TRAVELLING CARRIAGES (part III , IV - VIII)  - The English Coupé or Post Chariot - From Casanova to Napoleon I. - Transportation of Dismantled Travelling Carriages - Napoleon's Waterloo-Post Chaise - A History of the English Coupé in the Eighteenth Century. (Part VI: Casanova's Carriages)

The English Coupé or Post Chariot.

From Casanova to Napoleon I.

In the USA, thanks to the Goodwin Report, things are better: the author collected in Virginia sixty-one references to the English Travelling Chariot and ninety-five to the English Town Chariot (which was practically the same type of carriage) of the time between 1757 and 1799. There, and in some other colonial and later U.S. countries, some famous owners were:
    Martha Custis, when marryingGeorge Washington (Treue,p.287ff.) in 1759, owned a Chariot. In 1768, Washington ordered a new one from London (the first President of the USA owned between 1750 and his death in 1799 "only" thirteen travelling and town carriages, while Casanova owned altogether nineteen).
    Thomas Jefferson (Goodwin,p.lxx), third President of the USA, paid carriage taxes in 1773 for a Chariot. In 1788 he ordered a further one from London for 171 Pounds Sterling (41,040 d.).
    John Brown of Providence, Rhode Island, ordered from Philadelphia in 1782/83 a still existant Post Chariot, in which he undertook great journeys.

From the nineteenth century, I will mention only two famous owners out of the many thousands everywhere:
    Napoleon I lost, after the Battle of Waterloo on 18th June 1815, his third military English Coupé, "the exterior of which is identical to the customary English travelling carriage" (Zeitung für die elegante Welt, Nr. 95, 1816).
    Franz I of Austria travelled with a coupé very similar to that of Napoleon. It was built in Vienna by the Hofsattlerei around 1825, and still rests in the Wagenburg, the carriage museum in the chateau Schönbrunn.

The English Coupé can be distinguished by four basic types:
    Type 1: The Post Chaise, as a simple travelling carriage (without coachman's seat), e.g. the "Lister Chaise" and "Felissent Coupé". Thomas Rowlandson shows the Post Chaise on dozens of his drawings in the first quarter of the 19th century. Undercarriage: always one perch. Body: always closed.
    Type 2: The Post Chaise or Chariot, as a noble travelling carriage e.g. the "Compiègne" and the "Wythe Chariot". Another example is the War-Coupé of Napoleon I. Undercarriage: one or eventually two perches. Body: closed or convertible.
Casanova's Coupés "GT" belong to this category. Undercarriage: always one perch, easy to dismount from the axle-trees. Body: convertible, the upper part easy to dismount from the base.
    Type 3: The Post Chariot, as a noble travelling and town carriage, e.g. the "John Brown". Undercarriage: usually two perches. Body: additional windows behind. In close relation is:
    Type 4: The Post Chariot, as a pure town carriage, e.g. the "Diligence de Ville". In England it was also called Town- , Dress- or State-Chariot, and on the continent Berlin- or Gala-Coupé (from about 1800 onwards, the term Berlin refers to the shape of the body in English style and no more to the undercarriage with the typical two perches). Undercarriage: one or two perches.

Transportation of Dismantled Travelling Carriages.

Travelling with English Coupés, Casanova says:

