.0^. ^>V \^\% IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) V /- 1.0 I.I - 6" m 1 2.0 1.8 L25 liu aii.6 '/] ^ -^z y?^ t^'*' ^A" t. >> .<^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716)872-4503 _-^??5?^^SEf^TP3^ig CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc.. may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely Included In one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams Illustrate the method: L'exempiaire filmd fut reproduit grdce k la g6n6rosit6 de: Library of Congress Photoduplication Service Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettetd de l'exempiaire film6, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverturs en papier est imprimde sont filmds en commenqant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'Impression ou d'lllustration, soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmds en commenpant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'Impression ou d'lllustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre Image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ^ signifie "A SUIVRE ", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc.. peuvent 3tre fllmds d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd. il est filmd d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. \ by errata Imed to T»ent , une pelure. » fapon d e. 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 "^f^^^ ^mmm^ s^j^.^s^i^^ ^^&^*fei^?Si^G-.iK.?3^?7:^"'s^.V^™r>. • "saw / REMARKS ON THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF ROAD MAKING; WITH OBSERVATIONS, ^ 't-9 DEDUCED FROM PRACTICE AND EXPERIENCE, T '' WITH A VIEW TO A REVISION OF THE EXISTING LAWS.AWD THE INTRODUCTION OF IMPROVEMENT IN THE METHOD OF MAKING, REPAIRING, AND PRESERVING ROADS, > AMD DEPENDING THE ROAD FUNDS FROM MISAPPLICATION. SEVENTH EDITION, CAREFULLY REVISED, WITH AN APPENDIX, AND REPORT FROM THE SELECT COMMITTEE OP THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, JUNE 1823, WITH EXTRACTS FROM THF EVIDENCE. .1 ' 1/ By JOHN LOUDON IVfADAM, Esq. (JENERAL SURVEYOR OF THE ROADS IN THE BRISTOL DISTRICT. LONDON : PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BRCWN, PATERNOSTER ROW. 1823. **•< M -/•■ :til K \ 1 T- j^ e-L.— iij i L i , I , J . aar w' TO THE GENERAL TREASURER, THE TREA- SURERS OF DIVISIONS, AND THE OTHER COM- MISSIONERS FOR THE CARE OF THE TURNPIKE ROADS IN THE BRISTOL DISTRICT, TO WHOSE FIRMNESS AND PATRIOTIC ZEAL IN THE DIS- CHARGE OF THEIR DUTY, THE KINGDOM IS INDEBTED FOR THE FIRST EXAMPLE OF THE PRACTICE OF A NEW AND EFFECTUAL SYSTEM OF IMPROVEMENT IN THE REPAIR OF THE ROADS, ANr IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE FUNDS UNDER THEIR CARE; THESE RE- MARKS ARE MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDI- CATED, AS A TESTIMONY OF THE ESTEEM AND GRATITUDE OF THEIR OBLIGED AND OBEDIENT SERVANT, THE AUTHOR. A2 I 1 s t \ PREFACE TO THE SEVENTH EDITION. In preparing another edition of the various papers on roads, which I have published durhig the last six years, it may be useful to take a slight review of the subject, and of the gradual progress of road improvement throughout the country. That any further information should be called for, after the numerous additions made to the original pamphlet, (particularly the last communication to the Board of Agriculture,) is a convincing proof of the impossibility of con- veying adequate instructions for practical pur- poses, by means of the press. It is, however, of the utmost importance that the theory be fully understood, as from want of comprehend- ing the original nature of the system have arisen the many fruitless attempts at imitation, which have cost such vast sums to the public. i ( " ) The practical utility of some parts of the system is so obvious, that they have been acted upon in various places, without any tlesire of further improvement. It is uncommon now, to meet with roads repaired with large stones, or of the dangerous convex form, which was the universal custom about five years ago; but these improvements being merely grafted on the old erroneous method, have never been attended with the rapid diminution of expense, and the durable advantages which immediately result from the adoption of the entire system as re- commended by me. Those who continue to use any part of the old method of road-making, are not, perhaps, aware of the principles upon which they are acting. I have formerly remarked, that the old roads of the country were generally carried along the tops of hills in search of dry or strong ground; and it is plain that tUe fivHi turnpike roads were merely attempts to open more direct communicatioa« through the country, in con- tinuing, by mechanical means, the rocky paths, to which travellers were obliged ^o resort. ( iii ) With this view, hirge masses of stone were firs^ sunk into the ground, ami afterwards thi^K. layers of broken stone strewed over them, so as, in fact, to form an artificial rock. The insecu- rity of this unskilful structure must be obvious. The rain penetrating through every part of the surface kept it continually in a loose state, and as it was imbedded below the (/round water, it was constantly broken up in winter by the frost. Hence the vast sums required for the forming new roads, and the heavy and incessant expense of keeping them in a passable state. Any im- provements thai have been made on this plan, merely relate to the smoothness of the surface, by more carefully laying on the stones, at, con- sequently, a greater expense : but the original principle remains the same in every road, ex- cept those where the new system has been fully adopted. Under such disadvantages, it is not surprizing that the roads of the kingdom have not kept pace mth the advancement of every other useful art. The large sums demanded for the first outlay, and the frequent failure of such speculations from the badness of the roads, and ( iv ) the expense of their subsequent repairs, suffi- ciently account for the tardy progress of . "d- inaking. From conviction of the very insurfi- cient and expensive nature of the method in nse, I was led to consider of the possibility oi con- structing lines of communication, capable of conveying the heaviest weights over every kind of soil, and at all seasons, upon principles purely scientific : a plan, which even in theory differs as widely from the inartificial methods of road- making hitherto practised, as the principle by which an arch is thrown over a river, differs from the heap of stones which constitutes the ford. The actual experience of seven years, the great extent of road which has been entirely constructed according to my direction, and the unquestionable testimony of the Committees of the House of Commons appointed to enquire into this matter, have now placed the efficiency of the discovery beyond a doubt. It remams with the country to consider of the most wise and effectual mode of securing the benefit of the system. , suffi- f . "d- insuiii- in nse, 01 con- able of ry kind J purely f differs )f road- jiple by , differs utes the lars, the entirely , and the littees of enquire efficiency remains most wise jenefit of ( V ) Whoever has attentively considered the weak- ness and inade((uacy of the present road laws, to protect the great interest at stake, must be aware of the urgent necessity for some new legislative measures, more adapted to the pre- sent state of the country. The roads are, per- haps, the most important branch of our domestic economy. The revenue collected for their sup- port equals that of the Post-office; and any failure in executing the work, operates as a severe check upon our commerce, manufactures, and agriculture. Yet a public service of such vital importance, continues to be regulated solely by the narrow policy and limited views of the first Turnpike Act, (which were, in fact, mere experiments in legislation,) while this im- mense revenue is abandoned to the discretion or the cupidity of the lower orders of society. The benefit which I have aspired to render the country, is of a twofold nature; and my labours have been as constantly directed to- wards the introduction of a wise and well-regu- lated system of management for the roads, as towards their mechanical construction. I have m ( V. ) always expressed a conviction, that no permanent improvement could take place in road affairs, without the interference of the legislature; nor has the success attending the eff^orts of my fa- mily, in various places, in any way tended to .veaken that opinion. The advantages of the new method of making roads are so apparent, they have not failed of attracting attention ; but I have not been equally fortunate in inducing the gentlemen of the country to observe the means by which economy and improvement have been combined. It is not only to the simplicity and cheapness of the new system, that the great difl-erence of expense is owing. In every place where the system has been properly acted upon, care has been taken to place the road business on the same respectable footing as other branches of the public service ; a complete executive depart- ment has been created. The inferior officers, selected from the most respectable yeomanry, are placed under the vigilant inspection of a su- perior, whose responsibility secures his attention, and who is not liable to be biassed by any mflu- "««fc. t no permanent in road affairs, egislature; nor fforts of my fa- way tended to vantages of the re so apparent, T attention ; but ate in inducing to observe the jprovement have ty and cheapness reat difference of place where the ;d upon, care has ._ business on the ither branches of executive depart- e inferior officers, jctable yeomanry, inspection of a su- cures his attention, assed by any influ- ( vii ) ence in the duties of his office. The great suc- cess that has attended the adoption of this plan, under all the disadvantages of the present road laws, is an earnest of what might result from its being established on a comprehensive scale, under the authority of Parliament. Although no measures have yet been taken for establishing any systematic plan for the manage- ment of roads, it is gratifying to observe the spirit of improvement which is extending itself over the country. This is manifest in various ways. The plan of converting the pavements of streets into stoned roads, was introduced into the Bristol district about six years ago ; and it may reasonably be expected, that pavements will very soon be nearly superseded by the more convenient, safe, and economical substitute of stoned roads. Of the superior convenience of roads, there can be no question ; and all the minor objections which have been started can be so easily obviated, that a very little reflection will be sufficient for any candid mind. The in- habitants of towns are generally apprehensive that roads will be less commodious for foot pas- ■ it '■"'«'^-*-' ( viii ) sengers than pavements: but (if proper care be bestowed on cleaning and watering) a road made of broken stone will be found more eligible than such pavements as those of London. In some towns, where the principal streets are turnpike roads, the commissioners have caused them to be made of materials broken very small, which, when skilfully laid, form a smooth, firm surface. The great difference between the cost of a road and even the worst London pavement, ^ould enable the city to bestow such care on the cleanliness of the carriage ways, as would allow the inhabitants to enjoy all the advantages of smooth road, with even increased comfort to the foot passenger. - i ■ ^f » i i' jui^ ..-i-j-a, „-._;^-«ja • care be I a road e eligible idon. Itt reet8 are ,ve caused ery small, ooth, firm cost of a pavement, care on the 70uld allow vantages of nfort to the ADVERTISEMENT. Since the Publication of the early editions of this Essay, the Author has witnessed with very great satisfaction the amendment of a large proportion of the Turnpike Roads, and some improvement of the Parish Roads. That the reformation has not been more extensive and successful, may be attributed to the error still persisted in by Trustees, of continuing the services of persons as Road Surveyors, who are not only altogether ignorant of the business they profess, but full of prejudices in favour of their own erroneous practice. Another and a greater error has been com- mitted lately, in several parts of the Country, A 3 [ "1 and which has entirely arisen from the desire entertained of using the new method of Road making. This very dangerous error consists m employing persons who offer themselves as hav- ing been instructed in Road making on scent.fic pi^neiples, without due inquiry respecting their skill, industry, and moral character. Among the many persons who present them- selves to be instructed, a very small proportion acquire a competent knowledge of their pro- fession, and this number is farther diminished by subsequent dismission for negligence, drunken- ness, and dishonesty. Of these rejected and incapable persons, great numbers are spread over the Country, soliciting employments and many have been incautiously engaged by Trustees, without inquiry either as to their character or their ability in their pro- fession. _ Under the most favourable circumstances for the constant and vigilant control of a master, *\ the desire d of Road consists in ves as hav- n scientific cting their 3sent them- 1 proportion their pro- minished by e, t'.runken- jrsons, great y, soliciting incautiously liry cither as n their pro- imstances for of a master, [ iii J U'hose public credit depends on the ecouuniical and skilful performance of the work, it is diffi- cult to keep sub-surveyors in the strict line of their duty ; but it may be easily conceived how much the public must suffer from accepting the services of men rejected for gross misconduct, and placing them in situations of confidence, altogether freed from the only control capable of beinsr exerted with effect. This error, al- though of recent date, has already been attended with very disastrous consequences in several places. A practical experience of Six Years, has served to confirm the opinion of the Author, that the control of Commissioners over surveyors is altogether ineffectual J whether for direction in their active duties, or for protecting the funds of Trusts from waste and peculation. The un- ceasing control, and minute inspection of a per- son whom the surveyors know to be as much their superior in skill and general information, as in station in society, and in the confidence of the Commissioners, is absolutely necessary for % i I i [ iv ] Ihte protection of the Roads. Where snch con- trol is duly exercised, good management with economy will be the result; and wherever a mistaken notion of economy shall continue to prevent the application of such wholesome and necessary control, the roads will be imperfe tly repaired, and the funds dissipated. It appears from the returns made to Parlia- ment, that the sum annually raised for the use of the Roads exceeds the neat revenue of the Post Office ; yet is this very large sum expended through the hands of persons of the lowest rank in society. «uder an appearance of control ; tvhich equally deceives the public and deludes the expectation of those who conduct the gene- ral business of the Roads. Commissioners can otily act with effect, as a deliberative body ; and their most beneficial re- solutions are rendered valueless, through want of a steady executive power. Any attempt on the part of indwidual Commissioners to exercise juch con- lent with tierever a iiitinue to esome and nperfe •♦ly to Parlia- fop the use nue of the 1 expended lowest rank of control ; nd deUidfs t the gene- eifeet, as a renelicial re- rougti want I attempt on s to exercise [ V ] this puwer is a still more dangerous course. The designs of the majority may thus be im- peded, or thwarted by the subsequent interfe- rence of a single person. All other branches of the public revenue are defended by the station and character of the persons, under whose care they are placed. The Legislature and the Government have wisely coQsidered it important (with a view to economy) to purchase talents, and station, as a protection for every branch of the public expenditure j but in the case of the Roads they have miscalculated the powei- and effect of the controling and directing authority. A proper comparison has not been made of the duties, or of the effect of the exertions of a body composed of unpaid and unresponsible individuals, like the road Commissioners, and those of bodies composed of Boards of Commissioners, in the pay, and responsible to the Government for the due administration of the trust reposed in them : having also properoflicers equally respon- sible as themselves to act under their direotrons. « u i. ' - i ;( [ vi J The state of the public roads, the alarming amount of an increasing debt, the loose and neglected state of the accounts of the several Trusts, are the best proofs of the defects of the system, and of its comparative inefficiency. The returns made to Parliament by the seve- ral Trusts in the kingdom (defective as they are) afford matter for serious reflection. England alone, is divided into 4)55 little Trusts which may be considered, in fact, as hostile to each other; while it is evident that unity of action is of vital importance among Commissioners of the same branch of the public service, for ef- fecting the great object of their appointment. While therefore each of those small commu- nities is liable to be biassed by individual interest or feeling, it will hardly be deemed inexpedient to recommend some central control over the District Commissioners, that may have the effect of regulating the eccentricity of their measures, as well as giving their views, in many instances, a better direction. This central con- trol will be most beneficially established in each ili Mm JKu a ^ iiingaiuuunt id neglected I Trusts, are system, and by the seve- e as they are) »n. England Trusts which stile to each ,y of action is missioners of rvice, for ef- appointment. niall commu- vidual interest id inexpedient itrol over the lay have the icity of their iriews, in many lis central con- jlished in eacli [ vii J county, under such regulations, and with nurh powers as the wisdom of Parliament may deem most effectual. A General Road Act must, in order to adapt itself to the exigences of the times, embrace a comprehensive view of the subject : and effec- tually remedy all the great evils which have originated in the weakness of the system, and have been allowed to grow up, through a want of attention to the altered state of the commerce, agriculture, manufactures, and general interests of the kingdom. Until the Legislature shall be pleased to enter into a serious consideration of the subject, no general and useful amendment can take place. The great debt, (exceeding at this moment Seven Millions,) will continue to increase, and improvement will still be impeded by obstacles not removeable by any other power except the authority of Parliament. INTRO ll •iii • I, r-ru INTRODUCTION. ,• ) The present very defective state of the Turn- pike Roads and Highways in the United King- dom, and the continual and apparently unlimited increase of the Toll Duties, are the consider, ations, which have given rise to the publication of the following remarks. Of the value of the information contained in them, the intelligent reader will be the most competent judge ; the author can only venture to assure him, that the few facts brought for- ward in the course of the work have been most carefully authenticated j that the opinions ad- vanced are the result of much thought, and patient investigation; that whatever may ap- pear theoretical, has, for the most part, been already reduced to practice ; and that where practice has been wanting, a long experience of the evils arifting from the present system, and !! ^u . however, the author gl«aiy submitn requenung, m he ^o"^^" °» ^ ^^ y,M r;r';:--— -'-"''^''••■ Ko:a;!:U.b"c«„.fdere/u..aer three p...c,p.. ''*ToB MODB OF MAKINO RoADS i . iBBMou"- ,»n Officers EM ■ THE C«MM.S«ONEK». *»- " ,„,YED «NDEI. THEM, FOE THIS ""i-E C.UE OF ™B F.N*N«=f„;, „, „,. „„. rfear .ml comprehen.ive mrangement. -.a. '9m I been t^*' letlicH \ito- \y submits mblic ; only ttted writer, jerusal, wiU J of the Ift- I gubjert oi ree principal »; lis SKltVlCE, ithor the most iient. REMARKS ON ROADS. PART FIRST. THE MODE OF MAKING ROADS. THE modes of making and repairing Roads are so various in the different parts of the king- dom, that it would be an endless task to attempt a particular account of each. It may, however, be possible to give a general idea of them, ac- cording to the materials produced in each part of the country. In the neighbourhood of London, the roads are formed of gravel ; in Essex and Sussex, they are formed of flint; in Wills, Somerset, and Glocester, limestone is principally used ; in the North of England, and in Scotland, whinstone is the principal material; and in Shropshire and Staffordshire, large pebbles mixed with sand. Excellent roads may be made with any of these materials. II li i i. ^1 i 11 . 8 The gravel of which the roads round London are formed is the worst; because it is mixed M^ith a lari^e portion of clay, and because the component parts of gravel are round, and want the angular points of contact, by which broken stone unites, and forms a solid body ; the loose state of the roads near London, is a conse- quence of this quality in the material, and o the entire neglect, or ignorance of the method of amending it. ' ' A more careful examination of facts connect- ed with the roads round London, has disco- vered several otlier causes, from whence proceeds the defective state of these roads. The greatest appears to be, the division of the roads mto so many small Trusts, which precludes the possi- bilitv of any extended plan of operations, for the benefit of the whole. Before any one road round London can be properly reformed, and all wasteful expenditure restrained, a comprehen- sive view of the local situation of the whole district will be requisite. ' Another great impediment to nnprovemen . arises from the laws and regulations,, whiclv prevent a supply of good road materials, of several kinds, being brought|>o London by water, and binded in diflFerent ^aces, conveni- ent for the roads. Were these restrictions re- 'I HMM London IS mixed ause the ind want h broken the loose \ conse- 1, and of e method I connect- las disco- > proceeds e greatest ds into so the possi- ations, for f one road ed. and all nmprehen- the whole provement, »i8,. which iterials, of London by s, conveni- rictions re- moved, as far as concerns stone, flint, or any ballast for road-making, London is so favorably situated for water-carriage by the river, and by the canals connected with it, that a supply, equal to the wants of all the roads in the vici- nity of London, might be obtained at a rea- sonable rate, and of good quality, so as to ren- der the use of the bad gravel round the me- tropolis no longer necessary. • But thi» mea- sure, to be performed in an economical, and efficient manner, must be done upon an ex- tended scale; it must become one interest, di- rected by one select body of men of weight, ability, and character. . , . ( A road near London may be made as smooth, solid, and easy for cattle to draw carriages over, as the road near Bristol j and the London road so made will last longer, and consequently be less expensive than the Bristol road, because the materials which may be obtained are more durable, and may be procured at less expence. • * This must not be undentood as conveying „.- opinion, (hat a good road may not be constructed with the London (frave!, properly pre|«red and applied. The road at Heading, in Berkshire, has lately been made perfectly smooth, s<,lid, and level, with a gravel inferior to that of London and at less than it formerly cost. Carriages make no impression on this' road, and it has rcmaineil good in all changes of weather. Nevertheless a means having been discovered, by diligent enquiry, for importing flint'. f.t>m a distance, the Reading road will, in future, be repaired with flint' at h:.If the expence required to prepirc the gravel of the neigl.bourhwd- ' ■•-■ *m: W '^"■=" *'.f " \-rL^-^--':.y^a~.;A <'^. - il-', -:^ 10 :1 ^t ■ !l i Flint makes an excellent road, if due atten- tion be paid to the size ; but from want of that attention, many of the flint roads are rough, loose, and expensive. Limestone, when properly prepared and ap- plied, makes a smooth, solid road, and becomes consolidated sooner than any other material; but from its nature is not the most lasting-. Whinstone is the most durable of all mate- rials ; and wherever it is well and judiciously applied, the roads are comparatively good and cheap. The pebbles of Shropshire and Staflbrdsliire, are of a hard substance, and only require a prudent application to be made good road ma- terials. On the other hand, the Scottish roads, made of the very best materials, which are abundant and cheap in every part of that country, are the most loose, rough, and expensive roads in the United Kingdom, owing to the unskilful use of the material. The formation of roads is defective in most parts of the country ; in particular the roads round London, are made high in the middle, m the form of a roof, by which means a carnage goes upon a dangerous slope, unless kept on the very centre of the road. ;! : J ■ uTaixii i--i'"t«*i*'g= -£S2S3E3BB; 11 ue attcn- nt of thai re rough, I and ap- ] becomes material ; ting. all mate> judiciously good and iffordsliire, require a [ road ma- Is, made of undant and •y, are the lads in the ilful use of ive in most r the roads middle, in a carriage kept on the These roads are repaired l»y throwing a large quantity of unprepared gravel in the middle, and trusting that, by its never consolidating, it will in due time move towards the sides. When a road has been originally well made, it will be easily repaired. Such a road can never become rough, or loose j though it will gradually wear thin and weak, in proportion to the use to which it is exposed ; the amendment will then be made, by the addition of a quantity of materials prepared as at first. As there will be no expense on such road, between the first making and each subsequent repair, except' the necessary attention to the water ways, and to accidental injuries, the funds will be no longer burdened with the unceasing expenditure, at present experienced, from continual efforts at repairing, without amendment of the roads. There cannot be a doubt, that all the roads in the kingdom may be made smooth and solid, in an equal degree, and to continue so at all seasons of the year. Their durability will of course depend on the strength of the materials of which they may be composed, but they will all be good while they last, and the only ques- tion that can arise respecting the kind of mate- rials, is one of time and expence, but never of the immediate condition of the roads. • i ■ *= ti iii- Vi The anxious provisions of the Legislature for preservatim of the roads have unfortunately Taken precedence of measures for making roads fit to be travelled upon, or worth the care of being preserved. Will it be deemed presump- tuous to propose, that some regulations may be adopted, for encouraging and promotmg a bet- ter system of making roads, by ehc.tmg the exertion of science, and by creating a set of offi- cers of skill, and reputation, to supermtend this most essential branch of domestic economy f When roads are properly made, very few re- gulations are necessary for their preservation. It is certainly useful to make effectual provi- sion for keeping clear the water-courses, for removing nuisances, and for the pruning of trees and hedges; for these purposes ample powers should be given to Commissioners; but the advantage of many existing regulations respect- ing wheeled carriages may very well be ques- tioned. There can be no doubt that many of those regulations are oppressive to commerce and agriculture, by compelling an inconvenient construction of carriages * The author has -it, ■''it • The increaseof thebr«.dth of thowhce':.. tho„gh in a greater propor- tion Iha.. that of .he weights, is by no means a compensaUou or . i^. :„. the .hole hreaath u. many in^tan.s. ''<'«^ ^^^ '^^'^^:^Z B..„u„d. or the whee!«. wiU no, U. ■...>«..., ... ...a. «>■— '• -• T^m Id >|rislatiire for infortunately naking roads the care ot [led presump- itions may be (noting a bet- eliciting the r a set of offi- perintend this scoiiomy ? very few re- preservation. Fectual provi- >r-courses, for runing of trees ample powers lers; but the ations respect- well be qaes- t that many of to commerce in inconvenient he author has Mgh in a greater propor- ompensttlioik for it ; (fe- rn Jlir imqualily f a turn- cted from ]». Were be subject affairs, or uld render stances of le part of f the coun- it might be liently calculated jre qualified with y, and of industry Kau«»v, r»B« >&• 19 derived from pruvidiiijr each cuunly with an executive ofliccr, wliose sole attention should bo given to the business; whose services should be amply remunerated, and of whom the Com- missioners might of right demand an account of the manner in which their orders were car- ried into execution j who should examine and audit the accounts of the 8ub«surveyors ; com- pare them with the work performed, and certify them, if approved, to the Treasurers. In a trust of any extent, say about J.50 miles of road, the time of such an officer would be very fully employed. He must direct the exe- cution of the repairs, and alterations of the road, when ordered by the Commissioners j and he must controul the contracts, and other agree- ments entered into by the Sub-surveyors, so as to prevent unnecessary expence j he must exa- mine all work performed, to see that it is cor- responding with contracts, and generally keep a vigilant superintendance over the persons em- ployed under him. Accounts of all expences incurred should every second week be deli- vered by the Sub-surveyors into his office in duplicate; after examination, one copy to re- main in the office, the other certified, to be sent to the Treasurer, upon which payment may follow. b2 i *^feafeiAiliJ6li.^fe«|•"»""»" 'f";',, i«t of road.,..aking ought to have been J considered by him i hi. .t.tion .n "oc.ety »ho»l« be .uch. « to ..cure to him the »«PP°^ ""f, oonftdeneo of the Commi»ioner,. v,h. .t com mandsthe obedience and deference of the ordinate officers. imlividual The succe* of the «"''•«"' j'/X"oun. Commi^ione,., in particular r^f"^' better tr. fint suRgested the opinion, that a better lem of rSl-making might be adopted and r.«mple. of a better practice extended to all D.rt» of the country; but the benefit can lert rendered thu, general, unless accom- .^^ by the «a, and activity that produce^^ Hi and this can only be supplied >>? »«;"'^ „i.„se sole duty it .hall be. -« «ho «m b« nccountable to the Commissioner. »f^'>^ orders they act for the execution "f j^e »"»' confided to them. Gratuitous service, are e'e^ Uo-y and local 'XTart'yT h^: the residence, and life of the party , always disappointed expectation. StaU and :«Lve Jour must be fl-^tely P^J fo - if expected to be constantly and u«fuUy , ^-■-^— "x:^^"*!??'' ■ ^^"^ 1 II of tlif Ueil; he neral in- the Hub- ,een well sty shouUi ,port anil e it com- f the sub- individuftl the coun- it a better jpted, and itended to benefit can ess accom- X produced by officers, trho will be inder whose of the trust ces are ever 'pendant on ; and have Skill and 3ly paid for, usefully ex- 121 frtfid ; rind if so exerted, the price i ! 'I n misapplication and depte.lation, i« exemplified in the measures wisely entered into by the Com- missioner, for the care of the tnrnp.ke road, m the Bbistoi. District, the ,acce,s of »hich has amply justified their adoption, he road, having been entirely reformed and put mt. the best possible state for use, ■>»''" ^JP^^ f™.; siderably «ithin the revenue of the Trast^ 1 « improved state of the finances has enabled the Commissioner, to effect several great permanent improvements, without forgetting the nec^sary pZision for liquidation of the debt, wh.ch had accumulated during former years. i li' :* ii J. emplifietl the Com- e roads in of which the roads t into the lence con- ust. This nabled the permanent } necessary which had PART THIRD. CARE OF THE FINANCES. Thc funds placed by the Legislature at the disposal of the Commissioners for the care of turnpike roads are very considerable, and might be supposed with proper management, fully equal to the object; they arise principally from toll duties, and a proportion of statute labour. As long as it shall be necessary to raise large sums for the maintenance of roads, the present means must continue ; toll duties, although li- able to many objections, are so immediateltff and effectually productive, that little hope can be entertaiued of the possibility of their being reduced, until a continuance of a better system shall have materially amended the roads, and reduced the expence, so as to leave means for extinguishing the heavy debt owing by the country for this branch of the public service. 1 li ■ii>fcj>**«n«ti ii , 1 1 24 Statute labour, in kind, was decreed by Par- liament at a time, when no better means could be devised : when a circulating medium was deficient, and when a fair quantum of labour could not, in many parts of the country, be ob- tained for money. Personal labour for a public service can never be made profitable, or fairly productive ; at the same time, it is liable to the great objections of being made an instrument of partiality and op- pression under the direction of a class of men with whom such a power should never be lodged, and over whom, in this instance, no adequate controul can be placed. "' t» The causes, which operated to induce Par- liament to resort to personal service, having ceased, it will be found expedient to commute statute labour for a moderate assessment m money. This has been effected with great ad- vantage in Scotland, by most, if not all of tl.e local and county Acts for turnpike roads.* The sum of money annually raised m the kingdom for roads is very great, and would ♦ It is iuipossible not to see that statute lalwur is a remnant of personal service; a gentleman might as well argue at the present day, that rents paid in kind, are more easy and equitable than monied rents, as to.le- f..ml the custom of mending highways by compulsory labour. F,our.wo»TH'» E«*Y ow the Construction Of .,. Ko*t» andCahhi**.". P- **• . , .^...y^Metf J*--;? - — rfl'i 2L'S! SJ^^^^E? jw 25 by Par- ns could am was if labour r, be ob- an never 3 ; at the ictions of ' and op- 18 of men »e lodged, adeq[uate iuce Par- >, having commute sment in great aa- all of the ds.* ed in the ind would iianl of personal day, that rents rents, as to cle- our. 'ONJTROCTION Of J, p. 46. be found, if carefully examined into, much beyond the general belief. Government have procured information, as to the sum raised an- nually for parish roads (generally denominated highways) but they have not yet enquired into the amount of the much greater sum raised for the maintenance of the turnpike roads, nor into the amount of the debt incurred for the same purpose. These funds, considerable as they are, con- tinue to be expended, nominally, under the direction of Commissioners, but effectually and practically under the Surveyors, over whom the Commissioners have very uncertain means of useful controul; and there is no doubt, thit much abuse exists in the expenditure, partly from ignorance, but much more from peculation andpatronage very much misplaced. iJnder such circumstances the protection of the funds would be promoted by the inspection and controul of a superior officer ; and finally it might be desirable, that a report from each trust should be made to Parliament of the receipt and expenditure for the year. That the funds provided by Parliament for the roads are either insufficient for the object, or that they ar. improvidently expended, is best proved by the numerous applications to !'. .' 26 Parliament in every Session, fo^«^7^;«" "j powers and increase of tolls ; setting forth that Without such aid the debts cannot be paid, nor the roads kept in repair. In the Session of Par- liament 1815, thirty-four such ?«*»*»«"« J^^^ presented; and in the Session of I8l6, thirty- two; all which bills were passed as a matter oj course; the petitioners being only required to r^rovetheactual necessity to the Committee, but no enquiry seems to have been made as to the cause of that necessity. An efficient, uniform and constant controul of the expenditure of road funds, and an an- nual report of the result to Parliament would enable the House of Commons to form a judg- ment, whether the deficiency proceeded from inadequacy of the means, or from improvident expenditure; and thereby that Honourable House would be enabled to use means for pre- venting the growing amount of debt, which the petitions presented each Sessions sufficienUy shew to be increasing to an alarming degree ; and which, being incurred under the authority of Parliament, must ultimately become a claim uoonthe justice of the country. Upon consideration of this important subject it appears, that a review of the turnpike laws has become indispensable, for the purpose of —i: -^,— ft;-.- • -r- .,.^;''!s*i- -*3(«|S«' ,'Sil.