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318
The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance
·
James Wilson Hyde
67
No
record
of
the
mail-coach
days
would
be
complete
without
a
description
of
the
annual
procession
of
mail-coaches
which
used
to
be
held
in
the
metropolis
on
the
monarch's
birthday.
As
every
corporation
or
society
has
its
saint's
day,
or
yearly
festival,
so
the
Jehus
of
the
Post-office
were
not
without
theirs;
an
occasion
on
which
they
showed
themselves
to
advantage,
and
drew
admiring
crowds
to
behold
them.
The
following
account
of
one
of
these
displays
is
from
the
'Annals
of
the
Road,'
a
work
of
great
interest
on
subjects
connected
with
coaching
generally;
and
as
the
description
is
given
with
spirit
and
apparent
truthfulness,
we
cannot
do
better
than
give
it
at
length,
and
in
this
way
bring
the
present
chapter
to
a
close:--
"The
great
day
of
the
year
was
the
King's
birthday,
when
a
goodly
procession
of
four-in-hands
started
from
the
great
coach
manufactory
of
Mr
John
Vidler,
in
the
neighbourhood
of
Millbank,
and
wended
its
way
to
St
Martin's-le-Grand.
Splendid
in
fresh
paint
and
varnish,
gold
lettering
and
Royal
arms,
they
were
the
perfection
of
neatness
and
practical
utility
in
build,
horsed
to
perfection,
and
leathered
to
match.
They
were
driven
by
coachmen
who,
as
well
as
the
guards
behind,
were
arrayed
in
spick-and-span
new
scarlet
and
gold.
No
delicate
bouquets,
but
mighty
nosegays
of
the
size
of
a
cabbage,
adorned
the
breasts
of
these
portly
mail
coachmen
and
guards,
while
bunches
of
cabbage-roses
decorated
the
heads
of
the
proud
steeds.
In
the
cramped
interior
of
the
vehicles
were
closely
packed
buxom
dames
and
blooming
lassies,
the
wives,
daughters,
or
sweethearts
of
the
coachmen
or
guards,
the
fair
passengers
arrayed
in
coal-scuttle
bonnets
and
in
canary-coloured
or
scarlet
silks.
On
this
great
occasion
the
guard
was
allowed
two
seats
and
the
coachman
two,
no
one
allowed
on
the
roof.
But
the
great
feature,
after
all,
was
that
stirring
note,
so
clearly
blown
and
well
drawn
out,
and
every
now
and
again
sounded
by
the
guards,
and
alternated
with
such
airs
as
'The
Days
when
we
went
Gipsying,'
capitally
played
on
a
key-bugle.
Should
a
mail
come
late,
the
tune
from
a
passing
one
would
be,
'Oh,
dear!
what
can
the
matter
be?'
This
key-bugle
was
no
part
of
the
mail
equipment,
but
was
nevertheless
frequently
used.
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