    (HL,vol.III,p.75) "We set out [with his English Coupé "Cesena"] from Parma at nightfall, and we stopped at Turin for only two hours to engage a manservant to wait on us as far as Geneva. The next day we ascended Mont Cenis in carried chairs, then descended to Lanslebourg by sledge. On the fifth day we reached Geneva and put up at the 'Scales'."
    (HL,vol.III,p.77) "The next day I set out [with his English Coupé "Geneva 1"] for Italy with a servant whom Monsieur Tronchin gave me. Despite the unfavourable season, I took the route through the [Grand] Saint Bernard, which I crossed in three days on the seven mules required for ourselves, my trunk, and the carriage intended for my beloved [Henriette]. (...). I felt neither hunger nor thirst nor the cold which froze all nature in that terrible part of the Alps."
    (HL,vol.VII,p.283) "After obtaining a letter of credit on Augsburg I left, and the next day I crossed the Mont Cenis on mules - I, Costa, Leduc, and my carriage [his English Coupé "Pisa"]. Three days later I reached Chambéry, putting up at the only inn, where all travellers are obliged to lodge."
    (HL,vol.IX,p.33) "My felucca, which was of good size, had twelve rowers and was armed with some small cannon and with twenty-four muskets, so that we should be able to defend ourselves against pirates. [My servant] Clairmont had cleverly had my carriage [his English Coupé "Geneva 2"] and my luggage arranged in such a way that five mattresses were stretched across them at full length, so that we could have slept and even undressed as if in a room. We had good pillows and wide covers. A long tent of serge covered the whole ship, and two lanterns hung from the two ends of the long beam which held up the tent. - (P.40) At four o'clock we were off Nice, and at six o'clock we landed at Antibes. Clairmont saw to having everything I had brought in the felucca taken to my rooms, waiting until the next day to have my carriage made ready for the road again ["faire remonter"]."

1. Method "Grand Saint Bernard": possible use of sledges:
For the passage, Casanova had at his disposal 4 mules which transported the Coupé. This they could have done as follows:
 The body was
 a) attached to two poles (like a sedan chair) and carried by 2 mules; or
 b) put on a sledge (when there was snow) and drawn by 1 mule.
 For the undercarriage the remaining 2 or 3 mules had to carry the following separate parts:
 1) the four wheels;
 2) the perch;
 3) the rear axle-tree with the spring-transom;
 4) the fore axle-tree;
 5) the fore spring-transom;
 6) the coachman's seat.
 7) the pole.
2. Method "Mont Cenis": the use of poles and sledges was not possible on the eastern side of the pass:
Presumably at least 5 mules were needed.
 The body was taken to pieces and transported by 3 mules:
 the first mule carried:
  1) the 2 doors (windows and blinds let down);
  2) the frame of the front windows (without glasses and blinds which were let down into
        the body-base);
 the second mule carried:
  3) the folding top;
 the third mule carried:
  4) the body-base (including the bench and the folding seat).
 The separate parts of the undercarriage were carried by at least 2 mules.

"Some Italians, who pass often over the mountains, build the body of their coach as light as possible, and of such a structure that it may separated into two parts, by which contrivance they transport it on the cheapest terms. Englishmen, who take their own coaches, should provide such a carriage as may be taken to pieces, which those with a perch do not admit of."

"Of things most requisite" "Those persons who design to travel much in Italy should provide themselves with a strong, low-hung crane-necked English carriage[this was usually a Post Chariot], with well-seasoned corded springs, sous-soupentes, and iron axle-trees; strong wheels, properly corded for travelling; two drag-chains (the one with an iron shoe, the other with a hook); two drag-staffs; a box, containing extra linch-pins, nails, and tools for repairing, mounting, and dismounting a carriage (this box should be made in the shape of a trunk, padlocked, and slung to the iron work of the carriage); a well; a sword-case; a very light imperial [top]; two moderate-sized trunks, the larger to go before, with a padlock and chain for the smaller; lamps, and a stock of candles fitted to them. The bottom of the carriage should be pitched on the out-side. A second-hand carriage, in good condition, is preferable to a new one; and an out-side seat, for a man-servant, not suspended on the springs, but fixed to the boot, and slung upon leathers, may frequently prove useful. Every travelling - carriage should be made to lock up; and the boxes of the wheels should be brass."

Napoleon's Waterloo - Post Chaise.

According to the researches of Max Terrier, the Emperor "had three different equipages with the army":
1. His armoured Post Chaise, officially called "voiture de poste" (or "dormeuse", sleeping carriage; Napoleon used to say "chaise de poste"), a widely equipped military carriage;
2. His Calash "de service leger", from 1812 onwards a Landau à l'anglaise (the Waterloo - Landau: today in the museum of Malmaison, Paris);
3. His string of riding horses.

