CHAPTER XV.. Carriages--Their Cost, Their Make, Their Excellences, and Their

CARRIAGES--THEIR COST, THEIR MAKE, THEIR EXCELLENCES, AND THEIR MANAGEMENT.

The following particulars are derived from the highly respectable establishment of Edwin Kesterton, (late Horn,) a well-known firm which transacts business at No. 93 Long Acre. The writer is directly indebted for the facts now stated to the generosity of Mr. John Ronald, the gentleman to whose intelligence is intrusted the conduct of the before-named business. If an extended observance, assisted by years of experience, can lend value to information, certainly Mr. Ronald may advance a good plea to be heard when speaking upon such a topic. And the editor cannot forbear expressing a profound sense of personal obligation for the unreserved and satisfactory manner in which all statements were communicated, and unhesitatingly submitted to the writer’s discretion. In short, Mr. Ronald’s mode of communicating his knowledge speedily gained the confidence of his listener; but as individual characteristics cannot be embodied in a written declaration, the circumstance is only mentioned, to assure the reader that the following details are worthy of his acceptance and deserving of his consideration.

Carriages are of various kinds; they differ very widely as to cost. Every maker will manufacture every variety which may not be under the protection of the Patent Office. Certain houses, however, may be famed for a certain description of conveyances,--as that of Tilbury for the gig, which is known by the name of its inventor.

The following statement of charges is to be regarded only as a probable approximation to the cost of those articles which are specified. Nothing assuming the form of a definite figure could be named, because the orders given by gentlemen are so essentially opposite. Thus one may be contented with a simple crest or two; but another will insist that his vehicle shall display the fullest heraldic adornments. Such differences in taste regulate the extremes which divide the charges made for the same description of article when furnished by two equally respectable manufacturers.

The gentlemen who profess Herald painting are remunerated according to the time occupied, the amount of work done, and the elaborateness of the design which has been executed. The scale may, to the uninitiated, appear to be gifted with a great power of expansibility; but this quality must reside in every form of art. Heraldic painting demands extreme exactitude; for no liberty is allowable in this practice. Everything is strictly defined. All examples must be rigidly followed. Consequently, such a pursuit must be no inconsiderable tax upon the memory, while occasionally it necessitates the most laborious research. Such qualifications, moreover, should be paid for, when exercised merely for the gratification of another.

To convey a rough idea of the expense of heraldic ornamentation, it may be stated that two simple crests painted on a gig might, probably, be executed for fifteen shillings. Coats of arms--such as were usually seen on the panels of carriages--begin at two guineas; but the more elaborate embellishments of this description--even should they demand no research and require no particular skill--cannot be executed at a less cost than eight or ten guineas. State vehicles, however, generally abound in fanciful adornments. These have exceeded, for heraldic painting alone, four or sometimes five hundred guineas. Such a sum has been paid for the time, the labor, and the talent bestowed upon a single carriage which, when thus embellished, could be seldom used!

The foregoing figures possibly may surprise most readers; but there are several circumstances to be considered as tending to justify such charges. In the first place, the community of Heraldic Painters are few in number; and the uninviting character of their studies, with the prolonged probation to be undergone before the novice is permitted to practice the art, will probably prevent the body from ever becoming a large association. Then, the employment of the proficients is very much regulated by fashion, which does not, at present, appear disposed to favor the display of family honors. The pursuit, when regarded by itself, may be liberally recompensed. Yet it is not an every-day necessity; but, being once finished, the work will probably endure for years, while the vehicles upon which the resources of the art are most expended are not articles of general use. Few heraldic painters, therefore, accumulate fortunes; but the great majority live to repent having adopted that which the reader may have felt inclined to regard as an extravagantly remunerated calling.

Also, connected with the carriage builder’s trade is a still smaller body of industrious and of deserving persons known as Coach Draftsmen. These are the artists who labor upon those neat and picturesque drawings which are always submitted for the approval of that gentleman who may order a new vehicle to be built.

