and slept on the road." Whether the
coach was to proceed or step short at some favourite
inn, wail determined by the vote of the passengers,
whe temalty appointed • ehairman at the beginning of
the joarhey. In 1700 York was • week distant from
London; 'and Ttinbridge Wells, now reached in an
hour, was two day: Salisbury and Oxford were also
two days' journey, and Exeter five. The fly-oonh
(ruin London to Exeter slept at the latter place the
fifth eight from Town; the coach proseeded sect
morning to A:minder, where it breakfasted, sad
where au woman-barber" shaved the coach." Between.
London and Edinburgh, Re late as 1763, • fortnight try
eonsarned,.the coach starting eels once a month. The
risk of lireak.downs in driving ever the execrable roads
may be inferred from the 'circumstance that every
coach carried with it a box of catrpentera' tools, and the
Machete Were oceasionelly used in lopping off the
„branches of trees overhanging the road and obstructing
the travellers' progress, The amount of intercourse,
under these circumstances, between North and South,
was indeed mall. Lancashire was thought to be
aimed impenetrable, and inhabited by a half savage
race. Camden vaguely described it previously to Ilia
visit in. 1607, as that part of the country "lyin
beyond the mountains towards the Western Ocean.'
He acknowledged that be approached the L•ncsabire
people "with a, kind of dread," but determined at
length "to run the hintra of this attempt," trusting in
the Divine acaistanoe. London was fed with salt meats
in-mg Km whole winter, and the market gardeners
petitioned naiad the extension of turnpike-roads, so
lately as a century ago, upon the ground that tneir
trade' would be destroyed by country grown cabbages.
The Matchmiter flying coach was ended in 1781, with
the following ,prespectus However incredible it
may appear, thu coach will actually (barring accidents),
arrive in London in four days and a half after leaving
Manchester." The rued across Hounslow Heath was
even then reported before a Parliamentary Committee
to be often two feet deep in Vaud. Sheffield set up •
"flying machine on steel springs," to London, in 1760.
It slept "the first night at the Black Man's Head,
I Nottingham; the nomad at the Angel, Northax.pton ;
and arrived at the Swan with Two Necks, Lad Lime,
on the evening of the third day. The fare was El 175.,
and lelbs. of luggage was allowed. But the heaviest
pert of the charge was for living and lodging on the
road, not to mention the fees to guards and drivers.
The style in which the journey was peifiirmed may be
I. inferred from the circumstance, that on one occasion
when • quarrel took place between the guard and
passenger, the coach stopped to see them "light it out
I on the road." The part ciontains about thirty amusing
and instructive tales, and we mos heartily recommend
it as being one of the best family journals published.
THZ CHURCH INBTITUTION ClROULait.—This ie a
I penny weekly publioatioe, affording inferiustiou ou the
various questions of the day which affect the main-
, tension aud development Of, the United Church of
England and !rebind. It glen reports of the proceed-
ings et *AIM load associations, detracts of the pro-
cesdingslo Parliament and Convocation, coil to ed the
division lista in-Parliament en questions relating the
Churols,'and venous other matters hi Qom' with
oar wa*iowl switiell and othiegAion.