New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-15
OLD COACHING DAYS.
STORIES OF A FAMOUS ROAD.

TIE BRIGHTON ROAD: Old Times and New on a
Classic Highway BY Charles G.. Harper. With
ninety Illustrations BY the author London: Chatto
q wlndus Imported by Charles scribner's sons
Sv0 PIP. 90.
There are probably few Americans whose
memory goes back to the time when the Brighton
Road was famous for its coaching: when its
fifty-two miles Of length presented one of the
bost-madc and best-kept highways to be found in
all Europe; and when princes OF the blood, dukes,
marquiscs, earls, baroncts and wealthy squires
often amused themselves by driving mail coaches
from London TO the sea and back. But inasmuch
as there has been q revival OF coaching on this
same Brighton Road within the last fifteen years.
and inasmuch as plenty of handsome vehicles.
drawn by blooded teams may dming that period
have been seen there almost any time Of the
year there can be no doubt that many tourists
from the United States have availed themselves
Of the opportunity TO enjoy new sensation by
riding over that stin fine highway in a manner
more picturesque and interesting than the rail
road afford. All these travellers and, indeed,
many others. will welcome Mr.. Ilarper's sprightly
chropicle, which lie very much what such a book
ought to be.
In order to post himself thoroughly the
locale" Mr. Harper made walking tonr from
London to Brighton in leisurey fashion, stopping
II
ing up traditions and anecdotes of the old coach
ing days as he went along. And truly it must
be said that there a great deal of interest
in those bygone days, before the railroad had
banished the coaches, aDd when coach journey
OF between four and five hours was thought some.
thing prodigious In the way of speed. Those were
thc times when the roadside inns hourishcd when
the bonfaces who could arrange to have the
coaches stop for changes and meals thought their
fortunes made; when the travelling public were.
as usual, habitually victimized by greedy tavern
Keepers, who conspred with coachmen and guards
co cut the meals short by pretending great haste.
II is not often that the side Of the victims in
such cases finds representation, but MIR. liarDer
has fshed up from the limbo of the past an anus
ing letter in which one disguised individual sets
down all the drawbacks of coaching az the begin
ming OF the century.
But much earlier--that is, before the middle Of
the eighteenth ccntury-llOracc Wapole travelled
in Sussex. This WINS before the coaching era, and
Judging from his remarks, before the eva Of roads
lie says: "If you love good roads, convenicnccs,
good inns, plenty Of positions and horses be SO
kind as never TO go into Sussex. We thought
ourselves in the northeast ps.t of England: the
whole intry has Saxon air, and the inhabitants
are savages as If King George III the
grow there no more than balm and spices; We
were forced to drop post chaise, that rcsemblcd
nothing so much as harlequins calash, which
was occasionally a chnise or a bakers cart
Another highly dissatisfied Sussex explorer in the
eighteenth century was Dr. John Hill Burton,
who wrote thus sourly: 81 fell Immediately
upon all that was most bad. upon land desolatc
and muddy, whether inhabited by men or beasts
stranger could not easily distinguish, and upon
roads which were, TO explain concscly what Is
most abOnnable. SussnXian. No one could
imagine them 10 be intended for the people and
the public, but rather the byways Of individuals
or more truly, the trucks Of cattle drivers"
No doubt IL was all very bad and full Of dis
comfort, but even three-quarters Of century
later, whom the dashing Eclipse and Meteor
and other so-called fast mail coaches were on thu
Brighton Road, there was still plenty to seek in
the line not only Of luxury, but convenience
Dickens has thrown much light upon tic misereS
Of Goa ch travel in those days: and though he was
unable to rival the performances Of our own coach
ing heroes in the then far West, he has put
on record quite enough to make it clear that our
ancestors were much tougher race than our
selves or they never could have taken TO coach
ing for the pleasure Of 1t. Accidents as matter
of course, we're frequent, and generally they were
quite serious the upsetting OF q coach with load
of people on the top almost inevitably involving
broken limbs anu sometimes broken nccks
Speed, however was demanded by the public, and
all the risks had TO be taken Among these those
of the winter should be numbered, when many
coach was stopped by snow, and not seldom
showed in This however, has happened also to
railway trains.
The Brighton Road has many sporting associ-
ations for il passes by or near several famous
old battle grounds, whcrcon during the palmy
DAYS Of pugilsm great combats were fought by
men such as the even still remembered Non
pareil" From Brighton, too, hailed Tom Say
crs the opponent Of IIecnan IN the great inter-
national prizcGght; and here and there along the
road are still pointed out the former ABIDING
places Of departed "pugs." Nor the reminis-
ccnces OF the road less racy Of other kinds OF
sport or course they are dorsey" and the
hunt figures in them, too; also all manner of
sporting wagcrs as to the relative efficiency OF
this or that method Of driving or riding. Much
Of Mr.. IIarpers lively gossip deals with record
breaking enterprises of this kind. and many OF
these are both curious and amusing, though re-
lated at such length that citation from them Is
inconvenient The author has not. however,
neglected the topography and scenery Of the road,
and his numerous illustrations, which are both
old and new, add much TO the general interest
of the book. lie has, by the way, an odd fad,
which takes the form Of burning desire TO re-
habilitate the decidedly damaged reputation of
George ". In his labofious attempts IN
this direction be falls foul Of Thackclay. but
there is really no harm done. for our author like
the candid prince in the Arabian Nights story.
has no stability in war and combat" and truly
his defence is damaging only 10 its object But he
has produced book possessing quite a special
interest, and he has written it intcigen,ly and
with light hand, which is quite as much as we
have any right to expect 10 the circumstances
A clever Italian has been announcing the I'M
usiol conviction that the English the least In