The primary requisite for such a profession is firmness, combined with extreme delicacy of touch; an eye capable of appreciating the nicer rules of art, united to a mind fully endued with the elements of grace, or with that flow of line which is inseparable from all elegance of design. None of these qualities can be dispensed with in the person who embraces the pursuit. Much of the drawing is, no doubt, executed according to measure and to rule, or is purely mechanical; but the qualities which alone can fit an artist for eminence in his peculiar calling are assuredly governed by something very different from and far higher than the patient employment of the compass.

Prior to considering the cost attending the manufacture of various vehicles, it may be proper to state some of the reasons that render an admirably built carriage apparently so expensive. While this is being done, the reader is requested to remember that the present time has frequently been designated as that of competition. Artificers are said to have become too numerous for all the members of any trade to live by the practices of honesty. The people following a particular business are reported to be more than half employed in cutting one another’s throats. We are told that no sooner does the tradesman establish a thriving traffic, than another starts an opposition, and under-sells him.

Certainly there is no realizing those snug profits which our fathers talked about having secured, during the termination of the last and the beginning of the present century. Carriage builders are not few in number, neither do they constitute a close society. They are numerous as a trade, and each member of the calling is eager to transact business. Still, the prices are not lowered by the spirit of competition. A good article is yet worth nearly the same money which it has always cost; and the patience of the reader is earnestly requested while an attempt is being hazarded to explain the cause of so prominent a peculiarity.

Before a carriage can be properly built, the conjunction of many distinct callings is imperative. They must all work together, and should all be actuated by harmony of spirit. The various parts are almost innumerable; but each must be adjusted with the minutest nicety. To collect, to retain, and to practice a body of men in such united labor to a common end; to entice artisans, who can exhibit the perfection of their crafts, to relinquish all idea of individuality or of independence; and to induce such people to blend their efforts or to allow only one spirit to actuate a large society,--is no mean undertaking. Yet this must be accomplished; nor is that all, for such contrary elements must be retained, each mutually assisting the other.

As the proprietor succeeds in accomplishing this object, so will be his success in the coach building business. Let the reader, however, understand that a good set of workmen is not the only necessity required for this business. The tradesman must be himself distinguished by the loftiest of human attributes. He must be also willing to sink his individuality in his pursuit, and must be ambitious only for a general result.

The coach builder works with very expensive woods, the original cost of which is materially increased by the lengthened periods that these articles have to be kept before being used. The time required to season thoroughly a piece of timber, for the choicest of ordinary trades, would be altogether insufficient for the coach builder’s purposes. Wood must not only be seasoned, but it must be rendered so perfectly hard or dry as shall make shrinking or warping, even in the slightest degree, totally impossible.

Such a necessity compels the coach builder to keep a large stock of the timber which he employs. This wood, when introduced to the workshop, must be in a state of the utmost perfection. It must be possessed of the greatest strength and the most approved hardness which its fiber is capable of exhibiting. Those characteristics can only be attained where the material is particularly fine in grain. Of course, such a quality makes the substance specially retentive of that moisture which circulated throughout every product of the vegetable world. This last property gives rise to the necessity which obliges every log to be so long kept before the tradesman dare have the wood admitted within the precincts of his established manufactory.

The tools employed to cut such timber must needs be of exquisite temper, and of course are equally costly to purchase. Moreover, the simple cutting of wood almost as hard as metal is not sufficient. The workmen must be capable of adapting the various parts so closely that these shall, when put together, possess the strength of one entire piece. The several junctures must be imperceptible either to sight or to touch; the different portions must fit as though they grew together. No amount of jolting, no possible shaking should cause the work to yield even a hair’s breadth. Should the carriage be injured, though of course the paint must be damaged, nevertheless the frame should remain firm. Every part of the vehicle should be formed to endure the rudest treatment; should be able to sustain, uninjured, the long rattling over the roughest of country roads. Unless his products can bear such usage, no tradesman need write “Coach Builder” subsequent to his name.

