Phaeton (carriage) most impressive phaeton was the English four-wheeled high flyer. The mail and spider phaetons were more conservatively constructed. The mail phaeton was used chiefly to carry passengers with luggage and was named for its construction, using "mail" springs originally designed for use on mail coaches. The spider phaeton, of American origin and made for gentlemen drivers, was a high and lightly constructed carriage with a covered seat in front and a footman's seat behind. Fashionable phaetons used at horse shows included the Stanhope, typically having a high seat and closed back, and the Tilbury, a two-wheeled carriage with an elaborate
HMS Phaeton (1883) "Iowa" coming up the straits approaching Victoria (British Columbia) in a dense fog. The July 1898 Navy List listed her commissioned and warrant officers as follows: "Phaeton" was re-commissioned at Esquimalt (Canada) on 10 October 1900, to serve on Pacific Station. In July 1902 she visited Acapulco, and the following month she was at Panama. She paid off on 28 April 1903. This commission was the subject of a book in the 'Log' series, entitled: "HMS Phaeton, Pacific Station, 1900–1903". The March 1901 Navy List listed her commissioned and warrant officers as follows: The "Phaeton" did harbour service at Devonport