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Motor-Propelled Vehicles 309 trade and movement. They condemned the horse- less carriages as a decided danger to the welfare of the community, and voiced loud and long their com- plaints concerning the smoke, steam, and hot ashes which contaminated the streets, rendering the air absolutely unbreathable by pedestrians and others frequenting the thoroughfares. The new steam-driven carriages were regarded as eminently dangerous, which perhaps was not sur- prising, seeing that previously no efforts had been made to move at more than 4 miles an hour along the public highways. This antipathy was not alle- viated by one or two accidents which attended the steam-cars. The risk of being blown to pieces by the explosive steam was supported by an accident to the Paddington coach, which brought about the prema- ture death of its driver. The inquest was followed with the greatest interest, and the antagonistic element refused to be convinced, despite the official inquiry revealing the circumstance that the driver, in the wisdom of his conceit, cher- ished peculiar and not generally accepted opinions concerning the handling and properties of steam. The objections which were smouldering were fanned into flame by another accident in Aidgate. A horse- drawn vehicle essayed to dispute the right-of-way with a steam-bus, with dire results. The perverse driver, after being worsted in an encounter in which he was undeniably the challenger, revealed his true inward feelings and opinion concerning steam traction in no uncertain manner. However, despite these handicaps, it is quite possible that Hancock, who was striving might and