The tools sold to carriage builders are quite distinct from those manufactured for the cabinet-maker or the joiner. The first articles are known by different names, and are kept as a distinct class of superior goods. An ordinary chest of such tools, possessed by every average journeyman, could not be purchased under thirty, or probably forty pounds. This price, in order that it may be justly appreciated, must be regarded in connection with the class of men to whom it refers; also it must be considered in association with the facts--that workmen provide their own tools, and that each man is confined to one particular species of toil; that the members of every shop often borrow and as frequently lend; and that every tradesman is educated to adopt various resources. Thus one instrument is often compelled to serve several uses.

An ordinary carriage builder can generally command two guineas a week. That sum, however, does not fairly represent the earning of all workmen, when viewed as members of one body. Most clever artificers will not engage by the period; but they prefer to be paid by the piece. A person of no more than average talent, when employed at piece-work on the ordinary run of jobs, can gain from two to three guineas by six days’ toil. Thus every man in the trade has a direct stimulus to improvement, the higher wages being a constant spur to excite the work-people, none but the better sort of whom are engaged on the more remunerative labor.

Then, of the many trades which the coachmaker employs, each must be the perfection of its order. The upholstery must not be merely tacks or tacking. All must be sewn with the stoutest thread, and nailed with an intention that it should never loosen. The smith’s work must be forged with an exactitude which is little expected in the general sphere of the anvil. The painting and the varnishing must be carried to the refinement of possible finish. In short, the best of many opposite callings must be united before a carriage manufactory can be instituted.

The business which necessitates the junction of such adverse kinds of perfection, of course cannot be conducted cheaply. The climax of ability is a commodity which will always command a ready sale, and for which, in every market, there is never a lack of bidders. He who wishes to obtain it, must not, therefore, haggle about remuneration; but be prepared to meet its demands with liberality. That circumstance, taken in conjunction with the expensive nature of all the materials he employs, disables the coachmaker, who is anxious to do justice to his patron and to himself, from producing a cheap article.

A full dress coach or chariot, such as once were the only conveyances permitted to approach St. James’s Palace on a Drawing Room day, cannot be properly made for a less sum than four hundred guineas; if the taste of the customer should be very fastidious, either article may cost seven or even eight hundred guineas. A state carriage must be charged for according to its adornments, which can almost be carried to any extent.

The state carriage which was built to order for a particular monarch had solid silver let in upon its exterior; while the ground was composed of the choicest colors, overlaid by the most exquisite decorative painting. The charge for this toy was seven thousand guineas. The Sheriffs of London, however, manage to ride in a state carriage at a more economical rate. Their vehicles are commonly hired for the year of office; and the expense is only varied by that amount of adornment which each new dignitary may please to command. The ordinary charges are seldom lower than eighty guineas, and are rarely higher than one hundred and sixty guineas.

A neatly-built step-piece barouche is certainly an elegant conveyance, though, at the present moment, hardly so popular as it was a few years ago. Vehicles, like most other things, are subject to the arbitrary dictates of fashion, and this circumstance renders the coachmaker’s stock, which must at all times be costly, particularly hazardous. However, the risk which is inseparable from the character of the trade must be covered by the profit account when the books are balanced. A good barouche is an expensive luxury; since this conveyance cannot be manufactured under one hundred and sixty guineas, while it may, without much extravagance, be easily made to cost two hundred and twenty guineas.

The landau, which has now become almost the exclusive property of the ladies, is even more expensive than the barouche. But with this fact it may be necessary also to state that the landau requires to be especially well built, and must be highly finished in every part. It ought to be particularly light in appearance, and so nicely balanced upon its springs that, though perfectly firm, the touch from a finger nevertheless could set the body in motion. Such properties necessitate the very best workmanship which can be procured, even in the carriage trade. Consequently, this kind of conveyance cannot be properly raised for a less price than two hundred guineas; but as the feminine taste appears to be more cheaply satisfied than are the masculine desires, the cost of an ordinary landau seldom rises above two hundred and fifty guineas.

A coach without the circular springs, or C springs, as they are commonly called, and also wanting a dickey or seat behind, is now manufactured according to various patterns. This kind of conveyance is, at present, frequently encountered in the streets of London. Of course, it is difficult to name the price of an article which is generally built in accordance with some arbitrary command, and which is not governed by any acknowledged regulation. The cost, therefore, can only be controlled by the time, the labor, and the materials which are expended in the construction; but this may be roughly calculated at something between one hundred and ninety and three hundred guineas. Such, however, are light and pleasant carriages, sufficiently roomy to ride at ease in, and not difficult to propel. They are rapidly ascending on the scale of public favor.

