driven by any gentleman, and you may be driven (as far as the strength of the horses will enable them to draw a carriage) by a decent dressed coachman, whom nobody would know from a servant out of livery.

Very many persons who have houses without the convenience of stables for their horses, or being without a coach house, contract at perhaps £300. a year for a man and pair of handsome horses with a beautiful carriage to come to their houses every day, and in fact use them exactly as if they were their own, having this additional advantage that whereas sometimes their own horses would be unwell, and they would be unable to use them, the parties agreeing to furnish the horses and carriages, have to provide horses every day in the year by substituting fresh horses when necessary: Physicians and Surgeons do this sort of thing very often.

There are other persons who wish to ride three times in every week upon fixed days at certain hours, and these persons for riding four or five hours each day in a similar vehicle pay about £100. a year. There are others who always have a good vehicle on the Sunday for four or five hours, and pay about £60. a year, all the above named terms are for first rate carriages and horses; others from which the first gloss has been worn off and horses of second rate quality are to be had for much less money, perhaps about half

the sums named. Another mode is for persons who keep their own carriage hiring by the year from the Livery Stable keepers, horses which are groomed, and driven by the gentleman's own servants, the person constantly agreeing to furnish them continually with good handsome horses. A large proportion of travelling in England, is by what are called post horses and post chaises. These are carriages like chariots, and are drawn by two horses most usually, but four when required. The carriages are very good and easy to travel in, but in a conspicuous situation upon all of them is placed the owner's name and place of abode, so that they cannot be mistaken for private carriages. For a chaise with a pair of horses you pay fifteen pence per mile, and at about every eight or ten miles you have fresh horses, and post boy, to whom about two shillings and six pence per stage of eight or ten miles is given. If you add to this the payment of turnpikes to keep the roads good, it will amount to about one shilling and ten pence per mile. If you have four horses you have two post boys to pay, and then there is thirty pence a mile for chaise and horses to pay. You can travel from seven to eleven miles per hour at your discretion by either of these modes.

But for travelling expeditiously and pleasantly there is nothing like a well horsed stage coach, where four, or in some coaches six ride inside, and ten or twelve on the top. These stage coaches are many

of them beautifully built and tastefully decorated, with high bred blood horses that only require to be guided and scarcely touched with the whip. The coachmen are many of them in appearance quite gentlemen, indeed we believe there is one nobleman, there certainly is one Baronet, and many of the sons of gentlemen who drive stage coaches. These travel at upwards of ten miles an hour, they have fresh horses every eight or ten miles, and to those who wish to see scenery and to enjoy a rapid travel through the country, let them some fine summer's morning get upon a coach box, alongside of the coachman, who knows every place and every thing connected with it, and we are quite sure they will be amply repaid for their trouble; the rate of travelling is about threepence per mile outside, and about fourpence halfpenny per mile in the inside, added to which every time you change your coachman, which in long journies is about every thirty miles, the outside passengers give the coachman one shilling each, and the inside passengers two shillings each.

Having given the description of the public and private conveyances of London, we cannot conclude the subject without suggesting to our countrymen and proposing a plan for adopting the omnibus system at Bombay.

We know that there are thousands of persons residing out of Fort, and who hold appointments in Town, at the numerous mercantile houses and at

the public offices as clerks, cash-keepers and others employed in various duties, and many of them are not in a position to keep a horse and gig, they in consequence make up generally a party of three or four and engage a bullock or horse carriage for a sum of about 15 or 20 rupees per month to convey them to and from the scene of their business; besides there are many who in very hot sultry days or in wet weather prefer hiring a conveyance to the fatigue of walking; we are therefore of opinion that if a company was formed, and a sum sufficient to answer the cost of carriages, horses, harness, &c. were raised, and were these vehicles to leave town and the places where those who thus daily come there reside, at certain and convenient hours of the day they would be sure to find a great number of passengers, who would be glad to prefer it to the uncomfortable and slow mode of locomotion we have at present.

A sum of 15000 rupees will be we think sufficient for providing a dozen of omnibuses, (which need not in the first instance be quite so expensive as in England, yet capable of carrying as many passengers,) the horses and other furniture, the keeping of them with the wages of the driver and conductor and other expences including the interest of the capital invested would come to about one thousand rupees a month. Now suppose we calculate each carriage to make daily journies, conveying, at an average, twelve people

backwards and forwards at the very moderate charge of two annas each, the daily income would be six rupees, and at that rate the whole of them would bring 2160 rupees per month, which after deducting the expences would leave a profit of 1160 rupees to the proprietors. Thus we have shown on a rough calculation that it is not an unprofitable speculation, and we most sincerely trust that some of our countrymen will weigh and consider the subject, and we are confident that this mode of conveyance would add a great deal to the physical comforts of the inhabitants of Bombay.

Indeed the undertaking is within the reach of a single individual, and we must observe that should our suggestion be put in practice, it will be necessary to obtain the sanction of the proper authorities for it, as well as their protection to the parties for the first few years against competition, as a reward for the first enterprise.

BRIDGES.

We went to look frequently at the several bridges of London, and beautiful structures they are; we cannot but regret that we could not insert plates of them, but we can give all particulars about them.