I have little doubt that there remain rich mines of information unsearched by me, because unknown. I shall, however, be glad to receive any information that will enlarge our present knowledge. There may be yet in England, or abroad, some ancient Carriages which deserve to be described and photographed before they perish; for Carriages are too bulky to be preserved in any quantity in national museums. Scarce books and prints, too, may exist in many libraries, and a list might be made of them; and a record is desirable also of those students of the Art of Coachbuilding who made their mark in the world and have passed away. Any communication will be thankfully received and kept in an accessible place, to assist any future writer who may have the time to prepare a more complete record than I of the History of Coachbuilding. G. A. THRUPP. 269 OXFORD STREET, _April, 1877_. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE Early Vehicles--Sledges--Solid Wheels--Egyptian Chariots--Early Vehicles Always had Two Horses--King Solomon’s Wedding Chariot--An Egyptian Mummy Wheel--Grecian Chariots--Vehicles of Ancient Rome--Scythian and Persian Cars--Funeral Car of Alexander the Great--War Chariot of Ancient Britain--Roman Military Roads--Wheels Found at Pompeii--Later Vehicles of the Roman Empire--Ancient Roman Dray--Carriages of Hindostan--A Carriage of Ancient Hungary--Turkish Carriages--Welsh and Irish Cars--Bristol Coburg 1-25 CHAPTER II. Whirlicote of the Middle Ages--Charettes--Cars of the Middle Ages--Revival of Carriages--The First Coaches--The German Waggon--Ancient Saxon Waggon--The Horse Litter--The Old Coaches at Coburg--Early Italian Coaches--Coach of Queen Elizabeth--Coach of Charles I.--Coach of Henri Quatre--Time of Louis XIV.--The Brouette and Steel Springs--The Berlin--Old Coaches at Vienna--Horse Litter at the Imperial Mews--Utility of Steel Springs--Mr Samuel Pepys’ Diary--Sedan Chairs--Coachbuilding in 1770--Chariot à l’Anglaise--Encyclopædia on Coachbuilding--Cabriolets--Light Chariots--The Darnley Chariot 26-55 CHAPTER III. STATE COACHES. A Coach of Silver--Lord Castlemaine’s Coach--Spanish Ambassador’s Coach--Ancient Spanish Coach--Austrian State Coach--State Funeral Coach at Vienna--State Coach of England--City State Coach 56-64 CHAPTER IV. CARRIAGES FROM 1790 TO 1876.