Landlord or the Hostler, or with a view of getting an extraordinary
Dram for such recommendation.
7. _He will not_, if he is employed to purchase Hay or Straw, &c.,
trot up and down the Market till he has found _the Cheapest_, and then
charge it to his Master as _the Dearest_.
8. _He will not_, when leading his Master’s Horse from one part of the
country to another, suffer it to be hard ridden, either to oblige an
old acquaintance, or to put half-a-crown into his own Pocket.
9. _He will not_, when sent alone to any distance, go round or out of
his way to see an old friend, and then, to fetch up the time, gallop
his Horse till he can scarce stand upon his Legs.
10. _He will not_, when Airing his Horses, play tricks with them,
gallop them against other Horses for a Pint and a Pipe, or leap them
over places that may stake them or spoil them.
11. _He will not_, to save his attendance in the Stable, fill the rack
to the top with Hay, and the Manger to the brim with Oats, so as to
occasion either being wasted; nor, to save his trouble, let the dirty
litter stand under a Horse the whole day.
12. _He will not_, when he is to carry his Master’s Great Coat in a
strap behind him, wrap his own Coat up in it, or leave his Master’s
Coat outwards to get Wet, in case it should Rain.
13. _He will not_, when he comes to an Inn, after a hard day’s
Journey, in cold and dirty weather, leave his Horses to a Stable Boy,
to splash them up to their bellies, in Water, in order to wash them;
suffer them to drink their fill, and then gallop them full speed a
mile to warm them, whilst he is indulging himself with Purl and Hot
Pot by the Kitchen Fire, although “Some Grooms are quite as curious in
providing good Cheer for Themselves as they are for their Horses,” says
the _Sieur Sollysell_, in his _Compleat Horseman_, fol. p. 110. 1717.
14. _He will not_, if his Horse drops a Shoe, gallop him as hard as he
can to the next Smith, to the danger of his feet, but will travel on
gently.
15. _He will not_, if he wants to spend an hour at an Ale-house, go out
with an old Girth or Stirrup Leather in his hands, under pretence of
getting it mended.
* * * * *
Coachmen have generally some spare hours, and would do wisely to
learn a business at which they could work during such leisure;--such
provident diligence would, in a few years, enable them to ride Inside
instead of Outside of a Coach:--perhaps the most useful Trade they
could take to would be that of a Sadler, a Shoemaker, or a Carpenter.
COACHMAN’S TOOLS.
Our friend _Mr. Jarvis_ assures us, that an experienced Coachman, who
understands the care of a Carriage, can do many little Jobs, just as
well as a Coachmaker, and can soon save his Employer not only the cost
of the following things, but rectify several trifling derangements,
which, if adjusted immediately, will prevent many heavy Repairs.--The
shaking of the Carriage frequently loosens Bolts, Nuts, &c., which, if
not immediately attended to, the Wood and Iron work soon suffers great
injury; therefore, desire your Coachman to tell you the moment that he
discovers any Repair to be wanting, or there appears any probability
that any part is likely soon to break.
REQUISITE IMPLEMENTS.
A Setter Prop £1 0 0
Ditto, for an Underspring Carriage 2 0 0
Screw Wrench 0 7 0
Pair of Pincers 0 2 6
Hammer 0 2 6
Water Brush 0 3 0
Spoke Brush 0 2 6
Lining Brush 0 3 0
Horse Brush 0 3 0
Rag Mop 0 1 9
Yard of Stout Leather for Washing and
for stopping Rattling, &c. 0 3 0
-------
£4 8 3
-------
_To ensure Punctuality in your Visits_, which, Civility says, ought to
be returned with as much Celerity as Convenience will permit, give your
Coachman a List of the Places he is to take you to, and the Time you
are to be there: the various branches of the _Gad-abouts_, who delight
in the laborious Idleness of paying Morning Visits, and wish to pay
as many as possible, in as little time as possible, and spend their
time in being Driven to Doors, where they anxiously desire--not to be
admitted, will find the above hint very valuable.
_When you go about paying Visits_, (especially in Cold Weather), desire
your Coachman not to drive faster than Five miles an Hour:--_Nothing
destroys more Coach Horses_, than the practice, so common in London,
of driving them fast till they are Hot, and then keeping them standing
still in the Cold.
Buildings have now spread themselves over such an immense extent of
_Terra Nova et Incognita_, that a modern
MAP OF LONDON
and the Environs is as needful an Article in a Carriage, as a Compass
in a Ship.
The size of this said Town of London is strangely changed since _Mr.
