rities had a good deal of trouble with the mail guards and
coachmen, and the records of the period are full of warnings against
their irregularities. Now they are admonished for stopping at ale-houses
to drink; now the guards are threatened for sleeping upon duty. Then
they are cautioned against conveying fish, poultry, etc., on their own
account. A guard is fined L5 for suffering a man to ride on the roof of
the coach; a driver is fined L5 for losing time; another driver, for
intoxication and impertinence to passengers, is fined L10 and costs. The
guards are entreated to be attentive to their arms, to see that they are
clean, well loaded, and hung handy; they are forbidden to blow their
horns when passing through the streets during the hours of divine
service on Sundays; they are enjoined to keep a watch upon French
prisoners of war attempting to break their parole; and to sum up, an
Inspector despairingly writes that "half his time is employed in
receiving and answering letters of complaint from passengers respecting
the improper conduct and impertinent language of guards." A story is
told of a passenger who, being drenched inside a coach by water coming
through an opening in the roof, complained of the fact to the guard, but
the only answer he got was, "Ay, mony a ane has complained o' that
hole," and the guard quietly passed on to other duties.

Railway travellers are familiar with an official at the principal
through stations whose duty it seems to be to ring a bell and loudly
call out "Take your seats!" the moment hungry passengers enter the
refreshment-rooms. How far his zeal engenders dyspepsia and heart
disease it is impossible to say.

In the mail-coach days similar pressure was put upon passengers; for
every effort was made to hurry forward the mails. In a family letter
written by Mendelssohn in 1829, he describes a mail-coach journey from
Glasgow to Liverpool. Among other things he mentions that the changing
of horses was done in about forty seconds. This was not the language of
mere hyperbole, for where the stoppage was one for the purpose of
changing horses only the official time allowed was one minute.

It is perhaps a pity that we have not fuller records of the scenes
enacted at the stopping-places; they would doubtless afford us some
amusement. There is the old story of the knowing passenger who,
unobserved, placed all the silver spoons in the coffee-pot in order to
cool the coffee and delay the coach