When any Repair is required, desire your Coachman to tell you; examine it with your own Eyes, and with your own hand write the order to the Coachmaker, &c. for every thing that is wanted; and warn him you will not pay for any Jobs, &c. not so ordered, and desire him to keep such Orders and return them to you when he brings his Bill, that you may see it tallies therewith, and you may keep a little Book yourself, into which you may copy such Orders.
Counsellor Cautious went one step further; and before any work was begun, required a Note, stating for how much, and in how long, the person would undertake to completely perform it.
However well built originally, the Durability of the Beauty and the Strength of Carriages, depends much upon how they are managed;—they are as much impaired by those to whose care they are entrusted, not understanding, or not performing, the various operations which preserve them, as they are by the Wear occasioned by Work.
In hiring a Coachman, his having a due knowledge of how to take care of a Carriage, is of as much importance as his experience in Horses, or his skill in Driving.
Persons who order Carriages, are frequently disappointed in the convenience and appearance of them, from not giving their Directions in terms sufficiently explicit;—when those who buy Carriages make any such a mistake, it is said, that those who sell are not always remarkably anxious to rectify it, unless at the expense of the proprietor.
An Acquaintance of the Editor’s, ordered that the interior of a New Chariot should be arranged exactly like his former Carriage:—when it was finished, he found that there were several very disorderly deviations from the old plan, which were extremely disagreeable to him:—the Builder said, civilly enough, that he was exceedingly sorry, and would soon set it all right—which he did; but presented a Bill of Ten pounds for mending these mistakes, which having arisen entirely from his own Inattention to the fitting up of the Old Carriage, his Customer successfully resisted the payment of, having been prudent enough to have the Agreement for building the Carriage, worded, “That it should be finished in all respects to his entire satisfaction, by a certain Time, for a certain Sum.”
To the end of this work is added a Copious Glossary, and an Index, which will readily conduct the Reader to the various subjects, and be found extremely useful in explaining the Technical terms, &c. commonly used by Coachmakers.
The Editor has endeavoured to explain the various points in so plain a manner, that persons who are previously entirely unacquainted with the subject, may calculate exactly what will be the Expense, and ascertain pretty accurately the best manner of managing, and of estimating the pretensions of those they are about to employ, either to build or to take care of a Carriage, &c., in almost as little time as they can read this little Book; in which it is hoped that they will find Amusement blended with useful Instruction, and soon gain such a general knowledge of the subject, as will effectually protect them from Imposition:—at all events, the Editor is quite sure, that it will soon save the Purchaser more than double what he has been so good as to give his friend the old Coachman for the following advice.—Now Cent per Cent, even in these times, when it is said that Cash is scarce, is quite as large a profit as can be made by most Purchases! Therefore, the Editor sends Mr. Jervis’s Book to Press, with a contented conscience, and a hearty wish, that all who buy it may be able to invest all their Money to equal advantage.
ESTIMATE No. 1.
EXPENSE OF KEEPING A GROOM AND ONE HORSE IN YOUR OWN STABLE.