tion to
this rule. Within this definition a vast variety of forms is included,
ranging from the coster's barrow and rude farm-cart up to the
luxuriously appointed sleeping-cars of railways and the state carriages
of royal personages. A narrower application, however, limits the term to
such vehicles as are used for the conveyance of persons and are drawn by
horses, and it is with carriages in this restricted sense that we are
here concerned. Tramcars, railway carriages and motor-cars are dealt
with in other articles.

_History_.--A wheeled carriage appears to have been in very general use
in Egypt at an early period, called a car or chariot (q.v.); in the
Bible the word is usually translated "chariot." The bodies of these
chariots were small, usually containing only two persons standing
upright. They were very light, and could be driven at great speed. They
were narrow, and therefore suitable to Eastern cities, in which the
streets were very narrow, and to mountainous roads, which were often
only 4 ft. wide. From Egypt the use of chariots spread into other
countries, and they were used in war in large numbers on the great
plains of Asia. We read of the 900 chariots of Jabin, king of Canaan;
how David took 700 chariots from the kings of Syria and 1000 from the
king of Zobah. Solomon had 1400 chariots, and his merchants supplied
northern Syria and the surrounding countries with chariots brought out
of Egypt at 600 shekels (about L50) apiece. From the ancient sculptures
preserved from Nineveh and Babylon, some of which are in the British
Museum, we observe the use of chariots continued for the purpose of
hunting as well as for war. Homer describes the chief warriors on both
sides at the siege of Troy as going into battle and fighting from their
chariots. The Roman nation as it increased in power adopted the car,
though chiefly for purposes of show and state. A beautiful marble model
of one of these still exists at the Vatican in Rome: a copy of it and
the horses drawing it is in the museum at South Kensington. The war
chariots used by the Persians were larger; the idea seems to have been
to form a sort of turret upon the car, from which several warriors might
shoot or throw their spears. These chariots were provided with curved
blades projecting from the axle-trees. Alexander the Great, king of
Macedon, invading Asia was met upon the banks of the river Indus by King
Porus, in whose army were a number of elephants and also s