otherwise, you will be perpetually loaded with idle people, _i. e._
unless you think that two or three outside passengers are ornamental
or convenient, or you like to have your Carriage continually surrounded
by Crowds of Children, incessantly screaming, “Cut! Cut behind!” Why do
not _the Street Keepers_ prevent this Nuisance? These officers should
be stationed in Sentry Boxes, as they are in the Parish of Bloomsbury,
_i. e._ the same as the Watchmen are at Night; where, when not going
their Rounds, they should remain.
The multitude of _Strayed Dogs_ which are perpetually prowling and
howling, and barking and biting at Horses’ heels, and making them
start, and those which _are carried about in Carts_, also frequently
frighten Horses and occasion Accidents, and are barbarous and dangerous
_Public Nuisances_, which “_the Street Keepers_” should suppress.
Let it be enacted--that all Dogs, Fowls, and any other Beasts and
Birds, found in the Streets, _not having a Collar_ on, on which is
engraven the Name and place of abode of the Owner thereof, shall
henceforth be seizeable by any Constable, or Street Keeper, or
Watchman, or any person who finds them; which they shall have power
to dispose of as their own property; and those _with a Collar_ also,
unless their owners immediately pay a fine of five shillings; one
moiety of which shall be to the person finding them, the other to the
Poor of the Parish. For want of such salutary Regulations, some of the
Streets of London are like a Dog Kennel or a Poultry Yard.
These Beasts and Birds are seldom kept except by petty Housekeepers,
who are perpetually applying to be excused paying Taxes. Surely such
persons should not be permitted to annoy their neighbours, who by duly
paying Parish rates, in fact, contribute to their maintenance.
_Dogs out of Doors_ are horribly noisy, especially on Moon-light
Nights, when they will turn up their Noses, and
“Bay the Moon with hideous howl,”
for an hour together. They seldom give Tongue when inside of a House,
except when shut in by themselves in an Empty house. There are certain
Manufacturers who having more cunning than conscience, to evade paying
the Taxes upon their Warehouse, instead of letting somebody sleep in
it, which would subject them to the Taxes, turn in a Dog as a Watchman,
who barks and howls incessantly all night long. Surely such shirking
Gentry are not entitled to the privilege of annoying a score or two of
quiet Neighbours, who honestly pay the Taxes imposed by their Country!
They and their Cur-Watchman should be indicted and amerced _sans
cérémonie_.
Fowls, Parrots, Dogs, or any other of those Beasts or Birds, which
(because they make most Noise) are vulgarly called _Dumb Animals_,
bleating, barking, bellowing, in the Front Area or back Garden of a
House, &c. are an offence against the Public Peace--are an Indictable
Nuisance; and on the complaint of a Neighbouring Housekeeper, are as
cognizable by Constables, Street Keepers, Watchmen, &c. surely as
justly as the Owners of such Animals would be, were they to hoot and
bellow there,--for which they would, in the first instance, be taken to
a Watchhouse, and in the second Indicted and fined or sent to the Tread
Mill.
QY. What difference does it make whether the Peace is broken, and
Sleep destroyed, by an “_Animal plumis, vel implumis et bipes_,” _i.
e._ whether it wears ready-made Clothes, or employs a Tailor? Surely
it will not be allowed in this Age of Refinement, that the former is
entitled to more consideration than the latter.
They manage these things better in France. All Dogs, Fowls, &c. found
in the Streets of _Paris_, are finished forthwith by the _Gens d’Armes_.
It cannot be too generally known, that by _The Metropolis Street Act_
of the _57_th Geo. III. cap. 24. in § 67. “The Commissioners of the
Parochial Paving Boards are empowered to order the removal of _any
matter or thing which they consider a Nuisance, on the complaint of any
Inhabitant_.”
Such controlling power is but too needful--there is no lack of people
who love their _dear_ “_Dumb Animals_,” as they call their Dogs and
Parrots, &c. not a little better than they do their Neighbours,--aye,
who love them as well as _Simon Suck-eggs_ does his Fowls! who would
not willingly sacrifice the penny profit he makes by the oviparous
faculty of his Poultry, however much, or however many people may be
annoyed by it.
If Persons who are offended by any of the above nuisances, apply to
the Clerk of the Commissioners of the Paving, and beg him to lay their
complaint before the Board, they will issue a mandate ordering their
immediate abatement as _a Public Nuisance_: and thus, the evil is
removed, without any of that unpleasant feeling which might arise from
one Neighbour complaining of another.
