Hansom invents a cab--Chapman designs and patents the present hansom--Francis Moore’s vehicles--The Hansom patent infringed--Litigation a failure--Pirate cabs called “shofuls”--The “Clarence” or four-wheeler introduced--An unpleasant fare--The decoration of cabs--Cabmen compelled to wear badges--The “Tribus”--The “Curricle Tribus”--The “Quartobus” 216 CHAPTER IV A strike--Cabmen’s revenge on Members of Parliament--Cab radius altered--Cabmen object to knocking at doors--The King of Cabmen--Nicknames--A lady feared by cabmen--The kilometric reckoner--Lord John Russell and “Palace Yard Jack”--Cab fares altered--A strike against the introduction of lamps--Another strike--The Cab-drivers’ Benevolent Association--The London Cabmen’s Mission--The Hackney Carriage Proprietors’ Provident Institution--The Cabmen’s Shelter Fund 231 CHAPTER V Cab show at Alexandra Palace--Forder’s cab--The strike of 1894--Cabmen become organ-grinders--The Asquith award--Boycotting the railway stations--The “Bilking Act” 249 CHAPTER VI Gentlemen cabmen--An applicant’s nerve--The doctor-cabby--John Cockram--A drunken cabman’s horse 258 CHAPTER VII The Shrewsbury and Talbot cabs--The Court hansom--The Parlour four-seat hansom--Electric cabs introduced--The “taxameter”--Empty cabs--Number of cabs in London--Cab fares--Two-horse cabs 267 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE SHILLIBEER’S FIRST OMNIBUS 13 SHILLIBEER’S THIRD OMNIBUS 19 GURNEY’S STEAM CARRIAGE 37 THE “AUTOPSY” STEAM OMNIBUS 39 THE “ERA” STEAM OMNIBUS 40 THE “AUTOMATON” STEAM OMNIBUS 44 ADAMS’S EQUIROTAL OMNIBUS 61 A KNIFE-BOARD OMNIBUS 65 OMNIBUS BUILT BY ROCK AND GOWAR 69 TILLING’S FOUR-HORSE “TIMES” 75 RICHMOND CONVEYANCE COMPANY OMNIBUS 91 RICHMOND CONVEYANCE COMPANY OMNIBUS. END VIEW 93 THE FIRST VEHICLE TO CROSS HOLBORN VIADUCT 98 THE LONDON ROAD CAR COMPANY’S FIRST OMNIBUS 103 A ROAD CAR COMPANY OMNIBUS, 1901 107 A METROPOLITAN RAILWAY “UMBRELLA” OMNIBUS, 1901 109 A RED “FAVORITE.” 1901 110 HACKNEY-COACH. ABOUT 1680 189 HACKNEY-COACH. ABOUT 1800 194 LONDON CAB OF 1823, WITH CURTAIN DRAWN 207 THE “COFFIN-CAB” 210