coaches had reached a state of perfection, proprietors modestly announced their vehicles to run. In a day and a half, twice a week, continues flying from the Swan and Falcon in Hereford, Monday and Thursday mornings, and from the Bolt in Tun, Monday and Thursday evenings.-Fare 19 shillings: outsides, half. 1775, Jan. 5 For the conveniency of sending presents at this season of the year, and for the quick conveyance of Passengers to and from London, PRUEN'S MACHINE will begin flying as follows: HEREFORD MACHINE, In a day and a half, twice a week, sets out from the Redstreak-tree Inn in Hereford, Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 7 o'clock; and from the Swan with Two Necks, Lad Lane, London, every Monday and Wednesday evenings. Insides, £1; outsides, half price. In 1778 a similar vehicle is styled the diligence: HEREFORD DILIGENCE 3 times a week, Leaves at 7 in the morning; reaches London next day to dinner time. Fares: £1 128., with 10 lbs. of luggage. The following extract from Chamberlayne's State of England for 1692 gives an official statement of the expense and mode of travelling in those days, by those who did not use their own horses: Moreover, if any gentleman desire to ride post to any principal town in England, post-horses are always in readiness (taking no horse without the consent of his owner), which in other kings' reigns was not duly observed; and only 3d. is demanded for every English mile, and for every stage to the postboy 4d. for conducting. Besides this excellent convenience of conveying letters and men on horse-back, there is of late such an admirable commodiousness, both for men and women of better rank, to travel from London to almost any town of England, and to almost all the villages near this great city, that the like has not been known in the world, and that is by stage coaches, wherein one may be transported to any place, sheltered from foul weather and foul ways, free from endamaging one's health or body by hard jogging or overviolent motion; and this not only at a low price, as about a shilling for every five miles, but with velocity and speed, as that the posts in some foreign countries make not more miles in a day; for the stage-coaches called "Flyingcoaches" make forty or fifty miles in a day; as from London to Oxford or Cambridge, and that in the space of twelve hours, not counting the time for dining, setting forth not too early nor coming in too late.-Chamberlayne's Present State, 1692, Part ii. p. 206. And I find this same notice continued in all the editions of the work down to 1748, the last I happen to have. The later editions add, that these coaches "now perform sometimes 70, 80, or 100 miles, to Southampton, Bury, Cirencester, and Norwich." The following is a transcript of a MS. entry on a fly-leaf at the end of a Jewish calendar for the year 5458. The book is a thin 12mo., printed "at the Theater, Oxford," A.D. "1698," with which year the Jewish date corresponds, and it contains the Christian and Jewish calendars in parallel pages. It appears from the autograph of "Wm. Stukely, M. D., 1736," which is written on the inside of the cover of the book, that it once belonged to that antiquary. The handwriting of the entries resembles that of Thomas Hearne. A. D. 1698. Post-chaise from Oxford to London Expences at the Red Lion: Dinner, Wine, one bottle of old £ 8. d. 076 0 0 1 0 1 9 Waiter 001 Expences at Half Moon Tavern: Salmon, lobster sauce, a Bed and Chamberlain Post-chaise to Oxford, and Dinner-Shoulder and leg of Play House Exps. RIDDLES FOR THE POST OFFICE. The following ludicrous direction to a letter was copied verbatim from the original and interesting document : too dad Tomas I O Bary pade Sur plees to let ole feather have this sefe. The letter found the gentleman at "The Old Oak Orchard, Tenbury." In another letter, the writer, after a severe struggle to express "Scotland," succeeded at length to his satisfaction, and wrote it thus: "stockling." A third letter was sent by a woman to a son who had settled in Tennessee, which the old lady had thus expressed with all phonetic simplicity, "10 S C." The following is an exact copy of the direction of a letter mailed a few years ago by a German living in Lancaster County, Pa.: Tis is fur old Mr. Willy wot brinds de Baber in Lang Kaster ware ti gal is gist rede him assume as it cums to ti Pushtufous. meaning: This is for old Mr. Willy, what prints the paper in Lancaster, where the jail is. Just read him as soon as it comes to the Post Office. Inclosed was an essay against public schools. JOE MILLER'S TOMB. Joe Miller was buried in St. Clement's burial ground, Portugal street, Clare Market, London, with an epitaph over him by Stephen Duck. The epitaph and the stone itself were, about the beginning of the present century, in jeopardy of obliteration, but for the compassion of Mr. Bulger, the grave-digger; and being still in a very bad condition, Mr. Buck a few years afterwards repaired it. The following is the inscription: Here Lye the Remains of who was a tender Husband, a sincere Friend, a facetious Companion, He departed this Life the 15th day of If humour, wit, and honesty could save From respect to social worth, mirthful qualities, and histrionic excellence, In consequence of some alterations his grave is likely to be disturbed; but surely "Old Joe" ought not to be carted away, and shot as rubbish. Some plain memorial of him might soon be raised, if an appeal were made to the public; and if every one whose conscience told him he had ever been indebted to Miller would subscribe only a penny to the memorial fund, the requisite sum would soon be collected. SLAVES IN ENGLAND. When was the date of the last public slave sale in England? Till the establishment of Granville Sharpe's great principle, in 1772, announcements of these are by no means uncommon. The following, from the Public Ledger of Dec. 31, 1761, grates harshly upon the feelings of the present generation:— FOR SALE: A healthy negro girl, aged about fifteen years; speaks good English, works at her needle, washes well, does household work, and has had the small-pox. The Dublin Mercury, No. 283, Aug. 16, 1768, contains the following matter-of-fact advertisement A neat beautiful black Negro girl, just brought from Carolina, aged eleven or twelve years, who understands and speaks English, very fit to wait on a lady, to be disposed of. Application to be made to James Carolan, Carrickmacross, or to Mr. Gavan in Bridge Street, Dublin. There is a curious announcement in the Critical Memoirs of the Times for January, 1769, under the date of Tuesday, January 3, one, indeed, which is calculated to shock our present notions of what is right: There is an agent in town, we hear, purchasing a number of the finest, best-made black boys, in order to be sent to Petersburgh, as attendants on her Russian Majesty. From the Daily Post, Thursday, August 4, 1720: Went away the 22d of July last, from the house of William Webb in Limehouse Hole, a negro man, about twenty years old, call'd Dick, yellow complection, wool hair, about five foot six inches high, having on his right breast the word HARE burnt. Whoever brings him to the said Mr. Webb's shall have half a guinea reward, and reasonable charges. |