The Author is now framing “_a Sleep Act_,” which will shew the
importance of Sleep to Health, the causes which so often and so cruelly
disturb “_the Business of the Night_,” on the due performance of which,
depends our power of performing “_the Business of the Day_,” and the
remedies which the Legislature may easily apply for its preservation.
One of their most beneficial acts would be to abolish a
_Vulgar and Barbarous Custom_ which prevails among common Workmen, when
they first come to work in the Morning, to make as much Noise as they
possibly can; thus, if you live near any Manufactory, &c., or if a
house is building or repairing near you--from Six in the Morning till
half-past, they will raise such a horrible din of Hammering, &c. that
all within Ear shot of them are presently awoke; and indeed they seem
to do it for that sole purpose, for the following hours they are often
quiet enough.
Those who are so outrageously active so early in the day are
technically termed _Powters_, _i. e._ such extraordinary industry being
very often a mere manœuvre to deceive their Neighbours, which they
artfully affect to gain Credit, and which, like setting up a shewy Shop
Front, _is one of the usual tokens of approaching Bankruptcy_.
Let it be enacted, that all Manufacturers do perform the Noisy part of
their processes during the middle of the Day:--this might be easily
managed in most trades without any interruption of their business! What
can be easier, than for the work which makes such a Noise during _the
first half hour_ in the Morning to be done in _the last half hour_ in
the Evening?
Let the DOG TAX be levied without exception, (but as far as regards
only those which lead Blind Men,) and let due Rewards be given to those
who inform against persons who evade it, of whom there are not a few,
the only way of preventing which is to LET ALL DOGS WEAR A COLLAR, on
which is engraved the Name and the place of Abode of the Owner;--He who
by Fraud avoids a Tax, which by the Laws of his Country he is commanded
to pay, is a Traitor, who commits a greater Crime, and deserves as
great a Punishment, as he who, by Force, breaks into the Treasury, and
takes so much Money out!!!
It is notorious, that the majority of these useless and offensive
Animals are maintained by paupers who have hardly the means of
maintaining Themselves!--these are the Dogs which, from spare and bad
food, are most frequently mischievous--most apt to run Mad--and are
most annoying and disturbing to the Public. “_As many Beggars, as many
Dogs_,” is one of our true Old Sayings, and of an Old Song, to which
in the next page we have had engraved as it was performed by “_Betsy,
Billy, and Bow Wow_.”
When the Author first learned the Song between this and the next page,
which is now nearly half a Century ago, he was a good deal surprised
at the last line of it, and thought that it savoured more of Rhyme
than of Reason, notwithstanding his Grandma’ told him that “Time the
Teacher” would soon shew him, that Opulence and Independence, and Wit
and Wisdom, are not always inseparable;--that he would frequently find
Integrity dwelling with Poverty, “_in Tags and Rags_;”--as often meet
with Nobleness of Mind among the Humble in Fortune, as with those who
are by courtesy called Noble, and who are Poor enough in principle, who
wear a VELVET GOWN.
The fact is, that the Poor are, very naturally, as fond of flattery as
the Rich:--now nothing in nature Flatters more fascinatingly than the
Eye of a Dog! If his master speak to him in any tone lower than that of
Anger, his Eye is ever ready to ogle obsequious Approbation:--and if he
scold him, the rudest expression it ever offers is seeming to say, with
the most subtle submission, “As you are _Great_! be Merciful!”
[Music] [Illustration: A TRIO
as performed by
BETSY, BILLY, and BOW WOW,
Engraved on Copper, by Sid^y. Hall, Bury Str^t. Bloomsb^y.
Hark, BOUGH, WOUGH,
Hark, how the Dogs bark! how the Dogs bark! WOUGH WOUGH WOUGH
How the Dogs bark!
Then the Beggars are coming, the Beggars are coming, the Beggars are
coming to Town,
There’s some in Tags, some in Rags, some in Rags, some in Tags, And
there’s some in a VELVET Gown aye! aye! aye, aye, aye, aye! some in
VELVET! in VELVET? in VELVET aye, aye, some in VELVET, some in VELVET,
some in a VELVET Gown.]
In future, instead of the trite Old Adage, “As Faithful,” it
might more properly be said, “As Flattering as a Dog:”--like other
Flatterers, “_they are Faithless as they are Flattering_.”
Every one knows that when Men go Mad, they always hate most those that
they loved best when they were in their Senses: and it is a frightful
Truth, that
“_A Mad Dog is always apt to bite his Master first._”
There have been many arguments _pro and con_, concerning the dreadful
Disease their bite produces;--it is enough to know, that Multitudes
of Men, Women, and Children, have died in consequence of being bitten
by Dogs.--What does it matter whether they were the Victims of Bodily
Disease or Mental Irritation? The Life of the most humble Human Being
is of more value than all the Dogs in the World--dare the most brutal
Cynic say otherwise?
