The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1810-07-02 00:00:00

STAGE COACH ACT.

An act was passed in the last session of Parliaitoetit
repealing the several acts for regulating the euniber
of passengers to be carried on the outside .4 siege
crtches, or other carriages. &c. The following
are its principal provisions:—
And be it further einteted, That from and after
the Ist day of July, 1810. any cue h. I) r.soo landaus
chariot, diligence, comers, chaise•instioe, or other
carriage. with four or more wheels, by a hat Dame so-
ever the &awl is, ur suali I::reafrer.be, °died or
known, to be employed as a po!.lie star or car-
riage, for the purpose of cre:veyiiig txceecgent lot
hire found frisui d!fferent places in Great Britsin,
and drewu by four or more hors •s, be ailoweal
to . arty ten outs:de pieweug.-rs and na more, /teeth.
ttioa of the coat:hotel:. but tuclisdirs4 the gitard.
▪ there is a guard with scch coach or other
cariisw-; and that 'one passenger. end no 'note,
shad be allowed to let upon thr box with the coach-
man ; and three of such pareeugers ou the front of
the roof, and the reina 'lino six be:iind, NI the toast-
tier the mod safe and come:twist for the end pas-
sengers. Psorided always, that nu such pa sengcr
or passengers shall be allured to sit on the luggage,
or that part of the roof allotted for the same; and
that all stage coaches or other carriages ub ,re de-
serjhed, drawu by two or terre horses, shall be :al-
lowed five outside passengers and no more. exclu-
sive of the coachmen; aud that all 'thee t oach,-a
called long coaches or double-hodied coach s, sh.:ll
be permitted to carry eight eut-itle passengers suet
no
more. exclusive of the coachman, but in.:twine;
the guurd, where there is a guard with such coach,
uudrr such fines err penalties as are by this ail I 141.
pored, in cases where mote outside pane ng .is ere
earned than ore allowed by ihto at t ; such fi -es and
penalties to be imposed and levied upon the own. e
or proprietor, or tile owners or prOpfleiiirf of any
such coach or other carriage shore described, or any
one or more of th..in, or any person driving the sa met
to the unton-r after meutioued : Provided always.
that no child in the lap, or under seven p ars of
age, shall be included in or counted as one of awe*
number. mules* there shall be more than on- ; sod
if mare than one. that two of such children shall be
accounted equal to one grown i ersou, cud so on to
the same proportion ; sad that no person. paying
as an outside passeoger, shall Le permitted tosit of
remain as all inside passenger, unless with the con.
sent of one of the inside pia-eng-rs, at the least.
move) ed by vut h cuach or o. he, carriage, end next
to whom such outsule p norng-ir a'rel t,C I.lacal.
And provided also, toat where such coach or other
carriageia of 4 conatroiction lurnli irly a ine Or v.ito-
moduitia. and being 40 tottud. shell he duly hemm-
ed for that puriate.e, four oataile pesseneers, in-
stead of tone, shall be allowed to sit ou toe (refit
of so.* codicil or oilier carriage: Provided always,
lista the number of outside passengers shall out ex-
ceed ten thall.

itrr.vided always, and be it farther enacted,
That from and after the Ist day of Sliterh, 181 1, it
shall not be lawful fur any driver, coesii-r, or pro-
prietor of any couch, or other carriage. abort de.
molted, going or trowelling for Ilifirg to 'tyrant ur
rtifer. to.itliy manner or w t", any luggage to be
carried on the roof uf any sue 4 coach, or ittla.-r car.
nage; or any person to ride or go as air ontsrde
passenger, on or about the our.ide at an) suet
coach or other carriage; the top of ahirh vball he
more than eight test :tine inches from the ground.
or the bearing of which, on the grothid. shall lie
teat than four feet six inches film the crone of the
track of the right or oft-whoel, to the centre of the
track of the left or near- r heel, under the penalty of
five pounds for each otfLoce, to be recovered and
applied in the -cue manner as any penalty for more
outside passengers than are allowed by this Act can
be recovered and applied.
