Chapter VI: Part 6

3. The Hackney-Coachman’s 3. Gentlemen’s Equipages
Motto is the same as are generally Fair-weather
MADAM HECATE’S, Play-things.--If
“_Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair._” you have your Carriage out
in Wet Weather, and are
He is well pleased to wait obliged to keep it waiting in
for you, at all Hours, and in the Rain--if you have a
all Weathers, Cold or Coachman, a Coach Horse,
Windy, Hot or Rainy, as or a Carriage, either one of
long as you are pleased to which are Good for any
wish him;--when you have thing--if you are Good for
kept him long in the Rain, any thing Yourself, you will
if you give the poor fellow not feel quite contented,
Six or Twelve pence extra however comfortably sheltered
when you discharge him, by a good Roof, or however
(can you lay them out better?) agreeably you are surrounded
it will make him as well satisfied by good Company, whilst
with waiting in the they are exposed to the
Wet for you, as your own inclemency of the Sky.
Servant would, in a similar
situation, be ill satisfied! MEM.--A Waiting Job,
in cold rainy weather, may
cost you not merely a pair of
Horses worth a Hundred
Pounds! but the Life of an
useful Servant into the
Bargain!! For _One_ London
Coachman or Coach horse
that dies from over-work,
_an Hundred_ are destroyed
by standing still in Cold and
Wet Weather.

4. Persons who keep a 4. In the Estimate (No.
Carriage in London, on an IV.) you have the Service
average seldom go above of the Coachman occasionally,
8 or 10 Miles per day, or when he is not busy with
have their Carriage out more his Horses and Carriage--and
than 3 Hours in the 24:--to if you keep a sharp lookout
hire a Hackney Coach to do that your Carriage is kept
such work every day in the in a good state of Repair,
Year, will cost 10_s._ per Day, you will very rarely be
or £182. 10_s._ per Annum. liable to those Accidents
The Expense of keeping a which sometimes happen to
Carriage, as per Estimate the infirm Constitution of a
No. IV. Hackney Coach: moreover,
you will be moved about
£345 0 0 not merely with more Safety
and more Celerity, but with
Charge for keeping a more Comfort, from knowing
Hackney Coach to do that you have a Pilot whom
the same work 182 10 0 you may depend upon:--the
------------- latter is an extremely
_i. e._ £162 10 0 important consideration to
those whose business calls
saved by not keeping a them to places which are
Carriage. crowded with Carriages.

It appears, therefore, that When you wish your Mind
it is more convenient and to be active, and to do its
much Cheaper, even if you best, it should have nothing
employ it as often as you before it except the single
would your own Carriage, to object under its consideration;
hire a Hackney Coach, than and the Body should
it is to keep a Private Carriage; also be at Ease:--this, and
and if you only hire the saving of time in passing
a Hackney Coach when you from one place to another, are
really want it, if your Ten-toed the chief benefits a Carriage
machinery is in tolerable affords to Men of Business.
condition, instead of your Again: it is a Rule with
Hackney Coach hire costing Hackney-coachmen to take
you £182. 10_s._, you may the shortest route; the
have as much riding as your consequence is, that as they
Business really requires, for naturally desire to perform
£100. a Year: moreover, their task as soon as possible,
your Health will be better if they think half a dozen
preserved than if you walked yards are to be saved by
less and rode more; the additional it, unless specially directed,
Exercise will ensure they will bring you through
the more perfect performance all the nasty, narrow, badly
of those interesting ventilated and badly paved
“_Opera Minora Vitæ_,” Lanes, &c. which they can
“Eating, Drinking, and find, and which, if you
Sleeping!” understand the value of Fresh
Air, you would studiously
“Weariness avoid.
Can snore upon the Flint, when
nesty Sloth These vehicles are often
Finds the down pillow hard.” used to convey sick people
_Shakespeare._ to Hospitals, especially
Coaches: Chariots are
If you keep a Carriage, more easily ventilated, on
you will often be as much account of their Front windows.
tempted to Ride, merely because Never get into a
you can ride for nothing, Hackney Coach that has the
as from any actual Windows shut up, if there is
want you feel of the assistance one on the Stand of which
of the Wheel-work. the Windows are open;--stagnant
Air is always Offensive,
_Walking_ is the natural and and often Infectious.
the best Exercise that Man
can take; and, however those
who walk may occasionally
envy those who Ride, the
Gentleman in the Coach
would often gladly give more
than it costs him to keep it,
to have the power of using
his own Legs.--Dr. Franklin
advised a friend to _burn_
his Carriage, that he might
get _heat_ out of it at least once
in his Life.

AN

EASY PLAN

OF

ASCERTAINING EVERY FARE

OF A

HACKNEY COACH.

Get an accurate Map of London, on a Scale of not less than 6 Inches to a Mile; set a pair of Compasses (or rather, what I believe are called _Dividers_, which have a screw that fixes them firmly to any distance at which you wish to keep them separate,) to a Furlong, and with them you may easily measure any distance--allow for Turnings, and keep your reckoning short by at least half a Furlong, that is, 20 Poles, _i. e._ 330 feet in each Mile: as some Guide to guess this, Houses in London being, on an Average, not more than 20 feet in front, stop within at least 16 houses of what you consider to be the full Mile.

A Map of the Metropolis, laid down from actual measurement on a scale of an Inch to a Furlong, _i. e._ of 8 Inches to a Mile, is much wanted;--with it and a pair of Compasses, all Hackney Coach Fares might be settled with the utmost ease, and with sufficient exactness, to satisfy All, except litigious triflers, who are more Nice than Wise.

I read the foregoing paragraph to _Mr. Cary, the Map-maker, of St. James’s Street_, who replied, “I have had thoughts of publishing a Map on the scale you mention; on such a plan, that by merely looking at it, the distances might be determined within Twenty Poles, _i. e._ within the ¹⁄₁₆th part of a Mile.”

Such a Map would be a very great acquisition, and I hope Mr. C. will meet with encouragement sufficient to induce him to put his design into execution speedily, as it would form a certain standard by which all questions respecting distances might be immediately adjusted, to the satisfaction of both parties.

