MODERN COLONIAL COACHING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 186, 20 June 1862, Page 6

MODERN COLONIAL COACHING.

In no branch of commercial enterprise do ou American colonists shine more than in coachinund conveyancing, taking the history of the firm of Cobb and Company as a fair test. Prom the earliest days of tho gold fields, when ordinary equestrians^ took days to perform the journey from Melbourne to Dendigo, when common horse^ teams required weeks fort.he journey, when bul-lock-teams sometimes consumed months, and, in some instances, got bogged on the road and never accomplished the journey; even in those days of bad roads do we recollect Cobb and Company transmitting passengers in little less time than the journey of the present day requires. Ever on the look out for " fresh fields," and the roads thereto, no sooner does one hear of a. now gold field being established, whether it is in this or any of the neighboring- colonies, but almost simultaneously comes tho intelligence that Cobb and Company's Telegraph Line is extended to the place. Like the wires of the same telegraph —or rather in advance of them—do their lines of conveyances traverse and retraversc nearly the whole of the colony. And that the enterprising spirit of Cobb and C-jinpany has met with the pecuniary success which it deserves, we need only mention that, although still existing under the original name of the firm which made themselves famous in the colony, both the original proprietors, and successive and successful share-' holders, have come into and gone from the establishment very greatly benefitted pecuniarily. The latest extension of the line of coaches by the firm of Cobb and Company has been the establishment of a branch to run betweeu Sydney and the Lnchlan. For the last month or so, some of the proprietors have been busily engaged in making the necessary arrangements between the places mentioned for providing stable accommodation, horse iced, and other requirements. The length.of .-the journey to be performed, it was ascertained, would be about 210 miles ; requiring about, ten coaches and about'one hundred and fifty "horses. Arrangements were made for the performance of the distance in two days and a, night,:—the mail contract, we may mention, in passing, being to-iUliver.it in five days and a half. The whole number of horses, coaches, harness, and other equipments necessary for'the establishment of the new line, were taken from the surplus stock on the several lines in this colony, the Sandhurst; Castlemainr, Ballaarat, etc., the principal portions of the fittings and arrangements having been completed at their depots here and at Castlemaine. It having been the intention of the company, to make Sandhurst the point of departure, for the last few days, coaches, drivers, horses, gr oiris, and helpers of all kinds have been arriving in Sandhurst preparatory to a grand start for the Lachlan. We may here state, in order to correct a'mistaken impression that is afloat, that at present it is not the intention of the proprietary to .establish a line between this place and the Lachlan, in consequence of there being no intermediate townships of sufficient iuiportance for a payable traffic to exist. All the necessary preparations for a start having been completed, yesterday about three o'clock in the afternoon, the coaches, ten in number, left the stables of the company, in Mundy street, and making somewhat of a grand splash as they proceeded through Market-square, drew up iri front of1 the Shamrock Hotel, in Pali Mall. Here the coaches were speedily oicupie'd by the persons engaged to proceed to the Lachlan, who comprised the ten drivers, between twenty and thirty grooms and stablemen, and about fifcy passengers. The proceedings connected with the departure of such an imposing turn-out, excited, as may be imagined, a considerable degree of interest amongst the townspeople, and the neighborhood of the hotel was occupied by a goodly number of people. The appearance of the various conveyances and tetms was well worthy of being looked at by the admirers of horse flesh, who might have noticed especially two fine teams of bays, another composed of black horses, and a handsome team of all greys. The entire number comprised coaches of various sizes, capable of holding fifteen, nineteen, and twenty-six passengers, and were of the same kind of build as those employed on the road between Sandhurst arid Castlemaine,.the uneven. nature of the roads be-. 'tween" Sydney and the-Liichlan ■ preventing the use of the large, description of coach.employed by the company on other roads. Eight of the coaches had seven, and the other two five horses', tho whole being accompanied by a wagon containing provender for tho road. In addition to jLhis number, the balance required for coaching .the entire line between the Luchlan and Sydney, will bo despatched from Sandhurst this morning. Previous to the departure from the Shamrock Hotel, the whole of the employees of the company on and in the coaches were liberally treated with' champagne, hospitably administered also to their friends, who, in a parting cup, wished a successful and speedy journey to the Luchlan, to which we may be allowed to add, and a profitable return for so enterprising a speculation.— Bendiyo Advertiser, 4th June.