Litchfield enquirer., 1862-01-02
THE INTRODUCTION OF COACHES.

The editor of Chambers journal, gives the fol- lowing interesting account of the introduction of coaches into Great Britain:
 Coaches became common in the reign of James l.. although they were still reckoned as tokens of great wealth or great profuseness. They were then habtually drawn by six horses, the sover- eign alone appearing with eight and Lady Hat ton esteemed as valuable privilege the royal l- cense to harness four pair of long steeds at time. The horses used for the purposes of draught were all foreign. Flanders supplied the carriage horses, as Spain furnished chargers, since English horses were as yet but rough Gal loways. ill-bred, and of trifing value. Postllions a French device, were not employed, to the best of our belief, earlier than the civil wars. How ever. the coachman was assisted by running foot men and grooms, who trotted on foot beside the ambling horses, and were ever ready to grasp @ brdle in C. SC of need. By the Restoration, a change had come over the aspect of the country.
 Stage wagons. and even stage coaches, such as they were, ran, or rather crawed along the main roads. No coach, even of that slow order, went west of Exeter, or north of York. But women and infirm persons could from most places on a great high road, contrve to reach London, though at irregular intervals Then came the innovation of the flying coaches, the first of which achieved the stupendous journey from OK ford to London between dawn and dusk of a single summers day. The eminent successes of this enterprise, which many wisacres had attemp ted to nip in the bud by derision and solemn warning. led to the estat lishment of such public vehicles in all directions.
 Meanwhile London had enlisted the services of a few hackney coaches. and Paris, still more advanced. had started an omnibus This latter throve wonderfully we'll and was formally put down" by an act of the meddling Parliament of De-, {l,oc kbnks DGT., k1< nient accommodation to the ignoble public. The beginning of the eighteenth century found our island still poor in vehicles though much pro- gress had been made. London and Bath alone appear to have possessed a hackney coach and in the latter town, the first specimen of hired carriage was rabbled by the chairmen. The stage wagons carried passengers at about three pence per mile-half the fare of flying coach. The transport of goods by land cost from five to ten times it's present rate. The carriages of the nobility were still tinselled arks. with the true gilt gingerbread display that we still admire in sheriff equipage; they had yet room inside for six or seven persons, including tho boot or well, in which were deposited the page, the chaplain, or the waiting gentlcwomen, and they were drawn by six horses.
 It led also to the famous petition of the sad. dlers spurriers, and hirers out of saddle horses, tHo1 loiAiahCbt "Ouu, LII ItS "ioAOuI ShcSN IuC velocity of such flaming meteors, whose reckless speed of seven miles an hour threatened ruin to important trades and the decay of horsemanship. And yet those Stuart flyers were poor affairs, after all they were irregular as to their depar- lures and arrivals, they took twice as long in winter as in summer, and they were so continu- ally overturned, that no outside passengers were ever taken for fear of broken necks.
 . Indeed, in summer, an adventurous esquire, with light chariot would sometimes journey with pair; but rainy weather was sure to dis concert him and the orthodox six steeds were needed to drag the numbering vehicle through the mud of the villainous roads. In Scotland were few carriages in Wales, none. When ant of Ireland, it cost days of toll, and the labor of scores of stout peasants to get his gilded coach along the Holyhead road. Even so late as the French Revolution, country gentlemen were more used to ride short journey with servant armed with pistols, than to order out the awk- ward coach. Not till after the accession of the house of Hanover, did the caste ofrunnipg foot. men become extinct
 These men clad in white from head to foot and with long wards in their hands, were accus. toned to run at swinging trot in advance of my lords carriage, bawling to carters and dro- vers to clear the way. Many uoblemen were mus preceded all the long way from Scotland, or the west, to London; and the running footman was expected to do his forty miles at least' in day.
 Other rich aud noble personages when posting became the rage, were wont to travel wltl relays' compelling their servants to rde aiter sne'n . II" all weathers, sixty, seventy, or eignty mtsS T tha rumble or dicky," as mode of saving all th.s vicarious fatigue, and by the end of the century. journeys, though slow were not performed with any uecnIiar discomfort.