Broughams seem to be made of various forms: some vehicles bearing this name are very little better than the more cleanly order of street cabs. But such a brougham as no gentleman need be ashamed to own, or need blush to see his crest emblazoned on, should be built for one hundred and thirty to one hundred and eighty guineas. These vehicles have been much improved of late. They were formerly manufactured of a weight which was a severe tax upon the strength of one horse, and they were at once vulgar both in appearance and in size. The draught has been greatly diminished, while the aspect has been so far improved as to advance a claim to elegance. Those proprietors who still cling to a brougham which can accommodate more than two persons usually have the equipage drawn by two small horses. The carriage, thus propelled, looks showy, and is moved with perfect ease.

A mail phaeton may occasionally be seen driven through the park. But this form of vehicle is not now so much used as it was a few years ago; but when well appointed, it certainly has a most aristocratic appearance. Few ladies, however, like to ride in such a conveyance, unless they occupy a seat in the front compartment, and are accompanied by the husbands, who are driving. Such a prejudice consigns half of this carriage to the servants, while the length of the phaeton renders its draught so heavy as to necessitate the employment of two horses. Custom, therefore, makes these vehicles expensive to the proprietors, although the first cost is not so large as the style suggests. One hundred and forty guineas or one hundred and sixty guineas will generally cover the purchase of the mail phaeton.

The four-wheeled “dog cart” has lately come into general use. Such conveyances possess a more gentlemanly, and have an infinitely less dangerous appearance, than the two-wheeled “turn outs” bearing a similar designation. When driven with a pair of spirited horses, they may proceed at almost any pace with perfect ease and safety; running very light, yet affording ample accommodation for every portion of the load, and looking the perfection of a sporting “concern.” They are, moreover, when compared with the sums at which the more showy properties of most carriages are purchased, not to be esteemed expensive. A good article of this description can be bought for seventy guineas, and the most elaborated seldom costs more than one hundred and twenty guineas.

Gigs of different denominations are mostly of one price. This figure ranges from forty to seventy guineas. It matters not the shape, whether it be a Stanhope or a two-wheeled dog cart, the expense is pretty much the same. The last form of vehicle is now coming into very general use; but when fully loaded, it appears dangerous, and is a severe tax upon animal strength when driven at the rate which most drivers seem to prefer. Hence the obvious origin of the four-wheeled dog cart, which, when harnessed to a pair of horses, is free from those objections that the original form of this conveyance invariably suggested.

A well-built carriage is, consequently, a rather expensive convenience; but, unfortunately for the honest tradesmen, few persons are qualified to advance an opinion upon the conveyance. The reader, therefore, must accord his indulgence while the author endeavors to explain the points which characterize a well-manufactured article. In the first place, the wheels should revolve without perceptibly varying from the line which they indicated when the carriage was stationary and the tires were viewed from behind. They should not, during rotation, incline either to the right or to the left, for if they, when in motion, alter even a hair’s breadth from such a line, it is proof positive that the wheels are faulty. They should move slowly and quickly without making the slightest sound: they should glide noiselessly over all even surfaces, and with no more audible disturbance than is unavoidable, they should travel, at the most rapid pace, over the roughest highway.

The body should be poised so evenly as will answer to the gentlest force, and be readily swayed by more violent action; but however excited it may be, the body should never lean to either side, and, the impetus being arrested, it should speedily become stationary. All the parts should be firmly united. When violently urged, the movements should elicit no creaking; the steps should not jingle; the windows should not rattle; and, above all, when the outlets are shut, a person inside should be incommoded by no perceptible draught.