Sorbiere_ wrote his _Journey to London_, 8vo. 1698, in p. 5 of which he
says, “But that which makes the dwelling in the City of London most
delightfully diverting, is the _extremely pleasant facility of walking
out into the Fields_!!!”
“Happy were the Days then,
To what they is now.”
_Old Bawlit._
Now, instead of the Fields being come-atable with extremely pleasant
facility! before you can put your Foot upon a blade of _Verdant_ Grass,
(there is _Black_ Grass enough in the Squares), you must drag your Legs
through a Grove of Houses of at least two or three Miles in length!
_The New Road from Paddington to Islington_ was, till lately, the
Boundary line for limiting the ruinous rage for Building on the North
side of the Town.--There is a _Ground Plan of the New Road_, from
Islington to the Edgeware Road, shewing the then state of the Ground,
(and the names of the Proprietors thereof) between Oxford Street and
the New Road, in the Supplement to the _Gentleman’s Magazine_ for 1755.
A Stop ought to be put to the practice of constructing irregular groups
of Houses. “The ACT OF PARLIAMENT for forming the New Road, which was
made in 1755, directs that no building be erected within Fifty feet[21]
of the _New Road_.”
“The present _mean appearance of the backs of the Houses and Hovels
have rendered this approach to the Capital a scene of confusion and
deformity_, extremely unbecoming the character of a Great and Opulent
City.”--_Gwynn’s London Improved_, 4to. p. 11.
Mr. Gwynn’s remarks apply very aptly to _that Quarter of a Mile of the
New Road which is between Westgate Turnpike at the crossing of Gower
Street North, and the East Entrance to the Regent’s Park_.
The _Southern_ and _Western_ avenues to THE REGENT’S PARK are as they
ought to be: the Roads are wide, and the space between the Houses and
the Road is laid out in Gardens, as THE ACT directs--very different
is the approach from the City along the _Eastern_ Road from the point
above mentioned, which is narrow, and is perpetually obstructed by the
Waggons, &c. that are unloading at the Timber and Stone Yards, &c.;
occupying the ground which the Act of Parliament has ordered shall
be _used only for Gardens_. The intention of this judicious clause
was, no doubt, to preserve the Light, Air, and Cheerfulness, so highly
necessary to a great leading Thoroughfare--such it has hitherto been,
and with increasing respectability, excepting at the one point I am
about to mention--many great Improvements have taken place--such as
_the Regent’s Park and Crescent_--_The New Pancras Church and Euston
Square_, &c. &c. With these useful and even splendid works upon the
same line of Road, it becomes a matter of Surprise, that the distance
_between Westgate turnpike, at the crossing of Gower Street North, up
to the Regent’s Park_, should not only remain without any reformation,
but that buildings,--workmen’s huts,--sheds,--smoky chimneys, and all
manner of nuisances, should be allowed not only to continue, but to
increase daily close to the Road.
In proceeding from the City Westward, a fine line of road, and noble
footpaths _on each side_, are found, until on arriving near Tottenham
Court Road both appear to terminate abruptly, and the Road is faced,
and its regularity destroyed by the projection of a range of low
buildings and hovels, converted, or now converting, into small Houses,
close to the Highway, which, strange to say, is much _narrowed_, at a
point where, from the increased traffic caused by the crossing of the
Road to Hampstead, a considerable increase of width is doubly requisite.
But here the Houses project about Ten feet, and nearly close up the
footpath; and this being one of the stations for the Paddington Coaches
to stop at, it becomes a service of no small danger to drive through
the very small opening that is left for the public to pass through.
A few yards further, on both sides of the Road, are ranges of Stone
Yards, with the incessant music of Sawing, Chipping, and Hacking stone,
grinding Chisels, and sharpening of Saws. Cow yards, picturesque stacks
of Timber, building materials, and dead walls.
Another angle turned, and the Traveller emerges again from the region
of smoke, stone dust, and mud, and traversing some hazardous passages,
pounces at once into the magnificent Crescent of the REGENT’S PARK,
wondering at the utter lack of Public Taste, which could allow such a
combination of Nuisances to exist, and even increase, in the immediate
neighbourhood of this great Public Improvement, and along the only Road
leading to it from the City of London.
Can the blame attach to the Commissioners of Mary-le-bone Roads
Trust?--or is it caused by the contending Interests of the 21 Paving
Boards of the Parish of St. Pancras, _that the footpath on the South
side of that quarter of a mile of Road is neither Paved nor Watched_.