Let _Measure Stones_ be placed at the ends of our Streets, or at least of the principal Streets, as Mile Stones are on our Roads; or let their length be written under the Names on the Boards which are fixed up at the ends of Streets.

To make an actual Measurement of every Street with a Measuring Wheel, would not cost more than £500.; to affix the Distances under the Names of the Street, not so much: the Expense might in part be defrayed by the Sale of a Map of London, on the scale of one Inch to a Furlong, laid down accurately from such an exact survey, and a Volume like _Cary’s Guide for Ascertaining Hackney Coach Fares_; of which very curious and useful Work, see a specimen at the end of this Chapter.

The length of Mile. Furl. Poles.

Oxford Street (the longest in London) is 1 2 19
Piccadilly 0 7 28
Bond Street 0 4 16
Holborn 0 7 1
Tottenham Court Road 0 5 14
The Strand 0 6 9
Fleet Street 0 2 3

Make a list of Fares, North, South, East, and West, from your House, of 1_s_., 1_s_. 6_d_., and 2_s_., taking care to add thereto the distance from the Stand, or Place whence the Coach is called.

_To acquire a general idea of Distances_, draw on a Map, of the scale before mentioned, Circles around your House of two Miles, of three Miles, and of four Miles in diameter, the Semi-diameter of which will give the distance from your residence of a Mile, a Mile and a half, and Two Miles, _i. e._ of Shilling, Eighteen-penny, and Two Shilling Fares.

Hackney Coaches travel, on an average, about 5 miles an hour, seldom more than 6, nor less than 4:--therefore, riding at the rate of 5 miles in an hour, costs about A Penny a Minute; and when you have been carried for 12 minutes, (look at your Watch when you enter the Carriage, and make allowance for stoppages,) you may reckon that you have 12 Pence to pay:--above 24 minutes, the Fares increase in a higher ratio, as above Two Miles is 3_s_.

The advantage of such Calculation is, if you are set down a few Poles within Two miles, you save, first, Sixpence on the Ground, and secondly, the extra Sixpence to which the Coachman is entitled on exceeding every Two miles; making the difference of a Shilling for perhaps a single Yard.

_Before you get into a Hackney Coach_, take the Number: it is especially advisable to do so, when you hire a Coach to carry home Ladies, and then do it in such a way, that the Driver may observe that you have taken his Number; and to complete your Care, ask the Coachman what his Fare is, which, if your Gallantry is as great as your Circumspection, you may perhaps do yourself the pleasure of Paying.

If the Coachman conducts himself improperly, or if any thing is left in the Carriage, apply to your friend _Mr. Quaife_[27]: by summoning the Coachman to the Hackney Coach Office, at the bottom of Essex Street in the Strand, or to one of the Police Offices, you will most probably recover it.

_Avoid any dispute with a Hackney Coachman_--pay what he demands, although you know it to be more than his Fare, and seek redress at the Office in Essex Street.

The Driver of a Hackney Coach has the option of charging[28] either for the _Time_ he is detained, or for the _Distance_:--Time is rated at less than half what is charged for Travelling.

When you intend to be charged according to _the Time_ you keep the Coach, in order to prevent any dispute when you discharge it, tell the Coachman the time when he first arrived, making allowance for the minutes that he has been coming from the Stand whence he was called.

The Machine used to measure the distances at the Hackney Coach Office is called “_a Perambulator_,” or “_Surveying Wheel_.”--This consists of a Wheel which is 8 Feet 3 Inches, _i. e._ half a Pole, in circumference; so in two revolutions it measures one pole, or 16½ feet. One revolution of this Wheel turns a single-threaded worm once round; the worm takes into a Wheel of 80 teeth, and turns it once round in 80 revolutions: on the socket of this wheel is fixed an index, which makes one revolution in 40 Poles, or one _Furlong_; on the axis of this worm is fixed another worm with a single thread, turning about a wheel of 160 teeth, whose socket carries an index that makes one revolution in 80 Furlongs, or 10 Miles: on the dial plate there are three graduated circles; the outermost is divided into 220 parts, or the _Yards_ in a Furlong; the next into 40 parts, the number of _Poles_ in a Furlong; the third into 80 parts, the number of _Furlongs_ in ten Miles, every Mile being distinguished by its proper Roman figure.

The above Apparatus, MR. HARRIS, Mathematical Instrument maker, No. 50, High Holborn, makes for £12. 12_s._: it may be attached to the wheel of a Carriage, and the Dial will shew the progress made in Travelling, and then is called a _Way-wiser_.

This Machine may be applied to any kind of Chaise or Carriage, and may be put on and off at pleasure, without any injury to either.

It will accurately register the number of Miles the Vehicle travels over, to any distance. It is fixed so as to be of no possible detriment to the Carriage, and can be ornamented as elegantly as fancy may desire. A Time-piece may be attached to it, by which may be seen the Distance travelled per Hour.

I can think of only One way of _infallibly preventing all disputes about Distance_, between the Riders in and the Drivers of Hackney Coaches.

_To Regulate all the fares by Time_, according to the present charge for Time, 2_s._ for the first hour, and 3_s._ for every hour after: as the Pace in Travelling seldom exceeds five Miles in an Hour, about double the sum is charged while the Coach is in motion that is charged while it is in waiting. Let after the rate of Five or Six Shillings per hour be paid while the Wheels are going round;--this could be much easier reckoned than the Distance they have gone over, and would put an end to all Disputes on the subject.

To determine exactly between an extremely long _Twelve_, and an extremely short _Eighteen-penny_ fare, is not a very easy task to the most Experienced: it is, in fact, determining whether you have proceeded 1760 or 1761 Yards!

A friend of mine informs me, that he puzzled himself and the Hackney Coachman too on one occasion, by pulling him up so that the Horses had exceeded the Shilling fare, and the Coach had not. This deserves to be referred to a _full_ bench of Justices. They might, at the same time, decide how it would be, if the Coach had been stopped, so that the two fore Wheels were in the above predicament of the Horses, and the other two in that of the Coach. Perhaps then it would make the difference of 6_d._ on which side the passengers sat.

