HINTS TO HORSEMEN.
If you do not wish your Horse to catch cold, Mount him the moment he comes out of the Stable.
“The Stirrups,” says Lord Pembroke, in his Essay on Horses, 12mo. 1761, pp. 18 and 19, “must be of just such length, that when the Rider, being well placed, puts his feet into them (about one-third of each foot from the point of it) the point may be about two or three inches higher than the heel when the Rider places himself upon the Saddle strait, even, upright and well with his Legs hanging down, and the stirrups likewise; and when he is in this position, take up the stirrup, till the bottom of it comes just under the Ankle bone. The Rider must not bear upon his Stirrups, but only let the natural weight of his legs rest upon them.”
Always ride a hole or two shorter across the Country, than you do on the Road.
Ride with a Snaffle, and use your Curb only occasionally.
Choose your Snaffle full and thick in the middle, especially at the ends to which the reins are fastened. Most of them are made too small and long, and cut the Horse’s mouth, and bend back over the bars of his jaw, working like pincers.
If you ride with a Curb, make it a rule to hook on the chain yourself; the quietest Horse may bring his rider into danger, should the curb hurt him.
If in fixing the curb you turn the chain to the right, the links will unfold themselves, and then oppose a further turning. Put on the chain loose enough to hang down on the Horse’s under lip, so that it may not rise and press his jaw till the reins of the Bridle are moderately pulled.
Observe that your Horse is furnished with a Bit proper for him, and by no means too heavy, which may incline him to carry low, or to rest upon the hand when he grows weary, which Horsemen call “Making use of a Fifth Leg.”
Always endeavour to avoid a Quarrel with your Horse:—if he is apt to Start, you will find occasions enough to exercise his obedience when what he starts at lies directly in his way, and you must make him pass: if he is not subject to start, do not contend with him about a trifle.
The notion of the necessity of making a Horse go immediately up to every thing he is afraid of, and not suffer him to become master of his rider, seems to be generally carried too far. It is an approved method to conquer a Horse’s fear of the sound of a Drum, by beating one near to him at the time of feeding him: this not only familiarises the noise to him, but makes it pleasant, as a forerunner of his Meat; whereas, if he was whipped up to it, he might perhaps start at it as long as he lived. Might not this be applied to his starting at other things, and shew that it would be better to suffer him (provided he does not turn back) to go a little from, and partly avoid an object he has a dislike to, and to accustom him to it by degrees, convincing him, as it were, that it will not hurt him, than to punish him, quarrel with him, and perhaps submit to his will at last, while you insist on his overcoming his fear in an instant? If he sees a like object again, it is probable he will recollect his dread, and arm himself to be disobedient.
“Now of Corrections, the most principal is the Spur, which must not at anytime be given triflingly or itchingly, but soundly and sharply, as oft as just occasion shall require: then, the Rod, which upon disorder, sloth, or miscarriage, of the members, must be given also soundly: then, the Voice, which being delivered sharply and roughly, as Ha, Villaine!—Carrikra!—Diablo!—and such like threatenings, terrifieth the Horse, and maketh him afraide to disobey: and lastly, the Bridle which now and then stricken with a hard chocke in his mouth, reformeth many vices and distemperatures of his head: yet this last must be done seldome, and with great discretion, for to make a custom thereof is the ready way to spoil a Horse’s mouth.”
“Now of Cherishings there are generally in use but three; as first, the voice, which being delivered smoothly and lovingly, as crying Holla—So, boy—There, Boy, There—and such like, gives the Horse both a cheerfulnesse of Spirit and a knowledge that he hath done well: then the hand, by clapping him gently on the necke or buttocke, or giving him Grasse or other foode to eate after he hath pleased you: and lastly, the big ende of the rod, by rubbing him therewith upon the withers or maine, which is very pleasing and delightful to the horse.”—Markham’s Way to Wealth, 4to. 1638. p. 16.
“The Hope of Reward, and the Fear of Punishment, governs the whole World, not only Men, but Horses; for it is impossible that you can well manage your Horse until he fear you, and out of that fear, Love and Obey you; for it is Fear maketh every body obey both Man and Beast. Love is not so sure a Hold, for there you depend upon his Will; but when he Fears you, he depends upon yours.”—Soleysell’s Horsemanship, fol. 1717. p. 272.
Old Blundevill, in his 24th Chapter of his Book on Horses, 4to. 1609. p. 22, gives the following advice:—
“But because few keepers can correct with discretion, I would wish him rather to use no correction at all, but only to winne him by gentle meanes, by faire speaking, and by often clawing him and feeding him by hand, and in Summer season, by wiping away Flies,[26] Nats, or other things that doth annoy him: so shall the Horse be alwayes glad of him, and rejoice in his presence, and in time become so familiar, as he will play with him like a dog; for, truely, unless there be mutual Lore betwixt the keeper and the horse, the horse seldom or never battleth; for if the keeper love not his horse, he will never meat him thoroughly nor delight to dresse him, nor will the horse be delighted with his dressing. And, therefore, the chiefest point of a horsekeeper is to love his horse and to seeke to be loved againe of him; so shall he profit the Horse and pleasure his Maister.”