Without venturing to propose _a Circus, or large open space, at the
crossing of the New Road and Tottenham Court Road_, with an OBELISK
in the centre, like that in St. George’s Fields, where there is not
half the traffic there is at this point--at which, for want of space,
Accidents happen almost daily; and which accommodation to the Public,
in this age of Improvement, is not to be considered impossible--it
may not be impertinent to suggest, that the few houses which project
into the Road on both sides, as well as the Sheds, which are, by
continual additions, gradually converting into Houses, should be
immediately removed; some of them are at this present time undergoing
additions,--the longer this measure is delayed, the more expensive
will the purchase become;--at present, Money might be easily raised
for amply remunerating the occupiers of the premises alluded to, and a
great public Benefit produced without any injury to Individuals.
If the Clause in the Act of Parliament, alluded to above, had been kept
in due force, the Evils would not have arisen.
It is hoped that the NEW COMMISSIONERS OF THE ROADS, who have the
power, will have also the inclination, to remedy these Evils without
delay, and that THE PARISH, and the COMMISSIONERS WHO HAVE THE
MANAGEMENT OF THE REGENT’S PARK will unite their endeavours for the
same purpose.
In other quarters of the Town, our Economical Ancestors appear to have
considered him as the most ingenious Architect, who could build up
the greatest number of Houses in a given Space--the Palladios of the
present day, are as prodigal of Space, as their frugal Forefathers were
parsimonious, and seem to fancy, that he is the cleverest fellow who
pulls most Houses down in a given time.
It must be granted, that the Town is improved by the Widening of the
Streets; but while it is the Fashion, for the Idle Children of the
Largest Growth, to all run together, into one Street, at One Hour;
it avails little how wide it may be; nor can it counteract the sad
inconvenience which arises from the extending of the Buildings, making
it impossible for two-thirds of the Inhabitants of London ever to enjoy
the animating influence of a walk in the fresh and fragrant Air of the
Country--a blessing which was within their reach, when they had only to
cross the New Road to be in the _Mary-le-bone Fields_;[22] on which,
read the following remarks, which we copied from “_the Examiner_” of
Sunday, the 22d of October, 1826:--
“To call the enclosure of these Fields A PARK, is, with all submission,
a little bit of a _Misnomer_; at least, it is no Park at present for
the Public, who are excluded from all but _the gravelled Roads_, which
are ornamented with about FIFTEEN BENCHES (without backs), _in a circle
of Three Miles in circumference!_ the nearest of which to the New Road,
on the West side, is more than a Mile from it!! Surely the Managers
of this concern might afford to give us as comfortable Seats, and as
plenty of them, as those which have been lately so liberally and so
properly placed in ‘_Hyde Park_.’
“Many Valetudinarians, and Persons advanced in Life, who stand most in
need of the invigorating influence of pure Air, cannot Walk more than
a Mile without Resting--such persons are tired by the time they get to
the Park; but if there were _Benches placed along the Walks opposite
Park Square_, _York Terrace_, &c., the weak and the weary might rest
themselves, and then toddle on and treat their Lungs with a little
fresh Air.”
It is said, that the Reason given for excluding the People from the
Park, is, that the Trees are so young that they _might_ be easily torn
up--so _may_ those on the North side of _Hyde Park_, for they are no
older: but softly, is not this presuming that Mr. BULL is a greater
Brute, than the Beasts which are grazing where he ought to be walking?
The Persons who keep this ground from the Public, charity commands
us to hope, do so, for reasons which appear to them to be good and
sufficient; perhaps they think that it is most profitably, if not most
properly, employed in being let out, as it appears to be, to Gardeners
and Graziers!--at the same time gradually cutting it up into sites
for Buildings as fast as they can find persons to speculate in it. To
effect this without incurring the notice and consequent indignation
of the Public, the encroachments upon their expected Playground have
generally been commenced in the Winter Season, at a time when there are
few People to observe them; and are so far advanced before the arrival
of Fine weather, that it is useless to complain--The Ground is gone,
for 99 years!!!
“Our gracious KING gave this ground to the Public,--surely a part of
it at least might be open to that Public. Is it not a pity to see it
wholly occupied by Market Gardeners, and Horses, and Cows, and Calves,
to the total exclusion of Mr. BULL himself!”
“_When_ and _What Part_ of the Park is to be opened?”
The Public should certainly be informed of this, as it would guide them
in the choice of Residences: some will like to live opposite to the
lively scene which will be in the Part which is thrown open,--others,
the quiet of that part that is opposite to the Slip of ground which is
appropriated to the occupiers of the houses in the Park, and Persons
who pay for Keys.