That time may not injure such properties, the coach-house should be warm, should be well aired, and should be perfectly dry. Damp is ruinous to the paint, to the ornaments, and, in short, to every part of a conveyance. As the most used carriage must be a greater number of hours within its house than it can possibly be abroad, so for the larger portion of its existence is it exposed to the operation of those enemies (when any exist) which will be silently destroying. The length of time which a vehicle improperly housed may endure, will of course greatly be dependent upon the amount of evil with which it has to contend; but only a moderate degree of moisture will so speedily tarnish as shall necessitate restoration at least twelve months prior to the usual season for that renovating process.

A good coach-house should neither by door nor by window communicate with the stable. Such openings are usually present in most London buildings, and are evidently allowed either from thoughtlessness or from a greater feeling for the servant’s convenience than regard for that which the servant is engaged to keep in order. The fumes of the stable principally consist of ammonia or of the volatile alkali. These emanations, from manure made pungent by the exclusion of atmospheric air, are very insidious in their effects, and are much more destructive than either of the fixed anti-acids, potash or soda.

Most coachmen are aware that the employment of soap, in any form, is injurious to paint and to varnish. Soap, however, is a salt, or consists of an alkali, which is neutralized or combined with a fatty acid. Still alkali, even in this shape, should not be applied to any conveyance. The idea of dissolving potash or soda in water, and then employing the liquid to cleanse the family carriage, appears to be so preposterous as to be rejected even by the ingenious ignorance of the stable. But a single application of the last agents would do less damage than the long exposure of a vehicle to the more penetrating fumes of gaseous ammonia.

Another subject of much importance to the carriage interest--but one not generally considered by the majority of proprietors--is the kind of water with which the stable is supplied. Coachmen commonly think to counteract the ill effects of bad water upon the horses, by exposing pails filled with the liquid, for some hours, within the tainted interior of the stable. But the fluid is more likely to become foul from the impurities which it can there absorb, than for the action of ammoniacal gas to amend the properties or to correct the evil qualities of the liquid.

Hard water, especially that which is impregnated with a solution of any mineral substance, is equally prejudicial to the health of animals and to the beauty of vehicles. Such should never be employed in any stable. Soft water or river water is alone suited for either purpose. Pipe water, or water which has traveled far in leaden tubes, is frequently impure; while pump or well water should always be avoided.

This may to many readers appear a trivial matter to be so energetically enforced; but as all the comforts of life are only secured by attention to those particulars which surround existence, certainly the pocket of the master is concerned in the conditions to which his carriage is exposed.

Many gentlemen, however, will permit the servants to ruin the best-made carriage, and then blame the builder, because his work is capable of being abused. When the family returns home at midnight, after the necessities of the horses have been attended to, the vehicle should be thoroughly sluiced with cold water, so that not a speck of dirt remain clinging to the paint. At whatever hour the residence may be reached, this operation should never be neglected. The free and copious employment of fluid floated over the varnish is imperative, and (as will be explained hereafter) prevents serious damage.

There is no occasion, at so late a period, when extreme hours have probably indisposed the servants for exertion, that the carriage should be regularly cleansed with brush, mop, and pail; but a large watering-pot, kept ready for such uses, will, in a very brief space and without much trouble, pour forth a steady stream of liquid, and float off the loose fresh mud by the simple action of gravitation. This done, the superabundant moisture will have run off the varnish, which was first sluiced, and the surface may be roughly dried with a sponge. All being accomplished, the coachman may safely delay his regular routine of duties until he rises on the following morning.

The reason which necessitates a carriage to be immediately washed, whenever it returns home soiled, is quickly stated. If wet mud be permitted to continue and to dry upon the surface, a white, opaque spot will afterward indicate the place to which the dirt adhered. Moreover, a vehicle which is invariably left in its coat of filth until the following morning, always requires repainting and revarnishing twelve months, and very often two years, before the general period for restoration, when the opposite and the more careful measures are adopted.

Should a carriage have to wait the convenience of its master, it should never rest in the full blaze of the sunshine. Where a choice is possible, the careful servant always withdraws into the shade. It is even worth while that pride should so far sacrifice its feelings as to sanction such a precaution; for the cool shadow is not only more pleasant for the horses, but is infinitely better than the extreme of glare and heat for the conveyance to which the animals are harnessed.