Before you mount your Horse, if you are only going to take an Airing, examine whether the Bridle, Girths, and Straps, &c. are all good and well fixed, and that he is properly Shod.
“For want of a Nail the Shoe is lost,
For want of a Shoe the Horse is lost.”
Direct that neither the Heel nor Frog be pared more than merely to take off what is ragged and broken. It is still more safe to do that yourself, or direct your Coachman to do it, than to trust it to a Farrier or Shoemaker, notwithstanding the Gentleman may have written over his Door, “Here Horses are shod agreeable to Nature and according to Art.”
Fit the Shoe to the Foot, and not the Foot to the Shoe.
ON THE
ROUGH-SHODDING OF HORSES
IN
FROSTY WEATHER.
It is manifest, that a considerable increase of pressure on the Heels naturally follows—so that Lameness frequently attends the practice of Frosting even for a short time.
The ordinary method of Frosting is by taking a Shoe off, heating it, and turning up the Heel and Toe; but this being Iron only, it lasts, for any efficient purpose, but a short time; and if hard worked, the same process must be repeated almost daily, as long as the Frost continues.
It is evident that the Hoof must suffer most severely by such a continued and repeated perforation with the Nails; so that if a Frost should happen to last a Month or two, it is probable there would be scarcely horn enough left to nail a Shoe on with safety. When Frosting is required, I have found that by Steeling the Heels, and if a Draft Horse, the Toes also, that they will last considerably longer, and consequently diminish the frequency of Driving Nails. A much shorter Rough will answer, and the usual head will not need to be so much altered.—Goodwin on Shoeing Horses, 8vo. p. 280. 1824.
The usual charge for Roughing the Shoes of Coach Horses, is 2s. 8d. per Horse.
To perform the operation so sensibly recommended by Mr. Goodwin, will cost but little more, and the Shoes will certainly last much longer.
Mr. T. Clark recommends the following plan:—
“When the Roads, &c. are covered with Ice, it becomes necessary to have the Heels of the Shoes turned up, and frequently sharpened, in order to prevent Horses from slipping and falling. As this cannot be done without the frequent moving of the Shoes, which breaks and destroys the crusts of the Hoofs where the Nails are drove, to prevent this, I have always recommended to those who were willing to be at the expense, to have Steel Points screwed into the Heels or quarters of each Shoe, which might be taken out and put in as required.
“The method of doing this properly, is first to have the Shoes fitted to the shape of the Hoof; then to make a small round Hole in the extremity of each heel, or in the quarters, about three-eighths of an inch in diameter or more, in proportion to the breadth and size of the Shoe: in each of these holes a screw is to be made: the Steel points are likewise to have a screw on them exactly fitted to that in the Shoes. Care must be taken that the Screw on the points is no longer when they are screwed into the Shoe than the thickness of the latter. The Steel points are to be made sharp; they may either be made square or triangular. The height of the point above the Shoe should not exceed half an inch for a Saddle Horse: they may be made higher for a Coach Horse.
“The Key or Handle that is necessary to screw them in and out occasionally, is made in the shape of the Capital letter T, and of a sufficient size and strength: at the bottom of the handle there is a socket or cavity, properly adapted to the shape of the Steel point, and so deep as to receive the whole point that is above the Shoe. In order to prevent the screw from breaking at the neck, it will be necessary to make it of a gradual taper: the same is likewise to be observed of the female screw that receives it; that is, the hole must be wider on the upper part of the Shoe than the under part: the sharp points may be tempered or hardened, in order to prevent them growing too soon blunt; but when they become blunt, they may be sharpened as at first. These points should be unscrewed when the Horse is put into the Stable, as the Stones will do them more injury in a few minutes there, than a day’s riding on Ice. A Draught Horse should have one point on the Toe of each Shoe, as that gives him firmer footing in drawing on ice; but for a Saddle Horse, when they are put there, they are apt to make them trip and stumble.”