Semi-drowning in the Sea, and all the pretended Specifics, are mere
delusions, and there is no real remedy but cutting the part out
immediately. If the bite be near a large Blood vessel, that cannot
always be done, nor when done, nor however soon done, or however well
done, will it always prevent the miserable Victim from dying the most
dreadful of Deaths!!!
Well might ST. PAUL desire us to
“_Beware of Dogs._”
First Epistle to Phillipians, chap. iii. verse 2.
THE AXLE-TREES
Are formed of wrought Iron, and are the chief support of
_The Carriage[11]._
Four Wheeled Carriages are divided into two parts, the _Upper_ and
_Under Carriage_.
_The Upper_ is the main one, on which the Body is hung.
_The Under Carriage_ is the conductor, and is turned by means of the
Pole which acts on a centre-pin, called the _Perch Bolt_, which goes
through the fore Axle-tree bed and fore transom, and secures the fore
or under Carriage to the Upper one.
The Hind Wheels are placed on the _Upper_, the Fore Wheels on the
_Under Carriage_.
The utmost care should be taken to have every part made of good _Town
made Iron Work well wrought, and sound Wood well seasoned_, and of
sufficient strength, rather going to the extreme in thickness, than
risking the lives of the Passengers by the oversetting of the Carriage,
which often happens when an Axle-tree or a Perch, &c. breaks.
_The Common Axle-tree_ is that which is in general use, it being much
the cheapest, a pair of the best case hardened costing only £9. 9_s._
_Collinge’s Axles_ have many advantages, which more than compensate
the higher first charge for them, which is £28. 7_s._, but they wear
so much longer, and the silent and steady motion they preserve to the
Wheels, and the convenience of retaining Oil enough to travel a Journey
of 30 Miles a day for 9 Months, that is, above 7,500 Miles, (_i. e._ if
the Carriage does travel every day) without replenishing with Oil: the
Common Axle will hardly travel 100 Miles without requiring the Wheels
to be taken off and greased.
In the ordinary Town Work--say, on an average, about 10 Miles a day,
Oiling twice a Year is enough: MR. COLLINGE sends a person to do this,
and charges 2_s._ for each Wheel; if a new Leather Washer is wanted,
1_s._ 6_d._ is charged for each: these are rarely required oftener than
once in nine months.
Moreover, the Wheels are much better secured, and the draught of the
Carriage is very much lessened.
Keep the _Winch_ which fastens on the axle-cap in your own possession,
or some curious or clumsy person may unscrew it, and let out the Oil.
“COLLINGE’S AXLES are much more safe and secure, for they have Two
Collars and Two Nuts, which screw different ways, and a linch-Pin, and
a Cap which screws on over all.”--A. E.
A person who was formerly employed in Mr. Collinge’s Manufactory,
told me, that with all the evident advantages of these Axle-trees,
they were not such general favourites with some Coachmen as might
be expected, which, for a long time, he could not any how account
for--till the unaccountable cause was accidentally discovered in the
two following instances.
A Coachman to a Gentleman who had Collinge’s Axles, was continually
abusing them, and at length got himself discharged:--the workman met
him some time after, and said, “Well, my Friend, I cannot imagine why
you were such a determined enemy to our Axles, which save you a vast
deal of Trouble, for they don’t need Oiling more than twice a Year; and
I cannot conceive why you preferred your Common Axles, which required
taking to pieces and greasing, &c. once or twice in a Week! Now, as you
have left your place, and it cannot injure You, and may very greatly
serve Me, pray be so good as to tell me, why you so furiously opposed
our Axles?” “Why, sir,” replied Mr. Coachman, “the fact is, that what
you have stated as so great an advantage in your Axles, was a great
Dis-advantage to me: you know that my late Master, _Mr. Rusticate_,
used every week to go to his Country House, which is 30 miles from
Town: this gave me an opportunity of charging him 1_s._ 6_d._ for extra
Grease, which did not cost me 2_d._; therefore, your Axles were a dead
loss of £4. a year to me!!!”
He informed me that another unconquerable opponent was the servant of a
Gentleman who had a new Carriage every five years, and who gave the Old
one to his Coachman:--now, as Collinge’s Axles will wear out three or
four Carriages, they were taken away from the Old Carriage and put to
the New one,--which made it a less valuable perquisite to the Coachman
in the direct ratio of the worth of a set of Common Axles.