"To the Copper No. 4." "Our readers get here a picture of the carriage of Bonaparte which was captured by the Prussian troops in the battle near Waterloo and presently is in London where it is on show to the public. The exterior of this is equal to the customary English travelling carriages. The colour is of a dark blue and the bordering makes a beautiful golden arabesque. On the doors are the Imperial arms. On every corner is fixed a lanterne, and another at the rear side which gives a heavy light into the interior. In front, there is a large projection, and then follows the coachman's seat which is placed so as to prevent the driver from viewing the interior of the carriage. The sides of the carriage are armoured against balls. The undercarriage is very durable, the wheels and the pole especially are very firm. All this is painted red and ornamented by gold. The body is suspended in such a way as to not easily loose balance even on the worst roads. The interior can be arranged for different uses. It can be used as a bedroom, dressing-room, dining-room or kitchen, &c. The seat has a partition, perhaps out of pride, perhaps for comfort. Receptacles for utensils of all kinds everywhere are installed. Newspapers are already aquainted with the items in these receptacles. Beneath the coachman's seat there is a small receptacle containing a bedstead of polished steel; other necessities for a bed were found in the carriage itself *. In addition, a writing-desk is attached which can be pulled out so that one is able to write even while the carriage moves on. Likewise, for maps, telescopes &c, there are cases everywhere. On one door you see pistol-halters in which there were loaded pistols from the factory at Versailles. The inward door windows are supplied with blinds which can be drawn up by springs, forming then with the sides of the carriage an impenetrable wall. The front windows are protected in a similar way, too. The horses on the carriage were of Norman race and brown colour, and rather strong and fiery."
------
[* Captain Malel: "The exterior of this ingenious vehicle is of the form and dimensions of our large English travelling chariot, except that it has a projection in front of about two feet, the right-hand half of which is open on the inside to receive the feet, thus forming a bed, while the left-hand half contained a store of various useful things."]

A History of the English Coupé in the Eighteenth Century.

1    2     3 

4 

1749, July: Casanova bought his first Post Chariot from Count Dandini in Cesena.
1750, January: He obtained the second, from Henriette in Geneva.

5    6 

7 

1760, November: Casanova bought his third Post Chariot from an Englishman in Pisa.
1762, August: Purchase of his fourth one, in Geneva.

8 

9    10 

1764, May: Casanova purchased from General John Beckwith of London, stationed in Wesel, Germany, an (English?) Coupé.
1766, July: Count Mosna-Mosczynski in Warsaw, presented Casanova with one of his own (English?) Coupés.

11 

* * * * * * * *

" (...) they are less rounded and less high than ours [post chariots] (...) they do not have any windows at the rear side, and no curved struts, and the front window is customarily divided into two parts, which can be let down independently from each other (...) The carriages à l'Anglaise are presently very up-to-date and I really do not know why, for they have neither a beautiful shape nor any grace, looking more like a box with several holes than a body; but it is enough that the invention of these carriages comes to us from England, in order that everyone has one or likes to have one, as if there was any law obliging ourselves to be servile imitators of a nation lying in competition with us (...) These carriages (...) seem to be in use only in the countryside, considering their great lightness and little height, which make them less susceptible to knocks from the side than the others. The perches of these carriages are always curved [compass perch], whether simple or double, which forces [the body] to be hung on springs, and that increases the smoothness [of the ride]."

12    13 

* * * * * * * *

1770, September: Casanova bought in Salerno a "beautiful and convenient (English?) Coupé", which he finally sold in Bologna in October 1772.

14 

15 

16 

[1783, November: the brothers Giacomo and Francesco Casanova bought in Paris a travelling coach for their trip to Vienna; the carriage seemed to be extraordinarily good (judging by Giacomo's description in a letter), hence it could well have been an English one.]

17 

18  . . 19 

* * * * 19th century * * * *

20 

21 

22  . . 23 

24 

25 

26 

* * * * 20th century * * * *

27 

28 

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