QUERY. Can persons who can afford to ride in a Hackney Coach lay out _Sixpence_ more to their own advantage than in spending it to prevent their being put out of Temper?--If they are going out to Dinner, any disagreeable irritation of the Animal Spirits will destroy their Appetite;--if they are returning Home, it will as inevitably invite an Indigestion. Surely no man who is worth a Shilling, would encounter either of these tremendous evils for the sake of Sixpence! unless the Gentleman (to use the nomenclature of the Hero of a certain popular Drama) be a regular _Jarvy-Teaser_.

But who grudges these Poor Fellows their full Fare? except a few Washerwomen, Milliners, and Tailors, and Coffin-makers, and Grave-makers, who may like them as little as Link Boys love the Moon, who, for their outrageous antipathy to

“The silver Queen of Night,”

are denominated in _Mr. Grose’s Classical Dictionary_, “Moon-Cursers.”

How many pretty Bonnets and smart Dresses would have been spoiled the first day of wearing, but for a Shilling Fare?--How many Colds caught?--How many Lives lost?--but for these convenient Rests to Weariness and Shelters from Rain; a shower of which sometimes does as much mischief to Man’s person as it does good to his Potatoes, often produces the most dangerous Diseases, and even Death itself!

In a note in the _Prolegomena_ of Malone’s supplement to Johnson and Steevens’s Shakespeare, we have the following account of

THE ORIGIN OF HACKNEY COACHES.

“I cannot (says Mr. Garrard) omit to mention any new thing that comes up amongst us, though never so trivial. Here is one Captain Bailey, he hath been a Sea Captain, but now lives on the land, about this city, where he tries experiments. He hath erected, according to his ability, some _four Hackney Coaches_, put his men in livery, and appointed them to stand at the Maypole in the Strand; gives them instructions at what rates to carry men into the several parts of the Town, where all day they may be had. Other Hackneymen seeing this, flocked to the same place, and performed their journey at the same rate, so that sometimes there are twenty of them together, which disperse up and down, that they and others are to be had every where, as watermen are to be had by the water-side. Every body is much pleased with it. For whereas, before, coaches could not be had but at great rates; now a man may have one much cheaper.”

This Letter is dated April 1, 1634.--See _Gents. Mag. for 1780_, p. 375.

The Rules given in the preceding pages will protect the Rider from extortion on the part of the Driver, beyond _Sixpence_; and for that, is it worth contending? However the furious Economist, and Penny wise and Pound foolish Boys may differ from us, we say again, it is too great a trifle for the Wise to be nice about. A man who has Twelve-pennyworth of Sense will have no Sixpenny Sorrows.

“There is a Time for all Things.”

_Ecclesiastes_, chap. iii. verse 1.

“There is a Time to Save, in order to Spend”--and so is there also “a Time to Spend, in order to Save.”

The Price of Labour is usually in proportion to the degree of Skill or Strength requisite to perform any operation, or to the Disagreeableness of the work, or to the Detriment it occasions to Health:--few situations are more disagreeable, or more destructive to Health, than the exposure at all Hours to extreme Heat in Summer, and intense Cold in Winter, and continual Wet in the Rainy Season:--neither are

THE PROFITS OF A HACKNEY COACHMAN

so large as his hard service seems to indicate that they ought to be--though the Outfit does not cost much. _A Coach_ may be purchased for about £30. or £40.--_a Chariot_ for about £20.--_the Horses_ may be had from £8. to £20. each:--but, as the old saying is,

“_They Eat o’ Nights.”_

Bad Horses have as good an appetite as the best: ay, sometimes a better, (if Goodness be measured by Greatness,) in the same way that bad land wants more manure than good. It may be said, that the inferior Provender provided for these poor hard-worked Hacks, is not so dear as that which is purchased for the pampered animal, whose sleek coat is his Master’s pride: but it must be taken into the account, that if their Food be somewhat cheaper, their Stomachs are so constantly stimulated by those strongest excitements to good Appetite, Air and Exercise, that they are ever and aye, “_as Hungry as a Hunter_,” and eat nearly double what those Horses do who pass their days indolently in an over-heated Stable: indeed, we think that to be “_as Hungry as a Hackney Coach Horse_” must be a few degrees beyond being as Hungry as a Hunter; or one degree nearer to that state which is considered by the _Grand Gourmand_ as the most enviable in Existence.

It is told of a certain worthy and wealthy Citizen, who has acquired the reputation of being a considerable Consumer of the good things of the Table, and has been “widened at the expense of the Corporation,” that on coming out of a Tavern, after a Turtle Feast, a poor Boy begged Charity of him--“For Mercy’s sake, Sir, I am so very Hungry!” “_Hungry!_--_Hungry!_--hey!--what!--_complain_ of being _Hungry_!--why I never heard the like!--complain of being _Hungry_!!--_Prodigious_!!!--why I’d give a Guinea to be _Hungry_!!!--why, a Hungry Man (with a good Dinner before him) is the Happiest fellow in the world!--There, (giving the Boy Half-a-Crown,) there, I don’t want you to take my word for it: run along, my fine fellow, and make the experiment Yourself.”

It appears, from the following Estimate, that a Hackneyman must every day earn Thirteen Shillings for the maintenance of his Machinery, before he will receive any Profit.

£. _s._ _d._

The Keep of Three Horses, (a Hackney Coach
cannot be well worked every day with
fewer of such crazy cattle as they are often
obliged to be content with) at £31. 10_s._ per
Annum for each, (see Estimate No. 4) 94 10 0
Coachman’s Wages, at 9_s._ per Week 23 8 0
Board, ditto, at 14_s._ ditto 36 10 0
Coach-house and Stables, and Tax thereon 20 0 0
Tax on Coach and Horses, £2. per Month, per
Annum 24 0 0
Interest of the Purchase money of the Carriage
and Horses, and the wear and tear thereof,
and New Wheels annually 40 0 0
-------------
238 8 0
-------------

The above Estimate, however considerable it may appear, will not be considered as too high, when it is recollected that the Carriage is in continual use, that the Horses are exposed to all weathers, and are often Over-worked and Under-fed.

Hackney Coachmen get upon the Stands about nine in the Morning, and are often out till past twelve at Night, except those who work double, who take out one Coach and Horses Early in the Morning, bring them home at about six or seven in the Evening, and then take out another pair for Night-work.

