Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-08-09
COACHING DAYSL0NG AGO
Encounters With the Highwaymln on
the English Roads.
George the Thirds Numbering and
Cumbersome Coach OF State Mad
Drained But Arist0cratic
Whips.

As We look a. the pictorial representa-
ton OF the eighteenth century stage
coach, with it's four horses, pas et" be-
hind for parcels, etc. and limit ed &C.
commOdations for passengers, it strikes
Us as vehicle of very iuconvenient
kiud. 1t was not only All this, and very
expensive, but the passengers in pro
portion 20 their number, were much
more frequently exposed to accidents
than modern railway travellers. AS Mr..
Ashton remarks:
"The coach might break down, as it
often did, or an axle or pole break, or
the coach might be, as it ofteutimes was,
overloaded, and then in a rut-why, over
ali went The horses toe, were apt O
cast shoes slip down, get their legs over
the traces, or take to kicking, besides
which the harness would snap, either the
traces or the preaching or reins; and
these terrors we're amplifvd by the prob
ability of eneoHntering high 9aymeu, who
were naturally attracted to attack the
stage coaches, not only on account OF the
money aud vgluables which the passeu-
gers carried with them, but because
parcels of great price we're entrusted to
them for security ach as gold and notes
end securities for counsry banks.
This is no fancy picture, foe it seems
to be fact, that certain adventures who
robbed the public of large sums IN this
manner occasionally cOntrived TO con
ceal from their neighbors the nature OF
their occupation while they lived in sum
tuOus style. Two brothers of this stamp
lived together, under assumed names, in
one OF the historical houses AZ Winchel-
sea, about q century ago; and though
both were ultimately hanged, they won
golden opinions from the parishioners
of al grades, who were ignorant OF their
trIe character.
How DARING these gentlemen of the
road we're before any efficient system IF
police WAS organized, OF in earlier part
Of the century, appears from such q
paragraph as the following, which ap-
peared among the ordinary news, Sep
TENDER 30, 1736:--"The robberies talked
of this month are very Numerous, yet
some have predicted more for next
Maideuhead ticket, HoBnslow Heath, Put
ney, Barnes aud Finchley Commons, aud
places adjacent, have been the daily
scenes of action" The escape OF a
gentleman after being hotly pursued
and several murders, are then men
toned.
Before the business had been develop
ed and improved, the spesd at which the
coaches, even the mails, travelled WAS
very slow. In 1854, when "a new plan for
the conveyance of the mail between Lon
don, Bath, Bristol by coaches constructed
for the purpose" was perfected, sixteen
hours we're required for the accomplish.
ment OF the journey between the capital
aud the western metropolis The stage.
wagon between Southwark and Tun-
bridge, and which also carried passen-
gers, occupied twenty four hours to lum-
Der over that thirty-six miles of road.
That was indeed a ieiaurely period.
GEORGE THE THIRDS STATE COACH.
The monarch os the vehicles of the
road in the middle of the last century
was of course the kings state-coach; but
reading n description written in 1862 Of
that used by The then youthful George
Ill, we do NOT admire the taste of che
age. The body OF the coach Is compos-
cd of eight pam-trees, which branching
out at the top, sustain the roof. The
four angular trees are loaded with tro-
phies, abusive TO the Victories obtained
by Britain during the course of the pre-
sent glorious war" The pagan emblems
were not Mt all becoming, moreover, and
aid little credit 10 the representative OF a
Christian nation. Otherwise, as work
of art, tho vehicle Was such as would have
added to the attraction of state pageant.
"The inside of the coach is lined with
crimson velVst, richly embroidered with
gold. All the woodwork is triple gilt,
and all the paintings highly vanished.
The harness is of crimson velvet adorned
with buckles and other embellishments
OF silver gilt; and the saddle-cloths are of
blue velvet embroidery, end fringed with
gold" A bill of the cost of this elabor-
ate vehicle shows that the total expense
OF it's production amounted toE7, 562 A.
gid of which G2,5o0 went to the carver,
and 300 to the lace men alone.
The rsvenHe from coaches of course in
cluded what We now call private carriages.
In 177S the total sum received by govern
ment from this source amounted toEll7,-
600 on account of $4,000 vehicles, which,
on the average, were supposed to employ
three horses each. AS the eighteenth
century advanced, and coaches became
more used there were naturally many
suggested improvements; but We are not
aware that these ingenious inventions
were to any great extent utilized.