The excess of light causes the varnish to crack, and removes the gloss from the smartest vehicle. The smooth and the highly polished surface suffers; this, of course, injures the deeper structures. Should the carriage have been purchased from an honest builder, there is small danger of any degree of warmth affecting the main structure; but if the custom of standing in the sunshine is sanctioned, the paint will not last longer than three years, while, even for that period, the effect will not be good; since the cracks in the varnish serve as gutters wherein soil will accumulate.

The well-built body of a regular carriage should remain together while three sets of wheels are used up. The arbitrary dictates of fashion, however, interfere with the economy which was, formerly, generally observed. Few, save the titled or the old aristocratic families, at present keep what once was the recognized build of every private carriage. The conveyances now manufactured for the moneyed and the respectable classes are built according to no common model; but the forms are moulded by the dictates of most arbitrary caprice. The article therefore which, when it was newly built, excited surprise and kindled emulation, shall, before it has existed eight years, provoke contempt, as a lumbering concern altogether behind the spirit of the age. Consequently, the duration being limited, (and a set of wheels being calculated, with ordinary work and care, to last four years,) not many of the lighter and more novel vehicles can be used for a longer period than suffices to wear two-thirds of the stated number.

A set of wheels hardly ever cost the same price, when made for vehicles of different descriptions. A brougham and a carriage both possess four wheels; yet the charges made for each kind are very opposite. The wheels proper for a carriage cost fourteen or twenty guineas; whereas those which are fittest for a brougham can be made for ten guineas. Then, again, the gig requires only two wheels; but the pair are generally sold at six guineas. These variations are regulated by the extent of the circumference, the substance necessitated, and by many particulars which the reader can readily imagine. Wheels are, therefore, somewhat expensive; a fresh supply is rendered the more costly, because the newness of one part makes imperative the renovation of the whole; although some persons avoid such a consequence by having the wheels and the body of a carriage of different colors. However, such piebald affairs always betray the intention, and the idea of exposing a personal meanness has, hitherto, prevented the practice from being generally adopted.

The good and the careful coachman can only display the value of his services when there is no stint of those appliances which are imperative for the proper exercise of his calling. It is always necessary that the master’s economy should afford no ready excuse for neglect of duty in the servant. This is important, because no domestic, excepting the groom, has such valuable and such perishable property intrusted to his discretion. Paint and varnish are not enduring commodities. Most London houses are redecorated every third year; with all care, a carriage will appear respectable but one term longer.

For the proper discharge of his duties, the coachman requires three sponges and three leathers for the body of the vehicle. One sponge to cleanse the coarser dirt from the carriage; another to remove any lingering soil; while the third serves to render the surface somewhat dry, previous to the employment of the leathers. For the wheels a setter, or a machine to raise them from the ground, cannot be dispensed with; a mop and a pail to remove the dirt; a brush to cleanse the angles; also sponges and leathers to thoroughly purify or polish the surface--all are needed. There should also be a superior brush for the lining; and another brush, with an additional leather, to brighten the brass or plated ornaments upon the exterior.

To polish the last, no preparation excels prepared chalk, when mixed with soap and water. It thoroughly removes every impurity, without sensible wear of the substance to which it is applied. In this last particular, it possesses an immense advantage over the gritty pastes sold for the purpose of polishing metals; for this material acts chemically and mechanically on such surfaces. The prepared chalk may, moreover, be purchased at every chemist’s, the charge commonly being a shilling for the pound; while the other ingredients are found in every household.

In one respect, few servants are sufficiently careful. They imagine whitening and other filths are indispensable when glass is to be cleaned. The prejudice originates in ignorance; for glass requires nothing except two leathers, or a sponge and a leather, to render it perfectly bright. The first article should be merely moist, the intention being to loosen or to remove the superficial dirt. After this has been accomplished, the dry leather is brought into play to cleanse and to polish the metal. By such an easy and so simple a resort are prevented those accumulations round the edges of windows, and the soiled condition of the frames which disgrace too many carriages, and which certainly would generate no regret if rendered altogether impossible.

