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318
The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance
·
James Wilson Hyde
41
On
another
occasion
a
guard
was
fined
five
guineas
"for
suffering
a
man
to
ride
on
the
roof
of
the
mail-coach,"
and
at
the
same
time
he
was
told
that
if
he
had
not
owned
the
truth
he
would
have
been
dismissed--this
being
followed
by
the
quaint
observation,
looking
like
a
grim
official
joke,
"which
he
may
be
now,
if
he
had
rather
than
pay
the
fine
to
the
fund"!
One
more
notice
as
to
the
vice
of
taking
drink
on
the
part
of
the
guards,
and
as
showing
the
impressive
and
formal
manner
of
carrying
out
a
dismissal
in
the
coaching
days.
The
document
is
of
the
year
1803,
and
runs
as
follows,
viz.:--
"I
am
very
sorry
to
order
in
all
the
guards
to
witness
the
dismissal
of
one
old
in
the
service;
but
so
imperious
is
the
duty,
that
was
he
my
brother
he
would
be
dismissed:
indeed
I
do
not
think
there
is
a
guard
who
hears
this
but
will
say,
a
man
who
goes
into
an
ale-house,
stays
to
drink
(and
at
Brentford)
at
the
dusk
of
morning,
leaving
his
mail-box
unlocked,
deserves
to
lose
his
situation;
and
he
is
dismissed
accordingly.
And
I
am
sure
I
need
not
stimulate
you
to
avoid
fresh
misconduct--to
read
your
instructions,
and
to
mind
them.
I
am
the
more
sorry
for
this,
as
guards
who
have
been
some
time
in
the
service
are
fit
for
no
other
duty."
Towards
the
drivers
also
of
the
mail-coaches
severe
measures
were
taken
when
they
got
drunk;
and
the
penalty
sometimes
took
a
peculiar
form,
as
witness
the
following
public
act
of
submission
and
contrition:--
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
