The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-14
LIFE AND LETT RS IN ENGLAND.

LONDON, May 80. 1874.
Among the many quaint characteristics OF the
British love OF horses Is pre-emlnent and there
Is probably no nation In the world in which 80
much money Is spent upon these animals anu their
concomltants OF carriages, stables. harness, &c.
From time to time comp. ANTS appear Ia our news
papers that, owing TO some cause or another our
breed OF horses is degenerating: but be that as it
may, there is unquesilonably, according to my ex.
pc fence. no other city IN the world In which such
saddle horses, teams and traps can be seen as In
London at the present moment. In New York you
have your slender bugsies and rockaways, your
pretty c0upes and your marvellously last trotters
in all OF which. as 1t struck me- eegance is sacrl-
feed to speed, and the great pleasure OF having a
drive is 10 get through with It a. fast and
have done with 1t as quickly as possible.
In Paris they have doubtless some ex-
celient horses, hut thev are mlserabiy ridden
and driven. Their coachmen are hard listed
looms. perpetually twtchlng at the horses mouths
and IN their attempt at imitation OF au English
coachman particularly as regards their hats shirt
collars and long overcoats, enting an exaggera-
TED and prepostei appearances while their occu-
rants stead OF being the 01ndes DANES and nooe
seigneurs Of days which can well remember. are
either painted cocottes or the Quarter Breda,
wretched little gundins, OF fat, oleaginous jews
duu odt.OW uTccAS WIN nave luVcStCu TIE result OI
their speculatlons on tue Bourse stilburin and
''steppare." In Vienna there are many splendid
saddle horses and many excellent drivers, but In
the teams and traps they are amentably deficient.
In Madrid 1t was quite refreshing to look az the
stalwart form, easy seat and light hand OF Mr.. Lay
ard, mounted on has gray weight carrier among the
curb wrenching equestrians ana weedy hacks OF
the Prado; and though at st. Petersburg the
drOschky drivers manage to go like the wind,
manly owing to their utter disregard OF their ami.
mails comfort or their passengers lives. the horses
wuich you see drawing the equipages in the
Nevski Prospect in breeding and physique
physique are lar inferior to the London carriage
horse. We ought to succeed in this matter, Tor we
pay great attention to and spend vast sums OF
money upon it. At the present writing there are
inlly twenty coaches. each drawn by four horses.
and having three or four changes OF teams, start
Ing every morning from the White Horse Cellar
Piccadilly, to various pre- ty places or points OF
interest Within radius Of nlty miles from London
These coaches are the property OF and are horsed
by different nonlemen and private gentlemen,
most OF whom drive them in person three
or four times q week. more delicious
outing than drive on one Of these coaches
in fine weather cannot be imagined You
have the excitement OF starting, the gather.
ing OF the passengers and their settling themselves
into their seats the expectant crowd OF loafng
lockers on; the cOacn, brilliant in It's yellow or
chocOa g varnish without a specx on 1t, its shin.
ing lamps, It's polished extra splinter bars hang.
ing Immediately behind the guards seat, along
side OF which is hanging the long wicker basket
Tor the norm. Then CONES the arrival Of the
coachman, very likely handsome sprx OF
NOBILITY, country squire possessing innumcrab,e
acres, or a knowing LOOKING retired cavalry ofncer
Tnere is a workmanlke air in everything about
HIM, In his white hat, his dark cutaway coat, his
,ight-nttng cord trousers and his drae gaiiers
and the way In which he CATERS up the relns with
his dogskin goyed hands and wraps his legs In the
lug which his servant hands him. The our sp,en-
did horses with their cloths still over them and
the 0s ers at cir heads, are hdgeting and Iret-
ting. The guard has looked over his waybiii and
glanced at his passengers. "All right sir,n he re-
ports, with a touch Of his hat to the coachman
sGive lem their heads" cries the latter TO the
ostlers, who whip Off the cloths instantly, and
alter little preliminary plunging aud kicking the
start Is made. Watch the art with which the nigh
blooded team IS fooled through the Heterogeneous
mass OF vehicles encumbering Plcc.dlllyI The
foot passengers stop and stare, the cheeky Ham
sim cabmen pull aside and touch their hats, the
sulky driver OF the baggage wagon VII
not bulge an inch but we cut In between
HIM and the lamppOst at the corner Of the street
street with scar .ey quarter OF an inch to spare
and Ieave him with Open-mouthed amazement
Now through the pleasant SUBURBS, soft with lilac
and cleaning with laournum, to the open country,
through wooded lanes and over breezy downs
past nesting villages and gray cd market towns
the four horses spanking away and you enjoying
all the exquisite pleasure exqasi ely recorded
In Tom Plnch's drive from Salisbury to London by
that dead man whose memory IS and will be wor-
aui tv I'M nd NJ n o
whom 1T Is the fashion at the present moment lor
every mongrel cur to utter his yep.
che WHIP CLUBS.
Besides these professional coaches there are
more than half hundred 'dragsr belonging to
noblemen and gen lemen, who do not use them for
the conveyance OF paying passengers, but soiemniy
tool them round aud round the Park, and CONVEX
tneH friends 10 Richmond, Greenwich and
other noted suburban dining places. These
amateurs have formed themselves into
two clubs-the most ancient and the best.
"fhe Four.in-hand,n the other, an o1snoot.
"The Coaching Club" Each has Its annual
parade day, when all the drags are BROUGHT
to a. gwen point the powder magazine In hJle
PARK, on the north bank OF the oerpentine, and
then drive OF IN single file in a long procession.
The youngsters had their parade about ten DAYS
since. There we're some fine teams ana some
splendid coaches, but the driving wanted prac.
tIce ON wednesday evening the Four In. Hand
Club met. ana gave US a splendid sight. never
saw such an immense gathering in the PARK. IL
was with the greatest difficulty that the police
managed to make lane between the carriages Ior
the ura.s TO pass through FIRST came The Duke
OF Beaufort, the President OF the Club; then bis
son, the Marquis OF Worcester, young fellow OF
three or four aud twenty, whose drag was covered
with his brother of1cers OF the Blues, and VINO
drove them splenddy. Then Lord Londesborough,
very grave and solemn, but admirably turned out;
Lord Seton, perhaps the best OF all, aie two ana
twenty more. O!d men about town. VINO remem-