-Ss^#S5a 27 snsion of forth that paid, nor >n of Par- ions were 6, thirty- matter of jqaired to littee, but e as to the t controul nd an an- ient would rm a judg- teded from mprovident Honourable ans for pre- ebt, which , sufficiently ing degree ; tie authority jme a claim ftant subject irnpike laws i purpose of altering and amending obsolete, useless, and oppressive regulations; and for substituting others more consonant with the present state of society. This review is required by expe- rience of the inadequacy of the present system, to the great object of forming the best and easiest communications through every part of the country, with a due regard to economy; and for preventing the increase of a debt, which has been allowed, in silence, to accumulate to an extent, that will hardly be credited when pro- perly and accurately ascertained. Many and important improvements have originated from the good sense and zeal of in- dividual Commissioners, or from particular district meetings, the good effects of which have been confined to the place of origin ; such improvements have also ceased to operate, on the death Or removal of their authors, and have been thereby finally lost, for want of a general superinteiidance, which would have an interest in the improvement of the whole. The defective state of the roads, independant of the unnecessary expence, is oppressive on agriculture, comme-ce, and manufactures, by the increase of the price of transport, by waste of the labour of cattle, and wear of carriages, as well as by causing much delay of time. I !Sr r^^--\fS'vsk ' £^ 'I! 98 Under an efficient and responsible execntive department, established and directed by the wisdom of Parliament, this subject would be brought within the means of examination and re- gulation ; and many local improvements, which have been confined to small districts, would be brought forward, and communicated generally for the public benefit.* * Since thi, E,.«y w. writu., : h.». vUiUd Engl.nd. and have found, on a journey of many hundred miles, scarcely twenty m.le. of we l-.na e Id m many parts of the country, and especially round U.ndon. the Tol a"ei„ a Imeful condition. ThU must .trike the publ.c ; and lootr or later the good ^ense of the English nation will feel the necess.ty of adopting .n. means of '-P-e-t. ^^^^^,^ ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^ ,_ In Uehn»' « roads of the kingdom in owinj? to the injndi- " cious application of the materials with which « they are repaired, and to the defective form of ** the roads." " 2nd. That the introduction of a better sys- « tern of nraking the sxirface of roads, and the « application of scientific principles, which has «« hitherto never been thought of, would remedy « the evil." " In illustration of these positions, I beg to «« observe, that the object to be attained in a « good road, as far as regards the surface, is to *« have it smooth, solid, and so flat as that acar- "riage may stand upright; these objects are « not attained by the present system, because « no scientific principles are applied j but it is " presumed they are perfectly attainable in all «* parts of the country." " Stone is to be procured in some form in al- « most every part of the kingdom, and a road " made of small broken stone to the depth ot « ten inches, will be smooth, solid and durable." « The materials of which the present roads »• are composed, are wot worn out; but are dis- " placed by the action of the wheels of car- - riage. upon stones of too large a size : the « wheel dues nut pa>is over the materials ot -"i::,^rS^^rZ.:^SV^^^' ^s^^?^ lion of tho the injmli- *vitli whicli ive form of better sys- Is, and the which has uld remedy H, I heg to ttained in a iirface, is to IS that a car- objects are em, because Dd; but it is inable in all le form in al- , and a road the depth of md durable." present roads but are dis- rheels of car- e a size: the materials of « which the road is formed, but is constantly, " almost at every step, encountering^ an obstacle " which muNt either give way and be removed, " or the carriage must be lifted by the force of " the cattle so as to surmount it ; in either case •• the road is injured, and the carriage impeded, *• and the injury and impediment will be groat " in the exact proportion to the number and size •' of the obstacles." *' The size of stones for a road has been de- •♦ scribed in contracts in several different ways, " sometimes as the size of a hen's egg, sonie- " times at half a pound weight. These descrip- " tions are very vague, the first being an indefi- " nite size, and the latter depending on the den- •* sity of the stone used, and neither being at- " tended to in the execution. The size of stone " used on a road must be in due proportion to •• the space occupied by a wheel of ordinary di- •• mensions on a smooth level surface, this point "of contact will be found to be, longitudinally " about an mch, and every piece of stone put " into a road, which exceeds an indi in any of " its dimensions, is mischievous." " The roads in Scotland are worse than those ** in England, although materials are more "abundant, of better quality, and labou at " lead as cheap, and the toll duties are nearly c 2 •' 'K!»«?iK*l&'' X^;/hisi:^ 96 . .1 .l,u is because road-making, thali* " '»»"''''• "" : even «orse understood in Scot- the surface, is even v.ors jigeassion land than in England. By-j^^^.^coaches .. i„ Parliament on the ^-^jedt f MaJ^ed that • ^ *«n it was universally aiiowc« « payuig toll, »t waj .^ .^ deplorable « (( from Glasgow to f^' ^j ,„,&, „„d <*e iad co)mWio» o/'** '"»"' . ^^ that i» n Scot- scossion Coaches fed that plorable irupt. ystmaster- mil-coach }ard$ Jre- s, and the lien turn- a? During nearly five years that the vt^riter has given his whole attention to the improvement of the Turnpike Roads, experience having- con- firmed his ideas on the subject, no endeavours h»ve been spared, to extend the benefits whiclti have already resulted to the Bristol district, over the whole country. The very limited means possessed by any individual for influencing this important branch of domestic economy, has oc- casioned frequent attempts to convey instruc* tions for road-making in writing. This method has never been entirely successful : it being im- possible to acquire a mechanical art without actual practice ; or to obtain any just ideas of it, beyond the first principles, from books. These principles are, that a road ought to be considered as an artificial flooring forming a strong, smooth, solid surface, at once capable of carrying great weight, and over which carriages may pass without meeting any impediment. y.i ss mectimsfar Repair of an old Road, being the substance of a Communication made to a Committee of the Honourable House of Commons in 1811, and published mth the Report by Order of the House, mth additions and alterations, deduced from actual practice during the last three yean. 1st February, 1819. No addition of materials is to be brought upon a road, unless in any part of it be found that there is not a quantity of clean stone equal to ten inches in thickness. Thestonealreadyin theroad is to be loosened up and broken, so as no piece shall exceed six ounces in weight. The road is then to be laid as flat as possible, a rise ot three inches from the centre to the side is sufficient for a road thirty feet wide. »l„,„,i The stones when loosened in the road are to be gathe ed '■■ off by means of a strong heavy rake, with teeth two and a half inches in length, to the side of the road and there broken, and on no account are stones to be broken on the '** When the great stones have bren removed, and none left in the road exceeding six ounces, the road is to be put m shape and a rake employed to smooth the surface, which will at the same time bring to the surface the remaining stone, and will allow the dirt to go down. When the road is so prepared, the ston« that has been broken by the side of the road is then to be carefully spread on it-this is rather a nice operation, and the future quality of the road will greatly depend on the manner in which it is performed. The stone must not be laid on an shovels full. m \stanee of onourahle \e Report Iterations, yean: f, 1819. D a road, a quantity ndbroken, , a rise of t for a road e gathered two and a and there ken on the d none left to be put in !, which will ining stone, lat has been ifully spread ture quality i\ which it is shovels full* but scattered over the surface, one shovel full following another and spreading over a considerable space. Only a small space of road should be lifted at once ; five men in a gang should be set to lift it all across : two men should continue to pick up and rake off the large stones and to form the road for receiving the broken stone, the other three should break stones — the broken stone to be laid on as soon as the piece of road is prepared to receive it, and then break up another piece ; two or three yards at one lift is enough. The proportioning the work among the five men must of course be regulated by the nature of the road ; when tliere are many very large stones, the three breakers may not be ab' 10 keep pace with the two men employed in lifting and toi . . nd when there are few large stones the contrary ma ' 'I'.c case ; of all this the Surveyor must judge and direct. But while it is recommended to lift and relay roads which have been made with large stone, or with large stone mixed with clay, chalk or other mischievous materials, there are many cases in which it would be highly unprofitable to lift and relay a road, even if the materials should have been originally too large. The road between Cirencester and Bath is made of stone too large in size, but it is of so friable a nature that in lifting it becomes sand ; in this case I recommended cutting down the high places, keeping the surface smooth and gradually wearing out the materials now in the road, and then replacing them with some stone of a better quality properly prepared. In like manner a part of the road in the Bath district is made of freestone which it would be unprofitable to lift. At Egham in Surrey, it was necessary to remove the whole road to separate the small portion of valuable materials from the mass of soft matter of which it was principally composed. i i 40 which was removed at considerable expence, before a road could be again made upon the site. Other cases of several kinds have occurred where a dif- ferent method n-ust be adopted, but which it is impossible to specify, and must 'oe met by the practical skill of the Office, whose duty it may be to superintend the repair of a road, and who must constantly recur to general principles. These principles are m. form, however much circumstances may differ, and they must form the guide by which his judgment must be always directed. When additional stone is wanted on a road that has con- Bolidated by use. the old hardened surface of the road is to be loosened with a pick, in ordv. to make the fresh mate- »■ h vnito with the old. Urrtnges, whatever be the construction of their wheels, will make ruts in a new madn road until it consolidates, however well the materials may be prepared, or however judiciously applied; therefore a careful person must attend for some time after the road is opened for use, to rake in the track made by wheels. The only proper method of breaking stones, both for effect »nd economy, is by persons silting^: the stones are to be placed in small heaps, and women, boys, or old men past hard labour, luust sit down with suall hammers and break them, so as none shall exceed six ounces in weight. The Tools to be uspd are, — Strong picks, but short from the handle to the point, for lifting the road. . ^u u a Small hammers of about one pound weight in the head, the face the size of a new shilling, well steeled, with a short handle. ^ . . . j • Rake, with wooden heads, ten inches m length, and iron teeth about two and a half inches in length, very strong for raking out the large stones when the road is broken up, and .i.iu.i-J - -JJS*,.i.-.t,- ' . ' 41 re a road lere a dif- >o$8ible to he Office! of a road, 8. These inces may judgment it has con- road is to resh mate- eir wheels, msolidates, ir however (lust attend ■ake in the ;h for effect , are to be . men past and break lit. e point, for t the head, with a short th, and iron y strong for sen up, and for keeping the road smooth after bei^-ft tclaid, and while it is consolidating. Very light broad-mouthed shovels, to spread the broken stone and to form the road. Every road is to be made of broken stone without mixture of earth, clay, chalk, or any other matter that will imbibe water, and be affected with frost ; nothing is to be laid on the clean stone on pretence of bindittg ; broken stone will combine by its own angles into a smooth solid surface that cannot be affected by vicissitudes of weather, or displaced by the action of wheels, which will pass over it without a jolt, and consequently without injur]^. PRICES. The price of lifting a rough road, breaking the stones, forming the road, smoothing the surface, cleaning out the water-courses, and replacing the stone, leaving the road in a finished state, has been found in practice to be from one penny to two-pence per superficial yard, li'^-d four inches deep i the variation of price depends on the greater or les- ser quantity of stone to be broken. At two-pence per yard, a road of six yards wide will cost, therefore, one shilling per running yard, or 881. per mile. Any rough road iruv be rendered smooth and solid at this if!: u \^ i! price unless it be weak ond require an addition of stone, or • nuire some very material alteration of shape. Breaking stone has been reduced in price by the use of .iioie proper hammers, and the sitting posture. The Commissioners at Bristol used to pay fifteen pence per ton for limestone from Durdham-Down, for the use of their roads, and broken to a size above twenty ounces.— Stone is now procured from the same place, broken so as none exceed six ounces for tei)-pence per ton ! and the workmen are very desirous of contracts at that rate, because the heavy work is done by the men, the light work with small har .lers by the wives and children, so that whole families are employed. In Sussex, the proportion is greater between former and present prices ; the breaking of flint cost at one time two shillings per ton, and is now done, by introducing a better method and fitter tools at one shilling per ton. By a more judicious preparation and application of ma- terials the quantity of stona consumed in roads is decreased, by which a great saving of expence is made, and with this great advantage, that the saving is in horse labour of cart- age, while the labour price is given to men, and in such a manner as includes boys from the age of ten upwards, wo- men and old men past the age of being able to labour hard. The proportion of men and horse labour in the Bristol dis- trict, under the former management, was One-fourth to men's labour. Three-fourths to horse labour. Under a better system of management tho proportion has been exactly reversed : during half a year that an exact ac- count was kept, there was paid. For men's, women and children's labour, jeSOS^,. For horses' labour ^^^^' I A^i Thia immense advantage is presented in every part of the country, as roads are confined to no particular place, and are universally in want of repair: ample funds are already pro- vided for every useful and proper purpose, although at pre- sent misapplied in almost every part of the kingdom, while the labourers are in want of that employment which it ought to afford them. ! TO THE RIGHT HONOUR/* BLE THE PRESIDENT, AND THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. Having communicateil to your Honourable Board, some observations on making and repair- ing roads, in February, 1819, I beg leave to add tbe following, which have arisen from increased experience on the subject, and also from a desire of calling your attention to the effects of the late severe winter on the roads of the country, and the confirmation afforded to the opinions I ^ have endeavoured to introduce on the construc- tion of roads. During the late winter, and particularly in the month of January, 1820, when the frost wa», succeeded by a sudden thaw, accompanied by the melting of snow, the roads of the kingdom broke up in a very alarming manner, and to an extent that created great loss and inconvenience by the interruption of communication, and the a>iis»ei9i*"H>l* 45 RE. tourable I repair- e to add I creased a desire s of the country, linions I ;onstruc- iilarly in frost was, mied by kingdom md to an ivenience and the delay of the mails, and also occasioned a very heavy extra expenditure by the Post-office. The obvious cause of this defect of the roads, was the admission of water from the loose and unskilful method of their construction. Previous to the severe frost, the roads were filled with water, which had penetrated through the ill- prepared and unskilfully laid materials: this caused an immediate expansion of the whole mass during the frost, and upon a sudden thaw, the roads became quite loose, and the wheels of carriages penetrated to the original soil, which was also saturated with water, from the open state of the road. By this means, many roads became altogether impassable, while the whole were rendered deep and inconvenient to be tra- velled upon. r. In particular, it was observed, that all the roads of which chalk was a component part, became, generally, impassable ; and even, that the roads made over chalk soils gave way in most places. This evidently proceeded from the ab- sorbent quality of chalk, which renders it so tenacious of water, that I consider its use to be one of the most dangerous errors in road making. 1 was induced on former occasions to recom- mend particular care in making roads over chalk soils, and to advise a discontinuance of the i practice of mixing chalk, cl«y, or any oilier matter that holds water, with the umterialH of a road. The experience of last winter has con- firmed this opinion, and has shewn the ruinous effects of the former method. Of all tlie roads which have heen thoroujfhiy re-made, according to the directions which 1 bad the honour to submit to your Honourable Board last spring, not one has given way, nor has any delay taken place through the severity of the late season. As every winter has, in some degree, pre- sented such inconveniences, and as it has been ob- served that very severe winters occur in England every six or seven years, it is of great conse- quence to consider of the means of constructing the roads of the kingdom in such a manner as shall prevent iheir being in future affected by any change of weather or season. :_^_ The roads can never be rendered thus per- fectly secure, until the following principles be fully understood, admitted, and acted upon: namely, that it is the native soil which really supports the weight of traffic : that while it iir preserved in a dry state, it will carry any weight without sinking, and that it does in fact carry the road and the carriages also ; that this native soil must previously be made quite dry, and a 47 y oilier iaiH uf a has coii- ruinous jroujifbly which 1 nourable vjiy, nor severity ree, pre- beeii ob- England It conse- structing lanner ax ected by thus per- tciples be ed upon : lich really virhile it iir ny weight fact carry this native ry, and a covering intpcnetrable to rain, niuNt then be placed over it, to preserve it in that dry state ; that the thickness of a road should only be regu- lated by the quantity of material necessary to form such impervious covering, and never by any reference to its own power of carrying weight. The erroneous opinion so long acted upon, and so tenaciously adhered to, that by placing a large quantity of stone under the roads, a re- medy will be found for the sinking into wet clay, or other soft soils, or in other words, that a road may be made sufficiently strong, artificially, to carry heavy carriages, though the sub-soil be in a wet state, and by such means to avert the in- conveniences of the natural soil receiving water from rain, or other causes, has produced most of the defects of the roads of Great Britain. At one time I had formed the opinion that ihis practice was only a useless expence, but ex- perience has convinced me that it is likewise po- sitively injurious. It is well known to every skilful and observant ruad-maker, that if strata of stone of various sizes be placed as a road, the largest stones will constantly work up by the shaking and pressure of the traffic, and that the only mode of keeping the stones of a ruad from motion, is to use mate- rials of a unifurni size from the bottom, lu 4t rortds n»:ul(5 upou large stoii*!* u» u r.uiiulation-, the perpetiiul motion, or cliiiugc of llie position of the nmteriiils, keeps open many apertures through which the water passes. It has also been found, that roads phiced upon a hard bottom, wear away more quickly than those which are placed upon a soft soil. This has been apparent upon roads where u»otives of economy, or other causes, have prevented the road being lifted to the bottom at once; the wear has always been found to diu.inish, as soon as it was possible to remove the hard foundation. It is a known fact, that a road lasts much longer over a morass than when made over rock. The evidence produced before the Committee of the House of Commons, shewed the comparison on the road between Bristol and Bridgwater, to be as five to seven in favour of the wearing on the morass, where the road is laid on the naked sur-, face of the soil, against a part of the same road made over rocky ground. The practice common in England, and uni- versal in Scotland, on the formation of a new road, is, to dig a trench below the surface of the ground adjoining, and in this trench to deposit a quantity of large stones; after this, a second quantity of stone, broken smaller, generally to about seven or eight pounds weight j these pre- 4f» ulatiun> position pertures red upon kly than I. ThiH )tive» of nted the ice; the 1, as soon indation. uh longer :k. The tee of the tarison on ter, to be ig on the aked sur- lanie road and uni- of a new 'ace of the to deposit a second juerally to these pre- vions heds of stone ore called the bottoming of Che road, and are of various thickness, accord- ing to the caprice of the maker, and generally in proportion to the sum of money placed at his disposal. On some new roads, made in Scot- land, in the summer of 1810, the thickness e>.- ceeded three feet. That which is properly called the road, is then placed on the bottoming, by putting large quantities of broken stone or gravel, generally a foot or eighteen inches thick, at once upon it. Were the materials of which the road itself is composed, properly selected, prepared, and laid, some of the inconveniences of this system might be avoided ; but in the careless way in which this service is generally performed, the road is as open as a sieve to receive water ; which pene- trates through the whole mass, is received and retained in the trench, whence the roud is liable to give way in all changes of weather. A road formed on such principles has never eftectually answered the purpose which the road- maker should constantly have in view ; namely, to make a secure, level flooring, over wl ' *!» car- riages may pass with safety, and equal i^^pedi- tion, at all seasons of the year. If it be admitted, as I believe it U now very generally, that in this kingdom an artificial road l> I i I IK 1.1 :^,: It 'II ?'■ !,«: 50 is only required to obviate the inconvenience of ft very unsettled climate j and that water with alternate fiost and thaw, are the evils to be guarded against, it roust be obvious that nothing can be more erroneous than providing a reservoir for water under the road and giving facility to the water to pass through the road into this trench, where it is acted upon by frost to the destruction of the road. As no artificial road can ever be made so good, and so useful as the natural soil in a dry state, it is only necessary to procure, and pre- serve this dry state of so much ground as is intended to be occupied by a road. . i ' - a -. The first operation in making a road should be the revers. of digging a trench. The road should not be sunk below, but rather raised above, the ordinary level of the adjacent ground, care should at any rate be taken, that there be a sufficient fall to take off the water, so that it should always be some inches below the leve of the ground upon which the road is intended to be placed: this must be done, either by making drains to lower ground, or if that be not practicable, from the nature of the country, tiieu the soil upon which the road is proposed to be laid, must be raised by addition, so as to be some inches above the level of the water. m enience of irater with vils to be ious that providing and g^iving 1 the road on by frost le made so jil in a dry , and pre- round as is ^•■;l. '.vsS- road should The road ither raised lent ground, hat there be r, so that it ow the level i is intended ;, either by if that be not :ountry, then 'oposed to be so as to be ! water. Having secured the soil from under water, the road-maker is next to secure it from rain water, by a solid road, made of clean, dry stone, or flint, so selected, prepared, and laid, as to be perfectly impervious to water : and this cannot be effected, unless the greatest care be taken, that no earth, clay, chalk, or other matter, that will hold or conduct water, be mixed with the broken stone ; which must be so prepared and laid, as to unite by its own angles into a firm, compact, impenetrable body. ■^**- ^^'^ -vcv'"! The thickness of such road is immaterial, as to its strength for carrying weight j this object is already obtained by providing a dry surface, over which the road is to be placed as a cover- ing, or roof, to preserve it in that state : experi- ence having shewn, that if water passes through a road, and fill the native soil, the road, what- ever may be its thickness, loses its support, and goes to pieces. In consequence of an alteration in the line of the turnpike road, near Rownham Ferry, in the parish of Ashton, near Bristol, it has been necessary to remove the old road. This road was lifted and re-laid very skilfully in 1816; since which time it has been in contemplation to change the line, and consequently, it has been suffered to wear very thin. At present it is not p 2 _.„ ^. ^ ...^ ■ fl2 above three inches thick in most places, and in none more than four: yet on removing the road it was found, that no water had penetrated, nor had the frost affected it during all the late winter; and the natural earth beneath the road was found perfectly dry. 'l^'h Several new roads have been constructed on this principle within the last three years. Part of the great north road from London by Hod- desdon in Hertfordshire— two pieces of road on Durdham Down, and at Rownham Ferry, near Bristol— with several private roads, in the east- em part of Sussex. None of those roads exceed six inches in thickness, and although that on the great north road is subjected to a very heavy traffic, (bemg only fifteen miles distant from London) it has not given way, nor was it affected by the late severe winter j when the roads between that and London became impassable, by breakmg up to the bottom, and the mails and other coaches were obliged to reach London by circuitous routes. It is worthy of observation, that these bad roads cost more money per mile for their annual repair, than the original making of this useful uew road. "^ Improvement of roads, upon the principle I have endeavoured to explain, has been rapidly '.ea, and ving the ketrated, the late he road acted on •s. Part by Hod- ' road on ■ry, near the east- 'It inches in 'eat north c, (being n) it has y the late A^een that Baking up ir coaches circuitous that these e for their ing of this principle I en rapidly 53 extended during the last four years. It has been carried into effect, on various roads, and Mrith every variety of material, in seventeen dif- ferent counties. These roads being so con- structed as to exclude water, consequently none of them broke up during the late severe winter ; there was no interruption to travelling, nor any additional expense by the Post-office in convey- ing the mails over them, to the extent of up- wards of one thousand miles of road. Many new roads, and to a considerable ex- tent, are projected for the ensuing season. Some of them are to be assisted by grants or loans from government, and it will be a great saving of property, and enable government to extend their assistance more effectually, if these roads be made in the most approved and economical manner. The unnecessary expense attending the mak- ing of new roads in the manner hitherto prac- tised, is one great cause of the present heavy debt upon the road trusts of the kingdom. The principal part of the large sums originally bor- rowed, have been sunk in the useless, and in my opinion, mischievous preparation, of a foun- dation. This debt presses heavily on the funds of all the roads in England, and, in many cases, absorbs almost their whole i^venue in payment wm 54 of inter ,t. In Scotland this pressure is sliU more h.aviSy felt : indeed it i^ not of uncom- mon occurence in that country^ for creditor* to lose both principal and interest of their loan. to roads. This causes not only a great and unnecessary loss in the first instance, and a deficiency of means for ordinary repair, and maintenance ot the roads, but it also discourages the formation of new roads. Were a better and more econo- raical system generally adopted and acted upon, many great additiona and improvements of the communications of the country would taV e pUoe, from which, at present, the landholders arc deterred, by fear of the extent of the expense, and the difficulty of obtaining loans of money. The measure of substituting lavements, for convenient and useful roads, is a kind of des- perate remedy, to which ignorance has had recourse. The badness, or scarcUy of materials, cannot be considered a reasonable excuse j be- cause the same quantity of stone required for paving, is fully sufficient to make an excellent road any where : and it m««t be evident, that road materials of the best quality may be pro- cured at less cost than paving stone. - - -* The very bad quality of the gravel ronnd Undon, combined with want of skill and exer- 6& is still uncom- Teditors iir loans Bcessary iency of lance of )rination B econo- ;eclapon, its of the |.;e pluoe, ders are expense, money, lents, for cl of des- has had naterials, ;use} be- [ntred for excellent lent, that iv be pro- vel ronnd and exer- tion, either to obviate its defects, or to procure a better material, has induced several of the small trusts, leading from that city, to have recourse to the plan of paving their roads, as far as their means will admit. Instead of ap- plying their ample funds to obtain good mate- rials for the roads, they have imported stone from Scotland, and have paved their roads, at an expense ten times greater than that of the excellent roads lately made on some of the adjoining trusts. Very few of these pavements have been so laid as to keep in good order for any length of time; so that a very heavj expense has been incurred without any beneficial result, and it is to be lamented that this wasteful and ineffectual mode is upon the increase in the neighbourhood of London. This practice has also beea aduptfcd in places where the same motive cannot be adduced : in Tjancashirs, almost ail the roads are paved at an enormous cost, and are, in consequence, pro- verbially bad. At Edinburgh, where they have the best and cheapest materials in the kingdom, the want of science to construct good roads, has led the trustees to adopt the expedient of pave- ments, to a considerable extent ; and at an ex- pense hardly credible, when compared with S^"" ;! 56 ih« what would have been the cost of nnh best principles. ' •' '* The advantages of good roads, when com- pared with pavements, are univorsally acknow- ledged ; the extension of pavement is therefore to be deprecated as an actual evil, besides the greatness of the expence Pavenient?, are par- ticulprly inconvenient and dasig* lous on ste-^p nscents, such as tlie ascent to briages, &a A V..V «trikir4? example of this may be oUenred «^ the London end of Black-fviars Bridge, where heavy loads are drawn up with great difficulty, and where more horses fall and receive injury, than in any other place in t»»f »^»"fr;- The pavement in such places should be lift^, and converted into a good road; which may be done with the same stone, at an excuse not exceeding ten-pence per square yard. Ihis road would be more lasting than the pavement, and, when out of order, may be repaired at less than one-tenth of the expense which relaying the pavement would require. _ • This measure has been adopted with great success, and considerable saving of expense, in the suburbs of Bristol, where the pavements were taken up, and converted into good roads, about three years ago. "^ m sn cois- cknow- herefore (dt;8 the are par- &c, A observed Bridge, ith great d receive icingdom. be lifted, h may be pense not •d. This pavement, red at less [i relaying 57 The advantages of the system recommended is so obvious to common observation in the re- pair of old roads, and has been practised to an extent so considerable, during the last four years, that the minds of most people have be- come reconciled to it ; and objections, founded on old prejudice and suspicion, have given way to experience, but the application of the same principles to the construction of new roads, has necessarily been much more limited. It will, therefore, require more liberality and con- fidence on the part of country gentlemen, and also more patient investigation of the principles on which the system is founded, before they will allow of its adoption on new lines of road. It is to be hoped, however, that the importance of the subject will recommend it to general consideration. m vith great ixpense, in pavements rood roadst I i ' / REPORT rnoM THB SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE HIGHWAYS OF THE KINGDOM TOGETHER WITH THE MINUTES OF EVIDENCE 1 TAKEN BEFORE THEM. t ommmamm REPORT. THE SELECT COMMITTEE appointed to take into consideration the AcU now in force regarding the Turn- pike Roads and Hiohwavs in Emqlano and Walks, and the expediency of additional Regulations for their better repair and preservation, and to report their Obser- vations thereupon from time to time to the House ; and to whom the Petitions of Joseph D. Bassett, John Richards Reed, and Johu Martin j and of several Trustees of Turn- pilce Roads in the Counties of Middlesex. Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, were referred ;— Have, pursuant lo the Orders of the House, examined tho matters to them re- ferred, and have agreed upon the following REPORT: YOUR Committee considered it their indispen- sable duty to direct their first attention to the Reports of former Committees, appointed to in- vestigfate the same important subject ; in these Reports, as well as in the documents subjoined to them, are to be found much scientific infor- mation, and many valuable suggestions, which have doubtless tended to aid the progress of im- provement in the art of making and preserving roads. Still the object of amending the iawe which relate to them has been unattained, tbt 1 III i|i h\\\» introduced with a partial view to that pur- pose having been lo«t in their progress through Parliament, and the suggestions for more gene- ral improvements having been allowed to remain without further notice. _ .,. If your Committee may be permitted to as- sign the probable reasons of this discouraging result of the labours of their predecessors, they would venture to suggest, that too wide a field of inquiry was taken to lead to immediate prac- tical benefit ; that some of the systems most con- fidently recommended were of a novel and spe- culative natare ; that the regulations which it -was proposed to found on them too strongly affected the interests of vested property ; and that even the most valuable information commu- nicated to the House rested upon ingenious theories, n^hich had then been very partially, if at all, reduced to practice, or submitted to fair experiment. As the considerations which iufiuenced the appointment of the present Committee, avow- edly sprung from the successful trial of an im- proved system of making roadu, your Committee have judged it right to institute a particular examination into «U the circumstances of that expenwent, and the various instances in which Uie ex||tffi||f has been followed. I that pur- 88 through lore gene- I to remain tted to an- jcouraging Hoort), they v\(\e H field dlate prac- H inoHt con- el and f>pe- H which it )o strongly perty ; and ion comrou- 1 ingenious partially, if itted to fair luenced the ttee, avow- l of an im- Conimittee \ particular ncet of that ^ in which 68 Mr. John Lou^ adopted, will require fewer legislative regulations than former inquirers have deemed necessary. For a full elucidation of the methods pursued by Mr. M*Adam your Committee beg leave to refer to his evidence in the Appendix annexed, as well as to that of his son, and of different Com- missioners who had witnessed the success of his plans. ■ . ixu,i:-m>,m-^^^-^:>4^^ --•" But though your Committee have limited their first inquiries to the actual state of the turn- pike roads, and the results of recent plans for their improvement, they have by no means con- fined their researches to the operations or the opinions of one individual. In the evidence which they subjoin will be found, in the first place, a description of the present general de- fects of the turnpike roads, given- by those whose employments and interest render them best ac- quainted with the nature and extent of the evil ; and this exposition is followed not only by the detail of Mr. M«Adam's system, already alluded to, but by the evidence of other eminent survey- ors and civil engineers, under whose superintend- •::5S»W»*"-'S*'-'''"''S"" ()& first step ibr ensur- that their iciples for lire fewer irers have Is pursued r leave to nnexed,as rent Cpm- cess of his te limited )f the turn- ; plans for neans con- ionii or the 3 evidence in the first general de- ;hose whose em best ac- of the evil ; only by the ady alluded lent survey- luperintend- ence the latest and most perfect improvements have been effected. Your Committee consider that high praise is due to the superior science exhibited by Mr. Telford, in tracing and forming the new roads in North Wales; but they contented themselves with a general inquiry into his plans, aware that their merits would be particularly brought under the eye of the House in the Reports of the Committee on the Holyhead Roads. The concurrent testimony of all the witnesses examined by your Committee establishes the fact that the general state of the turnpike roads in England and Wales is extremely defective, but at the same time proves that proper manage- ment is alone wanted to effect the most desira- ble reformation. It is not the least interesting result of the researches of your Committee, that the most improved system is demonstrated to be the most economical ; that even the first effectual repair of a bad road may be accomplished with little, if any, increase of expenditure ; and that its future preservation in good order will, under judicious management, be attended with a con- siderable annual saving to the public. There is no point upon which a more decided coincidence of opinion exists amongst all those who profess what may now be called the science E 6G of road-making, than that the first effectual step towards general improvement must he the em- ployment of persons of superior ability and ex- perience as superintending surveyors. Your Committee, fully concurring m this opinion, have anxiously considered in what man- ner this object can be attained with the least expense to the country, and the least injurious or offensive interference with existing customs and authorities. Various are the plans which have been brought under their consideration for altermg the general constitution of the laws affectmg the management of Turnpike Roads, proposing either to annex the superintendence and patron- age to some of the existing departrrents of Government, or to constitute a new Board ot Commissioners expressly for this object. Your Committee forbear to detail the reasons which induce them to withhold their recom- mendation from any of these plans, whatever advantages they might afford in unity or vigour of management. . They are of opinion, that many important reasons exist for leaving generally the direction oftheaftairsof the different turnpike trusts in the hands of their respective Commissioners whose experience, character and interest, afford ;ual step the em- and ex- in this hat man- the least iDJurioiis customs ,ve been altering fifFecting proposing id patron- trrents of Board of !t. lie reasons ir recom- whatever or vigour important e direction ^e trusts in missioners, rest, afford 61 the best pledges of ability, attention and eco- nomy. If your Committee think it necessary to propose, in one respect, an interference with their appointments, it by no means proceeds from any distrust of their judgment or integrity. ' The duties of a head surveyor demand suitable education and talents. These qualifi- cations must be fairly remunerated ; and it is evident, that the limited extent of the funds of Turnpike Trusts, in general, do not afford the means of paying to such an officer an adequate salary. The difficulty might in many instances be obviated by voluntary associations, but where the system is wished to be universal, it ought not to be left to so precarious a dependence. The plan to which your Committee, after full consideration, are disposed to give the preference, is that of empowering the magis- trates of every c\ounty, assembled in quarter sessions, to appoint one or more surveyors gers ;- ral, who shall have the superintendence aiiU management of the turnpike roads within the county, under the authority and direction of the Commissioners of the different triMit. It is not necessary at jjresent to enter on the detailed regulations by which the executive duties of such an officer should be prescribed, so as to keep them under the deliberative control of the E 2 I i-i I Commissioners, whose meeCings he should at- tend, and to whom he should uniformly report on the improvements and alterations he may wish to recommend within their trusts. Your Committee are of opinion, that the most eligible mode of paying the salary of tlm officer would be by an uniform rate per mile upon all the roads within the county ; to be fixed by the magistrates at quarter sessions, and paid from the funds of the respective trusts. The success of this plan of appointing gene- ral county surveyors will, in a great degree, depend upon the firmness evinced by the magis- trates, in laying aside every consideration ot personal favour, and impartially looking to in- tegrity, talents, and energy of character, as the recommendations for office; some skill m the science of an engineer should also be regarded as a valuable qualificaaon. > ^ Your C-ommittee have manirested their gene- ral disinclination to any interference with the honourable and gratuitous discharge of the functions of the Commissioners of Turnpike Trusts; in one instance, however, they are disposed to depart from the principle which they have recommended. A full consideration ot the evidence relative to the defective state, and injudicious management of the roads round the aid at- report le may e magis- 'ation of ng to in- r, as the II in the regarded leir gene- with the e of the Turnpike they are ^le which leration of state, and round the Metropolis, and of the advantages which would accrue from a consolidation of the numerous small Trusts into which they are most incon- veniently divided, induce your Committee to expres to the House their strong recommend- ation, that a special Act of Parliament may be passed for uniting all the Trusts within a dis- tance of about ten miles round London under one set f Commissioners. It is to these roads that the heaviest complaints made by the coach- masters, and the surveyor of mail coaches under ihe post-office, principally apply ; and whether an improvement is to be effected by the im- portation of flint, and other common materials, or by laying granite pavement in the centre or sides of the roads, it is evident that, " the measure to be performed in an economical and efficient manner, must be done upon an extend- ed scale J it must become one interest, directed by one select body of men, of weight, ability, and character." It is the object of the recommendation of your Committee to render the roads round the Metropolis a pattern for the kingdom, by the introduction of the most judicious system of formation and repair, which will thus be brought under general inspection ; and the spirit of improvement, radiating from this centre, may la^^w^ it 70 be expected to spread with vapidity throughout the country, and to diffuse *' those incalculable public and private advantages," which a former Committee anticipated from the accomplishment of this great national object. Your Committee are deeply sensible oi the consideration due to the persons whose property is invested in the funds of these Trusts, as well as to those who now act as Commissioners Thev are perfectly aware of the jealousy witli which the House may view any proposition for the creation of new offices of patronage and profit; and they do not disguise their con- viction, that it will be found expedient to re- munerate those efficient Commissioners who are expected to devote their time to the perform- auoe of active duties, i ♦ r Your Committee however anticipate, that it the House shall approve the formation of a Board of Commissioners for this object, t4iey will deem it proper to place at its head some persons of eminent station and character, as a security for the independence and respectabdity of it* proceedings. AU these considerations certainly require cau- tious deliberation, and delicacy iu arranging the plan; but your Cou.mittee feel conhdent that the wisdom and judgment of the House will jghoot :ulable former ihment of the foperty as well noners. jy with position \ge and ir con- it to re- who are )erform- 3, that if on of a ict, tAiey ad some ter, as a jctability [uire cau- iging the :lent that ouse will 71 find the means of sinmoniitM g the difficulties, without injustice, or hazardous innovation. It is obviius, that the formation of this dis- tinct central authority will be best effected by the introduction of a separate Bill, while the plan of empowering the magistrates to appoint county surveyors would naturally form part of a general Bill for amending the laws relating to Turnpike Roads. Your Committee have weighed, with much attention, the comparative advantages of an attempt to amend these laws by supplemental enactments, and of the comprehensive plan of endeavouring to embody in one Act of Parlia- ment all that is valuable in the old laws^ with the addition of such new regulations as are acknowledged to be desirable. The Committee of 1811 were impressed with the expedience of " combining the old and new regulations into one general code, divided into two branches, one regarding the High- ways, and the other regarding Turnpike Roads," though ihey considered that " it would require more time and labour than those who have not had come experience in the drawing up of such lav/s can be at all awtp-e of." Your Committee do not hesitate to avow their opinion, that unless this task, however arduous 73 be accomplished, the laws relating to roads nnist remain in an incomplete, uncertain, and incon- venient state. They cannot doubt that the House will agree with them that the promotion of such a measure is deserving of legal assistance on the part of his Majesty's government, to those who are disposed to apply their time and attention to the undertaking; and they indulge the hope, that if the House shall think tit to re- appoint a Committee for the same object in the next session of Parliament, much n.ay be found done for the preparation of such a bill." Your Committee then>selves have not been inattentive to many of the amendments M^hich they think it ought to embrace, some ol' which they proceed to particularize for the consider- ation of those members whose attention may be y the orders of the House; ])ut a still greater advantage would be gained by extend- in.'- the period of the duration of these Acts, and 78 } must incoii- »t the notion stance int, to (le and ndulge , to re- t in the } found (t been M^hich ' which )nsider- may be deserV' tending e Acts. a gene- iplicable attend- 3 notices ut a still extend- lcls> and providing for their renewal without the payment of fees. A general commutation for statute labour appears to be required, both for public ad- vantage and private convenience. The amount of composition might be levied as a rate; and it will become a subject of consideration, whether some better principle may not be laid down for apportioning the money thus collected between the highways and turnpike roads. The advantage of authorizing parish officers to contract with the commissioners for the repair of the roads passing through the parish by la- bourers belotiging to it, has been strongly press- ed on the attention of your Committee, but though they are disposed to admit that such a system may often afford desirable relief to the parishes, they are not equally satisfied that it will have a tendency to promote the improve- ment of the roads. They think it right to bring the proposition under the consideration of the House, though they are too diffident of its utility to venture to add to it their recommendation. It seems generally admitted, that the present exemptions from toll granted to broad-wheeled waggons require to be revised, as the enormous weights which they carry render them more de- structive to the materials of the roads than thdr 74 supposed uUvautage in tionsolidiiling ^i^m can compensate. Withont, enterin«,r into the yet un- settled controversy respecting the superior utility of conical, barrelled, or cylindrical wheels, for the purpose of draught, it is perfectly evident, that the narrow part of the surface upon which wheels of the two first descriptions meet the ground, cannot give them the advantage of the roller. As soon as impolitic exemptions shall be abolished, and the tolls be regulated upon all carts and waggons, with wheels of a moderate width, in proportion either to the weight carried, or the number of horses, there will no longer be the same temptation to carry excessive loads; and it is probable that a new practice, regulated l)y private intc/est, may render it unnecessary to limit the weight allowed to be taken. Some regulations appear to be absolutely required in respect to the conduct of toll- keepers, and the liability of renters, for the penalties imposed on their servants. Your Committee have thus noticed a few of those objects of amendment which have |)resent- ed themselves to their consideration. To reduce these and other proposed improvements into proper form- t . digest the various provisions of former Acts— to expunge what is useless or in- jurious,— to reconcile what is contradictory— to «ir»«n5f(!»ii»5V*ii,i.»i»W3"'^' ■ ui can yet un- utility els, for vident, 1 wliicli Bet the of the [IS shall poll all loderate carried, t>ger be e loads; ;gulated ecessary )aolutely of toll- for the a few of |)resent- o reduce mts into s^isions of !ss or in- :tory— to re-niodel and arrange what is sound an«l useful, will require the assistance of the best legal judgment. Your Committee however, after having thus availed themselves of the power granted by the house, of reporting the partial result of their investigations, will ' tinue to make such inquiries, and to c' " h ma- terials, as may pave the way foi ' 'sh- mtiit of that important undertakin. It will at once be seen, that they have con- fined themselves to one branch of the work com- mitted to them, having conceived it to be more judicious not to distract their own attention and that of the House by too many subjects of in- quiry, but to pursue tint which they first under- took to a practical result. Should the House adopt their recommenda- tion of renewing the Committee in another session, the subject of the Highways will natu- rally engage their attention as soon as thiy shall have fully matured the plan for amendi.ig the laws relating to the Turnpike Roads. 25th Juney 1819. SS3SP^5^«Ss^^^^^^^^^^^K~ '::m "TFT IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I If IM IIM 1^ 1^ 1 2.2 I!: tig 12.0 1.8 11.25 11.4 IIIIII.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 t . •■,:v ^ :!Tr m < ' ''. v '- Lm fm^^m^m&Bi^'!'i^^S^f!^^^^^M 4tJ Z CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques ire difficulty in ixty miles, than the nights we 88 have the heaviest weights, and therefore it ii very desirable that the roads near town should be rather better, than worse than others. Has your attention been particularly directed to the state of the roads in other parts of the kingdom lately ?— I travelled m considerable distance last autumn in the north of England. Cer> lainly I considered the roads that I passed over there, to be very ■uperior in general to what they are in the first hundred miles from the metropolis. Subsequently to that, I have had occasion to travel throughout North Wales, and I gave particular attention to the Holyhead line of road. By what road ?— By Coventry. The roads which are found in North Wales are remarkably good, and in my humble opinion, show great science in the formation of them. The new roads I mean. The materials in that country are of course very good. On this side of Birmingham, which is also the road to Liver- pool, there is great occasion to complain, particularly from Dun- church to Daventry. At this time that road is in a very neg- lected state, very heavy, narrow, and blocked up by banks of drift. I have had occasion to apply to that trust, but I do not leant that any thing has been done. Have you found the system of indictment afford any effectual remedy for the evils which you have had cause to observe in that way ?— ^I think we have. But there have been t -y few indict- ments preferred for some years past ; the postmasvt' general not thinking it right to press upon the districts during the season of agricultural distress, I should say, we do not consider diat any reason, at present, for abstaining. Have you experienced from the commissioners, a disposition, generally, to attend to such complaints as you have found occa^ •ion to make ? — Such applications as I have had occasion to make appear to have been very well received ; but I cannot say, that in «any instances the roads have been much improved. I will Add to this answer, that I lately passed over the road from Oxford f2 1/ : 1 84 through He«lf y to London ; .nd although that U one of the road, complained much of, it i. certainly, at thi. time, m a very improper eute. , ,»..^«,»r In Lh ca.e. do you not follow up your mewure. by .trcmger proceeding., by indictment?-! think that in thi. case .t would be nece..aryto renew our application., and pcrhap. to proceed by indictment; but I have con.idered it prudent not to mterfcre. chiefly in contemplation of the proceeding, of t^.' Com-nutee- f1 what you have .ecn of the new road, n Wales, do you not conceive that nearly all the "rnpike road, m England a« capable of ve,y considerable improvement, by an aPP»'"t^°" J^ equal .kill in the disposition of the material, employed upon them ?— I ceruinly do. Mr. HrUliam fVatcrhouu, called in; and Examined. YOU keep the Swan-withHwo-Neck. in Lad-lane ?--I be- long to the premises; I don't keep the house , I am the coach- ""yTJ are the proprietor of many mail and other coaches ?-l ""a. the proprietor of mail and stage coache.. ha. your atten- tion lilen^^Sected to the state of the road, over wh.ch they ''tL:::c:Z^ Whether you « ^l.^^; .uch a state of repair a. they might «-• -JV J^^^^^J^^ ment. with the advanuge. they posses. ?-Takmg them gene oair under proper managements— rrom wi-1. tliere i. one trust, which is called «J\e uavcaw, ftA It ii one of thf I timet in a very urei by stronger case it would be s to proceed by not to interfere, liis Committee. n Wales, do you I m England arc in applicaUon of I employed upon Examined- ^ad-lane?— I be- ; I am the coach- ither coaches ?— 1 », hai your atten- 1 over Vfhich they the roads are in ler proper manage- ?aking them gene- »e tolls at present a 8Ute of good re- ihat information £ the gates are let for money so received (Ute. For instance, entry trj»st, leading from Old Stratford to Dunchurchj their tolls, 1 undersund, produce more than 100/. a mile per annum. Very little improve- ment has been made in that trust > and the roads are very unsafe, and in a bad condition altogether. Do you consider that that arises fi om want of proper materials, or want of proper skill in making use of them ?— From both. The materials that they have in that neighbourhood, in my opi- nion, are not good; and the people that they employ upon the roads are not equal to the task, and therefore they arc very much neglected. The surveyors and the men that work under them are insufficient. Do you know of any instances where similar disadvantages have been surmounted by proper skill and ingenuity ?— I believe I can state that upon one particular trust that has been the case. 1 believe they call it the Hockliffe trust. It is but a short disunce, but very great improvements have been made upon it. The great improvements that have been made there, I am in- formed by several of the commissioners, have been done through their skilful and attentive surveyors. They have improved that trust very much indeed. I believe I can mention another road out of London that has been much improved, I mean the Essex road, (their surveyor being a clever man, and competent to un- derstand his business,) between Whitcchapel church and Brent- wood. Are there any particular defects in the management of the roads generally, which you think might be remedied, that you cap. >?oint out to the Committee ?— In the first place, there may be great improvements by the proper formation of the roads. I know, in some places, particularly from here down to Colney, where there \i a clayey bottom, and upon that line of road there are a great many land springs ; those springs frequently work up through the gravel, and injure the road very materially. When that is the case I consider that they should under-drain the road, and take away these land springs, which would be the means of It; 6 . 4 J. R.^ ■^-iVn.(AJB«!« fVIJ' - HO liafing tht roadi fir* -d hard, much harder than tl>ey arc now. Is it not a common defect to place the gravel on the road without being sufficiently sifted or washed ?— Very much so. Do you not consider it as a bad system, likcwiK, to place the gravel so much in the centre of the road, thereby rendering it of too great convexity ?--Yes, certainly. I think it is laid generally too thick and too high in the middle. There is no necessity for the roads being rounded so much. Have you known any accidents to have arisen from the steep- ness of the road ?— Yes ; several accidents with my coaches, as well as those of other people, in consequence of the road being laid so very high in the middle. Is not that shape of the road likewise attended with a disad- vantage in the draft of the carriage ?— I consider it so, inasmuch as it flings the weight too much on one side. Is not a great loss sustained by the proprietors of stage coaches, in consequence of the badness of the roads, in the wearing out of their horses ?— Yes ; particularly so the first fifty or sixty miles from London. With regard to the performance of time by the mail coaches, do you find that you labour under greater difficulty on the roads near London, than on those at a greater distance from town ?— I am certain we do. It requires a greater quanUty of horKS to perform the duty, and. In my opinion, it requires ten horses to perform the same number of miles for the first fifty out of Lon- don, that might be done by eight, with the same speed, beyond that distance. vis there any diflference in the value of the horses used near town and at a distance from it ?— I can buy horses at 15<, a piece that will perform the duty, at a distance from London, equal to those that we are obliged to give 30/. a piece for, on the ave- rage, for the work near town. .; , Are you in the habit of working coaches to a greater distance 87 inn tliey ace on the road nuch to. to place the rendering it ik it is laid There ii no )in the steep- y coachci, as le road being with a disad- 1 80| inasmuch tors of stage roads, in the } the first fifty mail coaches, y on the roads from town ? — y of horses to I ten horses to :y out of Lon> speed, beyond orses used near at 15l^ a piece ndon, equal to ir, on the ave- rreatcr distance than fifty miles from London ?-Not at this time ; I ha« worked coaclies as far aa one hundred miles di.unce from London, and I always found there that eight horses would perform as many miles as ten, the first fifty miles out of London. Hare not the tolls very much increased of late years under new acts of parliament?— It is my opinion that the tolls generally liavc doubled witliin these last fifteen years. Have the roads improved in any degree in the same propor- tion ?— No, they have not. Have you calculated the average rate per mile which a coach with four horses pays for toll ?-I have : It is my opinion that the average amount throughout the kingdom is 3irf. per mile ; it was above 3d. when I took them above twelve months ago. Do you find that the horses wear out in a much shorter space of time, in working coaches within the first fifty miles from London, than they do lower down ?-Ye8 they do very much. We calculate that our stock of horses, employed in working the first fifty miles o«t of London, will not last more thsn four years ; in the country, at a greater distance, I believe they cal- culate that their stock, on an average, will last six years. Are you not frequently obliged to put six horses to your coaches, on the roads from London ?— Sometimes that is the case; we do work with six horses where the roads are bad and heavy. I may say, from the knowledge I have of one parucular road, namely, from London to Birmingham, it requires twelve horses to perform the same number of miles as eight horses will do between Birmingham and Holyhead. How many coach-horses do you keep?-About four hue dred. , Are you acquainted with the new roads in North Waltfi, made by Mr. Telford ?— Yes, I am. ' Do you think that three of your horses would draw the Holy-. head mail as easily on those roads as four of them do the same coach on any part of the road from London to Dunchurch — I have no doubt about it. i .Itf !i ■* •. !ai. A J^ •f'S^ < 88 Docs that arise from the construction of the road, or nature of the materials, or both ? — Both. The construction of the new road is extraordinarily good, and the materials also are very good. Can you state what particular construction those roads are of? —They are laid in a form sufficiently round to wash themselves, if there is a shower of rain that conies upon them. They are not very high; and their excellence consists in the smallness of the convexity. They are in the best form I have ever seen roads made. Mr. lyiltiam Home, called in ; and Examined. You keep the Golden Cross Inn, Charing Cross ?— Yes. You are the proprietor of many mail and stage coaches? — I am. Your attention of course has been directed to the state of the roads over which they travel ?— It has. Can you inform the Committee in what state the roads gene- rally are, in point of goodness?'— I think in general they have been better for the last seven years than formerly, though they are now bad. They are generally bad, and might be very much improved. Can you sute to the Committee any particular instances of improvement that have taken place within your own knowledge i — Yes; one between London and Hounslow, which must be known to every body to have been very bad; that road has been made good, which was extremely bad before. < Do you consider that the application of the materials upon that road is at present good ? — Yes. It is the better construc- tion of the road, together with the different materials from what they used formerly, which have been the means of making that road better. They have brought chalk and flinu from Kent by tlie canal, and have got them at as small an expense as gravel ; ■liiir.iPW 89 Mid these have formed a hard well-bound road, which wa» for- merly bad. Upon what other roads do your coaches travel?— I will men- tion one which is precisely the contrary, the Uxbridge road. Gravel is usually employed on that?— Solely gravel, and the road is very flat. It is made lower than the fields, which draws the water upon it, and therefore it cannot be drawn off from it. That is the chief cause of the road being so bad. Is it not the practice upon that road to pile up the scrapings or drift by the side of the road? — It is. Within your experience, do you consider that the goodness of the roads is at all in proportion to the local advantages or dis- advantages ; or have you found that the skill and experience of the surveyors employed upon them have effected particular im- provements '—They chiefly depend upon having good surveyors. The Dover road will show that more than any other road I know of. 1 can remember that within these «ven years, what was then called "The Sun in the Sands" has been made a very good road. That road was all loose and sandy: they have drained it, and it is now a very good road. Can you state under whose superintendence that road is placed?— Mr. Collis's. He is now employed on the Brighton road, effecting the same sort of improvement; reducing hills, and making the road good. Do you find that the roads on which your coachea travel, are much worse in the neighbourhood of London than the more distant parts ?— I find them worse for coaches near London, but it may be attributed partly to the greater quantity of travelling near London to what there is in the country. Are the horses that you employ in the stages near London of superior value to those that are employed at a greater distance ? —It differs according to t\ie carriage. I think with the stage coaches, the horses out of London are considerably more in value than those employed at a greater distance from London ; i ^ m ;:[ll ■ij 90 and ai to mail coachci, vict vena. In the country, tl»e day stock of the coaches is very good, but in the night they work them very badly. Do you find that your horses that are employed in the stages near London, v/ear out sooner than those at a greater distance? —Much sooner, I should think. I employ about four hundred horses myself, and I am sure I buy one hundred and fifty a year to support the number, and keep tlie stock in order. I consider that my stock wears out fully in three years. How much longer on an average, will horses last at a distance from town ?— 1 should think double the time : for these reasons ; first, the work is lighter, and next, the food is better; besides which, the lodging of them is better; the subles are airy and more healthy: they have not so often diseases in the country as we have in London. Are you in the habit of working coaches to any great distance from London?—! work them half way to Bristol; with Mr. Pickwick of Bath, I work to Newbury. Do you know whether the horses that are employed still lower down upon that road, are considered to have lighter or heavier work?— I should not keep larger horses for that work myself; I should keep short-legged horses, because of the hills. Which are of less value ?— Yes. Speaking generally, if the same skill and management that you have mentioned in particular districts were generally em- ployed, do you not think that the roads of England and Wales might be put into a very perfect sute of repair?— I think, that with better direction as to management, they might be put into a much better state of repair, at the same cost, than they now are. There is a road, caUed the North-east Road (the way that the Edinburgh mail comes,) which is much improved lately, and without any great expense. Under whose management is that road?— Of a Mr. Cay. It has been done by rolling the road, and breaking the gravel to , tite day hey work the stages distance i r hundred ifty a year I consider a distance ;c reasons ; ;r; besides e airy and country as :at distance with Mr. ployed still lighter or that work of the hills. gentent that aerally em- i and Wales think, that be put into m they now 1 (the way h improved a Mr. Clay. :hc gravel to 01 a certain size, not putting it on too large or too small ; and taking care to turn the road well. If the road is not turned well, it never will be good. This roller is a late invention, is it not?— It is. It impresses the gravel, or whatever the material is, into the ground, before the road is scraped; then they proceed to scrape it and take the slush off; this rolls down the ruts as well. And from your experience, you have every reason to believe that it is of great advantage to the road?— I have worked the Tyburn road, and the White Cross roads, which were as bad as the Tyburn till this practice has been introduced. Do you know any thing of the Reading road, which Mr. M'Adam has had the superintendence of ?— It is a very fair road } it is the best piece of road in that direction. Can you inform the Committee the weights you are accus- tomed to carry upon the different descriptions of carriages, mail coaches, post coaches, and heavy coaches ?— The post coach loaded is 38 cwt. weight ; it is never more than two tons. The mail coach also is not more than two tons, I should think. As to heavy coaches, I only work two of that description out of the 40 coaches that are in my own yard ; they are so little used, that they don't generally weigh more than the post coach ; they don't carry so much luggage. What is the weight of the heavy coach ?— Not more than the post, becausr they don't carry so much luggage as some of the post coaches. I reckon 12 passengers one ton, coach ov.c ton, and luggage half a ton. Have you known of any accidents to your coaches arising from the great convexity of the roads in the neighbourhood of London ?— I have had accidents, and they have soaetimes been attributed to the horses shying, and plungiug the coach on one side, so as to cauK it to ovenurn, from the great rcwndnest of the road. m M m Mr. John Earnest called in ; and Examined. You keep the White Horse, Fetter- lane, and are the proprie- tor of the Angel Inn, St. Clement's ? — Yes. You are the proprietor of several mail and stage coaches ? — Yes. How many horses do you keep ? — About three hundred. What are the principal roads you are in the habit of working from London ? — We work the Canterbury, the Cambridge, the Dover, the Norwich, the Portsmouth, and some others. Do you find that you sustain much inconvenience from the state of the roads over which you travel? — Yes. As to incon- venience, I find much more in the neighbourhood of Loudon than the more distant parts. How long do you find that your horses upon an average last, that are employed in the fii«t stages from London ? — My horses, upon an average, don't last above three years in the fast coaches. Including the mails ? — Yes. And those horses in the neighbourhood of London, are of greater value than those employed at a distance ? — They are. Upon an average, how long do the horses last that are em- ployed in the more distant parts?— They last as long again. Do you attribute that in a great degree to the badness of the roads in the neighbourhood of London? — I attribute it to the distress the horse receives from the badness of the roads near town ; but I attribute it also in a gveat degree to the meeting of different carriages, and crossing the road, which makes it more laborious to the horse, though he does not appear to go so many miles. Do you not consider that that particular evil is occasioned in a great degree by the convexity of tlie roads in the neighbour, hood of London, the materials being generally heaped up in the middle?— -I do; it " tears their hearts out," as the coachmen ex- le proprie- >achcs ?— drcd. >f working jridge, the I. e from the 8 to incon- )f Loudon reragc last, My horses, ist coaches. Ion, are of ley are. lat are em- again. iness of the ite it to the roads near meeting of ikes it more go so many ccauoned in : neighbour^ ;d up in the jaclimen ex.' press it. The roads are inconvenient from the quantity and quality of the gravel heaped in the middle. Have you known any instances in which a different system has been pursued, and the roads greatly improved, in the neighbour- hood of London ?-The road from London to Cranford Bndge has been improved of late, and from London to Hounslow more particularly, in consequence of the pavenent in the crown of the road, which has done away with the gravelling, or shingle rather. Is not the gravel upon that road generally employed without sifting or washing ?— It is half clay. Have you known instances in which this inconvenience has been n^medied by superior skill and experience in the surveyor of the roadsJ-Yes; in the same line of road that Mr. Home referred to ; in the Kent road particularly. If that same skill was employed in the application of materuils to the other roads, do you not think that they might be brought generally to the same state of Improvement ?-I have no doubt S it; there is no question about it. The Surrey road has been improved on the same principle. What do you call the Surrey road?-From London to Guildford. . . . r j„-i. Do you know. under whose management that ,s?-ldont know now ; a person named Baker had the management of .t. Was it under him it was improved ?— Yes. How many miles of road does that consist of?-Th.rty miles. And it is very much improved ?— Yes. By what means?-The materials are harder than the graveL He bring, the rag flints and breaks them, but in a diffe ent „.,r«er from other parU of the road. He has improved u so :Xhat it does nJt look the same road at all; I can go now sixteen miles better than I could twebre before. Do you consider that the horses which travel these roads that have been improved, last longer than formerly ?-Yc». ' -1 ? 1 l(^, ' 5 '-■'] ■ ff 1 94 You need hardly be a.ked whether theie improTcmenM enable you to carry passengere at a lower rate than before ?— Of courie ; it is the expense of the stock that is the great thing. If the roads were generally improTcd, travelling wodd be cheaper?— Of course. Venerisy 21" die Maiiy 18J9. Mr. George Botham, called in ; and Examined. YOU keep the George Inn, at Newbury ?— I do. Are you a proprietor of mail and other coaches ?— Yes. To a considerable extent?— Yes, and have been for some time. How many horses have you ?— More than a hundred. Your attention has of course been directed to the state of the road between Newbury and London ?— Yes. State any improvement that has taken place in that road ? — There is a very great improvement between Marlborough and Twyford. Under whose directions ? — Mr. M'Adam. In what state was that road before ?— It was in a very bad state, and I mentioned it to lord Aylesbury, and he applied to get the materials, and offered to give up any quantity of his land for the widening of the road, which he has done. In point of fact the road has been widened '—Much widened and much improved. Can you state what improvement it would make in the draught of the carriages?— Not exactly, but I consider it a very great one, You cannot state any proportion of the labour of horses in drawing a carriage ?— No, not particularly so ; I did not expect to be asked, but it is not very material. lenti enable Of course ; r would be ined. -Yes. een for some dred. le state of the that road? — rlborough and in a very bad he applied to uty of his land ^fuch widened > in the draught it a very great ur of horses ir. : did not expect / 95 In what state is that road, compared with tlie road froni Twy- ford to London :— I consider the road from Twyford to be t little mended, but it is very bad at present. Do you think by the adoption of the same system the road from Twyford to London might be equally improved ?—l have no doubt of it ; the materials are better. Which of course would make a great difference in the ease of working your coaches ?