of busses on the Paddington-road,
encouraged the idea. Mr. Barker secretly and cautiously inquired in the
proper quarters. The report was correct; the 'Royal William' was to make
its first journey on the following Monday. It was a crack affair
altogether. An enterprising young cabman, of established reputation as a
dashing whip--for he had compromised with the parents of three scrunched
children, and just 'worked out' his fine for knocking down an old
lady--was the driver; and the spirited proprietor, knowing Mr. Barker's
qualifications, appointed him to the vacant office of cad on the very
first application. The buss began to run, and Mr. Barker entered into a
new suit of clothes, and on a new sphere of action.

To recapitulate all the improvements introduced by this extraordinary man
into the omnibus system--gradually, indeed, but surely--would occupy a
far greater space than we are enabled to devote to this imperfect memoir.
To him is universally assigned the original suggestion of the practice
which afterwards became so general--of the driver of a second buss
keeping constantly behind the first one, and driving the pole of his
vehicle either into the door of the other, every time it was opened, or
through the body of any lady or gentleman who might make an attempt to
get into it; a humorous and pleasant invention, exhibiting all that
originality of idea, and fine, bold flow of spirits, so conspicuous in
every action of this great man.

Mr. Barker had opponents of course; what man in public life has not? But
even his worst enemies cannot deny that he has taken more old ladies and
gentlemen to Paddington who wanted to go to the Bank, and more old ladies
and gentlemen to the Bank who wanted to go to Paddington, than any six
men on the road; and however much malevolent spirits may pretend to doubt
the accuracy of the statement, they well know it to be an established
fact, that he has forcibly conveyed a variety of ancient persons of
either sex, to both places, who had not the slightest or most distant
intention of going anywhere at all.

Mr. Barker was the identical cad who nobly distinguished himself, some
time since, by keeping a tradesman on the step--the omnibus going at full
speed all the time--till he had thrashed him to his entire satisfaction,
and finally throwing him away, when he had quite done with him. Mr.
Barker it _ought_ to have been, who honestly indignant at being
ignominiously ejected from a