The lining does not need so much care as might be imagined. Unless the weather be hot and the roads very dusty, it will hardly require more than a single brushing. A brown holland cover for the interior has become general; but such a thing, when soiled, should never be sent to the family washerwoman. The article may come home washed, starched, and ironed to perfection; but in these processes it is sadly stretched and pulled out of shape. The holland never sets well afterward, and very speedily requires the cleansing to be repeated.

The proper method, and not the dearest in the end, is to return such things to the carriage-maker, by whom such matters are understood; the article will be returned cleansed and calendered, looking like new material and with no part strained or stretched till it does not fit into its relative situation.

When speaking of cleaning, it may be as well to caution the reader against purchasing the requisites for cleaning his carriage of the nearest tradesman or at the cheapest shop. Such goods should all be of a superior description, or of a kind which is not encountered in the stock of most dealers. They cannot be purchased for a less sum than three pounds ten shillings, if the quality is to be excellent; and it is always better to commission the carriage builder to procure them than to risk obtaining worthless articles.

Most vehicles, whether mounted upon two or four wheels, are furnished with mats or small carpets, though the nature of these articles are better represented by such things being designated “rugs.” These “rugs” are commonly of two sorts: one kind being known as “Brussels,” the other being termed “pile.” The last, of any figure, always strike the beholder as not having been specially made for the situation which the article occupies. The Brussels are not open to the same objection, having an ornamental center, surrounded by a complex border. However, the coachman should always carefully attend to the rug every morning; because, as the pavement has to be crossed every time the passenger leaves or enters the conveyance, that upon which the feet rest is more likely to be soiled than any other portion of the interior.

Moist mud upon the surface of the rug should never be interfered with. The soil should invariably be permitted to become dry prior to its removal being attempted. Then the offending patch is more quickly displaced by rubbing the sides smartly together, or by passing a clean besom briskly but not heavily over the place, than by those numerous gentler measures which occupy more time in performance and are more wearing in their operation. All dirt being removed, no further brushing is required; but the rug, after having been beaten against any door post, (but that of the stable,) may be replaced in the carriage. All rugs should be similarly treated, and should be always removed every morning; because grit will necessarily accumulate upon the floor, and thus cause much more wear than can be occasioned by the feet alone.

As concerns those things which the wheels require, the coachman should observe three matters, which are all specially important: screwing on the box or the central cover; oiling the axle-trees; and perpetually noticing the wear which the tire, or the marginal rim of metal, undergoes. With regard to the box, that should be screwed until the wheel turns steadily, evenly, and pleasantly. Should sensible effort be requisite to put the wheel in motion, the necessity for force is proof positive that the box has been screwed too tightly, or that it has been made to press too hardly against the wheel, which it should merely help to retain in its position. Such a compression, acting upon all four of the wheels, will increase the draught threefold, the action being the same as a break when it is applied to check the perilous downward progress of any vehicle.

Inferior axle-trees soon wear with the friction of the wheels which rotate upon them. Colins’s (expired patent) are, perhaps, the best; though the choice is somewhat extensive, and there is no article of this description which does not possess some merit. When the box will not screw steadily, and the case-hardening of the axle has worn off, the wheel is not, as many persons imagine, imminently dangerous; but its rotation becomes uneven, and the motion of the carriage is rendered less pleasant to the rider. The greasing or the oiling of the wheels, when the work is of the ordinary duration and character, is performed sufficiently often, if done once in three months. Quicker progression necessitates more constant attention; and the axles of a conveyance driven notoriously fast had better be inspected every week.

Coachmen are not commonly negligent concerning such particulars. Neglect, however, would cause the grease to assume a solid form, and impede the motion. This effect causes an extra drag upon the collars of the horses; and gentlemen, when the vehicle moves slowly, should, upon reaching home, see that the axles are properly greased, and the boxes are not screwed too hardly.

The tires will sometimes outlast the wheels; but all depends upon the distance covered, the weight drawn, and the pace at which the vehicle is driven. Some gentlemen--especially medical gentlemen in full practice--will wear through a set of tires in eight or nine months, when the orders given are to move fast, and four changes are required to get through the daily visits. However, no person should risk riding in a carriage when the tires become perceptibly thin or loose.