And be it further enacted, That from and after
the pausing of this Act, it shall not be lawful for
wry driver, owner, or pr.priet•r of any such conch,
mail-coach, or other carriage above described, going
or travelling for hire, to carry, or permit or stiffer
any parcel or parcels, or luggage whatever, exceed-
ing two feet in height, to be conveyed ou the roof
of any such coach, mail-couch, or other carriage
above described, drawn by four or tuqre Inowts ;
and where carriages are drawn by two or three
horses, then such luggage not to exceed eighteen
incises above the roof ; and every such drie-r, ea of-
fending, and any owner or roprietor of any such
coach or other carriage. where such driver is nut
known or cannot be found, being cenvicted of such
offence, either lay his or her own crief.oaii-n. the
view of a Justice of the Peace or other alagirtrate,
or the oath or oaths of one or more esehible witness
or wituesses. before any Justice of Cie Pzece or
other Ailagistiate acting in awl for the carroty, rid-
ing. city, town, division, or riser where airy off•nce
shell he committed, (which oath everl. such Justice
or other Nla:tistrute is hereby authorised and re.
quired to administer) shell forfeit and pay the
sour of 51. for every such above the space at two fret
or of IS oic4t*, respectively above allowed ; and in
case the .Ir,ver. so uffaxl.ngs shall he the owner of
such coach, inatbcoaco, or whim carnage *hove
described, he shall forfeit the aunt of ten pounds for
evesy inch above the spaces respectively above al-
lowed; and, in default 0f payment of the said
penalties respectively, the person sad pennons so
offending shall be catomittod to the common gaol,
or hotho of correction. of the county, riding, city.
town, 1:1V1111011. or place where welt ..ffruce shall
have beim committed, there to remain without bail
or twunprtse. for the space of two em-ith*. unless
such penalties shun be sooner paid : rrovstled al.
way*, that all packsges herein before described.
mall be in pieced on the roof of such coach. mail-
coach, or oilier carriage above described. as that
no pa..seuger or pas.eopers shall .it thereon, under
the penalty of 50*. Ira each offeirce; to be paid by
such passenger or passengers respocrively, awl to
be recovered rod applird to the same manlier 'tithe
other penalties 'misused by this Act ; and that the
divisions or owlet., oo the top of the coach, or obis:
carlieKe, alitrer.iii. allotted for luggage, shell be
distinotly separated frow the other pert of the top
of such conch. or other carriage, by some roiling.
or otherwise ; and in case any h driver, or owner,
or ;Art owner, wk.o required sa to do, shall fermis
to pet mit the said carriage sad baggage to be men.
sorra by any Jamie, of the Pratte. Magharate,
Constable, surveyor of any Highway or Turnpike
Roil, Inspector of Coach. s, truly authorised by
the Comasorsioners of Stamps, or passenger, he sle(

Torfelt **like pandly. toile tetovered and applied
in the manner 4isio-efloe specified.
Aid whereas ti htintPeditot to lower the present
height of stage coaches, in which case a greater
height of luggage than two feet might be safely
permitted to be earned on the outsides thereof ; be
it therefore enacted, That it shall be lawful to carry
any luggage, parcel. or other package in manner
herein-before provided for ea the root of any coach
or other carriage above described of a greater
height than two feet ; provided such luggage,
pare I, or other package, be not a greater height
from the ground, including the height of such
coach. than ten feet nine incites.
The license to be taken out is to specify the
amber of inside and outside passengers.
%Vitale six months after the passing of the act,
the number of inside and outside passeugers that
the carriage it licensed tocsin is to be painted, iu
legible characters, upon the door of the carriage.
with the naties of the proprietors ; or, instead of
suchjnitcription, a metal plate shall be fixed to the
side of the carriage, to the same effect.
Every person offending agsiust this clause to
lorkit 101. for every outside passenger above the
leisl number, and 51. for obliterating or altering the
• painted inscription or plate.
When the offence relates to the number of pas-
sengers, and the driver cannot be found, the pe-
nalty to attach on the proprietor; but if the latter
'hews it wis against his nil!, it is to attach only
upon the driver, when found; who, in default of
payment, is to be committed to prison for • tune
not exceeding six, or Iris then three, months.
Service of the summon' upon acting book-keeper
of the coach to be deemed good service.
The driver stopping, not to quit his horses or the
box. until a proper person shall have actual hold of
the reins of the fore-horses,who shall hold them until
the driver returns to the box, or the post-boy who
rides one of the horses is completely mounted, un-
der a penalty on the driver of not leas than los. or
more then 31.--Th:s clause not to extend to hack-
ney coaches drawn any two horses only.