It appears from _Mr. Jervis’s Journal_, which account I believe to be “quite correct,” that _the Harvest of a Hackney Coachman_, like the Hay-farmer’s, is in the Sultry Summer Months.

We can defend ourselves from Cold and Rain much more easily than we can from the fatigue brought on by walking in Hot Weather.

“Careful Observers can foretell the hour,
By sure prognostics, when to dread a shower.
If you are Wise, then go not far to Dine,
You’ll spend in Coach hire more than save in Wine.”

The Vauxhall season is another source of considerable profit to the proprietors of the Leathern Conveniences.

_The least productive Months_ are February, March, and April: this may be partly accounted for, by the Economy which is so inevitably submitted to during those months, occasioned by People’s pockets being drained by Christmas Bills and Christmas Gambols.

On an average of Forty weeks, it seemed, that _the most productive Days_ are Wednesdays and Thursdays. This may, in some measure, be accounted for, by the greater number of Dinner parties, &c. which are given on those days.

One of the most frequent uses of these accommodating Vehicles, is to carry People out to Dinner. The following hint, every one who is equally a true lover of polite Punctuality and of a Hot Dinner, will think Good Advice.

An Excuse, which is as foolish as it is common, but which a furious Economist seems to fancy is a sufficient plea for spoiling the best Feast, is, “_there was not a Coach to be had_.” Uncalculating and Improvident! not to send for one till the very last moment. You save nothing by it!--you spoil your Friend’s Dinner! and excite the displeasure of his Guests!!--and all this--to save your dear, dear self, _Sixpence_!!! (or as I found it in _Mr. Jervis’s MS._ “a little white farthing.”) As such a Mite would have prevented it, although your Polite host may pretend not to notice your Rudeness, no Apology that you may make can cancel such a confirmed certificate of your Selfish Impertinence; therefore be not so silly as to fancy that it will. Remember the English Proverb, “Hunger and Anger are nearly allied;” and the Scotch saying, that “Hungry people are aye Angry.”

WHEN TO CALL A COACH.

Suppose you have a Mile and a half to go, the fare is Eighteen-pence, you will seldom be less than 15, or, if you meet with Stoppages on the way, more than 20 minutes, in going:--for Eighteen-pence you may keep a Coach 45 Minutes; therefore, _call a Coach a Quarter of an Hour before you want it_, i. e.--if you do not wish to be Too Late.

HOW TO CALL A COACH.

Having settled _When_--by your leave, we will tell you _How_ to call a Coach:--

“Go--call a Coach; and let a Coach be called:
Let him that calls the Coach, be called the Caller!
And in his calling, let him nothing call,
But COACH! COACH!! COACH!!!”
_Chrononhotonthologos._

Equity requires that you ought to take the first Coach on the Stand, however little you may like the appearance of the Driver, the Carriage, or the Horses; because the occupier of that place having obtained it by being the longest in waiting, has therefore a fair claim to a preference, which it is apparently unjust not to grant: However, we have heard persons give the following advice--_If you are in haste_, take the Coach, the Driver of which is on the Box, the Horses bitted, and who stand with their faces towards the way you wish to go:--if not in a hurry, Open your Eyes, and choose that Vehicle to which the tidy appearance of it and its Driver attract you, and present ocular demonstration that the Carriage is clean, and the Coachman careful.

_The Servants of Industry_ are known by their Livery, which is always _whole and wholesome_--the _Slaves of Idleness_ are slovenly and loathsome:--the former, generally prove Civil and honest,--the latter, Impertinent and imposing.

_When going out to Dinner_, Beware of indulging your Benevolence by conferring the silly Sixpenny Civility of taking up every person that is bound to the same house: such mighty good kind of Gentry are commonly too late. However, since Colonel BOSVILLE established the right laudable custom of locking out all those who come after the appointed hour, this caution has become almost needless; as now the rudeness of those who come too late, by such a prudent order to your Porter, very properly recoils upon Themselves:--Good Dinner-Giver, let such perfunctory persons be locked out!

Let those who wish to ensure Punctuality, have their Letter of Invitation expressed in the following manner, and affix thereto the Seal of the Committee of Taste, the motto on which is,

“BETTER NEVER, THAN LATE.”

_Messrs. Champaigne_ and _Turtle_ request the honour of Messrs. _Thirst_ and _Hunger’s_ company at Dinner on Thursday the 9th Nov., five minutes _before_ Five o’clock.

NOTA BENE.--Messrs. C. and T. have directed, that as soon as the First Course is served, the Table shall be garnished with the Key of the Street Door, where it shall remain among the Dormant decorations till the Second Course is removed.

A prudent General always provides for a Retreat.

_The Best way of securing a Coach to bring you Home_, if it is a long distance, is to keep the Coach in waiting--or tell the Driver to call and take you home at a certain hour; or fee the Waterman at the nearest Stand, to send one at the hour you wish.

A Facetious Friend of the Editor’s, on a very Wet Night, after several Messengers, whom he had despatched for a Coach, had returned without obtaining one: at last, at “past one o’clock, and a Rainy Morning,” the Wag walked himself to the next Coach-stand, and politely advised the Waterman to mend his Inside lining with a Pint of Beer, and go home to bed; for, said he, “there will be nothing for you to do to-Night,--I’ll lay you a Shilling that there’s not a Coach out.”--“Why, will you, your Honour? then, done,” cried Mr. Waterman; “but are you really serious, ’cause, if so be as You be, I must make haste and go and get one.” Being assured he would certainly touch the Twelve-penny if he did, He trotted off on his “Nag a ten toes,” and in Ten minutes returned with a Leathern Convenience.--_Bonaparte_ used to say, “In some cases, there is nothing like a Subsidy.”

We make no remarks on the newly introduced

CABRIOLETS,

further than to observe, that they are entitled to only two-thirds of the Fare of a Hackney Coach.