Small lamps are a mistake. Diminutive lanterns may in some eyes look prettier during daytime; but when they are used, the confined space does not allow the amount of oxygen to enter the interior which is required to support the flame. The consequences are, diminished brilliancy and an abundance of smoke. The glasses become speedily soiled and the reflectors deadened. A lamp of sufficient size is not without its recommendations, as, even in daylight, it lends purpose and dignity to the vehicle which it adorns. At night it will nourish the flame, and cause the reflectors to shine forth with almost dazzling effulgence.

That it may do this, however, it is imperative the proper kind of candles be consumed. Of candles, there are two kinds sold for carriages. One, which is the cheaper, is a composition that soon softens under the combined effect of confined heat and strongly reflected flame. The light is not bad, but, nevertheless, is far from brilliant; while the want of an essential property makes the candle dear, even when purchased at a lower price. The other light is the old, stout, wax candle, which, if procured from a respectable dealer, will burn brightly, and scarcely be affected, with regard to firmness, after the longest night journey has terminated.

The carriage, when in the coach-house, should be covered and protected from soil by a large brown holland envelope. Under such a protection, it is usually placed with every door and window closed. The consequence is, that too many vehicles strike cold when entered, and communicate to the passenger a damp or musty smell. The interior is foul with imprisoned air; and custom conserves the moisture natural to confinement. The appendage suggestive of luxury is thus rendered a dangerous possession.

The brown holland covering will exclude the dust. Always, therefore, leave the windows wide open whenever the carriage is in the house. The atmosphere of such a locality should be warm and dry. It will sweeten the interior, within which four people may have been seated and breathing for upwards of an hour on the night before, when the rain fell in torrents. It will freshen up the padded linings, and the mistress will be grateful for the care which the coachman has bestowed upon her comfort.

The owners of carriages are not sufficiently careful when engaging the stable attendant. They often will, if there be a vehicle to look after, without hesitation hire a groom to perform the duty. When this is done, the gentleman infers that the man who can dress horses must necessarily comprehend everything that concerns the carriage to which horses are harnessed. Such an inference is certainly not warranted by fact. A good groom professes to understand only horses; and servants of this description are the coachmaker’s aversion. It would assuredly be better for many parties could proprietors condescend to exercise a little more caution in this particular; as a capable dependent alone ought to be created potentate over all the contents of the stable.

All that essentially concerns a carriage having now been stated, the subject, as the reader will have perceived, is not remarkably difficult to understand. A few questions, therefore, put to the candidate for a situation, would speedily elicit whether the applicant comprehended the duties of that office which he aspired to undertake. Ignorance can by its misdoing prove quite as harmful as the most designing malice. Much money and no little vexation would be spared could gentlemen practice a reasonable precaution before trusting in the discretion of a stranger.

It was formerly a rule among the trade to allow five per cent. every year off the employer’s bill as a gratuity to the servant. This custom was general, not only with the carriage builder, but with all persons who had dealings with the stable. It even extended to those whose services were only occasionally retained, involving the veterinary surgeon, the shoeing smith, etc. The reason upon which such a habit was based being a desire to bribe the coachman, that he might damage what the trades-people would be required to repair; or, at all events, it was a fee commonly paid, hoping it would encourage the extravagance which it was the master’s interest to restrain. “The good old days,” however, are past! Most carriage builders have learned, from experience, their best interests are promoted not by the fragility, but by the enduring quality of those articles which they supply. Most proprietors also know how long a sound conveyance should endure, as well as what ought to be the average cost for repairs.

The more respectable houses, even now, certainly give trifling presents to the deserving domestics whom they encounter; but such presents are bestowed rather to induce care than to encourage willful damage of the manufacture, for the tear and wear of which the donor is responsible. In proof of this, the head of an establishment may frequently be seen walking about, restless with pleasurable emotions, when a vehicle which was built by his house shall last a month or two over the regular period for renewal; and the servant would therefore find he had embarked in a losing speculation, who should damage his master’s property with the intent of increasing his occasional gratuity.