— Yes ; I should think we could per- form the journey from Newbury to Reading in a quarter of aa hour's less time, which is seventeen miles. Have you, as proprietor of mail coaches, had occasion to express any dissatisfaction to the Post Office, with regard to your present contracts ?— Certainly, with very great reason. Do you think that you should be enabled to continue those contracts at the present rate, if the roads are not put into a better state of repair ?— That entirely depends upon the price of corn ; we were very great sufferers till lately, that com has fallen so much : or else my brother, as well as myself, intended to quit the mails, because we were losing a great deal of money. Do you consider that the system of repairing roads, which has been adopted in that part of the road which you have de- scribed as under the superintendance of Mr. M« Adam, is su^ perior to any other that you have seen adopted '—Certainly, I am sure it is, there is no question about it. And that its general adoption vould be highly beneficial to the coach proprietors, and to the public ?— Most certainly. Mr. Frmont being prevented by an accident from attending the Committee, it was resolved that the following Letter be entered on the Minutes : Gentlemen, Thatcham, May 1819. I think it a duty incumbent on me to present to you my opinion respecting Mr. M« Adam's plan of repairing andun- ■■li ; m proving turnpike roadi. From what I have noticed of hii iin- prowment on different parts of the Bath road, on which I am at present worliing different coaches a distance of above 500 miles per day, I think his plan altogether, i. e. first of screening and cleansing the gravel, and breaking the stoncb; secondly, of preparing the road to receive it ; and thirdly, of laying it on the road, is the best and safest method I have ever seen in the course of fifty years experience in the coach and waggon busi- ness. I have formerly had several accidents happen from the gravel being laid too thick and very high in the middle of the road ; and have killed some hundreds of horses (extra) in pulling through it ; and I think I may venture to say, that if Mr. M'Adam's plan was adopted generally throughout the kingdom, in the course of a short time the public would be enabled to travel with much greater ease and safety, and at nearly one-third less of expense; at all events I am convinced that nearly one-third less labour ia required to work a fast coach over part of the road between Reading and London, where M' Adam's plan has been adopted, than there is over other parts of the road where they still continue the old plan. In short, my opinion may be given in a few words j his plan, if adopted generally, will cause the traveller to find easier, safer, and more expeditious travelling, and the owners of horses a dimi- nution of nearly one-third of the original labour. I am, Gentlemen, with respect. Your most obedient servant, Edward Fromont. Jovis, 4:* die Martii, \S19. John Loudon M'Adam, Esq. called in; and Examined. I BELIEVE, Mr. M'Adatn, you reside at Bristol ?— Yes, I do. ' »»«*B»*Brr*«#~-«= ■ MMMiaiMiMii of hii irti' lich I am at t 500 mile> ecning and iccondlyi of ig it on the seen in the aggon busU !n from the idJIe of the (extra) in any, that if jughout the c would be ifety, and at m convinced work a fast nd London, ;here is over :he old plan. { his plan, if easier, safer, )rse8 a dimi- int, Fromont. .* im- provements at Epsom in Surrey. On which road are the 20 nuict that you mentioned at Ep- tom ?— From Epsom to T'loting, and then across the country to Kingston. Several lurvtyort near Reading in Berkuhire have imiuted, with considerable success, the improvements on that road. Mr. Clay, who has contract.'d for the repair of the Kingtl.ind road near London, engaged a young man who was in my office at Brittol, Mr. Marshal, whom he sent afterwards to Lcedt in Yorkshire. It has been my study to give every facility to spread information. Hat your attention been directed to the roadt in the neigh- bourhood Df London ; and can you ttate to the Committee whether any corresponding improvement has taken place in this dittrict?— I think less improvement has taken place round Lon- don than in the country. On the new Surrey roads the example •et by the pieces of road made at Blackfriars and Weitminster bridget has induced a little amendment; the materialt have been more carefully broken, and they have continued to use the ham- mers, rakes and other tools which were recommended to them ; hut the general improvement is unimportant : and I am not aware that any alteration h.w vA-cn place in t'l - -^■"Xem of expenditure, and the mode f i - »•• -xied with materials, or in employing more competent surveyors. From the experience you have had in the improvements that have taken place, have you found that these have been attended generally, with an incrcaie or dfWtnutaon oi expense ?— In jjw*. nl the expense uuit U- diminished by ?he improvement' Th** repair* of one hundred and (urty-eight m.lcs round Bristol, i.nd many expensive permanent improvements nnd alterations, hSTc been made in the last three years, dunng which ■> floating debt of upwards 1,. UK)/, has been paid otT, a consid^/^able reduction of the principal debt has been made, and a h,imce of i consider- able amount Is remaining in the hands ot the treasurer, applica- ble to further alterations, or to the payment of part of the debt, at the discretion of the commissioners. Can you state what proportion that is'— I tliink the first year, 7'23/. What is the amount of the whole deb^ ?-'l'hr whole debt is i3,000/. I said a considerable reduction ,t the principal debt had been made, I did not use the word pr jiortion. I cat» men- tion that the balance in the hands of the ■ easurer, on the list •ettlement of the account amounted to 2,-90/. 0.. W. in the Bristol district, beside a considerable diminui. on of the debt, and beside alterations and improvements. Tint applies only to one hundred and forty oight miles round Bristol ?— Only to the one hundred and forty-eight miles round Bristol. The Bristol district has been under one :rtist for twenty years, and in that period the debt has increased t > 43,000/. You will be kind enough to furnish the C immittee with a statement similar to that which was supplied by you to the Holyhead Committee, down to the latest pe iod?— I will. Bristol is the only district for which I can have precise figures, 1 have not had the finances in my own manageme .t or direction with respect to the others. As I have only advised .vith respect to them, I cannot give you the items ; and I must say, that my infor- mation with respect to other roads, must be much more general than with respect to this road. In Sussex, the roads in nine trusts have been mended with a considerable diminution of the former expense, and the thanks of a general mcetiofi of the irust««s 102 of the Lewes triisM were unanimously voted to Lord Chiches- ter " for the introduction of this system, by which tlie roads had been so much improved, and the country was liliely to derive so much benefit.'* Have you found that a similar diminution of expense has taken place where the materials have been bad, as where they have been good ? — Yes, I have. Do you find your mode of management equally applicable where the materials arc bad as where they are good, and that Ihc same proportionable benefit arises? — 1 am afraid gentlemen suppose that I have some particular mode of management, which is certainly not the case, nor can by any means be the case ; and in every road I have been obliged to alter the mode of management, according to the situation of the roads, and sometimes accord- ing to the finances. At Epsom in Surrey, the roads have been put into a good repair, at an expense considerably under the former annual expenditure, by which the trustees have been enabled to lower their tolls on agricultural carriages. The road between Reading and Twyford, in Berkshire, has been made solid and smooth since the beginning of July last, by persons under my directions, at an expense, including the surveyor's salary, not exceeding fifteen pounds per week; and their former expenditure, exclusive of the surveyor's salary, was twenty-two pounds per week. A great part of the road in the neighbour- hood of Bath, which was formed upon the plan laid down in my report to the commissioners, and with the greatest success* is made with freestone, which was always supposed inipossiblc to make a good road of; but it will make a good road. It certainly does not last so long as one made of better materials; but it is equally good whilst it does last. One of the roads out ot Bristol towards Old Down has been made good, where it was a received opinion, that from the nature of the materials the road could not be made so; and the commissioners would not consent to my beginning it until the road was thi;catencd to be indicted. It was put into my hands in October 1816, and at -■■•n?fl^;?Si '««^*^- the Christmas following I was able to report thai it wa. one of the best roads in England for a distance of eleven miles, at the expense of first outlay only of 6001. and it has continued so unul the present. , . _,, Please to inform the Committee, what are the means, in your opinion, the most eligible to be adopted for the amelioration of the roads throughout the kingdom ?-That quesuon, I think, divides itself into two branches: 'l he operative part, m making the roads, and the care of the finances, and the mode of theu: expenditure. I should imagine the operative part <>[. FW roads cannot be effected without procuring a more "^ful set o ,ub.surveyors ; young men. brought up to agnculture and labour must be sought, and regularly instructed. If. a busmess that cannot be taught from books, but can only be acquired by a laborious practice of several month,, and actual work upon roads, under skilful road-makers. Young men who have been accustomed to agricultural labour are fittest to be made road- 8u.-veyors. as their occupations have given them opportuniues of being acquainted with the value of labour both of men and horses. But I should greatly mislead the Committee if I did not inform them, that skill in the operative part of «»ad."akmg cannot alone produce a reformation of the multitude ofabu«. hatarepractiLd in almost every part of the country 'nd^e management of road, and road funds. These abuses can only be put down by officers in the situation of gentlemen, who must enjoy the conr..ence, and have the support of commissioners, and who must exercise a consunt and vigUant inspecuon over the expenditure made by the sub-surveyor.. They must be enabled to certify to the commissioner, that the public money u jud.- ciously and u«fully, as well as honesUy expended; without thi. control and .uperintendence an end cannot be put to the waste of the public money, and all the variou. mode, that areinjunou. to the pubHc interest, the amount of which would appear mere, dible, cQuld it be ascertained; but which, I con.cienuo».Ii i f } n 1 ' .1 : ' lOi briieve, amount to one-cightli of tlie road revenue of the king- dom at largCi and to a much greater proportion near London. Do you mean the frauds amount to one-eighth i — No, not direct frauds, I call it mis-application ; it must not be concealed, that the temptations with which, even a superior officer will be assailed, the facility of yielding to them, and the impunity with which transgression may be committed, require great delicacy in tlic selection of persons to fill the situation : and encouragement to make this a profession must be in proportion to the quality of the person required. Do you not consider one of these mis- applications to be the injudicious use of the labour of horses, instead of that of men, women and children ? —I do consider that to be a great mil- application of the labour of horses. I am afraid that gentlemen may understand, from what I said, that frauds are committed to the amount of one-eighth, but I meant no such thine ; I meant the loss arising from mis-application generally. 1 have in gene- ral found a great deal more materials put upon the road than are necessary, and I am of opinion that is one of the chief causes of the waste of the public money. Do you think the loss arises, in most instances, from mistake, or from any abuse in regard to the power and patronage which the situation confers ? — I think it proceeds from mistakes and ignorance mostly. Please to explain to the Committee in what way you think the labour of men, women and children, may be substituted for that of horses ? — I have generally found that a much greater quan- tity of materials have been carted to the roads than are necessary, and therefore the increase of horse-labour has been bejrond any useful purpose, and that generally the roads of the kingdom contain a supply of materials sufficient for their use for several years, if they were properly lifted and applied ; this is to be entirely done by men, women, and children, men lifting the p'.'ffi'sfmiscfii^^ws!^ 1 105 roadf, and women and boys, and men past labour, breaking the stones which were lifted up. • • t By lifting the road, you mean turning it up with the pick- axe ?— Yes ; that I consider as man's work ; taking up the materials and breaking stones, I consider the work of women and children, and which indeed ought to have been done before those materials had been laid down. How deep do you go in lifting the roads ?— That depends upon circumstances, but I have generally gone four inches deep ; I take the materials up four inches deep, and having broken the larger pieces, 1 put them back again. Please to explain to the Committee the mode of breaking the stones so as to admit of the labour of men, women and chil- dren ?— When the stones of an old road have been taken up, they are generally found of the size that women and boys can break them with small hammers, and therefore I would propose to employ these people to break those stones always before they are hid. back in the roads. Is it your plan for those people to break those stones stand- ing, or in a sitting posture ?— Always in a situng posture : because I have found that persons sitting will break more stones than persons standing, and with a lighter hammer. Does that apply to all materials ?— To all materials uni- versally. Does the plan which you have mentioned of breaking up the roads, apply to gravel roads, or only to those roads composed of hard stones ?— In gravel roads and in some other roads it would be impossible to break them up to any advantage ; and in several places which I will explain, I should think it unproSuWe to lift a road at all. There is a discretion of the surveyor, or the person who has the execution of the work, which must be exer- cised. I did not order the road in the neighbourhood of Reading to be lifted, but I directed wherever a large piece of Hint was Ken, it should be ukcn up, broken, antl put down ■•ifl ^1 II': 10(J again; and I directed the road to be made perfectly clean — 1 am speaking of a gravel road now — and I directed that additional gravel should be prepared in the pits by screening the dirt very clean from it, breaking all the large pieces and bringing that upon the road in very light coats not exceeding two inches at a time ; and when those coats were settled, to bring others of very clean materials upon the road, until it settled into a solid smooth hard surface, and which the coachmen in their mode of ex- pression, say *' runs true." The wheel runs hard upon it ; it runs upon the nail. Uninfluenced by the state of the weather i — Perfectly so. In your experience, have you observed that on gravel roads the materiah are generally very unskilfully and improperly applied ?- Generally so. I think always I may say, for I think I never saw them skilfully or properly managed. Have you adopted the mode of washing the gravel ?^No ; I think that is a more expensive process than is necessary. Do you think it more expensive than screening ? — A great deal more so, and I have another reason for objecting to that, with respect to the gravel near London ; the loam adheres so strongly to it that no ordinary washing will clean it. The loam is detached from the gravel by the united effort of the water on the road, and the travelling, by which the roads near London become so excessively dirty ; but it would be impossible to de- tach the loam from the gravel in the pits, by throwing water on it ; I have tried the experiment and know the fact. To what particular practice do you allude, when you inform the Committee that gravel is unskilfully applied to the roads in general i- I see that on gravel roads, the gravel is put on after being very imperfectly sifted, and the large pieces not being broken, and the gravel is laid on the middle of the road and allowed to find its own may to the sides. Now the principle of road-making I. think the most valuable, is to put broken stone upon a road, which shall unite by its own angles, so a» to r^jfc:;i;a.i.>-f' 'M' ' -^---.m lv^' ^^^!^;^! tly clean— 1 lat additional the dirt very jringing that inches at a )ther8 of very solid smooth mode of ex- 1 upon it ; it ectly 80. I gravel roads d improperly y, for I think ivel ?— No ; I issary. ig ? — A great «ting to that, m adheres so t. The loam ; of the water I near London }08sible to de> irowing water factt en you inform to the roads ravel is put on ieces not being the road and Jie principle of it broken stone glcs> 80 a« to iom a solid hard surface, and therefore it follows, that when that material i« laid upon the road, it must remain in the situation in which it is placed without ever being moved again ; and what I find fault witli putting quantities of gravel on the road is, that before it becomes useful it must move its situation and be in constant motion. In order to attain the advantage you allude to in the angular materials, I take it for granted, it is your plan to have the larger pieces of gravel well broken '-Certainly ; but I mean further, that in digging the gravel near London, and places where there are vast quantities of loam, and that loam adhering to every particle of the gravel, however small, I should recommend to leave the very small or fine part of the gravel in the pits, and to make use of the larger part which can be broken, for the double pui-pose of having the gravel laid on the road in an angular shape, and that the operation of breaking it is the most effectual operation for beating off the loam that adheres to the pieces of gravel. There are other cases besides that of gravel, m which I should think it unprofluble to lift a road. The road between Cirencester and Bath is made of very soft stone, and is of so brittle a nature, that if it were lifted it would rise in sand, and there would be nothing to lay down agalu that would be useful. I should not recommend lifting of freestone roads for the same reason, because it would go so much to sand that there would be very little to lay down again. I will explain what I have done to that road between Cirencester and Bath ; I was obliged to lift a little of the sides of the road in order to give it shape, but in the centre of the road, we, what our men call, «' shaved it}" it was before in the sute which the country people call « 'gridironed," that is, it was in long ridges with long hoUows between, and we cut down the high part to a level with the bottom of the furrows, and took the materials and sifted them at tlic Ride of the road and returned what was useful to the centre. !y; K il' '9?^'^^l??5^ i i »f 10^ Can you state whether the plan adopted on thii road hai in- creased or diminished the expense ?— I think the expenses, by the last account, were rather within the expenditure of the former year, even including the new surveyor's wages. They had been in the practice of allowing about 32/. a week to the two sur- veyors as the ordinary expenditure ; I directed the new sur- veyors not to exceed that sum upon any account whatever, including their own wages: but formerly they paid that sum, and paid the surveyor his wages at the end of the quarter or half-year in addition : therefore I consider the sum exjiended upon the road is rather within the former expenditure than otherwise, except with regard to two dangerous slips which took place at Swainswick-hill, which I consider as perfectly extra. In the formation of roads under your management, to what shape do you give the preference; I allude to the convex shape or the flat ?— I consider a road should be as flat as pos- sible with regard to allowing the water to run off at all, because a carriage ought to stand upright in travelling as much as pos- sible. I have generally made roads three inches higher in the centre than I have at the sides, when they are 18 feet wide ; if the road be smooth and well made, the water will run off very easily in such a slope. Do you consider a road so made will not be likely to wear hollow in the middle, so as to allow the water to stand, after it has been used for some time ? — No ; when a road is made flat, people will not follow the middle of it as they do when it is made extremely convex. Gentlemen will have observed that in roads very convex, travellers generally follow the track in the middle, which is the only place where a carriage can run upright, by which means three furrows are made by the horses and the wheels, and the water continually stands there: and I think that Ihote water actually stands upon a very convex road than on one which is reasonably flau . , ^ t j mf f t fm^^fj ^rrrt^^^^^^^ry^^-^^^^'^^^^^^^M^^-^^^^^^S^^'^/ \ road hat in* ixpenses, by if the former ley had been he two 8ur- le new sur- it whatever, d that aum, le quarter o: m exjiended aditure than slips which as perfectly ent, to what the convex s flat as pos- t all, because much as pos* higher in the 8 feet wide ; i run off very ikely to wear itand, after it 'oad is made do when it is served that in e track in the n run upright, orses and the i I think that d than on one 109 What width would you in general recommend for laying materials on a turnpike road ?— That must depend upon the situation. Near great towns roads of course ought to be wider than farther in the country. Roads near great towns ought not to be less than thirty or forty feet wide, but at a disunce from great towns it would be a waste of land to make them lo wide. You mean a breadth of thirty feet actual road J— Yes. The access to Bristol for a distance of about three miles, if we had room between the hedges, I would make about thirty feet wide. Between Bath and Bristol I should wish to see the road wide all the way, because it is only the distance of twelve miles be- tween two large cities. In what way do you make the watercourses at the sides of the road ; I ask that question, having observed the farmers, in exercising their power of cleaning out their ditches, dig them to such a depth as to render them dangerous to be passed at night ? —I always wished the ditch to be ao dug as that the materials of the road should be three or four inches above the level of the water in the ditch, and to that point we endeavour to bring the farmers, but they are very unwilling to clean the ditches at any time when called upon, and when they do it, if they find vege- uble mould in any quantity at the bottom of the ditch, they will prosecute their inquiry much deeper than is useful, or proper for safety. Do you consider you have power by law, at present, for preventing that >— Yes ; because the law says, they are. to clean them out according to the directions of the surveyors. ■. , *.: In your experience have you found any impediment to the improvement of the roads, from a want of power in the pro- prietors of diflPerent navigations to lower their tolls for convey- ing materials ?— I have found in the river Lea navigation, that the trustees have no power to lower their tolls, which were im- posed by act of parliament upon merchandise, and therefore, it .;S: i) W m .-'!■ 110 operated in a great meaiure as a prohibition to carry materials upon that river. Do you consider it would be to the interest of the pro- prietors to allow materials to be carried on their navigations at a lower rate than they are empowered to allow by law ?— Yes, if they could. Do you know any similar instance as applicable to canals ?— I don't know an instance with respect to canal trusts, but there i( an ij.stance with respect to the Bath river at Bristol. No mitigation of the present rate of duty on that river can take place if objected to by any one proprietor, and therefore wc have found great difficulty in carrying materials on the Bath river. In one particular place we have been entirely precluded from carrying any. Have you found any impediment to the improvement ol roads arising from the conditions upon which materials are permitted to be conveyed from one parish to another ?— Yes ; I found that in several cases in the Bristol district. One very strong instance occurred near Keynsham ; we had a quarry close to the edge of one parish, and we could not carry the stones from it to the disunce of ten yards, without the process of go.ng to the magistmtes. Did you in that case make application to the magistrates?— I did intend to make application, but before I made that appli- cation, I found in the very next field, belonging to the same farmer, and in the parish where we required them, the necessary materials, and I was under the necessity of opening both the fields, to the detriment of the farmer's landlord I am persuaded. Do you know an instance of such an application as that to which you have alluded, having been made to the magistrates, and having been refused ?— No, I do not. Do you think that a great inconvenience and loss of time would be saved if that necessity of application was dispensed with ?— It certainly is a great inconvenience, and creates a great -:i--,^i&:swgj-mm:^^m^x^>is«'.-m^ms&^i^^^^'^^^«»- Ill carry materials t of the pro- navigations St »y law ?— Yes, le to canals ?— trusts, but there t Bristol. No r can take place •efore wc have the Bath river, precluded from vement of roads s are permitted IS ; I found that strong instance le to the edge of from it to the if going to the « magistrates i — made that appli- ng to the same im, the necessary pening both the I am persuaded, cation as that to ) the magistrates, ind loss of time in was dispensed id creatts a great deal of heart-burning in tlie country, and much dispute. I think the commissioners would very seldom be disposed to carry ma- terials from one parish to another, unless for the general public good. What depth of solid materials would you think it right to put upon a road, in order to repair it properly ? — I should think that ten inches of well consolidated materials is equal to carry any- thing. That is, provided the substratum is sound ? — No ; I should not care whether the substratum was soft or hard ; I should rather prefer a soft one to a hard one. You don't mean you would prefer a bog ?— If it was not such a bog as would not allow a man to walk over, I should prefer it. What advantage is derived from the substrata not being per- fectly solid ? — I think, when a road is placed upon a hard sub- stance, such as a rock, the road wears much sooner than when placed on a soft substance. Bat must not the draught of a carriage be much greater on a road which has a very soft foundation, than over one which is of a rocky foundation ? — I think the difference would be very little indeed, bscnuse the yield of a good road on a soft foundation, is not perceptible. To use the expression to which you have alluded, as being used by the coachmen, would a carriage run so true upon a road, the foundation of which was soft, as iipoii one of which the foundation was hard? — If the road be very good, and very well made, it will be so solid, and so hard, as to make no difference. And I will give the Committee a strong instance of that, in the knowledge of many gentlemen here. The road in Somerset- shire, between r>ridgewater and Cross, is mostly OTcr a morass, which is so extremely soft, that when you ride in a carriage along the road, you see the water tremble in the ditches on each side ; and after there has been a slight frost* the vibration of the water from the carriage on the road, will be so great as to '•iS a- ,1 t:a l,.**.' ■ ■-rxfi^t^i^^-^^fuiisrmS'rii^^.if t^*^ '■ n II 112 break the young Ice. That road ii partly in the Briitol diiirict. I think there is about seven miles of it, and at the end of those Kyen mile., wc come directly on the limestone rock. I think we have about live or six miles of this rocky road immediately succeeding the morass ; and being curious to know what the wear was, I had a very exact account kept, not very lately, but I think the difference is as five to seven in the expenditure of the materials on the soft and hard. Do you mean seven on r.hc hard and five on the soft?— Yes. And yet the hard road i more open to the effect of the sua and air than the soft road ?— ?t cariainly lies higher. Have you ever inquired of the coachmen, on which of those two descriptions of roads the carriages run the lightest ?— Yes, I have ; and I have found that there is no difference, if the road be equally smooth on the surface, whether it be placed on the soft ground or hard . But in forming a road over a morass, would you bottom the load with .^all or large stones ?— I never use large stones on the bottom oJ a road; I would not put a large stone in any part of it. In forming a road acrosc morass, would you not put some sort of intermediate material between the bog and the stone ?-.No, never. -i iW - ' - Would yott not put faggoU ?— No, no faggots. 1 How unali would you use the stones ?— Not to exceed six i ouncea in weight. , , xt Have you not found that a foundation of bog sinks ?— No, not » bit of the road sink* ; and we have the same thickness of ma- terials on the one as on the other. If a road be made smooth and solid, it will be one mass, and the effect of the substrata, whether clay or sand, can never be felt in ««ect by carriages going over the road; because a road weU made, unites itself into a body like a piece of timber or a board. c.e^,3?..tess*--!fe*.i«P*;Sia*<^-»^ •'\ riitol diiirict. end of thoie Dck. I think 1 immcdiaiely low what the ery lately, but xpenditure of oft?— Yei. ;ct of the lua r. rhich of thoM jhtest ?— Yei, ice» if the road placed on the ou bottom the • itonei on (he le in any part t put some tort 5 atone?— No, , to exceed lix ikt?— No, not lickness of ma> one matt, and , can nerer be became a road of timber or a In making ^ road under thone circumitancrs, do you make tlie whole of tlic depth of materials at once ? — No, I prefer making ■ road in three timet. Three different times ?— Yes. To what size would you break the hard materials ?— To the size of six ounces weight. Do you not think that is an indefinite criterion ; had you not better mention the size ?— No ; I did imagine myself, that the difference existed to which you allude, and I have weighed six ounces of different substances, and am confident there is little difference in appearance and none in cfTect ; I think that none ought to exceed six ounces ; I hold six ounces to be the maxi- mum size. If you made the road of all six-ounce stones it would be a rough road ; but it is impossible but that the greater part of the stones must be under that size. Do you find a measure or ring through which the stones will pass, a good method of regulating their size?— That is a very good way, but I always make my surveyors carry a pair of scales and a six ounce weight in their pocket, and when they come to a heap of stones, they weigh one or two of the largest, and if they are reasonably about that weight they will do ; it is impos- sible to make them come exactly to it. I would beg leave to say, in all cases of laying new materials upon an old road, I re- commend loosening the surface with a pickaxe a very little, so as to allow the new materials to unite with the old, otherwise the new materials being laid on the hard surface never unite, but get kicked about, and are lost to the roads ; wherever new mate- rials are to be put down upon an old road, I recommend a little loosening ; but that I don't call lifting. - ^- / . <.. v.. Have you stated what thickness of new materials you woul li those ma- ty gravel of 1 were made prds of the ;m joins the nd the other jfium ; those the coasu as purchased les that were other stones, itional mate- account kept Idge, because r paupers and discharging f also wished ; level than I naterials than kfriat's bridge square yard; ig the price of mile f— That 121 At what rate per mile would be the expense of such an im- provement, supposing the road thirty feet wide?— About 528/. or 530/. h not a road constructed with a road-way of sixteen feet breadth of solid materials, and with six feet on each side of that with slighter materials, a Bufficient road for the general purposes of country travelling ?-Yes ; and generally the roads roand Bristol are made with stone, about the breadth of sixteen feet. In your former answer respecting materials, you made use ge- nerally of the term roads «' round London," to what extent did you mean to convey the idea of that improvement?— I should think that the river, and the facility of the canals, might in all places allow you to carry the improvement ten miles round Lon- don; and perhaps where the canals or rail-ways come through the country, you might carry the improvement farther. Has not the system of road management at present practised, the eflFect of repressing efforts for acquiring skill and exertions of science, as connected with the business of road-making ?— I think it has. Will you explain in what way ?— Because the surveyors at pre- sent appointed are not required to have any particular skill in their business before they are appointed ; but the appointment generally takes place to provide for some person a situation ; and the want of superior officers over the sub-surveyors is the means of prevent- ing those sub-surveyorsfrom acquiring a knov edge necessary to execute their duties under an officer who would know whether they were able to execute them or not. You mean that there is a not a sufficient degree of inspecuon and control provided by the legislature over ihe conduct of the surveyor of the roads?— I think so. Do you conceive that a more scientific system of management of roads is wanted universally ? — I do. Do not you conceive that tlie want of this scientific system \^:^ 122 .Ml leads to a great waste of public money ? — I think it leads to a great waste of public money. And also to a great waste of property in horses and carriages ? —I think it does. Has any estimate ever been made of the extent of that loss ? —There can be no accurate estimate of a loss so universal as that of the waste of horses and carriages by bad roads ; but the Com- mittee of 1811 estimated the saving which would be made to tlie country by putting the roads in a proper state of repair, at a sum equal to Ave millions annually. What remedy would you propose to cure the defects of the '.i.c general system of road management ?— My opinion is, tnat Ihe only cure would be to have people of a better station of life placed over them in the direction of this business ; that each county or large district in the country ought to have an officer in the character of a gentleman, to oversee the surveyors of the district ; not only to direct them what to do, but to see that the work is judiciously and honestly executed ; and I think a very small proportion of the sum now wasted by bad management would pay for such an establishment. Would you alter the trusts ? — That would be a great advantage, if the trusts could be consolidated ; but there are objections to that, and very serious objections. Local objections ? — Yes, such as the debt upon each trust. Do you propose the appointment of those overseers to be with the present commissioners of the roads ? — Ccruinly. Do you propose any general inspection to be established oyer the whole system of road-making ? — I should think it a public advantage if there was some inspection or controlling power in some quarter or other, to prevent the general surveyors from being improperly appointed ; but whether that controlling power should emanate from the government, or the authorities in the cour'>, I am not a judge. J. 12.J Do you think a controlling power eaublished in the metro- polls, to communicate on the subject throughout the kingdom, would be an advantageous establishment ?-I think .t would be .. very profiuble and desirable establishment. Looking to the revenues and to practical advantages F^Look- ing to the revenues, practical advantages, and to the dissemma- tion of information. Would you propose their having a power of suspendmg ofliccr. in certain cases J-Ceruinly, till the pleasure of the comm.s- sioners was known ; on any gross instance of m.sconduct or "' vSr*not you propose they should report occasionally tl.c state and condition of the road., and also the state of the finances of each trust ?-I should think the state of the finances ought to be reported in some way every year, that they might reach parliament, either by counties, or by some means the least ex- pensive and least troublesome ; and I think such a report of the finances, annually, would be a great means of preventmg mis- application of the public funds; and it would create a compar^ son between one part of the country and another, that would be useful in checking misconduct. Then you do not think there is, at present, a sufficient pro- >ectionof the road revenue of the kingdom against dishonest or ignorant practices ?