A certain portion, opposite to Portland Place, from which there is no
View and no Variety, has been recently decorated with Rows of Trees.
Surely this is not all that is to be saved from the Villa builders.
Who would propose to build Villas upon the highest and best ground in
_Hyde Park_? and why should a difference be made?
Are these Parks not equally the property of the Public? And the site of
_the Regent’s Park_, if left unoccupied by buildings, would be _more
generally_ valuable to the Public as an Airing Ground, as it is more
centrically situated than the other.
DRIVING.
To know how to Drive, so as to preserve the Carriage from the injury
which it would otherwise receive by violent Jolts, Twists, &c., is a
Merit of no small Value.
If a Carriage is driven on uneven ground, it requires great Attention,
or it will receive more injury during a journey of a Mile, than it
would by a Month’s moderate use on an even Road; therefore,
_The Pace_ in Driving should be accommodated to the roughness of the
Road.
_The Turnings_ should be regulated by the Room. If a Carriage is not
wheeled fairly across a channel, the Perch is twisted according to the
descent, as the one Wheel falls, in proportion as the other at the
opposite angle rises; and frequently by such a wrench the main or Perch
Bolt is broken, and every part strained, especially when going fast.
Desire your Coachman to _avoid all short sharp Turnings_; it is much
wiser to go on a few poles further, where another Street will allow
plenty of room.
HARD-DRIVING, _especially on the Stones_, exposes a Carriage to many
mischiefs, either by running against other Vehicles, or breaking by the
violence of its own motion.
Some fidgety Coachmen are continually whipping, or, as it is
technically termed, “_fanning_” their Horses--this frets the poor
creatures, and puts them into a state of irritation extremely
injurious to them, and your Carriage moves in a “hop, skip, and
jump” style:--Forbid all use of the Whip, but in cases of inevitable
necessity.
Tell your Coachman that your motto for Drivers is
“_Slow_ and _Sure_;”
that the First time he presumes to attempt to display his Dexterity in
any place by what is termed _driving to an Inch_, shall be the last
time that you will trouble him to wear your Livery.--_Five Miles in
an Hour_ is quite fast enough for Crowded Streets; especially when
turning Corners, and in Streets which have many other Streets leading
into them, as Oxford Street, Cheapside, &c.--Better wait Five minutes
quietly, or follow a Hackney Coach for Ten paces, than cut and dash
along at the risk of your Wheels, your Pannels, and your Neck, &c.:
however, you must give him a license to drive a little “_ad libitum_”
in some situations; a rapid movement is sometimes really requisite, in
order to escape out of the way of Carts and Waggons, &c.
An experienced Whip, who has a sharp sight, may calculate pretty
nearly what space will be sufficient to pass between two bodies
which are at rest--but as he will unavoidably meet many Carriages,
guided by inexperienced, and often drunken Drivers, which do not for
half a minute together move in a precisely direct line, and his good
Coachmanship cannot protect him against such Blunderers, unless he
proceeds with extreme care, and allows them plenty of room.
A cautious Coachman is ever unremittingly upon the look out, keeping
both his Eyes open; employing One to guide his own Horses, and the
Other to watch how those who are coming guide theirs; or, as a Wag
might say, _an Accomplis’d Coachman ought to Squint!_ He depends
entirely upon his own Attention to keep so completely out of their way,
that it may be next to impossible for them to run against him.
The most Crowded places are not always the most Dangerous: Accidents
most frequently happen from _empty One Horse Carts_, in which the
Driver rides, instead of walking by the side of the Horse. These
vehicles are frequently conducted at such a furious rate by Carmen, in
order to make up for the time they have wasted, in tippling, that they
often run against inexperienced Coachmen. They abound most in Tottenham
Court Road and Holborn, and the outlets from Town.
Every _Cart_ that approaches, a wary Coachman watches with the most
anxious care, and gives all the room it appears to require.
A Fine of at least 10_s._ should be levied upon all persons driving
Carts in such a manner, payable to any person who may demand it. In the
event of their occasioning an Accident, let them not only be fined but
punished severely.
If your Coachman drives leisurely, you will escape many Dangers, and
your Carriage last much longer;--by such gentle use (excepting as
to the Wheels) it is worn almost as little as if it remained in the
Coach-house.
_In Crowded Streets_, never permit any person to ride on the Coach
Box:--Conversation diverts the attention of the Driver from his
Business, and accidents frequently ensue.