Mr. JERVIS says that a Carriage with only Two Wheels, however well piloted by the most expert charioteer, is an extremely dangerous Vehicle in a paved and crowded street--especially, at the rapid rate at which some perfunctory people require them to keep moving. If the Horse be ever so sure-footed, and the Driver ever so skilful and steady, they are frightfully dangerous Vehicles for town work, and will only be used by those who are rash enough to sacrifice safety to Celerity, and Comfort to Cheapness.

HACKNEY COACH AND CHARIOT FARES;

Commencing June 23, 1808, [48 Geo. III. cap. 87.]

FARES ACCORDING TO DISTANCE.

Not exceeding _s. d._
One mile 1 0
One mile and a half 1 6
Two miles 2 0
Two miles and a half 3 0
Three miles 3 6
Three miles and a half 4 0
Four miles 4 6
Four miles and a half 5 6
Five miles 6 0
Five miles and a half 6 6
Six miles 7 0
Six miles and a half 8 0
Seven miles 8 6
Seven miles and a half 9 0
Eight miles 9 6
Eight miles and a half 10 6
Nine miles 11 0
Nine miles and a half 11 6
Ten miles 12 0
Ten miles and a half 13 0
Eleven miles 13 6
Twelve miles 15 0

And so on, at the rate of 6_d._ for every half mile, and an additional 6_d._ for every two miles completed.

FARES ACCORDING TO TIME.

Not exceeding _s. d._
Thirty minutes 1 0
Forty-five minutes 1 6
One hour 2 0
One hour and 20 minutes 3 0
One hour and 40 minutes 4 0
Two hours 5 6
Two hours and 20 minutes 6 0
Two hours and 40 minutes 7 0
Three hours 8 0
Three hours and 20 minutes 9 0
Three hours and 40 minutes 10 6
Four hours 11 0

And so on, at the rate of 6_d._ for any fifteen minutes further time. Cabriolets are entitled to two-thirds of the Coach fares.

MEM.--A Coachman may contract to drive you to a certain Place for a certain Sum, and if it exceeds the distance which you are entitled to be carried for such Sum--he cannot demand more.

The fares are to be taken by the Hour or Mile only, and not by the Day.

_Coaches discharged after Sun-set hours_ (viz. after 8 between Lady Day and Michaelmas, and after 5 between Michaelmas and Lady Day,) between the carriage-way pavement, or if hired at a stand beyond the same, may demand the full fare back to such extremity or standing.

For Coaches hired to go into the country in the day-time, and there discharged, additional fares are to be taken for their return to the pavement or next stand where hired, as follow: for 10 miles, 5_s._; 8 miles, 4_s._; 6 miles, 3_s._; and 4 miles, _2s._ If under 4 miles, nothing.

Coachmen are not compellable to take more than four, nor Chariots more than three, adult persons inside, and a servant out: but if they agree to take more, then 1_s._, in addition to the fare, must be paid for each extra person; and if the coach be hired for the country, and to return, 1_s._ for each extra person going, and 1_s._ for his returning.

_Abusive Language._--The Drivers behaving rudely, or using abusive Language, are to forfeit not more than £10,--in default of payment, are sent to the House of Correction for any time the Magistrate may please, not exceeding two months.

_Extortion._--Coachmen refusing to go on, or extorting more than their fare, are to forfeit not more than 3_l._ nor less than 10_s._ Not only the Commissioners in Essex Street, Strand, but also the Magistrates at the Police-offices, determine such Offences, and inflict Punishments.

_Obligation to go on._--If a Coach be drawn off the Stand to the side of the pavement, it is equally as liable to be hired as if it stood on the Stand, and the Coachman may be made to go with you, if not hired--if he refuses, he is liable to be fined. They are compellable, if plying for hire, at any hour of the Day or the Night, to go upon all Turnpike roads, any where within Two miles and a half from the end of the Carriage-way pavement.

_Articles left in a Hackney Coach_ are (by a late Act) to be taken to the Hackney Coach Office, Essex Street, Strand, on pain of paying 20_l._; to be recovered on application to the Commissioners, or a Justice of the Peace.

The Coachman is to take the shortest way, and to charge accordingly: but if he, from choice or ignorance, does otherwise, he can make no extra charge.

He may refuse to take _Heavy Luggage_, unless he is paid something more than the fare; but he must object to it before it be put into the Coach: he cannot, however, object to take a small Parcel that may be carried in the hand.

_When a Coachman is desired to wait_, he may demand a sum in hand beyond his previous fare, and is accountable for such sum when you discharge him. He is not bound to wait without such a _detainer_, nor longer than it will pay for the time.

See a comprehensive Abstract of the 18 Acts of Parliament relating to Hackney Coaches, in p. 765 of Vol. II. of Sir George Chetwynd’s edition of Dr. Burn’s Justice, 8vo. 1825.

Those who wish to ascertain distance very exactly, I advise to purchase

Mr. QUAIFE’S HACKNEY COACH DIRECTORY, which is sold only at the Hackney Coach Office in Essex Street, Strand, and contains nearly _Eighteen Thousand Fares from actual Measurements_, and

CARY’S NEW GUIDE FOR ASCERTAINING
HACKNEY COACH FARES, Price 3_s._ 6_d._

This elaborate work gives an actual admeasurement of every Street in the Metropolis, and affords the means of ascertaining _the Length of any Route, however indirect_.

We subjoin, as a Specimen, the Two first pages of this Work.

The first and second Column contain the Distance of one Street
from the other as they occur in the Route; the third, fourth,
and fifth, the total or full Length from the Commencement.--M.
signifies Mile--F. Furlong--P. Pole.

PICCADILLY.