-I think the road revenue is less protected tl an any other part of the public expenditure , and, though it » very large, it may be conside«xl, I think, almost unprotected, under the present system of law. Have you any loose guess in your own mind, as to the extent of the revenue throughout the kingdom, raised for the purpose of mainuining roads i-l have been led to guess a miHion and a quarter a year, a. the toll revenue ; from the circumstance of there being five-and-twenty thousand mile* of turnpike road in England and Wales. That is an increasing revenue ? -It is certainly increasing very ' S i i .4 1-21 II much ; I think the revenue has been increased by the incrcawof travelling, and particularly stagc-coaclics. Has not it been the practice to augment the tolls considerably in all recent turnpike acts i — In the three sessions of parliament preceding the present, I think, there were about ninety petitions to parliament for a rcnc tval of acts, and an increase of their lolls, because they were in a state that they could not pay their debts ■.yithout the assistance of parliament. Dors not the great expense attending the renewal of acts of parliament, contribute very much to restrain a proper improve- ment of the roads in the kingdom ? — The expense of renewing so many acts of parliament, as is occasioned by the great division of trusts in the country, certainly absorbs a very great sum of the road revenue of the kingdom ; because those acts are every one of them renewed eveiy iwenty-one years, and frequently circum- stances oblige the trustees to come oftener to parliament. Do ypu happen to know whether there have been any steps uken by the Post-office, with a view to forming some general arrange- ment with regard to the roads ? — I am not acquainted with any. I Iwve had repeated conversations with lord Chichester, the postmaster-general, and he has asked for all the information 1 could give hia lordship ; and, of course, I have given the in- formation pretty much in the manner I have had the honour to do to this Committee; and, i believe, his lordship is satisfied that, the consolidation of trusts would be very useful : and he has used his influence in the county of Sussex to have nine trusts consolidated, for the express purpose of mutual aisisunce in providing a general surveyor. Do you know the result ? — I gave the result, and a copy of the resolutions of the county, at the last meeting. Do you know the result as to the expenditure ?— Yes, it goes to that as well as to the amendment of the roads. Supposing any insuperable difficulty to exist in placing the management of the roads of the kingdom under a board of ma- It K> incrcakc of considerably of parliament ncty petitions of their lolls, y their debts 'al of acu of per improve- of renewing great division rat sum of the are every one ently circum- ment. ny steps uken ncral arrange- ted with any. hichester, the information 1 given the in- ihe honour to ip is satisfied il: and he has X nine trusts aisisunce in and a copy of -Yes, it goes n placing the i board of ma- 125 nngement, do you not consider that very great advantage would arise from consolidating the different trusts round London, and placing them under an unity of superintendence and regulauon.- Certainly so ; 1 think that that would be - measure of the great- est use in the world; and I think that no palliative, no other means whatever can be devised to get the London roads improved, except consolidating the trusts under one he^d, or one set ot commissioners, or some body that shall control the whole ; con- solidatingthe roads round London, would be the means probably of great amelioration in the system or manner of mending the roads, and that would serve as an example to other parts of the country, and might be the mean, of extending improvement in the mode of road-making, and would form a sort of school or example to other parts of the country. Do you think, upon the same principle that you recommend consolidating trusts round London, it would be advisable that powers should be given to consolidate trusts in different parts of the kingdom ?-I should think it very advisable that powers were granted by parliament to such trusts as chose to do it, toconso- fidate themselves into one body for the purpose of having a better superintendence, or for any other purposes of general improve- ment; but upon considering the matter very fully, I am of opi- nion that il would be more profitable that the Legislature should Kve leave to trusts than that they should make it imperative upon Them; it will be absolutely necessary, before any such measure could come into effect, that parliament should not only give this leave, but that they should make the proceedings of the genial meeting of those trusts legal, which at present they would not be as the law stands; the nine trusts in Sussex, who nave now volunurily associated together, hold what is consideied a gene al meeting of those trusts ; but I by no means think that their pro- ceedings are legal, as the law now stands. In many cas^s where the consolidation would be beneficial, ao not you consider it would be resisted from local motives.- t II - -i»j«.. 12« m Perhaps it might be reoistcd ', it will be unfortunate when that happens to be the case, but when the good effects of it begin to be seen in the country, I think those objections would be got rid of. Do you believe that the first effects of such consolidation would be a diminution of expense ? — I am quite certain of that. How is that diminution of expense to arise ? — By introducing a much better mode of management, it would occasion more regularity in the mode of keeping accounts, it would introduce a diminution of expense materially in horse labour, ami in various other things ; that I think, upon the whole, the diminution of expense by such regulation would be found very great indeed. Do not you believe that the present system of maintaining roads is the means of a continued increase of expense in the debt and tolls throughout the kingdom ? — I think the debt is increasing very much throughout the kingdom, and that the debt is perhaps greater than gentlemen in parliament are aware of; at present tolls are increasing. Do you consider that there is a corresponding improvement in the roads, in proportion to the increase of the tolls and debts ?— By no means ; my belief is, that where the greatest expense is, there the worst management is, or rather, that the worst manage- ment produces the greatest expense. Then, in your opinion, a great improvement might be eflFected on the roads in general, which might be accompanied in the end by a gradual diminution of debt and tolls ? — Certainly, I think Can you give any information as to the total amount of gene- ral debt on the roads now existing in England and Wales ? After inquiring by all the means that an unauthorized individual could do in different parts of the couutry, and ascertaining, as nearly as I could, the amount of debt upon a great number of trusts ; I have been inclined to believe thit the debt at present amounts to about seven millions in /.ngiand and Wales. 1S7 nate when that of it begin to would be got )lidation would }f that. By introducing occasion more rould introduce , ami in various diminution of rreat indeed, lintaining roadi in the debt and >t io increasing debt is perhaps at present tolls improvement in s and debts ?— est expense is, I worst manage- ight be effected nied in the end tainly, I think mount of gene- and Wales ? rized individual isceruining, as Teat number of debt at present ^ales. Arc you of opinion that any considerable advantage might be derived in the management of the roads, by a commutation for the sututc labour?— Yes; I think very great advantage would be derived by the public, if the statute labour were commuted for money, and that, if it were commuted at a very low rate ; if it were one half of the real value of the work, I should think, the roads would be more benefited by it in general through the country. Is it the general practice in Scotland, under any act of parlia- ment, to commute statute labour for money ?— All the acts of parliament I am acquainted with in Scotland have commuted it ; one in the county I belong to, commuted it twenty years ago with very great advantage. You have mentioned that the commissioners of the Westmin- ster bridge ro.d required you to employ a considerable number of paupers ; the Committee wish to know whether it is the general practice, in your observation, to employ paupers upon roads ?— I have always found that in every place where the improvement of the roads has been commenced, under any advice given by me, it has been desired very much by the inhabitants that the people unemployed (not. perhaps, paupers that generally receive parish relief, but those people who come to ask for relief, because they cannot get work) should be emnloyed on the road ; and it has been very much my wish to gratify that desire by giving them work, not by the day, but by the piece, because that has gene- rally put them off the parishes ; the moment they get work to do, by which they can get their bread, and without which they cannot get their bread, they quit the parish. Is it not the practice, in trusts where you have not been con- cerned, to employ paupers, or very old labourers ?— I have found in all the trusts that have sent to me to uke advice, that the labourers have been a great number of them very inefficient men ; and the excuse generally given for that is, that those peo- ,1 i 12M pie would come to the pariah if they were not lent to the roadt. la the pay of thoie men proportionably low with their abilitiea to work ?— I have not found that to be the caae. I ha»e found that thoac poor, miserable men, who can do very little, have been getting conaiderable wagea, and in that way a conaiderable lum haa been waated. In point of practice, then, the road revenue is m.idc to act aa a poor fund ?— Precisely ao ; I think the road revenue haa gone to theaaaiaunce of the poor in that way. In your experience have you found that the common mode of employing paupera by day-work, ia inefficient both to the im- provement of the roads and to the object of relieving the parishes ? —It may have the effect of relieving the parishes, but I should think it a very bad mode of mending the roada ; inaamuch aa iheae men, when they have got day-wages, will do very little, and for that reason I employ all our men on piece-work ; we have two hundred and eighty labourers in the district of Briatol, and they are almoat all on piece-work; it is very aeldom we employ men by the day. I was directed by the Committee, at their last meeting, to produce some more detailed accounta reapecting the Briatol diatrict : in obedience to that order, I have obtained the report made by me at the end of the firat and second year of my admiristration, which I begto aubmit to the Committee, to- gether witli the reaolution of the commissioners thereon. [TheJ'oHowing Papers were delivered in, and read:'} £xPENDiTURE on the Bristol Roads. In the year 1815, preTious to the mitera- tion of management, there wai paid .£.14,285 2 1 An unpaid floating debt of . . . J,*00 Totalexpen«of 1815, to 95th March 1816 X. 15,685 2 I ri'j It irnt to thr h their abilitici I have found rery little, have ^ a considerable I midc to act as renuc has gone >ininoD mode of joth to the im- ig the parishes ? :s, but I should I ; inasmuch as II do very little, swork ; we hnvo ;of Bristol, and dom we employ :tee, at their last ts respecting the I have obtained I second year of B Committee, to- thereon. and read:"} OADS. 1 X 15,685 2 I Alteration of management, commence par oeni. fund, alioiit 3W i.TiO Toialexpenwofrowl", to March 1817 . £. U.MI 5 I In 1817, ontlny wn« . . . X. 15,830 \ II Of which, perninncnt improve- mrntii cost . . . £.\ ,500 Paid to 5 per cent, fund, about . '200 . Paid for a general survey and plans 340 WliitL'hurch Bridiir! repair* . . 310 . 2,3fi0 Total expenditure for road«, to 25 Marcli 1318 . £^^^^^n 411 Bristol Turnpikes. Report of Mr. John Loudon M'Adam, to a General Meeting of Commissioners, 2d June 1817> Since I had the honour of reporting to the meeting of com- misiujncrs on the 2d of March last, the amendment of the roads has proceeded with success, and at present there are no parti of the roads of the Bristol district ia a bad state. Much has been done in partial improvements, which have al- together amounted to a considerable sum , although not of suf- ficient magnitude individually to come wathin the scope of the regulations of the general meeting, that restrain improvements exceeding 50/. without special order ; several such improve- ments are still neci' »aaty, and some of the small bridges require to be lengthened in the arches in order to lead the roads to them more commodiously, and to widen the roadway on the bridges. The statement of the incooie and expenditure of the year, now made up to the 25th March, presents a very satisfaotory result. 1 H J.*' Jl m ii\ 130 In the last year, a i m equal to nearly five times that of ilie preceding year, has been paid into the 5 per cent. fund. A floating debt, which did not appear in the printed annual account of last year, but which amounted to about 1,400/., has been paid off. The balances of treasurer's accounts, which last year showed the trust to be indebted on the whole to the treasurer 356/. are now so much on the other side, that your treasurers have on the whole account a balance in hand of 614/. and this balance is efficient, because the floating debt is now reduced to the smallest sum possible, under the circumstances of a business so extended. In addition to which, I have to congratulate the commissioners on a reduction of the principal debt in the sum of 729/. 10s. 3rf. and that turnpike tickets, which were at a discount, are now in demand at par. (Signed) John Loudon M'Adam. 8th March 1819. The foregoing is a true copy from the book of proceedings of the trustees of the Bristol turnpike roads. Osborne Sf Ward, Clerks. Bristol TuRNPiKBS. Report of Mr. John I.oudon M'Adam.to a General Meeting of Commissioners, 1st June 1818. Bristol Office of Roads, 1st June, 1818. Since I had the honour to report to the commissioners, in June 1817, the business of the roads has gone on successfully, and they have been kept in invariably good repair under the present system of management, notwithstanding the roads having been tried by all vicissitudes of the most unfavourable seasons ever known. . • jr Several valuable improvements have also been effected m dit- ferent parts of the district ; the very promising state of the that of ilie d. ited annual ,400/., has ear showed ■r 356/. are ^ave on the I balance is :ed to the business so mmissioners 9/. 10s. 3 ception of the Bitton and Toghill roads ; and the balance due to that treasurer has beeii dimi« nishedupon the whole account; there remained in the hands of the treasurers, on the 25th March 1818, the sum of . . . In the hands of the general treasurer, from 5 per cent, fund . <£.502 5 11 Due by the Whitchurch road to the 5 per cent, fund, and included id the general debt . . 300 Balanco in haod, 25th March 1818 £.2,190 1,987 H It is very gratifying to report to the commissioners this mate* rial amelioration cf the funds during the present year, when the income of the trust has suffered a diminution of 425/. 5t. occa- sioned probably by the depression of trade throughout the country. It is to be regretted that the directions of the general meet-^ ings respecting the payments to the 5 per cent, fund have not been more punctually obeyed ; but without entering into the ctrcum. stances of heavy debt and other difficulties, which have hitherto prevented paymenu from particular treasurers, I beg leave to call the attention of the commissioners to a consideration of the 12 i! ! 1".^ 'm 1S2 importance of thi. fund, and the use to which it may be mo.t advantageously applied. • • „.u,«n,«al The fund was instituted for the purpose of gmng the general meetings the power of extending aid to any cUvision of the road, of the district that might be in distress. As the favour- able state of the funds, arising from the system of management adopted by the commissioners, gives a very reasonable hope that ,uch occasion of distress may never again occur, .t may 1^ ex- pedient to consider of the propriety of convertmg the 5 per cents, into a sinking fund. By application of such a sum, amounung to about 85W. annually, to the gradual extinction of the debt of the trust, the means of continuing several useful and very desirable improve ments will be diminished only in a small proportion, a.^^ t amendment of the general state of the roads will procr ., without entirely losing sight of the justice due to the creditors, and the desirable object of reducing a debt of such •n^f""*^; As it may be doubtful whether under the authority of the p««.ntactofH«'"^«"''^'™'*^"'"'y''2'"y'P^^ , f' cent, fund to the purpose of a sinking fund, the committee ap- pointed to prepare the new act may be instructed to cons.de of this subject aVd also for better securing ^^e 1«e pay-n -f he 5 per cint. fund at stated periods, along with the interest of the d'^bt. to the general treasurer. I have great pleasure iubeing able to continue to give a favour- able report of the conduct of the sub-surveyors. (Siened) John Loudon M' Adam, 8th March, 1819. _.j:„«nf The foregoing is a true copy from the book of proceedings of the trustees of the Bristol turnpike roads. Osborne Sf Ward, Clerks. lay be moit ; the geoeral ision of the I the favour- management lie hope that may be ex- r the 5 per about 850/. Lhe trust, the ible improvc- tion, »vA v will procf ;d, the creditors, magnitude, hority of the )plythe Sper committee ap- to consider of ayment of the interest of the )giveafavour- R M^Adatn. proceedings of ard, Clerks. 1S8 BRISTOL TuRNPIKEI. At a Meeting of the Trustees for the care of the several roads round the city of Bristol, holden on 7th December 1818, at the Guildhall in Bristol. Thomas Daniel, Esq. in the Chair. It appearing that under the triennial appointment of Mr. M'Adam, Fiis office of general surveyor will cease on the 16th day of January next ; — Ordered unanimously. That he be again appointed to that office for a further term of three years, atth« same salary. Resolved unanimously. That the thanks of this meeting be given to Mr. M'Adam for the zeal and ability with which he has executed the very arduous duties of his office, from which it appears to this meeting that the most important advantages have resulted to the roads under liis care. 8th March 1819. The foregoing is a true copy from the book of proceedings of the trustees of the Bristol turnpike roads. Osborne If Ward, Clerks. Does any part of that saving which is stated to have uken place on those roads, arise from an increase of revenue ? — There has been a small increase of revenue, but whether arising from tolls or a better collection of the statute labour, I cannot take upon me to tay ; but that increase of revenue must be de- ducted from the saving of 2,700/., which appears in the trea> •urer't hands. W^S^ m 11 ' i li H II if. * .■■• Pi m w i i! ,4 134 Jot;*#, M^dieMartii, 1819. 7oAn loiwfon MMdbrn, Esquire, caUedin; and Examined. IS there any part of youi 'onner evidence upon which you wish to give any further explanation to the Committee ?— In consequence of the surprise and doubt expre»,ed by some members of this honourable Committee, on that part of my evidence respecting the carrying a road over a morass in Somersetshire, and the proportions of the materials used upon that, and the part of the roud with a rocky foundation, which I stated from memory, I thought it proper to write down to the treasurer of that road, to request the favour ot him to send for the surveyor, and know the facts exactly tjom him. The treasurer, Mr. Phippen, who is a magistrate, sent a certificate, signed by the surveyor. There was a certificate, also, signed by Mr. Phippen ; and with it there was a letter from Mr. Phippen, of explanation ; both ot which I wish to pqt in. [TA« papers put in mre asfoUam .•] « I do certify that that part of the sixteen miles of the Bristol turnpike road under my care, from Cross, over the marsh lands, towards Bridgewater, i. now in the best .Ute 1 ever knew it, which is wholly owing to having the very large stones laid at the foundation when the road was first mad. more than fiftyyears since, lifted and beaten very small. The general strength of the road is from seven inches to nine ; and five tons of stones, I have always considered for the re- pairs of this part of the road equal to seven on the other part over the hills. (Signed) '• Kdmrd WhUiing, Surveyor." ■ i,. ■ii*=*'>»^S*,% 135 Examined. 1 which you nittee ?— In led by some t part of my a morass in iterials used r foundation, >per to write he favour of "acts exactly a magistrate, There was a with it there )Oth of which ] i miles of the :os8, over the the best state the very large as first made ry small. The iches to nine ; red for the re- i on the other Surveyor.' «• I, Rubert Phippen, Esq. one of His Majesty's jus- tices of the peace for the county of Somerset, and treasurer on the road mentioned in the above certificate, dohsreby certify and declare, that the contents are true to the best o my knowledge and belief; and the road in question has been under my constant inspection for five years past ; and the surveyor, Edward Whitting, is a person well known to me, and worthy of credit. " Dated March 9th, 1819." •« Letter from Robert Phippen, Esq. to John Loudon M'Adam, Esq. No. 9, Northumberland-street, Strand, I London. «' Dear Sir, «• There cannot, in my opinion, be any necessity to lay the foundation of a road on any ground, even the most soft and peaty, with large stones; daily observation tells me, that this is a great waste of time, materials, and money. I have had, for these five or six years past, a great deal of experience in seeing roads made, one in particular, over a very soft peat-bog, by Wedmore and Glastonbury, in this county. At the time this new line of road was proposed to be made, a great difference of opinion existed as to its prac- ticability, and the method to be pursued to accomplish it. Some of the parties were for laying the whole of the road over the bog with brush-wood, on which were to be put large flat stones, and on those smaller ones. We who were the other party, i °Wted that a more simple, less expensive, and more permanent method was to make it wrtli stones alone, broken very small. We, at last, prevailed, and the system succeeded even beyond our most sanguine expec- tations ; for this part of the road has stood uncommonly well, though the ^^^ll'Oft.o''^ '^ ^^ ^^^i* ^cy P^^^t *"*^ ^'^l* heavy carriages, nalire little repairs wanted have been done 1 \ I ii ^^^^ m 136 at «n inconsiderable expense, compared to the other part of the road made on hard ground over the hills. "I remain, dear Sir, your's truly, " R(^. Phippen.'* V **' Badgworth Court, near Axbridge, March 9th, 1819. I wish, in reference to the opinion I gave with respect to the statute labour, to state, that I have to transact with sixty -nine parishes, respecting their statute labour, in the counties of Somerset and Gloucester ; and t';at it is in con- sequence of these transactions, I gave the opinion to the Committee that I had the honour to submit. What proportion of the statute duty, by pecuniary pay- ments, instead of the mode at present adopted, do you conceive might be saved i — I think, if one third of the present nominal value of the statute labour was to be regu- larly pud into the hands of the treasurer, that it would be more available to the public roads, than the present manner in which the work is done, and certainly less onerous to the agriculture of the country. James M^Adamy Esq. called in; and Examined. YOU are the son of the last witness ? — I am. Have you been employed as a general surveyor upon the turnpike roads? — I have. Upon what roads have you been employed ? — Upon the Epsom and Ewell turnpike roads of twenty-one miles; upon the Reading road of six miles ; upon the eastern division of the Egham road, seven miles and a half; on the western divi- sion of the Egham road, eight miles and a half; on the Ches- hunt turnpike roads, of eighteen miles ; upon the Wades -miU turnpike trust of twenty-nine miles : on the old North road, or Royston road, of lifteen miles ; upon the Huntingdon road of ten miles; and on the »oad from Huntingdon to 1.17 l^' \ her part of hippen.** U I respect to insact with lur, in the It is in con- lion to the iniary pay- id, do you lird of the to be regu- t would be « lent manner ;rou8 to the nined. tr upon the —Upon the miles; upon n division of irestern divi- }n the Ches- ; Wades •mill' North road, Huntingdon intingdon to Somersham of ten miles; being together one hundred and twenty-five miles. How long have you been appointed to them?— My first appointment was in December 1817« Had you been previously in the habits of making the im- provement of turnpike roads your study ?— I had at Bristol, under my fatherV tuition. The information you have acquired, I presume, then, has been entirely under your father's system ?— Yes, upon my father's principles of making roads. And those plans which you have adopted, h"ve been en- tirely conformable to the evidence which he has given before this Committee '—Entirely conformable to those principles which my father has stated in his evidence before this Com- mittee. Can you give the Committee any information with regard to the revenues of the different roads under your manage- ment? The gross revenue of the trustt I have mentioned, of which I am general surveyor, is uoout 19,560/. per annum. Please to state to the Committee, the state of repair in which these roads were when they first came under your management?— The roads in general were in a very loose, rough, and heavy state, much overloaded with materi::ls, the watercourses much stopped up, and the roads in general in a very bad state. What improvements have taken place upon them since your undertaking the care of them?— The Epsom and Ewell roads were put Jnto a perfect state of repair during the last spring and summer; the Reading road has also been put into a perfect state of repair during the lastsunmter; and the Cheshunt turnpike roads have been put into a good state of repair, notwithstanding that the improvements commenced in October, and have been carried on through the whole winter : the improvement is proceeding rapidly in the other districts ; but the three roads I have mentioned, are the only *'! 'I ii f I i Jiff !■ 138 tru.1. that ar. brought into a perfect .tate of repair. I ven- ture to rpeak freely and with great confidence, of the good .Ute of repair of theae three trust* ; for the reason, that no credit whatever is attached to me. except what may be con. •idered due by the careful attention and zealous execution of my father', commands. The meriu of the improvemenU are wholly his own. „ „„..,^ .t,_ expense with which Can you state to the Committee tne e''P*"""' these im'provemenu have been acco.np.nied ?-The expense upon the Epsom roads amounted to 1.929/. 8.. Id. .« the year 1818 ; that is the only trust upon which I am enabled t» state the twelvemonth's expenditure. In what proportion has the expenditure been dw.ded be- tween the labour of men. women, and children, and tf^o priceof cartage and of materials?-! have paid for labour Ln the Epsom roads. 1.146i. U.2d.; for materia s. 98/. 10..; for cartage. 227/. 16*.; for tradesmen s bills, 342/. 0*. llrf.; for land to widen the roads. 115/.; whicii makes up the expenditure 1.929/. 8,. Id. I beg here to state, that I did not avail myself of any statute duty upon the Epsom and Ewell roads. Can you state to the Committee the expenditure upon these roads, in the years preceding your having the charge of them ?-I can; in the year. 1815, 1816. and 1817. which are the three preceding years to my having the charge of these roads. In the year 1816, there was paid for Lour. 379/. 14..; for cartage. 1.019/. 14..; for gravel, im.l5s.5d.; for tradesmen's bills. 178/. 6.. 3rf.; making a total of 2.064/. 9.. 5d. In the year 1816. there was paid for labour 340/. 16.., forcartage. 1070/. 7.. 6rf.; forgravd, 563/ 1.. lOd.; for tradesmen's bills, 382/. 4.. 5d. making ftllof 2.375/. 1«. 9^ I^theyear ISH there was pa^ for labour, 339/. 16..: for cartage. 1,103/. 16. 3d., tor Iravel. 551/.; for Uad^men's bills. 681/. 6.. Id.; making a fotTof 2.67k 18.. 4e/.; independent of Uic statute duty 1.19 air. I ven- if the good on, that no nay be con- ixecution of vementB arc with which rhe expense . Id. in the am enabled [1 divided be- ■ent and the d for labour ir niaterialsi smen's bills* 115^.-, which beg here to e duty upon nditure upon ; the charge ;, and 1817. Qg the charge ras paid for ; for gravel, 3d.; making here was paid i.; for gravel, *. 5d. making here was paid 16* 3rf.; for [d.; making a statute duly upon the several porishos, which wcr« called forth by the former surveyor. Do you know the value of that statute duty ?— Not having had occasion to call it forth, I am unable precisely to an- swer the question; but the parishes are wealthy, and the statute labour must form a very considerable amount. I presume the comparative smallncss of the expense which you incurred for materials must have arisen from making use of the old materials upon the road, by lifting them accordinj? to the plan which your father has described '—That was the case. In what stote did you find the executive department of these roads when you took charge of them?— I found at Epsom a person as surveyor, who had been an underwriter at Lloyd's Coffee-house, at a salary, as I am informed, of sixty pounds per annum, and who was permitted to keep the carts and horses, and do the carta„- ''or the trust. At Reading, I found an elderly gentleman as the surveyor, who was also one of the commissioners, at a salary of twenty or thirty pounds per annum. I found at Cheshunt three surveyors, the trust heing divided into Uiree districts. One of the surveyors was an infirm old man, another a car- penter, and another a coal-merchant. I found on the Wades-mill trust three surveyors also, and the trust divided into three districts; one of these surveyors was a very old man, another a publican at Buckland, and the other a baker at Backway, with a salary of fourteen shillings a week each. I found on the Royston road a publican as surveyor there ; and I found at Huntingdon a bedridden old man who had not been out of the house for several months, and who had beon allowed by the commissioners to apply to a carpenter in the town for assistance, and to whom the commissioners allowed twenty pounds per annum; this person, who accompanied me in the survey of the roads, stated, that he n 140 could gi»e bui little attention to the monBRcnwnt of ilie road, the salary being »o small j and the .late of tho«e roads bore evidence to the truth of his assertion. Without entering into individual cases, do you consider that it was possible, from the nature of the circumstances and engagements of these parties, that they could g.»e that attention to the roads which their improvement required?— I do not consider it was at all likely that they would. What arrangemente did you make in the e^cecutive de- partment of these roads after you took the charge of them ?-- With the permission of the trustees, I appointed upon each trust an active sub-surveyor, whom 1 required to keep a horse, and to have no other occupation whatever. Can you stole to the Committee the expense of en^loying Buch 8ub.surveyor8?-The salary of the sub-surveyors in general is one hundred guineas a year ; and where the reve- nues of the trust have been small, as in the case of the Royston roads and the Huntingdon roads, I have made one surveyor do the duty of both the trusu, in order that that expense might be divided. What emoluments have you yourself derived from your employment upon these trusts?-! am unable to stole the precise amount to the Committee ; for the reason that I have in every in8.ance requested of the trustees that that con- sideraUon might be deferred for at least a twelvemonth after I was honoured with the charge of the roads; Epsom js therefore the only road upon which that period ha. e.-p.ed ; and with the permission of the Committee, I will read the resolution entered upon the ledger of the Epsom road, upon that subject. <21 St December, 1818. We have examined the above account, of Mr. M'Adam. the surveyor, from iu commencement to thU date, and find of tlie roadi ! roads bore ou consider rcumstances lid give that required?— luld. tecutive de- j of them ?— (1 upon each i to keep a sr. jf employing surveyors in ere the reve- case of the ive made one ■der that that >d from your 3 to state the in that I have hat that con- emonth after g; Epsom is i has elapsed ; will read the m roads upon iber, 1818. ^r. M'Adam, datei and find 141 that the sum of ISl.Gt. U is due to Mr. M'Adam.by th» trust, say i:.75 6 I But as no allowance has been made to the surveyor for his management, and as that ma- nagement has given great satisfaction to the trustees, it was resolved to give the surveyor, to cover all charges, and for his trouble, it being distinctly understood for this year only, the sum of one hundred and fifty guineaa - \51 10 — .£.232 16 I Which sum of 232/. 16». U. the treasurer will be pleased to pay to Mr. M'Adam. (Signed) T.Reid, Thomas HaUiday, Edward Archbold, William DawdemeU, John Webb, J. M' Cripps." Thomas Caherlet/, With permission of the Committcee I will relate what I stated to the trustees, upon those resolutions being read to me; that I considered that sum as extremely liberal, and quite sufficient for one small trust to give a gener ' sur- veyor, and were Epsom one trust in a district, such a sum would be quite sufficient for their proportion of the salary of a general surveyor ; but standing alone, and divided from all other trusts of which I had the management, and separated also by the London roads, the necessity of my father's tra- veiling from Brbtol and residing some time at Epsom, and of so much being required tc be done the first year in a nevr trust, that sum did no more than repay the actual expenses incurred. It will be obvious to the Committee that such a trust as Reading, consisting of six miles only, distant from Bristol eighty miles, and from London forty miles, and anticipating an equal liberality on the part of the commit- ^yi,;J<,'-'-v= . 149 sionert there, no mm luch a truU could be juitified in giving lo a general lurveyor could repay even a moiety of the ex- pense of superintendunce ; the reward for my iervicei. then, must be looked for in the convincing proof that my father't principles of road-making are, if possible, more applicable, and more beneficial in a trust where the materials are very bad than where th^y are good : my only object in troubling tlic Committee with these observations, is to show that un- less a district of roads are united, the expense of a general superintendance would not be paid by any salary such trust could be justified in giving. Can you state to the Committee the nature of the materials which you have employed in the different roads under your care ?— At Epsom there are flints ; at Reading a very small foul gravel, with a thick adhesive loam attached ; at Wal- tham Cross, on the Cheshunt roads, small foul gravel ; to- wards Ware, flints ; on the Wades-mill trust, flinU ; on the Royston trust, flint, gravel, and blue permet stone; at Huntingdon, flint, and gravel ; Egham, flint and gravel. Is there any particular method which you have employed out of the common practice, for making use of these mate- rials?— I have bestowed great labour, care and attention in the preparation of these materials in the pits, and in their separation previous to their being brought upon the roads ; and also much labour and care for a length of time after their being laid upon the road, until it became perfectly smooth, hard and level. Can you state to the Committee the probable future ex- pense of keeping these roads in repair, after they have once been put into good order, as compared with the annual out- goings under the old management?-! am of opinion that the expense of maintaining these roads in good condition will be considerably less than the former expenditure ; for the reason, that the better a road is, the less the wear ; »nd aiife. Tl>i«'^ \ lied in giving ■ ty of thcex- ervicea, then, t my fiither's re appli cable* •rinls nro very t in troubling ghow that un- lofa general ary such truit rthc motcriali Is under your X a very small lied ; at Wal- ul gravel ; to- flinU ; on the let stone; at nd gravel, ^ave employed of these mate- nd attention in I, and in their pon the roads ; time after their rfectly smooth, table ftjture ex- ihey have once the annual out- )f opinion that good condition ipenditure; for I the wear ; and 14.1 that there will be a less quantity of materials reqiired, whcit properly prepared, than wore formerly used, when they were brought to the road in u very fool' and improper state. Can you state generally, whether the proportion of labour, materials and cartage that you have described upon the Kpsom trust, agrees with the ^ame proportion up.' r'le other roads under your manoger.ent? — On some of the other roads, the proportion of labour to cartage will be found greater than upon the Ep.i>m road. At Chesl\unt, in five months, during which the roads have t iien put into good repair, 1 have expended the su^n of fjOO/. forty of which alone was paid for cartag . Upon the Wade«»miII trust, out of 600/. expended, not a sixpence was pr J for cartage. Upon the Hoyston roads, whore I have sf m; .Ml. not any of it was paid for cartage. Upon the Huntingdon roads, I have spent '20/. a week, the whole d ,='^ich has been paid in labour. At Heading, during e ^lit aionths, 5001. were laid out, 400/. of which were paid for labour. Is it your opinion, that the proportion of labour, wages, and cartage, is likely to continue the same, in the future reparation of the roads ? — I am of opinion they will ; because there will be an increase of labour, in the preparation of the materials, previous to their being brought to the road ; and also in the formation of the road after they are laid on. By a more careful and proper preparation of the materials, a much less quantity will be required to uphold the roads than formerly ; I am, therefore, of opinion, that the proportion of labour to cartage will rm'Xh-ue the same. It appears, by your answu: to a former question, that the expense of cartage has been much diminished, owing to your making use of the ri.Uerials of the old road ; will not the proportionate expense of cartage for future years be in- creased in consequence of your no longer having the re- source of breaking up the roads, but being obliged to repair \ 1 v'ii 1 i 1 Vf 1 i t> ' ■1 it. il A 1 ' 144 them with fresh materials ?