The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-25 00:00:00

THE DERBY DAY.

The Derby Day is always a red letter day
amongst the holidays of the metropolitans.
London must have been on foot, or rather
on wheels, at an early hour, as vehicles were
streaming out of town by all the practicable routes
before six o'clock this morning, at least those of the
early birds, bent on combining duty with pleasure
and profit with both. At nine o'clock roomy
coaches and prancing horses were at work in many
of the leading thoroughfares collecting passengers
and taking in stores. At the West-end the bustle
was very great, as elegant four-in-hands were in
full requisition, charged to the muzzle with hampers
from Fortnam and Mason's, literally bursting with
chicken and champagne, and occupied with be-
witching toilettes calculated to captivate the
passers-by, and to imbibe the dust on the
road. To those not inclined or unable to " come
out so extensively," ghostly stage coaches had been
resuscitated for the occasion, and, if not as elegant
and as well provided as those above-mentioned, they
at least were filled with jovial company, whose only
fear, perhaps, was that the four antique roman•
nosed specimens of horseflesh, "set up" in harness,
would not survive the distance without an unlimited
assistance of whip cord, or, perhaps, the roadside
veterinary surgeon. Omnibuses, and venerated
open chariots, too, Were pressed into the service,
although, despite their new coats of yellow and
blue, it was evident the time had arrived and passed
when they ought to have been given over to the
tender mercies of the vendors of fire-wood. The
majority of th• Londoners still cling to the
opinion that the " properest" way to do
the Derby is by the road, and those who
determine to stick to old prejudices and accomplish
the dangerous yet delightful journey as safely as
can be calculated on, charter a van, and pat the
most implicit reliance upon the gaudy characters
painted thereon, viz., " Goods carefully removed."
This species of vehicle was in great force this morn-
ing, and perhaps none seemed so thoroughly to en-
joy themselves as the occupants of these plebeian yet
commodious and well provisioned conveyances. At
the Elephant and Castle the attendance was im-
mense. Here all sorts, sizes, and description of
vehicles seemed to have assembled to show the taste
of their respective proprietors in the art of decora-
tion. The rosettes on the whips of the four-in-
handers were prolific, and as to the Hansom cabs
they were converted into perfect bowers,
with the addition of a pair of gauze curtains

to protect their somewhat fast and boisterous occu-
pants from the choking dust of the road. Muggins

the chimney sweep, was not to be outdone by his
more wealthy patrons, and if he could not sport a
light chaise cart he furbished up his patent spring
barrow, and was at the great national meeting place
in full flower, with his partner of fortune smiling
by his side, determined to do the great Derby Day
like his betters. The wait at the Elephant enabled

the voyagers to indulge in numerous pleasantries
and practical jokes, some of the latter being more
amusing to the looker on than the individual who
came in for the fun of Brown, Jones, Robinson, and
Co. Having refreshed the inner man without
drawing on the reserve stores, the holiday makers
started on the way in the best possible
spirits. At Tooting, as far as the eye could
reach in advanceand rear there was the usual
diverse, yet strangely consistent element. Some-
times the body of carriages was folded into a triple
cord, sometimes it spread itself out into a long thin
line, occasionally it got over the ground in double
quick time, and then came "a pull up," which
damaged many a panel and caused an uneasy
thought, touching repairs. During these tedious
stoppages " the fun of the road" commenced. The
well-bred composure of one set of travellers was in
marked contrast with the high animal spirits and
conversational tendencies of another class, Nothing
was too high or too low to escape notice, and the
more piquant the comment the more general satisfac-

tion it appeared to afford. First a solo player on
the cornet would come in for a share of the banter,
then a driver would be advised to go and help the
horses, and thus we presume the fun would last
until the holiday-maker reached the glorious
Downs of Epsom.