_Hyde Park Turnpike to Leadenhall Street._

Streets, &c. passed through:--Piccadilly, Haymarket, Cockspur
Street, Charing Cross, Strand, Fleet Street, Ludgate Hill,
Ludgate Street, St. Paul’s Churchyard, Cheapside, Poultry,
Mansion House Street, Cornhill, Leadenhall Street, Aldgate
Street, Aldgate, Aldgate High Street, Whitechapel, and Mile End
Old Town.

|F.|P.||M.|F.|P.|
_Piccadilly._ |--|--||--|--|--|
To Hamilton Street | | || | |35|
Park Lane | |16|| | 1|11|
Down Street | |24|| | 1|35|
Engine Street | |18|| | 2|13|
White Horse Street | |20|| | 2|33|
Half Moon Street | |14|| | 3| 7|
Clarges Street | | 9|| | 3|16|
Bolton Street | |11|| | 3|27|
Stratton Street | |10|| | 3|37|
Berkley Street | |15|| | 4|12|
Arlington and Dover Streets | |13|| | 4|25|
St. James and Albemarle Streets | |12|| | 4|37|
Bond Street | |10|| | 5| 7|
Duke Street | |19|| | 5|26|
Sackville Street | |18|| | 6| 4|
Swallow Street | | 8|| | 6|12|
Air Street | |19|| | 6|31|
Eagle Street | | 2|| | 6|33|
The Haymarket | |35|| | 7|28|
7 .. 28 | | || | | |
| | || | | |
Enter _Haymarket_. |--|--||--|--|--|
To Norris and Panton Streets | |26|| 1| |14|
James Street | |11|| 1| |25|
Theatre | | 6|| 1| |31|
Suffolk Street and Opera House | |11|| 1| 1| 2|
Pall Mall | |11|| 1| 1|13|
1 .. 25 | | || | | |
| | || | | |
Enter _Cockspur Street_. |--|--||--|--|--|
Suffolk Street | |14|| 1| 1|27|
Whitcomb Street | |10|| 1| 1|37|
Spring Gardens | | 5|| 1| 2| 2|
0 .. 29 | | || | | |
| | || | | |
Enter _Charing Cross_. | | || | | |
Statue Of King Charles | |19|| 1| 2|21|
St. Martin’s Lane | |15|| 1| 2|36|
0 .. 34 | | || | | |
| | || | | |
Enter _Strand_. | | || | | |
Northumberland Street | | 2|| 1| 2|38|
Hungerford Street | |15|| 1| 3|13|
Villiers Street | |12|| 1| 3|25|
Buckingham Street | | 9|| 1| 3|34|
Bedford Street | |21|| 1| 4|15|
Adam Street | |13|| 1| 4|28|
Salisbury Street | |13|| 1| 5| 1|
Cecil Street | | 7|| 1| 5| 8|
Southampton Street | | 5|| 1| 5|13|
Beaufort Buildings | | 7|| 1| 5|20|
Burleigh Street | |15|| 1| 5|35|
Catherine Street | |25|| 1| 6|20|
Somerset Place | |14|| 1| 6|34|
New Church and Little Drury Lane | |16|| 1| 7|10|
Newcastle Street | | 3|| 1| 7| 3|
Surry Street | |11|| 1| 7|24|
Norfolk Street | |10|| 1| 7|34|
Arundel Street | | 9|| 2| | 3|
Essex Street | |18|| 2| |21|
Temple Bar | |24|| 2| 1| 5|
6 .. 9 | | || | | |
|--|--||--|--|--|
Enter _Fleet Street_. | | || | | |
To Chancery Lane | |13|| 2| 1|18|
Fetter Lane | |23|| 2| 2|21|
Serjeants’ Inn | | 6|| 2| 2| 7|
Bouverie Street | |11|| 2| 2|18|
Water Lane | |11|| 2| 2|29|
Salisbury Court | |17|| 2| 3| 6|
Shoe Lane | | 1|| 2| 3| 7|
Fleet Market | |29|| 2| 3|36|
2 .. 31 | | || | | |
| | || | | |
Enter _Ludgate Hill_. | | || | | |
Old Bailey | |29|| 2| 4|25|
St. Martin’s Ludgate Church | |18|| 2| 5| 3|
1 .. 7 | | || | | |
| | || | | |
Enter _Ludgate Street_. | | || | | |
Creed and Ave Maria Lanes | | 8|| 2| 5|11|
St. Paul’s Churchyard | | 8|| 2| 5|19|
0 .. 16 | | || | | |
| | || | | |
Enter _St. Paul’s Churchyard_. | | || | | |
Paul’s Chain | |18|| 2| 5|37|
Watling Street | |25|| 2| 6|22|
Cheapside | |28|| 2| 7|13|
1 .. 31 | | || | | |
| | || | | |
Enter _Cheapside_. | | || | | |
Old Change | | 5|| 2| 7|15|
Foster Lane | | 3|| 2| 7|18|
Gutter Lane | |13|| 2| 7|31|
Friday Street | | 6|| 2| 7|37|
Wood Street | | 5|| 3| | 2|
Bread Street | | 5|| 3| | 7|
Milk Street | | 2|| 3| | 9|
Bow Churchyard | |11|| 3| |20|
Bow Lane | | 4|| 3| |24|
Lawrence Lane | | 7|| 3| |31|
King and Queen Streets | | 5|| 3| |36|
Ironmonger Lane | | 4|| 3| 1| |
Bucklersbury | | 9|| 3| 1| 9|
1 .. 39 | | || | | |
| | || | | |
Enter _Poultry_. | | || | | |
To Old Jewry | | 4|| 3| 1|13|
Charlotte Row | |24|| 3| 1|37|
0 .. 28 | | || | | |
| | || | | |
Enter _Mansion House Street_. | | || | | |
Mansion House | | 5 3 2 2
Bank Buildings | |20 3 2 22
0 .. 25 | | || | | |
| | || | | |
Enter _Cornhill_. | | || | | |
Royal Exchange | | 9|| 3| 2|31|
Freeman’s Court | |12|| 3| 3| 3|
Birchin Lane | | 3|| 3| 3| 6|
Finch Lane | | 1|| 3| 3| 7|
Gracechurch and Bishopsgate Streets| |27|| 3| 3|34|
1 .. 12 | | || | | |

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The Expense of King George the Third’s State Coach which was made in the year 1762, was--

£ _s. d._
Coachmaker 1,637 15 0
Carver 2,500 0 0
Gilder 935 14 0
Painter 315 0 0
Laceman 737 10 7
Chaser 665 4 6
Harness Maker 385 15 0
Mercer 202 5 10½
Belt Maker 99 6 6
Milliner 31 3 4
Sadler 10 16 6
Woollen Draper 4 3 6
Cover Maker 3 9 6
7,562 4 3½

[2] There are 36 Trusses in a Load of Hay, and the same in a Load of Straw; 40 Trusses of each, 1 Ton.