— la «ome degree it certainly would. jc In what wcy is the- statute labour at present performed upon these roada ?— Upon two of the trusts only, the Roy- ston road and the Huntingdon road, I have had occasion to avail myselfof any statute labour; the fund upon the other trusts being more than sufficient to uphold the roads without having recourse to statute labour. Upon these two trusts I have derived some small advantage from statute labour. Colonel Charles Braion, called in ; and Examined. ARE you one of the commissioners of the turnpike road upon the Cheshunt trust ?— I am. How long have you acted ?-Several years, eight or ten years. Be kind enough to explain to the Committee any recent improvements which have taken place in the management and repairs of the roads within that trust ?-Since the new method has been adopted by Mr. M'Adara, a very evident advantage has arisen to the roads ; they are now extremely good, and were formerly very indifferent ; I therefore attn- bute it solely to the present mode adopted by Mr. M'Adam for nothing can be better than the roads are at present. ,t Can you state to the Committee, whether the improve- ment has taken place with an increase or a diminution of the expense?-! belieVe at about one-third less ; At least I un- derstand that it was taken at about one-third less. Has there been any increase upon the tolls upon these roads ?-Not since Mr. M' Adam has had any thing to do with them. 1 have every reason to suppose there will be a diminution, in consequence of the good state of the roads. Having heard Mr. M' Adam's evidence, can you give the Committee any further information with regard to the means by which these improvements have been effected ?— I con- 1% certainly I performed jr, the Roy- occasion to m the other Dads without )e two trusts te labour. mined, urnpike road eight or ten >e any recent management >ince the new very evident )w extremely lerefore attri- Mr. M'Adam present. ,f the improve- linution of the \t least I un- ess. lis upon these r thing to do I there will be ;e of the roads, n you give the d to the means cted?— I con- 146 ctive that the mttde of Mr. M'Adam has been the meani of making the roads so much better, that it Is only wonderful when we see it now, that it has not taken place sooner, being founded upon the best principle possible. / Can you state whether these improvements have taken place by the use of any new materials, or by a better appli- cation of the existing materials ?•— By the better application of the existing materials, certainly. Have you found this improved system attended with any advantages, in regard to the employment of the poor within those parishes ?— With regard to the parish where I live, and where my property is situated, I have seen considerable improvement, since we have had the opportunity of sending our poor to be employed by Mr. M amounting to one hundred pounds each year, which Mr. M'Adam has not availed himself of in their improvements. Has the system of management pursued by Mr. M'Adam proved the means of giving employment to labourers in the district, and thereby lessening the poor's rates ? — Very much so; and they have occasionally employed from twenty to thirty persons, stout able-bodied men, who otherwise would have been obliged to have been supported out of the parish rates. Have you in consequence had any persons who were able to work who have been out of employ ? — Between twenty and thirty persons have been employed for the last three months in breaking flints, and in repairing and improving the roads, who otherwise must have come upon the poor's rates ; and all the persons who have been enabled to work have found employment in consequence of this improve* ment ; that has been the means of greatly relieving our poor's rates. Has the same system been extended to the private roads in that district ? — It has been adopted in some of the private roads of that district, and with the same beneficial effects. Can you state any particulars with regard to the necessity there has been for carting additional materials for these roads i — At present Mr. M'Adam having lifled the roads, has found more than sufficient material for the support of those roads. K 2 »f IS 148 What have been the materials tl Jave been used ?~The materials that have been used are flints chiefly. During the state of improvement of these roads, have the tolls been increased or reduced within your trust?— At our last meeting, we agreed, that at the next letting, the tolls should be reduced from May next, for the benefit of agri- culture in general ; and that where two shillings and eight- pence is now paid, they wlU have now to pay ne shiUmg ; that with reUiUon to the agricultural interest, will b? a re- duction of twenty five pounds per mile. Within your own personal observation, have you known any other instance in which a road has been formed upon th« same principles as those adopted by Mr. M'Adam ?— I had an opportunity of observing in Sweden that the roads were more beautiful than any » ever beheld ; they are formed in the same manner ad by Mr. M'Adam, the materials broken extremely small. The material is the bett in the world, as it U rocks of Granite ; and so well do they understand the necessity of breaking them small, that you never behold ' throughout Sweden, a fragment of granite larger than the size of a inut, for the purposes of the roads. What is the shape of these roads ?— To the eye they appear i^erfectly flat ;' but upon trial by the spirit level, there is a slight degree of convexity. iVUUam DcMdenueUt Esquire, called in ; and Examined. YOU are a commissioner upon the Epsom trust?— lam. How long have you been a commissioner ?— About four or five years. Have you had any opportunity of observing the compa- rative state of the roads since they were put under the care •r Mr. M« Adam, compared with that in which they were m^^ UP led ?~The 8, have the I?— At our g, the toUe !6tof agri- ) and eight* ne shilling ; rill b? a re- you known led upon the am?— I had roads were re formed in irials broken ie world, as derstand the lever behold ;er than the Is. he eye- they it level, there id Examined. Bom trust?— About four or Dg the compa- nder the care lich they were before > — They were very bad when first put under Mr. M* Adam's care ; they are now, I think, very good. Do you attribute this to the improved system of manage- ment?— Totally. Can you confirm the evidence that has been already given relative to the expenses of repairing the roads previously to that time and since ? — From the statement made to me by the former surveyor, and from Mr. M 'Adam's statement, I believe the statements delivered in to you are perfectly correct. Considering the advantage which the public has derived from Mr. M< Adam's system, I have adopted the same upon the parish roads. I offered myself to the parish as their surveyor, for the purpose of carrying that system into execution. I have found employment for all persons who wanted employment upon the parish roads, assbted occasionally by persons going to the public roads under Mr. M'Adam. How long have you adopted this system upon the private roads ?— Ever since October last. From that period the whole of the poui have been em- ployed upon the parish roads ? — From that period the whole of tht poor that wanted employment, have been employed upon the parish roads, or upon the public roads under Mr. M'Adam. Have those persons been employed by you, by piece" work or by day-work ?— The roads were in such a state, and as I wanted knowledge to employ by piece-work, I have been compelled to employ them by day-work. From your experience are you of opinion that these private roads, made upon the new system which has been adopted, can be kept in good repair at a less expense than they formerly cost in their bad state? — At a very considerable less expense than formerly. ■A n .^f M ^^-j^K^i-, , i! m I %:i lAO Muitis. ■Zi\'' die Ma>U, 1819. Mr.ifcw>w/>t fam/, called m; and Examined. YOU arc. I believe, the surveyor of the Whitecliaiiel road ? — I am. How Jong have you been in tha. office —Nine years. In what Kltuatioiu did you find >ha road, at the time of your undertaking' th^ ma^^iger. -^U-l found the Whitechapel road in a droadful 6tnfe, pu.t.yfrom she neglect of thesur- vcyor, in layiiig on foul and improper materials. In tlie autumn of iS09, it was almost impassable. Gravel is the only material you have in that neighbour- hood?— Gravel is the only material we find, on or near the spot. Is the traffic upon the Whitechapel road so great as to render it impossible to preserve it in good order with the present materials ?-It is impossible to preserve it m good order at all times, with Uie present materials ; it is past the art of man. Do you consider the traffic upon that road, as greater than upon any other road out of London ?-I believe it is a heavier traffic; there are not so many light carriages, us on some other roads. What species of carriages do you consider do the most injury to your road ?-The carriages that do the most injury, are those with the widest wheels. In what way do you consider that they injure the road . - By their great weights destroying the materials. Are the carriages you allude to, exempt from the payment of tolls ?-They pay much less tolls. The pressure, or crushing of materials by the wide wheels, is owing to the wheels not running fiat. Being of a conical .hape .WBcinii ol a barrelled and fti'li mined. Whitecliapel B years, time of your Whitechapel :t of the Bur- ials, lu the t neiglibour- n or near tiia ) great as to dcr with the vc it in gootl it is pasttlie id, as greater jelievc it is a ■riages, us on do the most le most injury, e the road ? — I* I the payment 1 pressure, or ) owing to the barrelled and conical biiapc, and the middle tire projecting above the others, with rough nails. Do you consider, that if those wheels were made of a cylindrical or flat shape, it would be good policy to grant them any exemption from tolls '-They would be less in- •urious for being cylindrical; but whenever the road was at all out of the level, and the weight came on one edge of the wheel, the road would be destroyed there. Upon the whole, is it your opinion that there are any circumstances which justify an exemption from toll, on account of the breadth of the wheels?-! do not see any at all, for I think they are injurious in every eense, on account of the great weights they carry. Do you consider that injury is done to the roads, in consequence of the use of single shafts in waggons?- Very great. In what way?— In consequence of single shafts, the liorses follow in one track, in the centre of the carriage ; and the wheels also follow each other in other tracks, and cut ruts : if there were double shafts, they would natiirally avoid former wheel tracks, which would be less injurious to the road. Do you consider it therefore desirable to give encou- ragement to double shafts ? — I do. Do you consider the watering of that road in any way injurious?— I consider that watering that road in summer, is very injurious. In what respect ?— The water separates the stones, owmg to the softening of the loam, and makes the road spongy and loose. At what periods do you consider It injurious to water the road for laying the dust ?-Before May and after August. Have you not a practice of sometimes watering in winter, when there is no dust ?— After the most caiciul sifting of the '.:! :'A ^<,j 162 H gravel, a small quantity of loamy dirt will unavoidably itill adhere to the stones, and this loam, together with a gluti- nous matter which accumulates in the summer from the (lung and urine of the cattle (which accumulation the sum- mer watering has a tendency to increase) occasions the tvhecls to stick to the materials, in certain states of the road, in spring and autumn, when it is between wet and dry, particularly in heavy foggy weather, and after a frost ; by which sticking of the wheels, the Whitechapel road is often, in a short time, dreadfully torn and loosened up ; and it is tor remedying this evil, that I have, for more than eight j "ors past, occasionally watered the rood in winter. As soon as lii^ Blinking and tearing up of the materials is ob- served to have commenced, several water-carts arc em- ployed upon these parts of the road, to wet the loamy and glutinous matters so much, that they will no longer adhere to the tire of the wheels, and to allow the wheels and feet of the horses to force down and again fasten the gravel stones '< the traffic, in the course of four to twenty-four hours after watering, forms such a sludge on the surface, as can be easily raked off by wooden scrapers, which is performed as quickly as possible; after which the road is hard and smooth, the advantages of this practice of occasional winter watering have been great; and it might, I am of opinion, be adopted with like advantages on the other entrances into London, or wherever else the tK.fhc is great, and the gravel stones are at tiinea observed to be torn up by the sticking of the wheels. In what state of the road arc you in the habit of laying on fresh materials? — I prefer laying on materials imme- diately after the road has had a scraping, in consequence of there buing upon the surface of the road a bmall quantity of dirty matter and broken gravel, which then forms a sort of cement for the gravel to fix in. 1.53 m' You uonaidcr it ndvantogeout tola/ on the materials wliert the road is wet?— I do, because the gravel adheres closer. Contiidcring the v ry great traffic upon the Whitechapel road, is it your opinion that it would be advantageous to r^ve any part of that road i — 1 think it would be desirable to pave it, within some feet of the footpath more particularly. What breadth from the sides of that road would you con* sider it desirable to have paved i — About elevvn or twelve feet from the footpath. You would consider it a desirable plan to pave the sides of that road in preference to the centre ?— Certainly. For what reasons? — If the centre was paved, the light carriages would be very much annoyed ; when the gravel road was good on the sides, the heavy carriages would go there, and the light carriages would be driven on the stones from the sides again ; if the centre was paved the carters would be obliged to walk on that road to manage their horses, and would be considerably annoy«d by carriages* horsemen, &c. passing : but if the sides of that road were ])avcd, the carters would be enabled to walk on the footpath and to manage their horses without annoyance. What is the shape of road which, from your experience, you would give the preference to ? — I would have die road barrelled, and made so as that it would convey off the water in the severe weather in winter, when the roads are generally bad. Which do you give the preference to, a road with a flat burface, or one that gradually declines from the centre i — I think a road which gradually declines from the centre is by far the most preferable, decidedly so. What is the degree of the declivity or full whicli you would rucuiiunund as the mobt ilcsirable ? — I have paid par- ticular allciiliuu to the Whitocliapcl road, where ii, is of the 'width of 3o I'eel, and the fall from the ccntie tu the sides i» mi V2 .ncl.c«; but t.. attam tin. nl.apc .hen the road in worn .lown. when lirst covered with Bravd. there .houUl be a Ml not cxeccding from 16 to 18 inche.fro.n the centre to t he bides. [ The mlims delivered in a cross section of the roaa.} Is it your opinion that any parliamentary regulation w.ti. regard to stage coaches is necessary for preventing injury to tlie road ?— None. \ou think it desirable that they should remain as at present ? — Yes. What is the btatc of the Whitcchapel road now, as com- pared « ith what it was some years ago ?-During the greater part of tlic vcar, it is now one of the most pleasant road, out of London to travel upon ; but from the grnvcl bemg Hinnlland brittle, it is toon worn down, by the great num- bcr of heavy weights passing on it. With the small grave. «c have in the neighbourhood of Whitcchapel, the road at times breaks up, and becomes in a bad state; but by the application of water, to stop the sticking of the wheels, and separate the sludge, in two days they arc found in a good state again. Have you any other suggestion to make to the Committee for the improvement of that road, or of roads in general ?- On that road, very great improvement might be made, m not allowing the wide wheels to pass by paying so little toll, or to carry so great weights as at present; if the narrow- wheeled waggons were to use double shafts, they would be less injurious to the roads: even with narrow-wheeled carl., if the two fore-horses were double, the shafts not bemg in their track, it would be less injurious to the roads. John Varcj, Esquire, called in ; and Examincil. W HAT is your profession ? - 1 am a mineral .urvcN or and vnjjitieer. ^«U| iJEm 155 oad is worn ill! be u full ;eiUrc to llu; )/ ihe road.} ;ulation witli ing injury to cmain as at »ow, 09 com- ug the greater pleasant roiid^ grovel being he great num- le Bmall gravel il, the roail at tc ; but by the le wheels, and undin a good ihc Committee ! in general ?— It be made, in g so little toll, it' the narrow- , they would be -wheeled carts, ts not being in oads. Examined. ral surveyor and lliivc you turned your attention to the »latc ol the road* in the dirtercnt districts of tlie kingdom?— I have, very {larticularly. Can you furnish the Committee with any information with regard to the state of tho«o roads, as compared with former years ?— I can ; 1 have i>nrticularly attended to that subject ; more especially in the time of the late duke of Hcdford, for whom I was an agent. 1 have since been employed in nearly every part of England and Wales, and also in Scotland: and I have stalements by me of the various observations I have made. You have been employed under the late duke of Bedford, in the improvement of the roads in the neighbourhood of Woburn ?— In the nmnngcmcnt of his roads in Bedfordshire, and of all his rural works. Describe what improvement of the main road has taken place under your direction, in Woburn ?— The whole of the line of tho road through Woburn, except about three hun- dred yards in different places, is on a very strong alluvial clay ; the road passes over naked sand, only for three hun- dred yards ; this road had been rendered so sandy and so bad, entirely by bringing soft sand-stonc out of Bucking- hamshire, at three miles carriage, upon the average, in Woburn, and some of that stone was brought almost to the end of Hockliff Town, where the best gravel abounds. It appeared, from the remains of a number of gravel-pits, that there had been formerly a great deal of gravel dug in Woburn ; this circumstance I mentioned to the duke of Ikdford, and he desired search to be made ; and it was as- certained that Woburn might f-urdsh gravel enough, ade- c|uale to any purpose. In cons, qurr , > of which, his Gra»:c directed, when the labourers w.ro >:)ai!i in want of employ- ment, that the poor purstms .l»ouid be employed in pre- paring a great .luanlily ut jjravcl lor the pur[.osc2 of thi> i ,'.', 'M'f ^1 i.'in ; ife t' f il turnpike roaJ. I undertook to airctl the takiog of tliii grnvol out, uiwl to level the siftingn uml Hirt in a uniform manner, and lay all the soil again upon the top; by which means the land wn» in no degree injured, but, in fact, con- Bidtrably benefited, by being loosened to that depth. A great many hundreds of cubic yards of clean-sifted and picked gravel were prepared in numerous square stacks, and the trustees at a meeting, or else their clerk, were informed, that this gravel his Grace offered to the road at the mere cost of labour, without any thing for the gravel, or the temporary damage to the occupiers of the land. After a long time of hesitation, the trustees or their clerk returned An answer, that thcy did not like that mode, alleging that tiieir surveyor ought to be allowed to dig materials where and how he liked, and thcy would not have this gravel : it lay there, some of it for two or three years, upon the land. In that time a number of private roads were making of his Grace's, and a good deal of it was used on these. The main road became progressively worse and worse, and the post-office caused the parish to be indicted. I was then surveyor, and made an application to the trustees, stating the circumstances the road was under: that road-trust is thirteen miles in length, two of which, or rather more, are 'n the parish of Wobutn ; there is a toll-gate in the parish, which the inhabitanu are liable to all the toll of; some of them, even in going and returning to and from their fields : the trustees had exacted very strictly the half of the statute duty, although the parish had, I think, eleven milw of private roads to maintain. I mention this circumstance to show there was no default on the part of the parish ; and it was afterwards proved, that they had done their duty; the trustees merely laughed at the application, and 8«id, that thcy had nothing to do with it; we must repair the road, and till we did .0, they would not lay out a fatlhmg upon fii^; CTravTi JDg of this I a uniform i; by whicli n fact, con- depth. A viiftcd and atncks, and re informed , at the nicro ivcl, or the d. After a rk returned llcging that eriols where lis gravel : it on the land, taking of his these. The irse, and the I was then itees, stating road-trust is ler more, are i the parish, 1 of; some of I their fields : }f the statute ren miles of rcumstancc to [larish ; «nd it leir duty ; the ind snid, that lair the road, farthing ution 167 our rond. It hoppened, very fortunately for the pariah of Woburn, that their act was very nearly out, and titcy applied for a new one ; the parish opposed it, stating, that the trus- tees had misapplied the tolls, and praying, that the part oi the rood, through Woburn, should be takeu out of their management; the act accordingly directed, that two-thir- teenths of the tolls should bo paid over to tlie parish surrey ors of Woburn, and the trustees were not to coll for any statute-duty, or interfere in the management of this part of the road ; in consequence of this, the gravel mentioned, which remained, and great quantities dug on purpose, was used upon the road, in a suiBcient quantity at once, so aa to admit of iu settling down together ; for it wanted lining nine inches thick, or more, and the road has since been per- fectly good. Jovis, 26' die Martii, 1810. John Farey, Esquire, called in ; and Examined, IN effecting the improvement of the Woburn road, did you make use of any particular mode of applying the gravel i — ^The gravel, before the time of using it, had been very clean sifted, and separated from the dirt and sand ; the great stones had been picked out, and such of the flints which were of a long and irregular shape, in order that they might be broken. After laying the gravel upon the road men were daily employed to rake the gravel into the ruts, and, at the same time, to carefully pick off the surface any stones that were either soft or improperly shaped, like long flinU, or t09 large. What b jrour opinion, in regard to the form the moat pre- '4H 1.08 ferable for turnpike romU ?— A small convexity in the middle. Will you state the fall, in any given width of road, that you would prefer?— Referring to my brother, Mr. Benjamin Farcy's evidence, I agree with him ii ^vishing that the sec- tion which he produced, might be received by the Com- mittee, as an answer to this question. Is there any particular circumstance, in the formation of roads, more particularly applicable to the immediate neigh- bourhood of London ?— In the neighbourhood of London, ai.: of several other large towns, the materials that are to be readily procured, are of too tender and brittle a nature to endure the wear of the heavy carriages; I therefore am of opinion, that it would be proper to pave the sides of all the principal entrances into London; but not the middle, as has been done on the Commercial road and Borough Stones'- cnd road. My reasons for preferring the sides being paved arc, that it is next to impossible to compel the carters to keep upon the pavement in the middle of the road, in too many instances ; the fear of damage, from the swift going carriages, occasions them, either to draw their carts close to the sides, and walk upon the footpaths, or what is worse to leave their horses in the middle, beyond a train of carriages. The sides being paved, would enable one of those trains of carriages to enter London on one side of the road, and go out of it on the other, without many occasions to turn out of their tracks : which keepinjj nearly to the same tracks, upon a well-paved road, would not be prejudicial ; but on a road formed of gravel is entirely ruinous. Do you consider that the plan of rolling the roads in the neighbourhood of London might be advantageously intro- duced?— The centre of the roads I should recommend to remain covered with clean-sifted and picked gravel, having i^ , V vexity in the of road, that Mr. Benjamin ; that the see- by the Com- B formation of nediate neigh- id of London, als that are to rittle a nature therefore am the sides of all tlie middle, as trough Stones*- es being paved 1 the carters to e road, in too ;he swift going ir carts close to lat is worse to in of carriages, those trains of le road, and go ions to turn out lie same tracks, [licial i but on a ic roads in the tageously intro- l recommend to 1 gravel, having 159 a« many as possible of its large, roundish and smooth stones broken by means of a hammer before the time of laying it on the road, and that an heavy iron roller, of from four to five feet diameter, and not less, might be advantageously used in the first settling down of this gravel; a small roller, such as I believe to have been tried in the neighbourhood of London, very heavily loaded on its top, might have a tendency to force the loose gravel before it so as not easily to be drawn or to mount on to the gravel driven before it without crush- ing the flints. I will add, I am of opinion, that aroUer could not be beneficially used upon a road at any other times but after new coating it with gravel, or after a frost or the sticking of materials to the wheels may have loosened up the materials. Do you consider that the present regulations in regard to exemptions of tolls to waggons with broad wheels, are jus- tified by sound policy ?— In my opinion, those exemptions have wholly originated in mistaken principles, and that no wheels wider than about six inches are now, in fact, used upon the roads, owing to the general and gross deceptions which the waggoners practise as to the breadth of surface that their wheels roll on; and that if by any more efficient regulations, the users of broad wheels were compelled to roll the breadths of surface, which the laws contemplate, all such wheels would be immediately disused, from the great addi- tional force of draught which broad wheels occasion during the average state of all the roads. Are you of opinion that any regulation by statute, for sub- stituting cylindrical for conical wheels, would remedy that evil, or justify an exemption from toll ?— As far as I have oboerved, there are no conical wheels in use : all the wheels are rounding or barrelled, and it is comparatively an imma- terial circumstance whether they approach the form of a cone or a cylinder, while they remain so rounding or banrened, Hi 160 - because their enormous loads roll on a very imall portion of the surface of all those broad wheels. I think that six-inch cylindrical wheels, or under, ore the most practicable and useful, provided the projecting nails are most rigidly pro- hibited, which I believe can never be done but by a pe- nalty per nail upon the wheelers who put in those nails, and upon the drivers of the carriages who used such roughly- nailed wheels. Are you of opinion that the penalties now fixed by law upon over-weights are regulated upon good principles?—! consider the whole system as to penalties upon over-weights generally bad ; the present regulations seem to me framed upon mistaken principles, and are the source of very great impositions. In what manner might the penalties and tolls upon carts and waggons be best fixed ?— It is not practicable very simply or in this way to state any one scale that would be ge- nerally applicable for each breadth of wheels: below six inches, there should be a rate fixed, which would apply to ordinary or gate-tolls, and at the weighing machines addi- tional tolls, which I will call machine-tolls, should be levied upon all carriages which exceeded the weight, to be regu- lated in an increasing scale for each breadth of wheel, so as very greatly to discourage, but not ruinously to prohibit the occasional carrying of large weights upon any wheels. You are not, then, of opinion that it would be right to do away the regulations altogether in respect to the weights, and apportion the tolls only to the number of horses ?— By no means. Are you acquainted with any particular weighing machine, which obviates the common objection in regard to imposi- tions by the machine-keepers?—! am ; Mr. Salmon, of Wo- burn, many years ago, contrived, and had a patent (which has expired) for a weighing machine, intended to prevent tfi 11 portion ef that six-inch cticable and rigidly pro- ut by a pe- }e nails, and ch roughly- fixed by law rinciples ? — I over-weights > me framed Df very great Is upon carts e very simply vould be ge- s: below six mid apply to achines addi- )uld be levied t, to be regu- ' wheel, so as D prohibit the wheels. t)e right to do the weights, horses?— By hing machine, ird to imposi- Imon, of Wo- patent (which td to prevent Hil impositions on the carters: the machine being so contrived as to be locked up from the machine-keeper, and accessible only to the surveyor, and so as to exhibit the exact weight by a revolving index, like the hands of a dock, which are called clock-face indexes; a great number of these weighing machines have long been in use in the kingdom, some in the immediate environs of London : by lookmg at the index of which ma- chine, the carter, or any passer by, may see that the ma- chine, before the carriage is drawn upon its weigh-bridge, is in just balance ; and all the time the carriage remains upon the weigh-bridge, the index exhibits the weight, so that the carter can take it down ; and at the same time the dial-plate is made an abstract of the law, by there being written against each of the weights fixed, the breadth of the carriage-wheel, and the season to which that weight is applicable at the com- mencement of penalties for over-weights. Can you inform the Committee of the expense of a ma- chine of this description ?— I cannot ; but it is trifling, com. pared with its advantages, and an index may be added to a machine upon the common principle, using weights, placed in a scale ; they may be applied to any good machine already in use. Are you of opinion there exists any necessity for limiting the number of horses ii. •' ts and waggons, upon roads where there are weighing-machines J— I am of opinion not ; and even doubt tlie propriety of calculating the gate-toll by the number of horses which draw the carriage. Upon pri, vate or parish roa . where no machines rre erected, there eems, Iiowevcr, no other mode of reg bating or preventing excessive loads being carried, to the ruin of the roads, than limiting the number of horses ; but in case of the practice becoming general, "'uch already prevails in many of the tavvns in the middle cf England, of there being a weigliing- L H \G'2 .i< H m^^cliine, kept by a cottager, at all the principal entrances of the town, at which he is author'xed (by the local magistrates, I believe,) to collect a small toll for each weighing, for those who voluntarily apply to him, by which means all loads passing into and out of such towns, may be, and the greater part of them are now, weighed ; and if this were adopted in the environs of London, (with the addition of a yard and a warehouse, where a carter who has inadvertently taken up too large a load, either of dung, furniture, or othe articles, of the weights of which he could not be accurately informed, may learn the same ; and where, upon the result of this weighing, if it should be discovered that he had much too large a load, he could there throw off and deposit a part of it, either to abandon it if of small value like dung, or to take it up from the warehouse, at a future lime,) these en- trance weighing-machines would remove tiic only valid ob- jection to weighing the loads of matmre going out of London, by which the roads are at present more cut up and de- stroyed, than by any other description of carriages. Will you have the goodness to state the principle upon which you prefer that the t(.lis should be regulated entirely by weights and breadtii of wheels, without regard to the number of Horses drawing ?— Because nothing can be more vague or unsatisfactory, than the latter mode of defining weights, or preventing the »;arrying of excessive loads, because horses are of such very different degrees of size, condition and strength, and the humanity or otherwise of their drivers are so very different ; but more on account of the very great inequality of the diHercnt roads of the king- dom, which this general regulation is now made to apply to, as to the number and steepness of the hills : the precautions that have beeu used, of setting u,> posts upon the tops and bottoms of tho-'e steeps, to defeat where extra horses may mm ■€m aaaBW'irm i — ts I entrances of I magistrates, ing, for tliose ms all loads id the greater re adopted in )f a yard and intly taken up otlip articles, tely informed, result of this had much too posit a part of ! dung, or to lie,) these en- only valid ob- )ut of London, It up and de- iages. jrinciple upon ilated entirely regard to the g can be more le of defining xcessive loads, ligrocs of size, r otherwise of on account of Js of the king- de to apply to, ihc precautions n the tops and tra horses may be u«ed, are entirely become useltas, comparatively, none of the hilk now remain, to any length, with so great a degree of steepness, as to cause it to be worth any one's while to keep horses stationed there, for ihe purpose of assisting heavy carriages up those hills for hire ; still less has it oc- curred that any waggoner has spare horses following his waggon, for which he must pay tolls, in order to avail him- self of this useless ;;»ermission, to use any number of horses up the steep hills. Are you of opinion that stage-coaches require, or would admit of any regulation with respect to their wheels or weights ? — I am clearly of opinion, that they would not ; for in travelling, when it has happened that I could not get a seat on the front of the coach, I have, through many long days, carefully attended to the impression made by the wheels of the carriages upon which I have been travelling (when they have been among the heaviest loaded coaches) and have compared these impressions with those of the carts and waggonSf particularly broad-wheeled ones, which we met ; from which observations, and other more particular ones, I am of opinion, that the injury done to the roads by the coaches, compared with their utility and the tolls they pay, is not such as to justify any legal restraint on their wheels or weights. Are you of opinion, that it would be attended with any advantage to the roads, to encourage, by any regulation or exemption from tolls, the use of carriages, varying the length of their axles, so as to prevent their running in the same tracks ? — I am of opinion it would be very beneficial, and have particularly so stated to the Board of Agriculture, with an example of the tolls over a new road, which are so regu- lated in Derbyshire : in addition to which, some inducement in the abatement of tolls, might be made to those carriages, L 2 164 it ^•ii til P' which now generally use single shafts, like the farmers car s and waggons, on their adopting double shafts, so that all their horses may draw in pairs ; this being applicable even to three-horse carts, as far as concerns the two foremost. Stage-coaches, for the reasons here alluded to, as they do all draw in pairs, and very seldom follow in any previous and deep rut, do far less damage to the roads than otherw.se would happen; their springs also, and swiftness of motion, contributing, very materially, to lessening the.r wear of the '" A^e you of opinion ti.at any advantage would be derived from the general conmratation .)f statute duty ?-T have long been of opinion that the whole principle of statute duty, as now regulated, is erroneous; labour in kind should entirely cease : and the surveyor collect a more equable rate on f u property in his township ; the present regulations for callmg out the teams and making of a road-rate, are so conu)l.cate J. as to be above the capacity of the majority of pansh survey- ors, who in most or all instances collect the rates for the turnpike roads as well as the private roads. Will you state your opinion of the statute labour as . particularly applies to turnpike roads ?