OF THE
COMPARATIVE EXPENSE AND ADVANTAGE
OF
| HIRING A HACKNEY COACH. | KEEPING A PRIVATE CARRIAGE. | ||||||||||||||||
| 1. A Hackney Coach, for the business of the moment, to rest your Legs, or shelter you from the Weather, may be had for the ¹⁄₆₉₀₀th part of the Annual Expense of a Private Carriage. Think o’ that, ye Lame and ye Languid! for ye are the Grand Patrons of Ponies, Perches, Whips, and Wheels—Bless your Stars that you are in a Country where, although it costs Three Thousand Four Hundred and Fifty Shillings to keep a Coach for Half a Year, that you can Hire one for Half an Hour, for Twelve Pence! which you may command in all respects as absolutely as if it was your own. | 1. A Private Carriage costs (see [Estimate No. IV.]) £345 per Annum, i. e. 6900 shillings a Year. | ||||||||||||||||
| 2. A Hackney Coach is almost always to be had in a few Minutes, except in the lamentable instance of a pelting shower. | 2. Your own Horses and Carriage cannot be brought round in less than 25 minutes after you order it: even if it and the Harness are all clean and ready, an active Coachman cannot dress himself and put to in less time,—and Your Own Coachman may be Ill,—or not ready for Action,—Your Horses may be Sick,—or your Carriage may be broken:—moreover, if that prime minister of the machinery of Locomotion has not previous notice that you will want the Wheels to go round, if he is not a marvellously steady Man, it is an even chance, that, making sure you will not require his services, he will imagine he may emigrate from his Hay-Loft with impunity, and be frisking about after his own Affairs. | ||||||||||||||||
| 3. The Hackney-Coachman’s Motto is the same asMadam Hecate’s,
“Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair.” He is well pleased to wait for you, at all Hours, and in all Weathers, Cold or Windy, Hot or Rainy, as long as you are pleased to wish him;—when you have kept him long in the Rain, if you give the poor fellow Six or Twelve pence extra when you discharge him, (can you lay them out better?) it will make him as well satisfied with waiting in the Wet for you, as your own Servant would, in a similar situation, be ill satisfied! | 3. Gentlemen’s Equipages are generally Fair-weather Play-things.—If you have your Carriage outin Wet Weather, and are obliged to keep it waiting in the Rain—if you have a Coachman,a Coach Horse, or a Carriage, either one of which are Good for any thing—if you are Goodfor any thing Yourself, you will not feel quite contented, however comfortably shelteredby a good Roof, or however agreeably you are surrounded by good Company, whilst they areexposed to the inclemency of the Sky. 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 usefulServant into the Bargain!! For One London Coachman or Coach horse that dies fromover-work, an Hundred are destroyed by standing still in Cold and Wet Weather. | ||||||||||||||||
4. Persons who keep a Carriage in London, on an averageseldom go above 8 or 10 Miles per day, or havetheir Carriage out more than 3 Hours in the 24:—to hire a Hackney Coach to do such work every dayin the Year, will cost 10s. per Day, or £182. 10s. per Annum. The Expense of keepinga Carriage, as per [Estimate No. IV.]
It appears, therefore, that it is more convenient and much Cheaper,even if you employ it as often as you would your own Carriage, to hire a Hackney Coach, thanit is to keep a Private Carriage; and if you only hire a Hackney Coach when you really want it,if your Ten-toed machinery is in tolerable condition, instead of your Hackney Coach hire costingyou £182. 10s., you may have as much riding as your Business really requires, for £100. a Year:moreover, your Health will be better preserved than if you walked less and rode more; the additionalExercise will ensure the more perfect performance of those interesting “Opera Minora Vitæ,”“Eating, Drinking, and Sleeping!”
“Weariness Can snore upon the Flint, when nesty Sloth Finds the down pillow hard.” Shakespeare. If you keep a Carriage, you will often be as much tempted to Ride, merely becauseyou can ride for nothing, as from any actual want you feel of the assistance of the Wheel-work. Walking is the natural and the best Exercise that Man can take; and, however those whowalk 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 hisCarriage, that he might get heat out of it at least once in his Life. | 4. In the Estimate ([No. IV.])you have the Service of the Coachman occasionally, when he is not busy with his Horses and Carriage—andif you keep a sharp lookout that your Carriage is kept in a good state of Repair, you will very rarelybe liable to those Accidents which sometimes happen to the infirm Constitution of a Hackney Coach:moreover, you will be moved about not merely with more Safety and more Celerity, but withmore Comfort, from knowing that you have a Pilot whomyou may depend upon:—the latter is an extremely important consideration to those whose business callsthem to places which are crowded with Carriages. When you wish your Mind to be active, and to do itsbest, it should have nothing before it except the single object under its consideration; and the Bodyshould also be at Ease:—this, and the saving of time in passing from one place to another, are thechief benefits a Carriage affords to Men of Business. Again: it is a Rule with Hackney-coachmen totake the shortest route; the consequence is, that as they naturally desire to perform their task assoon as possible, if they think half a dozen yards are to be saved by it, unless specially directed,they will bring you through all the nasty, narrow, badly ventilated and badly paved Lanes, &c.which they can find, and which, if you understand the value of Fresh Air, you would studiously avoid. These vehicles are often used to convey sick people to Hospitals, especially Coaches: Chariots aremore easily ventilated, on account of their Front windows. Never get into a Hackney Coach that hasthe Windows shut up, if there is one on the Stand of which the Windows are open;—stagnant Air isalways Offensive, and often Infectious. | ||||||||||||||||
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 1s., 1s. 6d., and 2s., 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 3s.
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. 12s.: 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, 2s. for the first hour, and 3s. 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 6d. 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 withfewer of such crazy cattle as they are oftenobliged to be content with) at £31. 10s. per Annum for each, (see Estimate No. 4) | 94 | 10 | 0 |
| Coachman’s Wages, at 9s. per Week | 23 | 8 | 0 |
| Board, ditto, at 14s. 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 Carriageand 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.”