“_When you Build a Carriage, have Collinge’s Axles_;”--but remember, it
is not sufficient that you order the Builder to put in _Patent Axles_,
for some of the imitations of Collinge’s Axles are called Patent Axles;
and as they are got up cheap, some Coachmakers, unless you positively
desire them to go to _Collinge’s Manufactory_, (near the Marsh-gate
Turnpike, in the Westminster Bridge Road), will, to put a pound in
their own pocket, recommend the _Sham Patents_.
_Mr. Jervis_ says, that he has actually seen them put down in the Bill
under the Appellation of, and charged at the Price of, “_Collinge’s
Patent Axles_.”
THE WHEELS.
The Work of a Carriage is proved by the wear of the Wheels;--if it
runs upon an average 10 miles per day in Town, and 15 in the Country,
Well-made Hoop-rimmed Wheels, the Tire of which should not be less than
five-eighths of an inch in thickness, and for a Travelling Carriage
three-fourths of an inch, will not be worn out in less than 12 Months,
_i. e._ they will run at least 3,650 Miles in Town, and it is reckoned
that they will last twice or thrice as long on a smooth Road, as they
will on rough Pavement.
It is said that _the Macadamising_ of the Streets, if kept in _perfect_
Repair, would make the Wheels last a deal longer than they did on the
Pavement:--this operation is performed at present in a very clumsy
manner; instead of stopping up half the Street with a Wooden Hoard,
and breaking the Stones on the Spot, _the materials should be brought
there ready broken; One Twentieth part of the Time now taken would then
be more than enough entirely to finish a Road._
_The Flag Foot Pavement_ should also be brought ready chipped and
fitted;--by working the Stones in the Streets, the Eyes of the
Passengers are in no small danger.
By the Metropolis Street Act of the _57_th Geo. III. cap. xxix.
sec. lxiii. Every Occupier of any House, Warehouse, &c. during the
continuance of Frost, or after or during the Fall of Snow, shall
once in every day, before 10 of the clock in the forenoon, cause the
Footway, all along the Front, Side, or Back walls of such House, &c. to
be swept and cleansed;--for each neglect of doing so, to forfeit 10_s._
This order for keeping the Footway swept should be extended to all
Times and Seasons;--there is sometimes an accumulation of greasy dirt
on the pavement, which is as slippery as if it was soaped, and is as
dangerous as Ice itself:--might not this cleansing be done by poor from
the Workhouse?
In Walking the Streets of a Slippery Morning, you may guess where the
good-natured people live, by Sand or Ashes being thrown on the Ice
before their Doors.
How far the change of the permanent and easily kept clean Granite
Pavement, for the Mud and Dust of the present Roads, may be considered
an improvement by _the Eyes_, _the Legs_, _and the Lungs_ of our good
Londoners, the Editor has not studied the subject sufficiently to
venture a conjecture: the Quiet with which Carriages pass along is
certainly extremely desirable to the Ears of the Inhabitants of the
Houses which border the Streets so altered.
Our Granite Pavement has shared the fate of every thing in this World,
where nothing remains long at rest: as soon as it had arrived at as
high a degree of perfection as it appeared capable of, it was pulled
up, and hammered into pieces:--so much for the Constancy and permanency
of Human Ways!
Some persons use their Carriage so little, and go so gently, that a set
of Strong Wheels will last them three or four Years: Others will be
whirled along at such a furious rate, that they wear them out in ten or
twelve Months.
When New Wheels are put on to Old Carriages, and _the Old Wheels_ are
taken in exchange, the usual allowance for them is about two Guineas
per Set: but they are the perquisite of the Coachman if he has been in
your Service as long as the Wheels have.
From the beginning to the end, it will take not less than five Weeks
to finish a set of Wheels properly;--they should be made a fortnight
before they are painted, and they should not be put on for use till
a fortnight after they have been painted; therefore, order a set of
Wheels a couple of Months before they will be wanted.
The _Price of Four New Chariot Wheels_ with prime Ash felleys, and
patent hoop tires, all of the very best workmanship, including every
charge of Painting and Boxing, &c. is about £15.
A set of Wheels may be purchased for £12. 12_s._: in the early part of
my Apprenticeship to Carriage-Keeping, I paid as high as £16. 16_s._
_Watch the Tires._--When the Irons are getting thin, have them taken
off, before they become too weak to protect the Wood-work:--the best
plan is, _when the Irons are half worn out_, and before the joints
in the Wood-work get loose, as they wear most on the outer edge, to
have them taken off and turned;--if the Wood-work is sound, they will
run then half as long as they did at first; then, if the Wood-work
continues sound, have new Irons put on;--_the Ringing_ is about
one-third the price of New Wheels, say £6. 6_s._, and if the Spokes and
Naves are good, they will then run nearly as long as New Wheels.