[3] These were by Chief Justice Mansfield called “_Bankrupt Carts_,” because they were, and are, frequently driven by those who could neither afford the Money to support them, nor the Time spent in using them, the want of which, in their Business, brought them to Bankruptcy.

[4] Do not give unusually high standing _Wages_. These should neither exceed nor fall short of the Rates which Custom has established; or, in the former case, you will make your own servants idle and extravagant, and those of your neighbours unhappy and discontented. If you do not pay the customary compensation for the service you receive, you will excite a continually rankling discontent in the minds of your Domestics, and will be harassed with those continual changes in your establishment, which will soon render Good Servants shy of engaging in it.

The best way to encourage Servants is to give them “_Occasional Presents and Indulgences_.” These I would not bestow in Money, but give him a pair of Good Boots or Shoes, or an Umbrella, or a Watch, according to his Diligence and Long Service: confer these Rewards, rather as given for general Good Conduct, than as for any particular occurrence, or they may be received as merited payment for an insulated piece of service.

[5] The price charged by _Mr. Williams_, Button Manufacturer, No. 103, St. Martin’s Lane, for a pair of Button Dies, is £2. 2_s._

Buttons are not always stamped so carefully as they ought to be:--caution your Button Maker, that you will not take any impressions that are imperfect: you may be charged a trifle more per Dozen, if you will have every Button as perfect as the Proof Specimen. Let the Letters of the Motto, which is generally put round the Crest, be large enough to be legible--they are generally too small.

[6]

_s._ _d._

Letting the Horses wash their Mouths, which
is comfortable to them in very hot weather.
If you are Travelling a long Journey, it will
refresh them much more, if you at the same
time give them a little bit of Hay; for
these you are generally charged, for a
Pair of Horses 0 6

For a _Short Bait_, i. e. if you go out for Ten
Miles, and the Horses are put up for an
hour or two, a feed, a Quartern of Corn each,
including 6_d._ to the Hostler, is about 1 6

See more of the Estimates of Expenses in Travelling, in Part I. of the “_Traveller’s Oracle_.”

[7] The Strap for pulling up the Step, and the Inside Handle, are great conveniences to those who do not take a Footman out with them. See “_Dumb Footman_,” in the Index.

[8] _The Ancient Equestrian_ who read the MS. of this Work, wrote the following note:--

“Those who keep Horses should occasionally look into the Mews early in the morning; and if a man is there with a Sack, or Donkey and Panniers, immediately think of their Corn and Hay, &c.”--A. E.

[9] Pens, Parchment, and Wax.

[10] _Cook’s Patent Life Preserver for Carriages_ may be viewed at the _Manufactory, No. 127, Long Acre_. Its object is to stop horses when running away: the contrivance is extremely simple, and a Lady may, with the greatest facility, apply its force against the power of the horses, thereby gradually but irresistibly arresting their progress. Should the coachman leave the box, this invention will enable him to prevent the possibility of the horses starting off in his absence; or should he be thrown from his seat, or fall off in a fit, or from any other cause, an infirm person or even a Child in the carriage, has the power of stopping a pair, or four horses, with ease and certainty.

[11] Carriage, in the usual meaning of the word among Coachmakers, signifies the lower system, on which the Body containing the Passengers is suspended, and to which the Wheels are attached: though speaking generally of Coaches, Chariots, &c. they are properly called Carriages of such descriptions; but as the word Carriage will be frequently used in both senses, when it signifies the lower system only, it will be printed in _Italics_: when used in the general meaning of the word, in common letters.

[12] The Timbers of the Under Carriage, in which the Pole is placed.

[13] The long leaver by which the Carriage is conducted.

[14] A compassed timber, fixed on the Futchells, which keeps the fore Carriage steady.

[15] The Leathers by which the Body is hung or checked.

_The Main Braces_ are what the Body hangs by.

_The Collar Braces_ are those which go round the Perch or crane, and are buckled through a Ring fixed to bottom of the Body, to check its motion sideways, and to confine it from striking against the Wheels.

_The Check Braces_ are for the purpose of checking the motion of the Body endways, and are placed at the four Corners.

The Braces should be occasionally shifted from their bearing, as that part on which the weight rests is deprived of the moisture of grease, which preserves the Leather, and the Brace becomes dry and susceptible of the Wet, and soon Cracks and Breaks;--therefore, once in a month let the situation of the Braces be changed a little, and they will last three times as long.

[16] _Mr. Jarvis_ assures us that none of the plans for rendering Clothes Water Proof have answered his expectations.

[17] We were amused, and perhaps the Reader may, with the following definition of the word “_Genteel_.”

_Q._ Has any Body called (said _Mr. Thin_) while I have been out?

_A._ Yes, Sir, a Gentleman called, about Two o’Clock.

_Q._ What kind of a Person?

_A._ A Genteel Man, Sir--an extremely Genteel Man, Sir; for I think he was Taller and Thinner than You!!!

[18] “Those who regard Health will not frequent crowded rooms and assemblies. When I was at Bath, about to publish an Essay on the effects of _Noxious Air_, one of my brethren waggishly said, ‘Let them alone, Doctor; for how else will 26 Physicians be able to exist here?’”--_Dr. Adair on Diet, &c._ 8vo. p. 93. 1812.

[19] “To what an unfortunate change the present fashions are conforming Mankind! The Country-houses of our Nobility and Gentry are empty in July. Thus the Spring months, the season of Joy throughout creation, pass unobserved by the affluent and gay. The souls of human beings, in this Age of Art, would seem to wish the Sun to be darkened; they find no pleasure but in the light of a Lamp.--I feel for the rising generation, when I consider the effects of these overgrown follies upon Inexperienced minds.”--_Dr. Trotter on the Nervous Temperament_, 8vo. p. 245. 1807.

[20] “There is an ordinary trick at common Inns of Stealing the Horse’s Oats, where, although the Masters be in good condition and honest, yet their Servants rob one another of the Oats committed to their charge, and then make a piece of Gallantry and Jest of it.”--_Sollysell’s Compleat Horseman_, fol. p. 108. 1717.

