| But the drollest and most diverting kind of conveyance for your genteel and ungenteel parties of pleasure is what they call here the Chaise-marine, which is nothing less or more than any common carr with one horse. A simple kind of carriage, constructed with a pair of wheels, or thin round blocks, of about 20 inches in diameter, an axle, and two shafts, which, over the axle, are spread out a little wider than by the sides of the horse, and framed together with cross pieces, in such manner as to be nearly in a level position for three or four feet across the axle. These simple constructions are almost the only kind of carts, in common use, for the carrying or moving of goods, merchandize of every kind, hay, straw, corn, dung, turf, &c. throughout the kingdom. A sketch of the figure and construction of one of these carrs I have here given. // and, when used for parties of pleasure, on the level part L L is laid a mat, for the commonalty, and for the genteeler sort of people a bed is put on this; and half a dozen gets on, two behind and two on each fide, and away they drive, with their feet not above six inches from the ground as they sit, on little pleasurable jaunts of three or four or half a dozen miles out of town; and are the most sociable carriages in use, for ten or a dozen will take one of these chaise-marines, and ride it by turns, the rate being seldom, in such cases, more than foot-pace. I assure you they are the drollest, merriest curricles you ever saw. We were infinitely diverted at meeting many of these feather-bed chaise- // marine parties, on the Sunday that we landed, coming out of town, as we went up to it from Dunlary. [pp. 24-26] |