THE
ORNAMENTS OF CARRIAGES,
If for common use, cannot be too simple and plain: Expense is saved in
the purchase, and Time in the cleaning;--it is not so much the Quantity
of furniture about the Carriage and Harness that makes it appear to
advantage, as the having what there is, kept nicely Clean and Bright.
I would not advise any Brass or Plated Beading on the Body of a
Carriage, as in the rubbing it bright, you are very apt to rub off the
Varnish and Paint contiguous to the moulding--which, for this reason,
had better be painted black, or of the same colour as the Body.
_The Key-hole of the Lock_ on the Carriage Door is sometimes of Brass,
or Plated, and covered with a Plate; but it is much neater to have
it Black;--as we have already observed, of all Ornaments attached
to the Body, as often as they are cleaned, some of the Varnish and
Paint is carried away, and in the same proportion that those Metallic
additions are kept bright, the Body becomes blemished. For this reason,
we recommend _the Accommodation Handles_, if any are fixed, (the Body
looks infinitely more elegant without), to be Black.
Those _Buckles_, &c. are best formed for wear that have fewest sharp
edges;--Round moulded furniture is also the cheapest.
Nothing varies in quality more than _the Plated Furniture_ for Horses
and Carriages--the inferior kind of Plating is cheaper than Brass, but
at first looks as well as the best strong plating, which costs twice as
much, although it will not wear half so long.
The making of _Lamps for Carriages_ is a distinct branch of
business--and those who are desirous of choosing for themselves, should
ask their Coachmaker to attend them to his Lamp Maker, where they may
see the various patterns which are in vogue.
The same with regard to _the Door Handles_.
There are several Shops for both these Articles in Long Acre.
The present fashion for Lamps is preposterous--many are made so
large and so heavy, that they are evidently too great a Load on the
Front Pillar of the Carriage. Have _Square Lamps_, about six inches
square:--these are sufficiently large to hold air enough to feed the
Lamp or Candle, and the less they are, the lighter they are, and the
less injury they do to the Carriage Pillars:--Two sides of this Lamp
are to be of Glass, and the others furnished with Reflectors, which
will increase the light on the Road, and exclude it from the interior
of the Carriage.
_Circular Lamps_ are the most elegant; but if your Carriage is much
used in Travelling, we must recommend _the Square sort_; because if
a Square Glass is broken, it can be replaced easily, and costs not
one-half so much as a Circular one, which it is also difficult to find,
except at the place where the Lamp was bought; moreover, they seldom
fit so nicely and so closely as the Square ones, and the Air rushing
in, your Candles are quickly consumed, without any additional light
being given.
Lamps are generally lighted by _Wax Candles_, which weigh each a
quarter of a Pound, and cost about 1_s._ each: if the Lamp is well made
and well glazed, and no air gets in except where the air-holes are,
they will burn about five hours: such Candles will burn about 7½ Hours
when still in a Room; but the motion of the Carriage, and the current
of Air in the Lamp, so greatly accelerates their consumption, that they
will sometimes flare away in three or four hours.
_Lamps with two Flat Wicks_ will burn for the same time as a quarter of
a pound Wax Candle, at one-fourth part the expense.
However, _Candles_ are most commonly used, because they remain ready
for immediate use for half a year together, without being injured
in quality, but will burn as brightly as if only put in the day
before:--_Oil_ soon loses its spirit by remaining in Lamps; and in
a little time it will hardly burn at all, therefore can only be
recommended to those who use their Lamps and trim them carefully every
day.
_The Best Lamps_ are those which give plenty of light around the
Carriage, but do not throw any into it,--unless the Passengers think
there is an absolute necessity for letting those without see who are
within.
Now the Streets are so well lighted, _Lamps are useful in London only
in Foggy Weather_: the lighting them in London at any other time--is an
act of Puerile Pomposity.
SPRINGS should be made of the best Steel--the longer they are, _ceteris
paribus_, the easier they are.
Improvements in the mechanism of Modern Carriages, by which they are
made to convey a person from place to place almost without giving him a
sense of motion, may be one of the circumstances that have contributed
to the increased prevalence of Nervous and Bilious Complaints,
which originate in a great degree from an indulgence in Lassitude
and Languor. The notion of taking _Exercise_ upon Springs of such
construction, is scarcely less absurd, than that of taking an _Airing_
with all the windows closed!