or Clytie, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, beloved by Apollo. She was deserted by her lover, who paid his addresses to Leucothoe; and this so irritated her, that she discovered the whole intrigue to her rival's father. Apollo despised her the more for this; and she pined away, and was changed into a flower, commonly called a sunflower, which still turns its head towards the sun in its course in token of her love.

Vol. VI. Part I. The harness was ornamented with fringes of red silk on days of festivity. The imperial coaches were only distinguished by having leather traces, while the ladies in the emperor's suite were contented with traces made of ropes. Fifty gilt coaches having six horses each, were to be seen in 1681 at the court of Ernest Augustus of Hanover. The first time that plenipotentiaries appeared in coaches, was at the imperial commission in 1613 held at Erfurt.

We meet with ample proof in the history of France, that the monarchs rode on horses, the servants on mules, and ladies of distinction sometimes on asses, at Paris, in the 14th, 15th, and even 16th centuries. Yet carriages of some kind seem to have been used in France at an early period, since there is still preserved a statute of Philip the Fair, issued in 1294, for the suppression of luxury, and in which the wives of citizens were prohibited the use of carriages.

The oldest coaches used by the ladies of England were denominated whirlicotes, a name now sunk in oblivion. About the end of the 14th century, when Richard II. was forced to fly before his rebellious subjects, he and all his attendants travelled on horseback, his mother alone riding in a coach, as she was indisposed. This became afterwards unfashionable, the daughter of Charles IV. having showed the ladies of England how conveniently she could ride on a side-saddle.

According to Stow, coaches first came to be used in England about the middle of the 16th century, having been introduced from Germany by the earl of Arundel. The English plenipotentiary came to Scotland in a coach in the year 1508, and they were generally used about the year 1605.

Authors observe, as a thing very singular, that there were at first no more than three coaches in Paris; the one that of the queen; the second that of Diana mistress of Henry II.; and the third belonged to Jean de Lava de Bois Dauphin; whose enormous bulk disabled him from travelling on horseback. One may hence judge how much vanity, luxury, and idleness, have grown upon our hands in later days; there being now computed in that same city no less than 15,000 coaches.

Coaches have had the fate of all other inventions, to be brought by degrees to their perfection; at present they seem to want nothing, either with regard to ease or magnificence. Louis XIV. of France made several sumptuary laws for restraining the excessive richness of coaches, prohibiting the use of gold, silver, &c. therein; but they have had the fate to be neglected.

The following are the duties payable on carriages of this description in Britain (1804).

| Carriages | Annual Sum | |-----------|------------| | For one carriage, with four wheels | £10 0 0 | | For two | £11 0 0 | | three | £12 0 0 | | four | £12 10 0 | | five | £13 0 0 | | six | £13 10 0 | | seven | £14 0 0 | | eight | £14 10 0 | | nine and upwards | £15 0 0 |

And for every additional body successively used on the same carriage or number of wheels, the further sum of £5 0 0

For carriages with less than four wheels, drawn by one horse - £5 0 0 For carriages drawn by two or more horses - £7 7 0 For every additional body - £2 10 0 For carriages with four wheels let out to hire - £8 8 0

Every maker of coaches, chaises, chariots, &c. must, from and after the 5th day of July 1785, take out at the excise office in London, or of their agents in the country, a license, to be renewed annually at least ten days before the expiration of the former, for which they must pay 20s. They must also pay 20s. duty for every four-wheeled carriage newly built for sale, and 10s. for every two-wheeled carriage. These duties are also payable to the commissioners of the excise in town, or their agents in the country.

Coach-makers in Scotland are to take out their licenses and pay the duties to the commissioners of excise in Edinburgh, or their agents in the country of that part of Great Britain.

Every coach-maker neglecting to take out a license, and renewing the same annually, forfeits 10l.; and neglecting or refusing to settle every six weeks, in the manner particularly directed by the act, is a forfeiture of 20l.

Hackney-Coaches, those exposed to hire, in the streets of London, and some other great cities, at rates fixed by authority.

One thousand hackney-coaches are allowed in London and Westminster; which are to be licensed by commissioners, and to pay a duty to the crown. They are all numbered, having their numbers engraved on tin plates fixed on the coach-doors. Their fares or rates are fixed by act of parliament; and by a late act have been increased in consequence of a new weekly tax.

Stage-Coaches are those appointed for the conveyance of travellers from one city or town to another. The masters of stage-coaches are not liable to an action for things lost by their coachmen, who have money given them to carry the goods, unless where such matter takes a price for the same.

Persons keeping any coach, berlin, landau, or other carriage with four wheels, or any calash, chaise, chair, or other carriage with two wheels, to be employed as public stage-coaches or carriages, for the purpose of conveying passengers for hire to and from different places, shall pay annually 5s. for a license; and no person so licensed shall by virtue of one license keep more than one carriage, under the penalty of 10l.

Mail-Coaches are stage-coaches of a particular construction to prevent overturns; and for a certain consideration carry his majesty's mails, which are protected by a guard, and subject to the regulations of the post-office. They are punctual as to their time of arrival and departure, are restricted to four inside passengers, and from experience have proved very beneficial to the commerce and correspondence of this country. The late John Palmer, Esq., who had the merit of the invention, and was indefatigable in bringing the establishment to a permanent footing, was greatly patronized. tronized by government; and got, as the reward of his service, a handsome appointment in the general post-office London.