afferting the contrary) I here present you with an accurate sketch of it,

together with the manner of its application : that if any ingenious artist should be applied to, he may not be at a lofs how it is to be made. I would, however, advise fuch a one to be cautious in offering them to public fale, and by no means to advertise them (especially if a married man, or having any views towards matrimony),

I am, dear Friend,

Yours.

LETTER XLII.

“O, land of cakes! how oft my eyes
"Defire to fee thy mountains rife ;
"How Fancy loves thy fteeps to climb,
"So wild, fo folemn, fo fublime."

"All the stage-coaches that travel so faft,
"Must get now and then an unfortunate cast."

DEAR FRIEND,

IN my first journey to Scotland

I fometimes travelled poft, but often entered the different, ftage-coaches, &c. for a stage or two, when I happened to see any fetting out fo as to fuit my time and inclination: but at laft I had pretty nearly paid dear for it, as the driver of the diligence from Darlington to Durham happened to be much inebriated and before his quitting Darlington had almost overfet us; not obferving the man was drunk, we attributed the fault to the horses, we were however very speedily undeceived in that refpect by many concurrent circumstances, fo

that

that we were one minute nearly in the ditch on the right hand, and the next but just escaping that on the left; at other times we experienced friking proofs of the inability of our conductor against the numbers of onehorfe coal-carts, not to mention their frequently running foul of us for being on the wrong fide of the road; (for drivers of coaches and carts can be to the full as favage towards each other in the country, as in London): however notwithstanding all these "hair-breadth escapes," we retained our feats, till we arrived within three quarters of a mile of Durham, when at lengh the fpecific gravity of the driver's head preponderating over all the other parts of his frame united, preci pitated him with violence from the elevated station he had, till then (though with difficulty) poffeffed to his parent earth. There were three unfortunate paffengers in the carriage, left to the difcretion of the horses, viz. a gentleman, an innkeeper's wife, and your humble fervant: the lady in ftrict compliance with the practice of her fex in fimilar fitua

tions, on feeing the rapid descent of our charioteer, immediately honoured us with a loud and fhrill fhriek; the quadrupeds, not accustomed to this pretty female note fo much as the fonorous voice of a coachman, mistook for a signal to mend their pace, and they, habituated to pay all due obedience to the commands of their fuperiors of the biped creation, when understood by them, and finding no check, inftantly proceeded to a full gallop; and we, however reluctantly, followed them down a gentle defcent, not at a gentle rate, but with prodigious velocity. As I was quite calm and collected, I coolly, reconnoitred the road before us, and obferving that it was perfectly clear, as for half a mile not a coal-cart was to be feen, although we had lately paffed several score, I began to reason with my companions, and they speedily became calm enough to affift in holding a council what was beft to be done in our critical fituation. Our debates were quickly ended, as we were unanimous in opinion that if we once entered the city of Durham, the

carriage

carriage must inevitably be torn to pieces, owing to the variety of turnings and obftructions we should have to encounter, we therefore entered into an immediate refolution, nem. con. that to open the doors, and exhibit our agility by leaping out, was, of "two evils, choofing the leaft:" this we inftantly did, in as careful a manner as poffible; we firft alighted on our feet, and next complimented the ground with our noses, without receiving much injury. Our female companion indeed, by being rather too precipitate, alighted in a manner which on any other occafion would not have appeared ftrictly decent, of which the, poor lady! was fo fenfible, that the immediately " hoped as how we were both married gentlemen;". which was quickly replied to by both in the affirmative; and thus we faved our fair one the trouble of exerting herself in another scream, and ourselves the punishment of hearing it.

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