-In all the local road acts which I have examined, one half of the statute duty of each township ir, apportioned to each toll road which losses through any pr.rt or corner of that township, which in innu- merable instances, is very highly prejudicial; a due pro- portion of the fair road rate, as already mentioned, should be payable to each toll road, where there are mor.; than one in the township, in proportion (or nearly so, as the quarter sessions might order) w nil the lengths of a» the loads within the township which it contributes to repair. From your observation of the different roads throughout the kingdom, do you think that important advantages would Ri iriers' carls so that all lie even to foremost, as they do ly previous 1 otherwise of motion, vear of the be derived T have long ite duty, as uld entirely rate on fH i for calling lomplicateJ, rish survey- itcs for the labour, as it le local road itute duty of which passes hich in innu- ; a due pro- :d, should be ; than one in i the quarter al) the loads lir. is throughout mtages would 165 !>c derived from their being phiccd under skiUul surveyors, acting for large districts ?— At present, the separate trusts arc so exceedingly different in extent, many of them extend- ing only three, four and five miles, while others have fifty or ■a hundred miles of road under their trusts, that it seems impracticable, in many trusts, to employ a very skilful and competent surveyor, on account of the great and unnecessary expense that would be incurred on the short lengths of road; hut if the legislature should see it right to enact the appointment of thoroughly competent district surveyors, who might have the superintendence and control, to a defined extent, over the officers of the local trustees of turnpike roads, as well as over the surveyors of the parish roads within their districts, the most important advantages would result. Do you not think great inconvenience arises from the great numbers generally found forming commissioners of turnpike trusts ?— From my own experience, I cannot say that I have seen any evil from the great number of trustees, on the con- trary, the greatest mis-management that I have seen in any roads, has arisen from the clergymen of the districts being almost the only acting trustees ; the greatest and most active land owners frequently having no share in such trusts : the late duke of Bedlbrd, for instance, not being a trustee in the vicinity of Woburn for many years after he took an active part in improving the district. James Walker, Esq. called in ; and Examined. YOU arc a civil engineer ? — I am. In the course of your experience have you turned your attention to the making and repairing of roads ? — I have been employed in the making and repairing of several roads, and Uie regulation of others. \C)6 In what part of tl.e kingdom l.avc you been employed, and what observations have occurred to you upon this sub- iect >— The whole of die works executed under the Com- mercial Road, the East India Road, the Barking Road, and the Tilbury Road Acts, have been under my direction, as well as the roads made under the Bridge and Dock Com- panics, for which I have been engineer. The Commercial Road, which is between the West India Docks and London U referred to in the report of a former Committee on high, ways, as particularly well fitted for heavy traffic ; that road is s'eventy feet wide, and is divided into two footways, each ten feet, and a carriage road fifty feet wide, of wh,ch twenty feet in the middle is paved with granite. I have -^ section of the form of this road (No. 1, in the an- ncxcd plan.) The East India Dock branch of the Com- nicrcial Road is also seventy feet wide, ten feet ot which is paved with g.-^.nite. I have prepared also a section of that road (No. 2, in the plan.) The traffic upon the Commercial Road, both up and down, is very great, and necessarily required a width of paving sufficient for two carriages to pass upon it. I am quite sure that the expense of this road would have been very much greater, probably much more than doubled if it had not been paved, and that the carriage of goods would also have been much more expensive; indeed it would have been next to impos- sible to have carried the present loads upon a gravelled road. The road has been paved for about sixteen years, and the expense of supporting it has been small, although the stage- coaches generally, as well as almost all the carts and wag- «ons, go upon it ; while the expense of the graveUed part has been comparatively great. During the thirteen years Uiat the East India Dock branch has been paved, the paving has not cost 20/. in repairs, although the waggons, each "t '% ■fl'.l employed, I this sub- : the Corn- king Road, y direction, Dock Com- Comraercial ind London tee on high- ; ; that road tways, each , of which itc. I have in the an- f the Com- let of which a section iic upon the \l great, and ent for two re that the uch greater, been paved, e been much xt to impos- ravelled road, •ars, and the igh the stage- arts and wag- jravelled part hirteen years :d, the paving raggons, each 167 wL'igliiiig about fivo Ions, with the wliole of the East India |)toducc, wiiicli is brought from the docks by laud, liave passed ii!i tliat time in one track upon it, and a great deal of heavy country traffic for the last eight years, when a coni- nuniication was formed with tlie county of Essex. The advantage of paving part of a road where the traffic is great, and the materials of making roads bad or expensive, is not confined to improving the tonv( vance for heavy goods and reducing the horses' labour ; but as the paving is always preferred for heavy carriages, the sides of a road are lea for light carriages, and are kept in much better repair than (itlierwisc they could possibly be. It is not, I am sure, overstating the advantage of the paving, but rather other- wise, to say, that taking the year through, two horses will do more work, with the same labour to themselves, upon a jiaved road than three upon a good gravelled road, if the traffic upon the gravelled road is at all considerable, and if the effect of this, in point of expense, is brought into fij, es, the saving of the expense of carriage will be found to be very great when compared with the cost of the paving. If the annual tonnage upon the Commercial Road is taken at 'i.'JO.OOO tons, and at the rate of only 3s. per ton from the Docks, it could not upon a gravelled road be done under 4s. 6rf. say however 4s. or Is, per ton difference, making a saving of 12,500/., or nearly the whole expense of the paving in one year. I think I am under the mark in all these figures, and I am convinced tlierefore that the intro- duction of paving would, in many cases, be productive of great advantage, by improving the gravel road, reducing the expense of repairs, and causing a saving of horses' labour much beyond what there is, I believe, any idea of. The expense of a ton of Aberdeen granite paving-stones laid in London, or in any similar situation, including laying, and every expense, is about 25s. ; the cost of the same weight of I(i8 \ii gravel is from 3,?. (],/. to 5s. Tlie cost of granite !■ .vluff* f) inches stale, costs less durable the road, of is so nuicii c expense of i. to 2s. per ferablc to the • roads near the London lid cost about ijgons only of ' carls only ; ; would form of Aberdeen deep, laid in thers,) would which would by four rows lie and incon- ig, therefore, ^> ^"V^ ^.^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 2.2 ^ U£ 12.0 1.8 li.25 1 1.4 i i.6 i s; Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. HS80 (716) 872-4503 n,^ .^ ^9> ^ '■^ -:^'''''''l^f>!^f*^ 0f :f Mj?tSJt^^^^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVI/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions hisv. iques ■««h^. 1 t^;^'^■'''S^.^d^ji 171 though equally expensive as paving, have peculiar disad> vantages ; and they have this besides, which is common to them both, that they make no provision for preventing ihe great wear upon gravelled roads, which is caused by the horses' feet, particularly if (as is the case in a rail-road) they are confined in one track. Attention in the forming and repairing of roads, will in all cases do much to compensate for the inferiority of the material used for that purpose, of which the improvements in the general state of the highways within the last twenty years affords the best proof. To form the road upon a good foundation, and to keep the surface clear of water after it is formed, are the two most essential points towards having the best roads possible, upon a given country, and with given materials. For obtaining the first of these objects, it is es- sential that the line for the road be taken so that the foun- dation can be kept dry either by avoiding low ground by raising the surface of the road above the level of the ground on each side of it, or by drawing off the water by means of side drains. The other object, viz. that of clearing the road of water, is best secured by selecting a course for the road which is not horizontally level, so that the surface of the road may in its longitudinal section, form in some degree an inclined plane ; and when this cannot be obtained, owing to the extreme flatness of the country, an artificial incli- nation may generally be made. When a road is no formed, every wheel-track that is made, being in the line of the in- cluiation, becomes a channel for carrying off the water, much more effectually than can be done by a curvature in the cross section or rise in the middle of the road, without the danger, or other disadvantages which necessarily attend the round- ing a road much in the middle. I consider a fall of about one inch and a half io ten feet, to be a minimum in this 172 case, if it is attainable without a great deal of extra ex- pense. It is in the knowledge of the above points, and of tlie application of them in practice, that what may be called tlie science of road-making consists, as the observations apply in every case. When a road is to be formed, accurate sections of the rises and falls of the ground should always be taken, in the same way i < is done for a canal, before the line is determined, or the levels of the road fixed upon, and when the course and levels of the road arc laid down, the detail of the work ought, to be particularly explained by a specification and plan, describing the manner in which each particular length is to be formed and completed. The quantity of materials necessary to form the road de- pends so much upon the soil and the nature of the materials themsdves, that i* is impossible to lay down any general rules for them. The thickness ought to be such that the greatest weight will not affect more than the surface of the shell, and it is for this purpose chiefly, that thickness is requir- cd, in order to spread the weight which comes upon a small part only of the road over a large portion of the foundation. When the ground is very soft, trees, bavins or bushes, are applied to answer the purpose, and to carry off the water previous to the n als of the road being so con- solidated as to form a solid body, and to be impervious to water. Bushes are, however, not advisable to be used, un- less they ar J so low as always to be completely moist. When they are dry pnd excluded from the air they decay in a very few years, and produce a sinking in place of preserving the road ; a thickness of chalk is useful for the same purpose ii. cases where bushes are improper, the chalk mixing with the gravel or stones becomes concreted, and presents a larger liurface to the pressure. If the material for making the roads is gravel, the common way is to lay it as it comes from of extra ex« )oints, and of may be called observations nned, accurate ihould always al, before the :ed upon, and lid down, the ixplaincd by a in which each l1. I the road dc- ■ the materials n any general such that the surface of the kncss is requir- s upon a small the foundation, or bushes, arc a carry off the being so con- impervious to o be used, un- y moist. When decay in a very ' preserving the ame purpose in mixing with the ■esents a larger for making the IS it comes from 114 the pit, excepting the upper foot, or 18 inches or so, which is screened ; but if whin or other stone is to be used, the size of the pieces into which it is broken should decrease as we approach the surface, tlie superficial coating not exceed- ing a cube from 1 inch to li inch. If the foundation is bad, breaking the bottom stone into small pieces is expen- sive and injurious, upon the principle I have above de- scribed, and also for the same reason that an arch formed of whole bricks or of deep stones is to be preferred to one of the same materials broken into smaller pieces, for in some counties the materials will admit of the foundation of the road being considered as of the nature of a flat arch, as well as of being supported by the strata directly under it : but the error in laying the stone in large pieces upon the surface is more common and more injurious. In ail cases, whether the material is gravel or hard stone, the interstices between the pieces should be filled up solid with smaller pieces, and the finishing made by a thin covering of very small pieces, or road>sand or rubbish, for those interstices must be filled up before the road becomes solid, either in this way or by a portion of the materials of the road being ground down, which last mode occasions a waste of the material, and keeps the road unnecessarily heavy and loose. This observation applies to the repairing as well as the original making of roads, and the effect of this covering, or as it is called in the country, blinding the loose stones, is so evident, that I nave often wondered to see so little attention paid to it. If the material is soft, as some lime-stone, this is less ne- cessary, and the quantity ought never to be more than is just sufficient for the purpose I have described. In the original making or effectually repairing of a road, it is, I think, best that the whole of the proposed thickness be laid on at once, for the sake of the road as well as of the tra- 17 i veller; the materials of the rood then form a more loliJ compact mass than when they are laid in thin strata, at dif- ferent times, for the same reason that a deep arch of uniform materials is preferable to a number of separate rings. Though I state that an inclination in the longitudinal section of the road is always desirable for the purpose of clearing it of water, I am not of the opinion of those who recommend the road to be made and kept flat or level in its gross section. The variety of opinions and practice upon this point are very great ; both extremes appear to me to be bad. A road much rounded is danger; ^s, particularly if the cross section approaches towards the segment of a circle, the slope in the case not being uniform, but increasing rapidly from the nature of the curve, as we depart from the middle or ver- tical line. The over rounding of roads is also injurious to them, by either confining the heavy carriages to one track in the crown of the road, or if they go upon the sides, by the great wear they produce, from their constant tendency to move down the inclined plane, owing to the angle which the surface of the road and the line of gravity of the load form with each other, and as this tendency is perpendicular to the line of draught, the labour of the horse and the wear of the carriage wheels, are both much increased by it. It is not altogether foreign to the subject to notice here, the error of forming the inclination of the road-way upon bridges, in the direction of their length, or across the river, from a section of a curve for the whole length, rather than from two lines joined together by a curve, as I have recommended for the cross section of a road. It is to this oause that the very heavy pull is owing, which must have been noticed in just getting upon a bridge, which decreases as we advance towards the middle of the bridge, and which =:4.iii 17/ n a more lolid n strata, at dif- arch of uniform ; rings. Though i\ section of the f clearing it of I recommend the its gross section, n this point are 3e bad. A road tlie cross section le, the slope in rapidly from the B middle or ver- also injurious to iges to one track )on the sides, by onstant tendency » the angle which •avity of the load r is perpendicular le horse and the much increased :t to notice here, i road-way upon I, or across the [ole length, rather , curve, as I have >ad. It is to this which must have , which decreases iridge, and which would not have been so much felt, had it been spread regu- larly over the wliole length (see No. 5, in the plan.) Tlie disadvantages of a flat road again are, thot even if it is supposed to continue so, it is bad in principle, by doing away the tendency which a road ought to have, in every direction, to clear itself of water ; but as the greatest wear will always be in the middle of the road, a level or flat road will very soon be concave ; the middle of the road then be- comes the watercourse, and the consequence, if the road is upon level ground, is, that the water and mud lie upon it, ard injure the foundation and materials; or, if otherwise, that the stones or materials of the road are washed bare, and liable to be loosened and thrown up by the wheels coming into contact with their exposed angular surlacos. Many of the roads in the country afford examples of tj)is, particularly after heavy rains, and if the country is at all hilly. The best form for a road, in order to avoid those evils, is, — in my opinion, to form it, and to keep it with just a suffi- cient rise towards the middle, to incline the water towards the sides ; and in place of making the whole width the sec- tion of one curve, to form it by two straight lines, forming inclined planes, and joined by a curve towards the middle. I have prepared a section of a road in the manner I have described (No. 4.) and as the lines, excepting at the centre, are straight, the section may be made to suit almost any greater or less width, by merely extending them. The section is taken nearly from a part of a road made under my direction in the country. The dotted line drawn upon it shows the form I alluded to when speaking of the circular road that ought to be avoided. I have seen ridges formed in what I thought well formed land, much after what I would recommend for the form of a road. The object of 17(5 M foming the land into ridges, raised a little in the middle, ., the same as that of raising the middle of a road to prevent the water from settling upon it. and what is sufficient for the ploughed land is certainly enough for a ro.d. If the road i, of good stone, four to five inches rise in ten feet .. suffi- cient, gravel, and other inferior material, will allow a little more. In this section it may be worth while to notice the situation of the hedge and ditch, or rill on each side of the road, a more common, but I think a more dangerous and worse way, is to form the ditch close to the road, and to plant the quick upon a raised bank beyond it. I have dotted this mode also upon the section. The advantage of having the hedge next the road, consists in its grc-.sr safety to the traveller, particularly if a ditch of any considerable depth is necessary, and in the hedge being supported .n .Is growth from the ground under the road, without drawing upon the farmer's side of the ditch , and it is I believe, this last advantage, which has led the author of an article .n the Edinburgh Farmer's Magazine, with whom I am ac- quainted, to make nearly the same observations. In alength of road, made eight or ten years since, over « marsh, nartlv a bog, considerably under high water, wliere, from the Lei of the ground, and of the drainage, the ditches were obliged to be deep and wide, and therefore dangerous ; I ordered some cuttings of willow to be stuck into the road- side of the ditch. In about two years they formed a blind to the ditch, and are now so thick and strong as to be a complete security from all danger. I may here take the liberty to say. that nothing is more injurious to roads than the permitting high hedges and plantations near them, their effect in keeping the rain suspended and dripping upon the road longer than otherwise it would, and in preventmg the air and sun from drying the roads, is most destructive and • 5 ' "km 177 he miiliUe, is id to prevent icient for the If the road 1 feet is Jtuffi- allow a little to notice the 2h side of the langerous and road, and to i it. I have advantage of gic::t2r safety f considerable jpported in its thout drawing [ believe, this f an article in horn I am nc- 8. In a length >ver a marsh, r, wliere, from ire, the ditches ore dangerous ; : into the road- formed a blind rong as to be a T here take the IS to roads than lear them, their ipping upon the I preventing the destructive and very geieral : and as the commissiflneri or prinsipnl men of the district arc often the greatest offenders in this respect, the evil is one in which both the enactments and the appli- cation of them require the strictest attention and impartiality. After u road is properly made, the comfort of the traveller and the principle of economy on the part of the road-trust, both demand that it be not allowed to get much out of repair ; the adage of " a stitch in time," applies particularly to the repairing of roads, and though not universally prac* tised, is so well known, that it is, I presume, unnecessary to state reasons, for what no one acquainted with the subject at all doubts. The best season fur repairing roads is, I think, the spring or very early in the summer, when the weather is likely neither to be very wet nor dry, for both of these extremes prevent the materials from consolidating, and therefore cause a waste of them, and at the same time, either a heavy or a dusty road ; but if done at the time I have recommended, the roads are left in good state for the summer, and become consolidated and hard to resist the work of the ensuing winter. ,...,. When I remariced the great improvement in many of the highways during the last twenty years, I by no means meant to say that they are not still capable of much greater, or that many of them have not been much neglected. In many districts this is notoriously the case, and when th(.> n ateriala are the best, the roads are frequently the worst. I'U'jie is no road round London upon which there is more heavy country traffic, than the first stage of the great Essex or Mile End road; and owing to the well directed attention of the chairman of the commissioners, and of their surveyor, there are few better roads any where, excepting in very wet heavy weather. Indeed I do not think it possible to do much, if any tking, in improving the superintendance aixd M ill i'. Ill Si rtpnlrof thhtrond, xvith the mntery nt pre«cnt In nie ; firt-thenatMro of which, ns well ns for the exclusion of nir and sun by buiUlings, proper nllowancc ought to bo made In judging of the state of the roads near London, and when this is done, and the great wear considered, we may find that in very many coses, there is but little cause to find fault, and much room for commendation. ITic traffic upon the Mile End road is however too much for tt gravelled rood, and the expense for repair for the first three miles is conse- quentlyverygreit. The same remarks as to conduct and attention, are merited by the commissioners of other dis- tricts, and their gratuitous services entitle them to the thanks of the public ; while in some parts of the kingdom, including Scotland, where the material is the very best, the roads are often In the worst condition, nnd the most un- pleaiiant to travel upon. The stone is put in large pieces upon the road, without any covering or mixture of smaller material, and Is left to take the chance of being broke and formed Into a solid, or of tumbling loose upon the road. When a track Is once formed in this stone-heap, it is not to be expected that the horses will be easily made to move out of It; and unless the thoroughfare is considerable, the road in use consists sometimes for a long period, of the two deep wheel tracks, which are always filled with water during the winter, and of the horse's path between them, the other parts being covered with a body of loose stones, and ren- dered absolutely useless. These observations apply to some lengths of the most frequented highways, but are more par- ticularly applicable to the cross roads and the parish roadfl. I had the opportunity of seeing the roads in the West Highlands last autumn; they are formed with judgement, and kept in good repair. When the highways in a county are under the manage pretcnt in aie ; exclusion of nir jglit to bo made ndon, and when we may find that se to find fault, traffic upon the a gravelled rood, 2 miles is con8e> to conduct and >rs of other dis- tlc them to the of the kingdorat le very best, the ind the mostun- t in large pieces lixture of smaller ' being broke and upon the road, heap, it is not to lade to move out ierabic, the road , of the two deep water during the them, the other stones, and ren- )n8 apply to some but are more par- the parish roads> lads in the West with judgement, ider the managC' 179 mont of tnwtcpil, it is common to divide them, and to antgn a particular length to the trustees who live near it, without employing any persr.i in the capacity of a surveyor. When this is the case, the state of repair depends much upon the observation and attention of the trustee ; and the change in the state of the road often marks out the change of supcr- intendancc. A relative of mine has given up a good deal of his time and attention to a part of the roads in Stirling- •hire, of which he is one of the trustees: no professional man could, perhaps, do the business better; and the effect of this attention is very visible. Instances of the some kind are frequent, but it is not to be expected that trustees generally can both understand, and have so groat a relish for serving the public, as that the detail of the repairs of roads, if imposed upon them, will be always executed with the attention they require. The cose of parish roads is still worse, where the inha- bitants arc, without much regard to their habits of life, obliged in their turns to serve the annual office of surveyor of the highways. If such persons mean to signalize them* selves during their beingin office, the first step is often to undo what their predecessor has done, or has not perfected ; and the love of self and of friends determines them to make sure while they have it in their power, that some favoured roads or lanes are put into proper order. If the surveygr is, on the contrary, an unwilling officer, or if the attention to his own affiiirs prevents him giving his time to the duties of the office, he itirf^ids the fine by accepting the charge, pay the bills and wages without much knowledge of their nature or accuracy, and one of the labourers becomes, in fhct, the road-surveyor ; but in every case of annual nominations there is this evil, that so soon as the surveyor has, by a year's apprenticeship, begun to know something of the M 2 laO if!'*J Hi m „.,a,.of tl.e bu.ine... hU place i. filled by .nother. wh« come, in Jbr the same time to take . on. at the expend, of the pwi.l.. Thu., while many .im. trade, require, by Iaw.^apprentice.hip of .even year., before the per.on.. thought qualified to practi«, with hi. own c»P«ta'. j"- '°''^; .urveyor i. .uppowd fit, tlK. very ..our he ..named for a« office which require, at Iea.t a. much understanding and experience a. the average of trade., and in which he bw the capital of aU the porkh to .peculate w.tb. For he^ rea«>n.. Ihavealway. been convinced f J^^P^^^Jj^ an intelligent accountable officer in each d«tr.ct. but I do not .ee to whom ho can be re.pon.ible with .o great pro- pLy mother word., -whom the chief conUolo^n be I well ve.ted. a. in the gentlemen who 1 vo m the county whoarealmo.t daily witne«e. of what .. »!<>-». T*"* chiefly intere.ted in keeping down the expen.e5. at the same timehaving their road, in good repa.r. Whether a board of road., appointed by parllwnent, meet- Ing once every year, and forming areportof the expend ami Ute of LToJd. in each county, to be presented to parha- r^nt. with .uch ob.ervation. a. pre.ent them.elve.. a. to .m- ZemenU. or otherwi.e. taken from general survey, made rrer„rppointedby them, would be useful, by exc.mg.. «irU of emSation and attention on the part of the d.fferent t^riever member of this honourable Committee .. aa abTer'and per^ap. more able, to give a disintere.ted jadg. „ n tt. I am f for I conclude, that if survey, are to be made, engineer. wUl think they have some ch«n«« of bemg .elected » the most proper person, to Je «mp^^«^^*e occasion, under the board. The sUteof the '^^^^^ to improve throughout the kingdom. Ev«y A^nd to^^^^ co«tn^ will be pleased, if the march of th.. ««provement TlwaccelerJdbya moderate reform, and earned mta '^^^W' "^ 'J. ^ 'J'^, )^^»V- '^ '^ 1M1 other, who expense ol require, by le peraon i* I, the road- med, for an landing and Wch he h8« For these propriety of ct, but I do . great pro- atrol can be the county, ng, and are , at the same ment, meet- ex penae and led to parlia* ves, as to im- lurveys made by exciting a > the different unittee is aa eretted judg- lys are to be tnce of being )loyed on the jads continue friend to his improvement J carried into remote corners and pnrislito, wlieie it appear* must to be wanted j but 1 nuith ciucstion the propriety of such a rcvo- lulion as would lessen the interest, which, in their present situation, tliw commissioners ouglit to feel in the repair of their roads, and the conscquonco which tlie appointment tends to give them. If country road-surveyors are appointed throughout the kingdom, the nomination might bo with the commissioners of the county, and if friendship or local interest is supposed to operate too far, the nomination, or the examination pre- vious to election, or tho veto after ir, might be with the central or other board, the members of which might be sup- posed not to be connected with the individual, in the same way as piloU and the masters of men of war are examined by the elder brethren of the Trinity House. And sub^urveyors or surveyors of parishes, might in the same manner be ap- pointed, or undergo an examination by the county commis- sioners and county surveyor, to qualify them to be elected ; for it is to be lamented, that in cases where parishes have, from tho reasons I have mentioned, made the office of road- Burveyors permanent, with a salary : the election being popular, has fallen, not upon the candidate who was really the best qualified, but probably upon some honest decayed tradesman, who, having proved himself unable to manage his own business, which he ought to have known the best, has thereby, andby his long residence, qualified himself for managing a public business, of which be probably knows nothing, but whether he does, or does not, rarely enters into the consideration of the majority of the voters. IN what manner do you think the extra toll for over- weight ought to be regulated; whether by the weight, or by the number of horses used, without regard to the weight ? ^I think by flic weight most certainly j unless the object js Sjvl s 182 to discouraga the breed of small horses, and encourage the over-loading and straining, of horses of all sizes. The numbpr of horses is a very imperfect measure, or rather no measure at all of the injury done to the roads; for a load of three tons, drawn by one horse, injui-es the road as much, to say the least of it, as if two horses were used. It is not out of place to mention the extreme disproportion between the penalties for overweight, and the injuries which they are meant to compensate for, or to prevent ; particu- larly when this over-loading is the ettoct of ignorance, which is almost always the case. When the tolls are in the hands of trustees, the penalty is almost always reduced ; a proof that that fixed by law is exorbitant * but when the tolls arc farmed, and the trustees do not reserve the power of mitigating the penalty, the poor carman has less chance of being saved perhaps from ruin. Jovis, V die Aprilis, 18i9. Mr. James Dean, called in ; and Examined. WHAT is your profession ?— I am a land agent and civil engineer, and nm occasionally employed to solicit bills in 'parliament as an agent. Where do you reside i—l reside in London about half the year, and the other half in Devonshire. As an engineer, have you had the means of becoming acquainted with the roads of the kingdom ?— About twenty years since, I had th^ appointment of surveyor to the trus- tees of the turnpike roads from Oxford to Henley upon Thames, and from Dorchester to Abingdon, in Berkshire j since then I have been employed about several roads in Pcvonshire and Cornwall, and, latterly, in surveying and 1S.3 icouragc the sizes. The or rather no ; for a load the road as were used, lisproportion ijurics which jnt ; particu- if ignorance, Is are in the s reduced ; n }ut when the •vc the power s less chance nincd. gent and civif solicit bills in about halt' the s of becoming -About twenty or to the trus- Henley upon , in Berkshire j everal roads in surveying and Tcpovtiug on an exicnsive district of the roads in Somerset- bliire. From the observations which you have m"de in this ei»i- ployment, arc you able to give the Committee any infer- niation as to the best mode of improving the roads of the kingdom generally ?— The first and roost obvious improve- ment ia to shorten distances; but even that must be governed by circumstances often of a local nature 5 a sound founda- tion, and the contiguity of good stone or gravel to a road, should not be overlooked in choosing a new line, or depart- ing from an old one. In forming a new line in a level country, the transverse section should approach as near as possible to the form of the accompanying sketch No. 1, and in a hilly country to that of No. 2 ; in the former, the water from one half the road would be carried into a ditch on U)0 field side, and that of the other half into a ditch between the footpath and hedge-bank. When it is necessary to form a road on the side of a hill, the ditch should be on the higher side of the road, where it will receive the water falling from the high ground, and so keep the foundation of the road dry. 1 have figured the breadths of a gQod ave- rage turnpike road on sketch No. 1, but the breadth will frequently depend upon circumstances of a local nature. Near to great towns, it would be highly advantageous if the centre of the road, for about twelve feet in width, were to be paved with hard well-squared stones, nine inches deep, and the sides made with hard rubble stones or gravel. I need scarcely mention, that in applying the materials to a new line of road, the stones sliould be broken into pieces of an uniform size, as near as may be ; that the larger should be laid of nearly an equal depth over the whole surface of the toad, and the smaller, mixed with gravel, should be placed vpon them. The repairing of roads should be conducted in the same manner as far as it is practicable } but. after all, 184 tlie only sure way of getting good roads is, for the trustees to employ men of education and science as their surveyors. In a few instances, where this has been done, the best consequences have resuhed, and in no case is it more conspicuous than in the neighbourhood of Bristol, where Mr. M'Adam is the surveyor. Will not a consequent impediment arise to the employ- ment of men of education and of superior ability as sur- veyors, from the smallness of the funds upon small trusts or districts?— For that reason, I would recommend the con- solidation of the several trusts, in each county, into one general trust, under the authority of one general act of parliament, leaving the adoption, however, of the acts to the discretion of the several trusts respectively in each county, making it compulsory only on the minority, at the expiration of a time to be limited, when a majority in amount of toll shall call for its adoption, and after insertion in the provincial papers and London Gazette. Supposing parliament to adopt your suggestion as to the passing of such an act, and supposing that afterwards the trusts of none of the counties should adopt it as a general trust, would there be any objection to the act being so framed as to admit of adoption by such of the truste as might prefer it to incurring the expense of a renewal of their then local acu?— I do not think there would be any well founded objection to an act made capable of being so applied ; and I am of opinion, that the making it optional on trustees to adopt it or not, would render the measure ex- tremely popular, and in the end be highly beneficial to the country. Have you not lately prepared a bill for the trustees of an extensive trust in Somersetshire, including in it nearly all the improvements which you would recommend to be intro- duced into a general turnpike act ?— 1 have prepared such 4 Jf fc-'« ,- > ■HMIHiiM 185 he truBtecH r surveyors. i, the best is it more 5tol, where he employ- lity as sur- lall trusts or id the con- y, into one neral act of the acts to ely in each ority, at the majority in icr insertion ion as to the lerwards the 18 a general act being so the truste as a renewal of rould be any I of being sn ng it optional ! measure ex- leficial to the rustees of an it nearly all i to be intro- epared such a ^iil ; and it was intended that the same should have been brought before parliament in the present session, but the vierk to the trustees having omitted to put the notice required by the standing orders of parliament upon the sessions- house door, at the Michaelmas sessions, the trustees resolved to defer presenting their petition until the next session. In what respect does the bill which you have prepared differ from the generality of local turnpike acts?