You are perhaps not aware that a carriage is hung exactly on the same principle as a hammock is suspended in a ship at sea, viz. to substitute a gentle and regular swinging motion for an irregular jerking one. The principle of suspending carriages is as old as the time of the Saxons; but it has been reserved for modern days to break the force of inevitable jolts, by such a variety of pieces of elastic steel or springs, as to render travelling in a carriage as easy as gliding in a boat down a smooth river. Carriages, such as those we have now in use, are, as no doubt you know, quite a recent invention. You remember the celebrated letter of Henry IV., in which he says, "I cannot come to you to-day, because my wife is using my coach;" and even in the time of Charles II. there were but fifty coaches in London and Westminster. Now it would be rather difficult to count them, and it would even be a more tedious task than I should like to undertake, to enumerate their kinds. I shall, therefore, content myself with mentioning the points that are of most importance in selecting a carriage.
The first thing to be examined is, whether it possesses proper elasticity; and this is generally tried by having the carriage shaken on its springs, and observing whether it appears rigid or yielding to the vibrations of the motion. All carriages ought to be built of ash, which is at once the most elastic and the toughest of our English woods; but, as it is rather expensive, cheaper woods are sometimes substituted. It is also known that the narrower the tread of a carriage is, that is, the shorter the axle-trees are, the easier will be the draught. The springs should then be examined, as the carriage runs lighter and is easier when the plates of the springs are of equal thickness, though the largest plate is frequently made much thicker than the rest. The stuffing of the carriage ought also to be examined, as, if the material with which it is stuffed be not left sufficiently loose to be elastic, a stuffed carriage will be nearly as hard and as uncomfortable to ride in as a carriage which was formed only of bare boards; and care should be taken that the seats are made sufficiently wide and low, and far enough apart not to cramp the legs.
It is a great point, as regards the appearance of a carriage, that the horses should be suited to it. The most elegant little carriage in the world would look ridiculous if drawn by a pair of heavy cart-horses; and when a very heavy-looking carriage is drawn by ponies, or very light blood-horses, the unpleasant impression produced by the incongruity is increased by a feeling of pain at seeing such noble creatures as horses subjected to labour unsuited for them.
Some persons use mules for drawing carriages, and they have the advantage of being sure-footed, besides which they are, I believe, much stronger, in proportion to their size, than horses. They, however, partake largely of the bad qualities derived from their asinine parentage, and are sometimes extremely obstinate and difficult to manage.
The quagga and the zebra are other animals of the ass kind, which are sometimes kept in parks for their beauty, and occasionally driven in carriages. However, as those who know them best say that they are generally wicked, treacherous, obstinate, and fickle in their disposition, I think the less a lady has to do with them the better.
After saying so much with regard to animals used for riding and drawing, I must not omit to mention asses. Most persons residing in the country keep one or two of these useful animals, in order that they may be ready to do any kind of work that their proud rival, the horse, is unfit for. It is scarcely possible to imagine two animals bearing considerable resemblance to each other in form, more unlike in character and constitution. The horse, as an able writer on the subject says, "is proud, fiery, and impetuous; nice in his taste; and delicate in his constitution. The ass, on the contrary, is humble, patient, and contented with scanty and coarse food, which other cattle reject. He bears, with patience and fortitude, the most cruel treatment: yet he is more susceptible of strong attachment than the horse; has, apparently, more prudence and reflection; and is capable of a degree of education which would not be anticipated from the forlorn and dejected appearance which coarse food and harsh treatment have rendered habitual to him."
I think you told me in your first letter that you were very much struck with the kindness of your husband, who, having recollected that you had been accustomed to take asses' milk, had provided a she-ass for you. Now, if that she-ass has a foal, let me recommend you to try what can be done to improve it by good food and kind treatment. I do not mean that it should have three or four regular feeds of corn every day, like a horse; but if it is fed twice or thrice a day on cut hay and straw, mixed with a very few bruised oats, it will soon grow large and strong, and will display a degree of liveliness and spirit that those who only know asses in their degraded state would scarcely believe possible.
Though asses are proverbially hardy, warmth seems congenial to them, and it is a well-known fact, that in Persia and Arabia asses are noble and high-spirited creatures, fetching a higher price than horses, and generally preferred to them for the saddle. Even in Spain, they are frequently fifteen hands high, that is, as large as a good-sized horse; while in the north they are small, and by no means common. Till lately they were very seldom seen in either Scotland or Sweden, and they are unknown in Norway.
If you bring up your little donkey as I have advised, I think you will find it advantageous to have it regularly cleaned like a horse, and you need not be afraid of your groom hurting it with the curry-comb, as the skin of the ass is remarkably thick. It must, however, be broken in and regularly trained before you venture to ride it, as you will find it full of spirit. The usual age for breaking donkeys in is about three years, but, as yours will be rather precocious, I think you may begin when it is about two years old. Asses and mules are admirably adapted for mountainous countries, as their hoofs are long, and furnished with very sharp rims, leaving a hollow in the centre like the ring of a patten. The hoof of the horse, on the contrary, is round and nearly flat underneath.
It is the peculiar formation of the foot that renders mules so valuable in Spain, where there are so many mountain ridges to be climbed over; and I have been told that in Spain sixty guineas English is by no means an uncommon price to be given for a good mule. You must not form any idea of what your donkey will be from the specimens you have seen at watering places; for no doubt you remember what the Irishman said of a Ramsgate donkey—"that it was the hardest-worked creature in the universe; for it was carrying angels all the day, and spirits all the night." Your donkey, on the contrary, will spurn the ground beneath him; and I expect, when I come to see you, to find you cantering over the downs upon it with your little dog Fair Star running by your side.