'flit driver or the guard, by intoxication or ne-
glig -ace. endangering the safety of the paseengerr,
or loitering on the road. or not fairly accounting to
his enaployer, to forfeits sous not less than 51., or
mere that 101.; and in default of payment thereof
is be imprisoned not less than three, or more then
six Months.
Driver or guard using abusive language. or ex-
acting more then he is retitled to, shall forfeit a
sum not less thau.Ss. or mote than Os- ; and in de-
fault of payment thereof, to be imprisoned for •
time not exceeding one nsooth, or less than three
days.
Constable refusing to execute- soy warreot, in
pursuance of this Act, to forfeit 51. and in default
of payment thereof, to be imprisoned until the
money Pi paid, bet Itlcotneyr than one nsonth.
And be it further e by the authority afore-
said, That from and after the passing of this Act,
if the driver of any coach or other rarrisge above
described, drawn by two or mom horses, and going
or travelling for hire, shall permit or suffer mote
than one person on the coach-box, besides himself,
and a greater somber of outside pueengers than
according to' the numbers allotted by this Act to
be carried or eonveyed by any such coach or car-
liege., Jaye described respectively, it shall be loo-
fa' for any outside or inside peesenger, who shall
' bare been regularly booked, and who has actually
paid for their place. if i•ouveyed by such coach or
other carriage, lo require the driver to stop such
coach or carriage at any toll or turnpike gate, and
to reqiiire the . collector of the toll at such gate to
count the °ember of passengers, or measure or
ascertain the height of the luggage upon such
coach or other carriage; and if any such driver
shall refuse, upon the demand of any such
passenger. to stop any such coach or carriage,
or to permit or suffer the collector at such
tall or turnpike gate, erhomhall be so required
by any such passenger, to count the number of
!mower's, and ascertain the height of the luggage,
or to make such examination, then and in every
such faye the driver of such coach shall forfeit the
sum of 31. for every such refusal; and shall, if
more passengers shalt have been carried on such
coach, or the luggage shall etceed the height al-
lowed by this Act, forfeit fur every such offence,
the committing whereof shall have been prohibited
as afore.vairl, double the penalty imposed by this
Act for mirk offence, the one-half of such penalty
to belong to the toll collector for his trouble, and
the other half to the paissengc;; and if any toll col-
lector, upon being so required by any such passen-
ger. shall neglect or refuge to make such examine-
• ton, he shall forfeit said pay the sum of 51. for
each offctice. to be levied and applied in the same
manner as the ether penalties imposed by this Act ;
Bed if any person or persona shall endeavour to
evade such examination, by deseemling from such
roach or nther carriage above described, previous
to its reaching sty turnpike gate, and re-ascending
after it has passed such turnmkegate, he shall for-
.- frit and pay the sum of lob to be recovered in the
same manner as the penalties hereby itnposed.
And be it further enacted, That, from and after
the passing of this Act, if the root:lona% or person
having the care of any coach, mad coach, or other
carriage above described, shall etermit or stiffer any
'other person, without the consent of a proprietor,
or against the consent of the passengers, to drive
the same, or shall quit the boa without reasonable
uecasioo, or for a longer space of time than such
occasion may require (althiiugh the reins for guid-
ing or driving the horses be left f.r the time in the
hands of the passenger on the boa), or if the coach-
man, or person having the care of any coach, mail-
coach, or other carriage, above described,
by furiously driving, or by any negligence or mi -
conduct, overturn the carriage, or in any manner
endanger the persons or property of the passenger.,
or the property of the owners or proprietors of such
carriage (ustavoiitable accidents always exeeuted)
every such ciosclitatan or person its aforesaid so offend-
ing, shall, fur every such offence, forfeit and pity
any sum not exceeding ten pounds, nor less than
five imunds. to be levied and applied in the saute
ton ,orr us Th. other penult...A imposed by this act.
And he it turther citeettd, That if any person,
vim! or trAvello4t. as a goortl to site coach. snail-
r rr oilier earii.e4r above deocrilwd, dull fire
of 11. ill% hr d with. either while •uch
c.o4ch or n;h-r corn.' is cuing on the ram'. or
soiaig thruuill or staittleig to any town, otherwise