Never go into the City through the Strand, Fleet Street, and Cheapside,
if you can avoid it, after twelve o’clock: from that hour until five
o’clock, they are crowded with Carriages and Carts. In these great
Thoroughfares _Hackney Coach Stands_ should not be permitted. At
present the centre of Cheapside, &c. is sometimes filled with a Stand
of _Hackney Coaches_ all the way from St. Paul’s to the Poultry: let
these be removed from all Crowded Streets into the Cross Streets
adjoining, as is ordered in _Bond Street_.
_If the Hackney Coach Stands are removed from the Strand_, _Fleet
Street_, &c., the Public will no longer have to complain of the tedious
Stoppages which are now so frequent between two and four o’clock of the
Day, especially on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
If you go into the City on Mondays and Fridays you will have to
encounter _the most_ BARBAROUS NUISANCE _that disgraces the British
Capital_--droves of Oxen passing through its principal Streets in the
middle of the Day. That this is still suffered to continue in these
times of universal improvement appears to us as wonderful as it is
offensive.
_To know to a Nicety at what Time you must start_ to arrive at a
certain Place at a certain Hour, you have nothing to do but to
ascertain _the Distance_, and direct _the Pace_ of travelling.
4 Miles an Hour is 1 Mile in 15 Minutes.
5 Ditto Ditto 12
6 Ditto Ditto 10
7 Ditto Ditto 8½
8 Ditto Ditto 7½
9 Ditto Ditto 6½
10 Ditto Ditto 6
_When you wish to go Faster or Slower_, do not say simply “_Faster_,”
or “_Slower_,” but say “_Four_,” “_Six_,” or “_Eight_,” according to
the number of Miles you wish to be driven in an Hour.
In traversing the main Streets of London, always allow at least five
minutes in every half hour for Stoppages.
_Desire your Coachman to choose the Pleasantest, rather than the
Nearest way._ Some inconsiderate charioteers, to save the tenth part
of a Mile, will drive you through all the nasty narrow Lanes they can
find, as if they were trying to make you sick with foul air. Moreover,
such Bye-ways are generally so badly Paved, that you will be longer
going over them than on a good road that is a little longer.
_Persons who have not an expert Coachman_, who has been accustomed to
cut his way through Crowded Streets, should desire their Driver to
avoid the great Thoroughfares, and to pass along the widest Streets
which run parallel to them. This can generally be done without danger
by a very young Coachman.
WHEN YOU STOP IN A PUBLIC STREET,
caution your Coachman always to avoid stopping where there is any other
Carriage stopping near, either on the same, or on the other side of the
way; and when he can, to choose the widest part of the Street, and _to
draw up his Fore Wheels close to the Curb, and his Hinder Wheels quite
square with them_. Most of the Accidents which happen to Carriages,
while stopping in Crowded Streets, are owing to want of attention to
this situation of the Hinder Wheels.
Whenever you get out of your Carriage, _Always Shut the Door_. If you
only stop Two Minutes, it may be necessary for the Coachman to move
from his station to prevent injury from other Carriages; and if the
Door is open it will swing about, and the Hinges will be strained, and
the Pannels may also get a violent blow against a Post, &c.
_Never keep your Carriage standing in a great Thoroughfare_, through
which crowds of Coaches, Carts, &c. are passing; in so doing, you are
a source of great inconvenience to others, by occasioning stoppages;
and your own Pannels are every moment in danger of being defaced, &c.,
which cannot be repaired without fresh Painting the whole of the Body:
this tedious process will deprive you of the use of your Carriage for
at least Three Weeks; therefore, let it wait for you round the corner
of some quiet neighbouring Street.
Remember the judicious Advice given by that arch adept in “_the Art of
Shopping_,” _Lady Betty Buybargain_, to her Niece, _Miss K. Cutadash_.
The fair Kitty was ever and anon irritably anxious to be whirled to
the Door of every “_Magazin des Modes_” that her caprice called her to,
in her Aunt’s shewy Carriage; saying, “I assure you, that if you go in
your Carriage, my Dear Aunt, the people are infinitely politer than
they are to their Walking Customers.” “Aye! Aye!” replied the discreet
Dowager, “what you say may be True enough, Dear, and their Politeness
would be pleasant enough, Love, _If_, as my poor dear _Sir Benjamin
Buybargain_ always used to say, _If_ they did’nt Book it, Kitty!--but
they charge for it, my Child; they charge for it, Dear!--as _Sir
Benjamin_ used to say, ‘they put those Bows down in Their Bills!!!’”