STAGE-CARRIAGE. HACKNEY COACH. CABRIOLET. A Stage Car riage is defined by the 2 and 3 Wm. IV. c. 102, as a carriage of any construction for conveying passengers for hire to or from any place in Great Britain, which shall travel at the rate of not less than three miles in the hour and be impelled by animal power, provided each passenger pay a distinct fare for his place therein. Railway carriages and vehicles moved by steam are excluded from the definition.
By the 1 and 2 Wm. IV. C. 22, it is declared that every carriage with two or more wheels, used for plying for hire in any public street at any place within five miles from the General Post-office in London, of whatever form or construe Lion, or whatever may be the number of persons which it shall be calculated to convey, or the number of horses by which it shall be drawn, shall be deemed a hack ney-carriage. This class of public vehicles appears to have originated in London. The rise and progress of their use in Lon don may be pretty distinctly traced from notices in Macpherson's Annals of Com merce,' and in Anderson's History of Commerce,' of which work the early volumes of Macpherson are a reprint with but few alterations. Under the year 1625 Macpherson, or rather Anderson, observes that " Our historiographers of the city of London relate that it was in this year that hackney-coaches first began to ply in Lon don streets, or rather at the inns, to be called for as they were wanted ; and they were at this time only twenty in number." In 1652 the number of hackney-coaches daily plying in the streets was limited to 200 ; in 1654 it was increased to 300, al lowing however only 600 horses ; in 1661 to 400; and in 1694 to 700. By au act of the 9th year of Anne (c. 23) the number was to be increased to 800 on the expira tion, in 1715, of the licences then in force, and 200 hackney-chairs were also licensed. The number of chairs was shortly in creased to 300, and by the act 12 Geo. I. c. 12, to 400. In 1771 the number of coaches was further increased to 1000.
A lighter kind Of vehicle, drawn by one horse, was brought into extensive use in Paris. Efforts were made to in troduce similar vehicles into this country, but owing to a regard for the "vested rights" of the hackney-coach owners, it was long found impossible to get li cences for them. With great difficulty Messrs. Bradshaw and Rotch (the latter a member of parliament) obtained li cences for eight cabriolets in 1823, and started them at fares one-third lower than those of hackney-coaches. The name " cab" is now commonly applied to all hackney-carriages drawn by one horse, whether on two or four wheels. During the first few years of the employment of such carriages their number was restricted to sixty-five, while the number of coach licences was increased to twelve hundred; but in 1832 all restriction as to the num ber of hackney-carriages was removed.
The number of hackney-carriages licensed for use during the year ending January 4, 1845, was 2450, all of which, with the exception of less than 200, were cabs, or one-horse vehicles. The number of drivers licensed during the year ending May, 1844, was 4627, besides 371 watermen.
The generally low standard of moral character among cab-drivers leads to the adoption of a system of remuneration which is not calculated to promote honesty and good feeling. The vehicles and horses are lent out at a fixed sum per day ; or rather, the men are expected to bring home the stipulated amount. The expe riment of paying liberal wages, and trust ing to the honour of men, is said to have been tried and found utterly impracticable.
An attempt was made, about the year 1800, to introduce a more commodious kind of vehicle, resembling an omnibus, instead of the old stage-coaches, which could only carry four or at most six in side passengers, but the project failed. When re-introduced from Paris the omni bus was drawn by three horses abreast, but this arrangement was soon abandoned.