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though the tradesman had taken refuge behind ramparts bristling with technical terms through which it is impossible to force a passage. Supposing that a gentleman's superintendence of the building of his carriages went no further than to execute the design, it might at least go so far; he might make a scaledrawing of the carriage he intends building-one-half inch to the foot is generally the scale upon which carriages are draughted. Most of the carriages one meets with originate in a drawing to scale, and are then transferred to the blackboard in full size ; those that do not so originate are merely copied from existing patterns. No coach-builder having an excellent pattern of any carriage in ordinary use upon which it is impossible to make any improvement, would make new drawings when the old ones which he already had by him would answer the purpose in view, consequently all the big coachbuilders turn out numberless carriages on exactly the same pattern, the only difference in these carriages being, that each is painted, lined, and trimmed, to suit the taste of their customers, who are frequently forced to make use of a particular colour, it being one which their family have made use of for many generations; this is called a family colour, and all great families, it may be observed, have such a colour, just as their servants wear the same livery. And I may further remark that even if one possesses no obligation to make use of a certain livery, or a particular colour in one's carriages, nothing looks worse than to see a variety of colours in one's coach-house, or to see a gentleman driving a blue carriage one day, and a green one the next, whilst on the third day he seats himself in a carriage

with yellow body and red wheels. This can be made still more ridiculous if the liveries of the coachman and footman on the box are not in character one with the other. But to apologise for this digression, and to return to the A B C of coach-building, and what is necessary for the execution of a drawing, it must be remembered that before a drawing to scale can be made suitable to work to, it is necessary that the carriage architect provide himself with suitable drawing instruments, a properly constructed drawing-board, and all the necessary paraphernalia of a draughtsman. In executing a diagram to scale of a carriage, the elevation is drawn, commencing from a horizontal line, this is the first scale-draught; there is also a process called French, or square rule, where not only the elevation of the carriage appears, but also the layingout of the under-carriage in the form of a plan, which gives the circle described by the wheels when turning ; although this is not always the case, the wheels are frequently left out, but the elevation of the body and the plan of the body are frequently draughted in these diagrams. What is called the workingdraught is similar to the last-mentioned plan, and the drawing on the blackboard differs from these in no respect save that the drawing is now to the full size.

The different branches of coach-building as commonly practised are: Wheel-making, carriage-making, (which means the under-carriage), and body-making, which includes smith's work, painting, and trimming. The carriage, as already described, is the framework which is necessary to support the body, or shell, of. the machine; this branch is considered next in importance to the body-making, and, in fact, in the knowledge of these two may be said to consist the art of coach-making.

TIMBER EMPLOYED IN COACH-BUILDING.

365

Coaches are made in three sizes. The heaviest four-horse stage-coach, such as would be used for passenger traffic, weighs about 22 cwt.; the weight of a full-sized private coach, built with a view to lightness, is about 19 cwt.; and the weight of the smallest coach made is from 17% to 18 cwt. English ash is used for the framing of all coaches; Honduras mahogany for the panels, and pine for the roof, floor, and divisions. The usual height of

the front wheels is 3 feet 4 inches, and the height of the hind wheels 4 feet 3 inches; they should be 281⁄2 inches apart. The set of eight springs should weigh about 250 lbs. The length from splinter-bar to after part of coach, in a full-sized coach, is 10 feet 9 inches, the height from the ground to the roof is 6 feet 11 inches. The tires of the wheels of a full-sized coach are 134 inches wide, and 3⁄4 inch thick.*

The best kind of brake in my opinion to apply to a coach-wheel is one that you work with a circular handle in connection with a screw. This brake gives you enormous power, and the wheel which you touch to set it in motion is fixed close against the drivingseat. Such a brake was made in St. Petersburg for Prince Bariatinsky, and is fitted to a small coach which a very short time ago was standing at Messrs. Holland's coach-building establishment in Oxford Street. The English brake is very good, but, unless made strong, the lever sometimes gets bent; besides which, by the use of a screw instead of a lever, one can exert a much greater mechanical force.

*This information was supplied to me by Mr. Kesterton, who now presides over the business of Holland & Co., Oxford Street, London, who have a world-wide renown for the excellence of their coaches. With Mr. Kesterton I have been acquainted for now more than twenty years, and am well aware of his experience in the highest class of coach-building.