[21] It should have been within _Five Miles_!

[22] The best Map we have seen of this Ground, as it was in 1805, _i. e._ just before the _Improvements_, as it is the fashion to call the _Piles of Bricks and Mortar_ which now stand where we used to walk and enjoy the Fresh Air, was published by Bowles and Carver, in St. Paul’s Churchyard, where it may still be had, and is entitled “A Map of London and its Environs, Three Miles round St. Paul’s, in 1805.”

[23] Bolts and Nuts are the machinery by which the Timber and Iron work is fixed together.

[24] To tell the Reader exactly what class of persons was meant to be designated by the word _Gentleman_, in the year 1757, would be as difficult a task as to define it now. The last time we heard it, was on visiting a Stable to look at a Horse, when, on inquiring for the Coachman, his Stable Keeper replied, “He is just stepped to the Public House along with another Gentleman.”

The following is the Negro’s definition of a _Gentleman_:--“_Massa make de black Man workee--make de Horse workee--make de Ox workee--make every ting workee, only de Hog: he, de Hog, no workee; he eat, he drink, he walk about, he go to sleep when he please, he liff like a_ GENTLEMAN.”--_European Mag._ January, 1811, p. 17.

I have never forgotten Sir Richard Steele’s Observation, which struck my mind with happy force in my boyish days:--“_A Christian_ and a _Gentleman_ are become inconsistent Appellations of the same person. You cannot expect Eternal Life, if you do not _forgive_ Injuries: the Weak and the Wicked will do their utmost to make your Mortal Life uncomfortable, if you are not ready to commit a _Murder_ in Resentment for _an Affront_.”--_From No. 20 of the Guardian._

_Sir Richard_ has very properly applied to the _Duellist_ what _Dr. South_ has said of the Liar: “_He is a Coward to Man_, and a _Bravo to_ GOD!”

The most ridiculous circumstance respecting _Duelling_, is, that the Man who has suffered the Injury must submit himself to the same Peril with him who inflicted it, so that the Punishment is entirely accidental, and as likely to fall upon the Innocent as the Guilty.

[25] So called by “The Oracle,” from the furious sacrifice of the comfort of the Interior of our Modern Houses to the paltry plaister patchwork of (what the Vulgar pronounce) “a pretty Elevation.” Aye!--pretty may be for part of a Palace--but as inconvenient as it is impertinent for a Private Dwelling.

[26] “The longer his Taile be, hee shall the better defend himself therewith in summer season from the flies; and therefore _Cameranus_ doth not a little marvel at those which use to curtail their Horses.”--_Blundevill on Horses_, 1609. p. 13.

[27] The attentive and obliging Surveyor to the Board of Hackney Coaches in Essex Street, Strand.

_The Hackney Coach Office_ is open from 10 till 3 o’Clock every day; and no person belonging to the Office is allowed to make any demand or charge for Expenses, or to receive any Fee or Gratuity, under any pretence whatever.

[28] “In _Paris_, Hackney Coaches are hired either by the _course_ (_à la course_), i. e. as often as the vehicle is stopped, or by the _hour_ (_à l’heure_). The fare is 30 sous (1_s._ 3_d._) per course, whether it be a quarter of a Mile or three Miles; or two francs (1_s._ 8_d._) for the first hour, and 30 sous (1_s._ 3_d._) per hour afterwards.

“From midnight to 6 o’clock in the morning, the fare is doubled.

“These coaches are not obliged to carry more than four persons and a child, nor to take any heavy luggage.

“If the Coach be hired by Time, the first hour must be paid for, whether it is entirely occupied or not; but it is not necessary to pay for more of the second, or of any succeeding hour, than has actually elapsed.

“If a coach is engaged to go to the Theatres, or to any place of public amusement, it is customary to pay the coachman at the time of starting, in order to avoid delay at alighting.”--_Planta’s Picture of Paris_, 16mo. 1825, p. 408.

INDEX TO PART II.

Abusive Language, 321

Accidents, 81

Adviser, an experienced, is to be consulted in purchasing a Carriage, 118

Agreement, form of, 21

---- articles of, 56

Articles left in a Hackney Coach, 322

Axle-trees, 93, 99

Back-Light of a Coach, 70

Beggars’ dogs, 89

Box Coats, 133

Blundevill on Horses, 278

Braces, the main, 116

Buonaparte’s Travelling Chariot, 127

Burke, Right Hon. Edmund, 163

Cabriolets, 317

Carriage, private, its expense compared with the hiring of Hackney
Coaches, 286-291

Carriages and Chariots, criterion for the price of, 5

----, care of, 201-204

----, travelling, 123

----, length of, 109

Cary, Mr., plan of a new map, 293

Character of servants, 145

Chariot, construction of a, 65

Cheapest mode of keeping a Carriage, 33

Clock, advantages of a good, 155

Clover for horses, 253

Coach, when to call a, 312

----, how to call a, 313

Coach box, 135

Coachmaking art of, 59

Coachman, a skilful, 143

----’s livery, 26-31

----, how to give orders to, 146

----, punctuality essential in, 151

Coat, coachman’s, 134

----, how to give a horse a fine, 246

Colds of horses, 261-266

Collinge’s axles, 94

Contracts for building Carriages, 53

Cook’s Life Preserver for Carriages, 77

Country houses vacant until July, 139

Cracked heels, remedy for, 265

Cushions, seat, 72

Dashing Iron, the, 17

Dickey Coach box, 79

Directions for buying and keeping of an equipage, 1

---- as to who should examine the linch-pins, 17

Directory, Quaife’s Hackney Coach, 323

Diuretic balls for swelled heels, 265

Dogs, tax on, should be duly enforced, 88

Doors of Carriages, 209

Driving, on, 184-191

Dry coat, importance of a, 134

Ducrow’s theatrical stud, 219

Duelling, 228

Durability of vehicles, 8

Duties, assessed, on men servants, carriages, and horses, 131

Elbows of a Carriage, of the, 67

Embrocation, anti-rheumatic, 135

Environs of town, expedition to dinner in the, 157

Equestrian statue of Charles I., 219

Evening parties, 136

Examination of a second-hand Carriage, 114

Exercising of horses, 243