— Many of the clauses of the bill are not so remarkable for originality, as their combination is calculated to produce extensive be- nefit to the country, by conferring larger powers than have heretofore been given to any one body of trustees ; among others, it empowers the trustees to appoint committees, and make bye-laws ; it binds them to provide a fund for buying up outstanding securities, and to pay off the further sums proposed to be raised under the new act, within the term of the act ; the tolls on wheel carriages are made referrible to the breadth of the fellies, and description of wheel, and to the weight drawn, rather than to the number of horses, drawing, and are founded on a statement which I had the honour of delivering to a Committee of the House of Com- flions in 1809. The standing orders of parliament require that on or before the 30th of September next, preceding any application to parliament for any Turnpike Act, a plan &c. of the roads proposed to be made or altered, shall be 'deposited with the clerk of the peace. It oflen happens, that in the Committee alterations arc made in the proposed line, when the plan deposited becomes mere waste paper ; the seventy sixth clause of this bill provides for the depo- siting of a plan, &c. last determined upon, with the clerk of the peace, signed by the Speaker, and being an authentic document can be referred to with safety. The bill also pro- vides for the making of commodious footpaths by the sides of the roads. And as the paving, cleansing, lighting. il I 111 m ill n? 1 if' t^v*S. i if h^ •': 'A Mi ,^m watchiivg, &c. ot tlic liberty or borough of * • ^ * i** placed in the trustees of the roads, the trustees are em- nowercd to rate the inhabitants, and are also empowered to light the streets. &c. with gas, and to allow gas to be taken from their mains for the lighting of private dwcllmgs, manu- factories. &c. ; 80 that in all probability the latter indulgence may pay the greater part, if not the whole, of the expense of lighting the public lamps. The ninetyth.rd clause em- powers the trustees to pave, light and watch any town, vil- lage or place through which the roads pars, upon application of two-thirds of the inhabitants, and is in my view extremely important. Have you any ftutl.er suggestions to offer to the Com- nilttco that would tend to the improvement of the road., or the laws relating to.them?-Upon the subject of turnpike roads, and of wheel-carriagcs generally, I am of opmion that such a spirit of improvement has gone forth as, with the assistance of judicious legislative enactments, wdl in a few years carry both to a state of very great perfection; but I cannot close these remarks without observing on the injurious effect which the large fees paid to the higher officers of both houses of parliament has upon the growing improvements of the country, by preventing a recurrence U> parliament to removp obstacles which the prejudice of some will not, and the incapacity of others cannot permit. 1 he pen- odical expenses of renewing turnpike acts is really enormous, when it is considered that between the fees of parliament on the one hand, and a two month's residence in London of the country solicitor, to manage the business, besides a par- liamentary agent in town to assist him. four or five hundred pounds are soon swallowed up; but I also feel it right to suggest, that if parliament would allow aflidavits to be made before two magistratei in the county, of the notices directed by the standing orders of parliament, having been duly Ml 'i p * # ■« # is tecs aru en»- npowered to B to be taken llings, manu- iT indulgence the expense d clause cm- iny town, vil- on application ew extremely to the Com- the roadi., or ;t of turnpike am of opinion forth as, with icnts, will in a lat perfection; erving on the to the higher »n the growing I recurrence to judicc of some rmit. The peri- eally enormous, 3 of parliament ;c in London of , besides a par- or five hundred a feel it right to IV its to be made notices directed ving been duly 187 ^iven, of plans and of books of reference being lodged with the clerk of the peace, and of the names of the per- sons assenting to, dissenting from, or being neuter in respect of any proposed new foad, the solicitor need not remain hi town more than three days, and the expenses, except in cases of opposition, need not exceed 200/. Would you, as a pailiamentary agent, undertake to pre- iiare and conduct an ordinary road bill through parliament for 2001., to include all expenses, where there is no oppo- sition ?— I would undertake any number at that sum, pro- vided the proofs before mentioned were admitted to be made by afPilavit in the county, in like manner as the proofs arc now given tp fiiciUtate the passing of inclosurc bills. Jovis, G° die Maii, 1S19. Thomas Telford, Esquire, called in ; and Examined. YOU are, I believe, a civil engineer ? Yes, I am The roads which have been formed by direction of the Parliamentary Commissioners for the Holyhead road, and under your manngcment, having been described to this Committee as being very perfect, will you have the good- ness to state your opinion as to the present condition of the tlitterent turnpike roads of the kingdom, and what improve- raenta you would recommend Jn their direction and manage- ment. In the first place, state to the Committee in what respect you consider the roads of the kingdom at present to be defective, either in their formation or management .'— With regard to the roads in England and Wales, they are in general very defective, both as to their direction and incliuatioDS, they are frequently cairied over hills, which i^ :||i ! ^"i i I ■ , i 1S8 might be avoided by passing along llic adjacent valleys ; ic present tHe inclinations arc inconveniently etccp, and long continued. 1 might instance many principal lines, over which I have had frequent occasion to traveV. I shall select the great roatl from Holyhead, through North Wtiles to Shrewsbury ; and from thence by Birmingham and Coventry to London. On the Welsh portion of it, those parts whidi have been im- proved under the direction of the Pai ameiitary Commis- sioners for the Holyhead road, the inclinations were fornaerly (in many instances) as much as one in six, seven, eight, nine, and ten, the width at the same time frequently not ex. cecding twelve feet, without protection on the lower side, and the roadway itself of improper construction. The im- provcments which have lately been made in North Wales, I beg leave to submit as models for roads through hdly countries, although these improvements have been made through the most diflRcult and precipitous districts of that country, the longitudinal inclinations are in general less than one in thirty ; in one instance, for a considerable dis- tance, there was no avoiding one in twenty-two, and in another, for about two hundred yards, one in seventeen ; but in these two cases, the surface of the roadway being made peculiarly smooth and hard, no inconvenience is ex- perienced by wheeled carriages. On flat ground, the breadth of the roadway is thirty-two feet, where there is side cutting not exceeding three feet, the breadth is twenty- eight, and along any steep ground and precipices, it is twenty-two, all clear within the fences; the sides are pro- tected by stone walls, breast and retaining walls and para- pete; great pains have been bestowed on the cross drains, also the draining the ground, and likewise in constructing firm and substantial foundations for the metalled part of the roadway. From Shrewsbury upwards, the road at present is «ncumbcr«d with many hills, all of which might be avoided. It valleys ; % ccp, and long cs, over which elect the great Shrewsbury ; ,ry to London, have been im- litary Commis- I were formerly , seven, eight, juentlynot ex. ;he lower sidet tion. The im- North Wales, through hilly ve been made listricts of that n general less insiderable dis- ty-two, and in in seventeen; roadway being iveniencc is ex- it ground, the where there is eadth is twenty- >recipices, it is \ie sides are pro- walls and para- le cross drains, in constructing ailed part of the oad at present is light be avoided. 189 or much improved. There is a very long one between Shrewsbury and Heygate, several between that point and Shiffnal, two between Shiffnal and Wolverhampton, one between Wolverhampton and Birmingham, viz. at Wednes- bury, &c. Maiden Hill, between Birmingham and Coventry ; Braunston Hill, between Dunchurch and Daventry; a con- tinued succession of hills between Daventry and Towcester; afterwards the well-known Brickhill and Hockliife hills, besides the very circuitous and imperfect road between South Mims and Barnet. Another instance I would beg leave to mention to the Committee, is the road between the towns of Shrewsbury and Worcester, on the way to Bath, which consiste of nearly a succession of very high and inconveniently steep hills, although very easy inclinations might be obtained by passing along the side of the river Severn. I have mentioned these two instances as examples of the present imperfections of main roads, and it is quite evident they might all be readily avoided by lines of new road, easily to be accomplished. These, I presume, tlie Com- mittee will admit are sufficient to show the present state of many other roads in the kingdom, they not having been ■elected as more particularly defective than others. The shape, or cross sections and drainage of the roads, are quite as defective as the general direction and inclina- tions ; there has been no attention paid to constructing a good and solid foundation for the roadway ; the materials, whether of gravel or stones, have seldoin been sufficiently selected and arranged ; and they lie so promiscuously upon the road as to render it inconvenient to travel upon, and promote its speedy destruction. The shape of the road, or cross section of the surface, is frequently hollow in the middle ; the sides encumbered with great banks of mud, which have accumulated sometimes to the height of six. 1^' 'If I :b li II il.-'- w ,-( ^ 190 «pven fmd eight feet; thefce prevent thft wattr from fallinf^ into the Bidc-ilrnins ; they also throw n eonsiaeraWe fihatlr upon the road itself, and arc gross and nnpardonahle nni- sanccs. The materials, instead of being cleansed of the mud and soil with which they are mixed in their native state, are laid promiscuously upon the road; this, in the first m- stancc, creates an unnecessary expense of carriage to the road, and afterwards nearly as much in removing it, besides inconvenience and obstruction to travelling; the materials should therefore be cleansed on the spot where they are procured, from every particle of earth, by screening, or if necessary, even by washing; some additional ej;pense might in the first instance be incurred by these openxtions, but it would be found by much the most economical and advantageous mode in the end. In all cases, materials m their native state arc composed of particles and pieces of different sizes, it is most important that those should bt- separated, and that the largest size should be reduced to not more than six or eight ounces in weight, and laid in the bottom part of the road; those that are under that weight or size may be laid on the top or surface of the road ; the surface itself should be made with a very gentle curve in its cross section, just sufficient to permit the water to pass from the centre towards the sides of the road, the declivity may increase towards the sidn. and the general section form a very flat ellipsis, so that the side, at the time, should (upon a road of about thirty feet in width) be nine inches below the surface in the middle. Connected with the cross section are the side drains which are to receive the water, and which drains, in every instance, I particularly recommend to be on the field-side of the fence, with apertures in that fence for the water to pass from the sides of the road into them. The fences themselves on each side form a very material =if V I— Wrid'ir*"'* ¥■ '< wmmu ittr from falling is'ulorable feliaih' pardonable nni- cleansed of the licir native state, 8, in the first in- r carriage to the lOving it, besides ig; the materials where they are screening, or if ditional cj;pen8e these operrttions, it economical and ises, materials in Bs and pieces of those should bo- ld be reduced to It, and laid in the mder that weight of the road ; the jentlc curve in its water to pass from the declivity may iral section form a me, should (upon ( nine inches below h the cross section ire the water, and iularly recommend J apertures in that s of the road into >rm a very material 191 nnd Important »\ibject, with regard to the perfection of roaiU ; they should in no instance be more than five feet in height above the centre of the road, and all trees which stand within twenty yards from the centre of it ought to be re- moved. I am sure that twenty per cent, of the expense of improving and repairing roads is incurred by the improper state of the fences and trees along the sides of it, on the sunny side more particularly ; this must be evident to any person who will notice the state of a road which is much shaded by high fences and trees, compared to the other parts of the road which are exposed to the sun and air. My ob- servations, with regard to fences and trees, apply when the road is on the same level as the adjacent fields ; but in many cases, on the most frequented roads of England, more stuff has been removed from time to time than was put on ; the surface of the road is consequently sunk into a trough or channel from three to six feet below the surface of the fields on each side ; here all attempts at drainage, or even common repairs, seem to be quite out of the question ; and by much the most judicious ani economical mode will be to remove the whole road into the field which is on the sunny side of it. In cases where a road is made upon ground where there are many springs, it is absolutely necessary to make a number of under and cross drains to collect the water and conduct it into the aforesaid side-drains, which I have recom- mended to be made on the field side of the fences. In constructing the bottom part of a road, (which would, of course, be made of an elliptical form) if it is upon clay, or other elastic substance, which would retain water, I would recommend to cover the whole bottom of the road with vegetable soil, in cases where the natural shape of the ground admits ; I would not remove the original surface, and where there are inequalities I would fill them up with vege- ly ^1i 192 tabU wil, M ai to cut off all connexion with clay. When? jjravel is the material to complete the rood with, I linvp already mentioned, tliat it ouKlit to be completely cicnnsed •f every particle of clay or earthy lubatance, and it« different aizcH ought to be Bclectcd and arranged by means of riddling or washing ; in the use of the riddle, the particles of earth or clay adhere so much to the stones that it frequently re- quires to be exposed to the sun, air, and frost, for several months, and then riddled over again. In this gravel, the stones are of different sizes and different shapes ; all those that are round ought to be broken with a small hammer, and in mentioning hammers, I beg leave to draw tlie attention of the Committee to their weight, shape and manner of using, which is of much more importance than any one can conceive who has not had much experience in road-making ; the difference in managing this operation being not less than ten per cent, and is, besides, of equal importance towards the perfection of the road ; the size and weight of the ham- mer I would apportion to the size and weight of the stones, and the stones should be broken upon the heap, not on the ground ; it must be evident that using round stones will be the means of deranging the position of those near them, and of grinding them to pieces. Are you of opinion that the gravel which is found in the pits in the neighbourhood of London is calculated for making roads capable of bearing the heavy weights which the great traffic round London occasions to be used upon them ? — I am of opinion that the materials in the whole valley or plain round London being entirely silccious, or flintf, and easily ground to dust, are very improper. This must be evident to every person who travels near London in any direction. Are you of opinion that it would be advisable or practicable aifciawrtaiirtrii^'t '*'^ . N clay. When? i with, 1 linvp tletely clcnnseii and ito diflercnt sans of riddling krticles of earth it frequently re- roit, for several this gravel, the lapes ; all those ill hammer, and tw tlie attention and manner of han any one can in road-making ; ing not less than lortance towards sight of the ham - ht of the stones, leap, not on the nd stones will be ihose near them, h is found in the ulated for making I which the great d upon them ?— e whole valley or lus, or flintit, and r. This must be r London in any able 01- practicable to prorure fmrn any pnrfic-nlar part ol' tlio coiintvy, cillicr by cmal, oi- by river coiwcyanci-. bettor nmtcrials so a* to form perfect roails, without the necessity of paving tliem ?— 'Jhat those materials could bo procured both by tliu canals ; and by sen is evident; but I an. sati^-fied that the most oconomieal and preferable mode would be by means of paving. Do you consider that it would be advisable to pave the whole of the roads, or that the paving of the centre or sides, as has !)cen recommended by some witnesses, would be suHlcient ?— I apprehend that the paving a proper width in the centre would be quite sufficient, gravel might be proper enough for the sides, upon the same principle that we, in all new roads which are constructed, make use of metalling, or broken stones o\\ the middle part of the road, for about from sixteen to eighteen or twenty feet in breadth, and leave the sides gravelled and kept dry ; this, in general, forms a very perfect road. Is there any principle which you would think proper to recommend in regard to the shape of the stones to be used in paving roads ?— I am of opinion that the general shape of the stones at present used for paving, and the modes of dis- tributing them are very imperfect, the lower part of the stones being of a triangular wedge-like shape, which, instead of enabling them to resist the weights which come upon them; easily penetrate into the substratum; the stones arc also broken of an unequal size. The remedies for these defects are obvious, they should be as nearly as possible of a cubical form, its lower bed having an equal surface with its upper face; they should be selected as nearly as possible of an equal size, and they should never be of great length on the face. In quarrying and preparing the stones would there bo any N M i m 11)4 addilional c«pen«c i» forming then, into tl. cubical iW' ""* rccomnun.lc.1? -There wouUl certainly be an add.t.onui ..xpcn.e in the preparation, because there would be more Kork required in the dressing, and n.any stone. mu»t be rejected which arc now used; but I think the addmonal expense would be very well bestowed. Arc you of opinion that great injury is done to turnp.Wf road-s l)y the heavy weight, carried in waggons upon then. - Tre you of opinion that any br*,adth of wheel . for thuje waggons will justify the present exemption fr«.' f.i-?-" certainly ought not. . , . i .„ii. In what manner would you recommend tlmt the tolls .hould be apportioned to the wcighi. carried by waggons on tho^c roads ?-I am of opinion that the most advisable n.ode would be to apportion the toll, to the weight carried on each wheel, without reference to the breadth, provided it .snot allowed to be less than four inchc. lor the purpose of assessing the tolls in th.s instance w uid it not be necessary that the waggon should be we.ghed ai every turnpike gate .'-There ought to be a power to do it. bvit there might be a check by means of toll t.ckets. similar to what is done upon navigable canals. With a view of establishing good roads generally through- out the kingdom, and of keeping them in repair upon the most economical plan, what limitation would you proi«)se as to the actual weight each carriage should be allowed to carry ?-I should think it should never exceed four tons, which should be a ton upon each wheel; when .t excxed. that weight the best .u.ten.h which can be procured fov road.making must be deraRpev ai.a ground to pieces. If ;al il-.Rpe now ,n additional uld be more ics must be he additional • to turnpikf poll them : — eel'* for tho»e that the tolls >y waggons on idvisabic niodf ■arried on each jvided it is not 1 this instance iild be weighed a power to dr of toll tickets, lerally through- repair upon the Id you propose Id be allowed to ceed four tons, rhen it exceeds be procured fov to pieces. MarU, \y dm iMau, IHlV>. Mr. Uobrrt Verrif, called in; and Examined YOU hold a situation in the Post-office ?_Ycs. under Mr. .lolin&on, inspector of the mails m the Post-oHice. Since the examination of Mr. .lohnson before this com- mittee, has the I'ost-offiec received any further - i»Mrt on the state of any of the roads near the Meiropolm '— Yes; one that \* between Staines and Bagshot, which I h.»ve brought with me. IDelivcred in, and read :'\ State of the Turnpike Road between Staines anil I May -tth, 1819. l-rom Staines Bridge to Egham the form of tlu road has been considerably altered for the better, with p tnty of watercourses and arched drains: through lighamtown the dirt has been entirely removed, and a very plentiful ^upply of well-sifted gravel laid on, which will in a short tim. make a good hard road. The hill likewise has recently hem co- vered with a thick coat of good stones, which will reiiuire a little time to cement; from thence the road is great!/ un- proved; the sides are pared down, and kept particu aily clean. At Virginia Water every thing appears to have been »ionc to the hills, that the time and sandy nature of the soil would permit ; it is now in a good form, and level. From Virginia Water Hill, by Broom Hill Hut, the rojd has been well scraped, the watercourses opened, and the sides kept clean, and is in a very good state all thi way to Bagshot. (Signed) Samuel Maddocks." W fi e l!)t. or C S E ^' i^ r. '^ S c: X o £,£. P o 5 X o TO c 5< o o u -:1 5j» Cfi Oi •t' t^ S to to ClJ ^^ it^ -' Ln u. >-< I— I ft, re n o o o c c t«w.^^ C c o, R? Fr> 9 £ r, W f. W w5 W ^22ooccw^,30C^., p? «, w w CO CO o H O O Q o X to I—* o ►ll«- 00 o >< c m -I 1 ^ to to to ;ji w o -^ c^ o ~t *■ ■T3_ 00 00 00 o o ° Cft w en -I to CT lO 00 O &&' to sp W « ^ CTs I— • O ^> s ^> s Cn •** *■ vf. o o k; H- H- &< &■ S' u> Of. v; o 2 .1 Ite 1 i o^^>-^to ^ Cilc W Oi Cl'tu 00 I I I I 51 f O) -: 1 2 ?r Oi ?*; »b .»§ 10 00 1 c^ -I 00 W to ^D "^ ~* O S O Cn *■ 00 Cn 00 5 03 bl to M GO O) O I 1 I ^S »a ►- I 1 1 ta-J- » I 8 o I I 10 ^l w to l^ i-> ;r -•» w % 0000 *■ I I I I I I ) i i Ol in ^ W ^ iC Cn Oi 0> O 8 8 S 8 I I f^ I I I c I o PI CO > S3 > o 5« W H r: C M fa H cr "I i . jpil >[W r i i ]»l lii - i . i i REPORT FnoM SELKCT COMMITTED ON MR. M ADAM'S PETITION, .4 AMD EXTRACTS FROM EVIDENCE RELATINU TO HIS IMPROVED SYSTEM OF CONSTRUCTING AND REPAIRING THE PUBLIC ROADS OF THi: KINGDOM. Ordered^ by The House of Commons, to be Printed, 20th June 1823. :i r J I; I ■^^^:cmr' ml T ml Ml fHl .1 • f' ^•■■sS i»'if'-s'^ vy*'' T 191) R E P () R T. THE SELECT COMMITTEE appointed to take inio con- sideration the Petition of Mr. M'Adam, and to report to the House, whether any and what further pecuniary Grant shall be made to him, cither by way of payment of his Expenses or as a remuneration for his Services, for having introduced into practice an improved System of construct- ing and repairing the Public Roads of the Kingdom, or for the management of the Funds applicable to the same ; — Have, pursuant to the Order of the House, examined the matters to them referred, and have agreed upon the following REPORT: IN presenting to the House the result of their inquiry into the claim preferred by Mr. M*A.dam for a compensation for his services, in conse- quence of his havings devised and introduced into practice an improved and economical sys- tem of repairing-, making and managing the Turnpike Roads of the Kingdom; your Com- mittee will notice, in the first place, the proceed- ings which have taken place upon this subject previous to the institution of the inquiry in which they have been engaged. o2 200 It appears from the correspondence and docu- ments obtained from the Treasury, as well an from the Reports of former Committees of the House, appointed to inquire into the state of the lli.rhways of the Kingdom, that the first appli- catbu made by Mr. M'Adam for payment of his expenses, and remuneration for his services, was in November 1819. This application was referred by the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, by letter, to the Postmasters General, for explanation and information ; who, in reply, transmitted a Report from Mr. John- son, the Superintendent of Mailcoaches, stating as follows : — « As 1 travel rapidly over great distances, and •« my attention is usually much occupied with ' the immediate business of the office, I cannot " speak with accuracy about particular and local alterations; but 1 feel myself well warranted in stating, that whenever 1 have found any thing done under Mr. M'Adam's immediate *' direction, or by his pupils, or even in imitation « of his plan and principles, the improvement « has been most decisive, and the superiority « over the common, method of repairing roads " most evident ; and. as Superintendent of Mail- « coaches, 1 have abundant reason to wish that « Mr. M' Adam's principles were acted upon <( t( (( '"''%■ anddocu- as well as ces of the state of the first appli- )ayinent of lis services, ication was ers of His Postmasters ition-, who, Mr. John- :hes, stating stances, and ciipied with ce, I cannot lar and local II warranted e found any s immediate L in imitation improvement e superiority )airing roads dent of Mail- i to wish that ! acted upon «( '201 " very generally : if they were, a pace which in «* winter, or any bad weather, cannot be accom- « pliJied without difficulty, would become per- « fectly easy ; to say nothing of the comfort and " safety of the traveller, and the credit to hu- « manity in lessening the labour of the animals. " I may add, although so much has been ac- «* complished, the Postmasters General could still « expedite the conveyance of the Mails, and « bring the arrangement of the Posts nearer to « perfection, if the Roads were universally as " much improved as the practice of Mr. " M*Adam*s plan would effect. (Signed) ** Cha. Johnson." " General Post Oj/ice^X « Dec. 8, 1819." ) « As one instance of the benefit of Mr. « M' Adam's improvement, I beg to mention " that the Mail last winter lost ten, fifteen, and " twenty minutes, in passing from Staines to « Bagshot ; but now the time is exactly kept. (Signed) « C. J." And the Post Masters General also concluded their Report to the Treasury by observing, « That with respect to the road near Staines, to « which he alludes, we had found it necessary " to give notice of indictment, which has been " prevented by the Commissioners resorting to li S} •* i 202 «« Mr. M'Adain's assistance and advice, which " has produced the excellent road mentioned by " the Superintendent. « The Road from Newbury, through Read- « in«f, to Twyford, has been so much improved, « that the Mailcoach has been better enabled to «' keep its time than heretofore, and we are con- « vinced that if the roads near London were « improved in a similar manner, considerable " advantages would be obtained to the corres- « pondence in general, but particularly in places « from ninety to one hundred miles distant." In February, the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury received a representation from several noblemen and gentlemen, urging in very strong terms the claim of Mr. M'Adam to remuneration for the services he had rendered to the Public. This document, as well on account of the grounds upon which the remuneration is stated to have been merited, as also from its having been so numerously and respectively signed, well deserves the attention of the House. Mr. Harrison, by desire of their Lordships, transmitted this certificate with a letter to the Postmasters General; in which, amongst other observations, and alluding to the recommenda- lion in favour of Mr. M'Adam before men- tioned, he writes as follows:-" These testimo- n \: ce, which ntioned by igh Read- improved, enabled to fe are con- ndon were onsiderable the corres- ly in places listant." ners of His )resentation n, urging in Vff the last iches have ulties; for ) of roads been pur- enced less ystem was I conclude idvance of Dommittee sration the Roads and expediency 5tter repair •eported, in cess of Mr. M*Adam's system. The followinjr Is a short extract from that Report: " The admirable ♦' state of repair into which the roads under Mr. " M* Adam's system were brought attracted very " general attention, and induced the commis- *' sioners of various districts to apply for his as- " sistunce or advice. The general testimony " borne to his complete success wherever he has " been employed, and the proof that his im- " provements have been .attended with an actual *' reduction of expense, while they have afforded " the most useful employment to the poor, in- " duce your Committee to attach a high degree «♦ of importance to that which he has already " accomplished. The imitations of his plans " are rendered easy by their simplicity, and by ** the candour with which he has explained them, although ability in the surveyor to judge of their application must be understood as an " essential requisite." • In session 1820, Mr. M'Adam presented a petition to Parliament, praying for the payment of his expenses, and such reward for his ser- vices as the House in its justice and wisdom should think fit to grant. This petition was re- ferred for consideration to the Select Committee then ^sitting upon the state of the Highways, who had the account of Mr. M'Adam's expenses up to 1814 submitted to them ; and from which « <( •200 accoui.t it appeals, that the tlistunce liavelle«l by Mr. M'Adam was 30,000 miles, aiul that there were 1,020 days employed in this service ; that reckoninir by the rules of allowance made by the Post Office to their surveyors, the ex- pense of the above travellinjr amounted to the sum of 5,010/. 6s. which sum Mr. M'Adam states to have been expemled by him on this service up to August 181 1. Mr. M'Adam further states, u his Evidence before the Committee i "This account is mads « from memoranda in my possession, and I have « made the same with such care and attention, «« that I am rea«ly to make oath that it is to the « best of my knowledge and belief correct, « whenever I n>ay be required so to do." Which he afterwi.i Js did in the following terms : « I, John Loudon M'Adam, do hereby volun- "tarily make oath that the above-men- "tioned account delivered by me to the «« Committee on Turnpike Roads and High- « ways, is to the best of my knowledge and «• belief correct." « Witness my hand this 8th day of "March 1821. (Signed) " J no. Loudon M'Adam." " Sworn before me at Pontefract, ) «' mh March 1821. ) (Signed) " G. Aldeusopj, Aldernxan:' «07 Iravelleil utul that s service ; ucc made S the ex- tted to the M'Adani m on this Evidence it is mad 3 and I have I attention, it is to the ef correct, o to do." k-ing terms : reby voluu- above-men- me to the s and High- wledge and 8th day of M'Adam." Aldermaiu Your Committr*', in their Report of the IKtIi of July 1H20, state as follows : " The attention of your Committee h»s been •' directed to the chiim of Mr. John Loudon « M'Adam for public remuneration, contained « in his petition referred to them by the House. « Your Committee apprehend, that the ability, « industry and zeal of Mr. M'Adam in his suc- " cessful pursuit of the best means for construct- " ing roads are become matters of general no- •* toriety. It appears that Mr. M«Adam first I « directed the public attention to this important *' fact, that angular fragments of hard materials, " sufficiently reduced in size, will coalesce or « bind, without other mixture, into a compacted " mass of stone nearly impenetrable to water, «' which being laid almost Bat, so as to allow of " carriages passing freely upon all parts of the " road, will wear evenly throughout, not ex- ** hibiting the appearance of ruts or of any other | • *' inequalities. This principle, once brought , " under notice, may appear sufficiently obvious; « but Mr. M'Adam has had the honour at much «* expense of labour, of time, and of his private . « fortune, to bring it into practice on an exten- \ ** sive scale. " Your Committee are therefore clearly of (( opinion, that Mr. M'Adam is entitled to re- ■■■» 7T . , , , since the adoption of his system, has been mani- fest, and, as your Committee conceive, too ap- parent to escape the most common or indifferent observer; and further, tlmt it must l)e obvious, from piist experience, that a system from wliicli so much good has been already derived, would, if extended over the whole face of the King- dom, be productive of the most beneficial con- sequences both to the condition of the roads, and in effecting a reduction of the amount of the present enormous and improvident expendi- ture. Your Committee would therefore strongly re- commend to the House the consideration of the subject of making and managing the roads of the Kingdom in the course of the ensuing Ses- sion of Parliament, feeling convinced that what- ever plausible appearance the plan niay assume of appointing a large nund)er of noblemen, gentlcmei, farmers, and tradesmen, Conuuissi- oners of lloads, that the practice has everywhere been found to be at variance with the snpi)o.sed efficiency of so large a number of irresponsible managers ; and that the inevitable consequences of a continuance of this defective system will bcj to involve the different trusts deeper in debt, It m '^>M 2IH ;,ud leave the roads without funds to preserve them iu proper order. Your Conuuittee cannot close their Report without directing the attention of the House to that part of Mr. James M« Adam's evidence, in which he states the practicability of convertmff the pavement of the streets of London into smooth and substantial roads ; and your Com- mittee have the satisfaction to inform the House that the experitnent Is about to be tried in tv^o very diflferent and distinct parts of the Metro- polis, viz. in St. Jumes's S'quare, and over Westminster Bridge and lis boundary. This most desirable improvement has, as appears from the evidence of Mr. M'Adam, senior, and from that of Mr. William M'Adam, already been tried, and completely succeeded (as is well known to many members of the House) both at Bristol and Exeter, and is in progress of execu- tion upon the paved ways in the county of Lan- oistcr* ' The benefit to the inhabitants of this large City by such an important improvement, in all its various advantages of comfort, convenience, and economy, can scarcely be appreciated ; and vour Committee hope that the plan about to be tried in two separate parts of London wdl be -i-ll 219 preserve r Report House to (lence, in Dnverting itlon into ,ur Com- he House ed in two 10 Metro- and over ry. This s appears 2uior, and 1, already (as is well le) both at of execu- ty of Lan- found so far to succeed as to induce its adoption, at least in all the large streets of the Metropolis, observing, that they believe that it is a plan which Mr. M'Adain has for many years urged the adoption of, and, as constituting a part of his system, will be found mentioned ni all his publications on the improved system of road- making. 20th June, 1823. this large ent, in all mvenience, iated ; and bout to be on will be 'W iAii'' •221 MINUTKS OF EVIDENCE. Mercuni, 28" die Muij, 1823. SIU THOMAS BAUING, BART. In the Chair. John Luudon APAitam, Ksquirc, culled in ; and Examined. YOU were formerly a magistratu, and commissioner of the toads iu Scotland, were you not ?— I was. When did you first turn your attention to road making ?— I was a commissioner and trustee of the roads in Scotland from the time of my return from America in the year 1783 ; and I i.'ituraSly turned my attention to it there, because they had hegun about twelve years before to make the roads turnpike, and they were carrying them on with considerable activity when 1 returned from America; and it appeared to mc at that time, and all the time I was trustee, that there was a great deal of iBoncy expended nccdles-sly, and with very little effect, on the roads, and that of course turned my attention to the cause. I began then to travel through different parts of the country to inspect the different managements of different parts of the road, first in Scotland, and then 1 went into England. In the year 1798, 1 came to live in England, at Bristol. I have no docu- ments to prove my travelling before I came to reside in England t,- ) I 222 in the year 17.08. I" »79« I »'eKan to make it a «<.rt of biiM- ncss. Without sayinj? f. any <..ic what my object was, I lia- nUcd all over the country in dilTircnt imrts. I have a list of sucii of those places I travelled to that I happened to keep me. morandums of, but I caiinot possibly say uU the places I tra- veiled to. How long were you occupied in travelling for the purpose of obtaining information for the construction of roads ?-It was only occasional travelling of course. I ha.l some other occupations and private affairs to look into. I began in the year 1798 to travel as often as I had leisure and convenience down to the time I took the charge of the Bristol roads, down to the year 1816, the beginning of 18l6 or latter end of the year 1815. What was the result of your observations and inquiry t)f the state of the roads?— I found the roads were cxtrcmily bud in all parts of Great Britain, as far back as the year 1798. ""^ that very little improvement took place in them between that time and the year 1815, which I attributed to the ignorance of the persons who had the charge of them, the ignorance of the surveyors, the total want of science. What were the objections which you found ?— I found the materials so applied that the roads were all loose, and carriages, instead of passing over the roads, ploughed them ; that was the general fault of the roads, and the loose state of the materials. I apjKehend, was owing to the bad selection, the bad appropria- tio.., and the unskilful laying of them. I came to that conclu- Mon first, from observing that in some parts of the country ^hcre things wcr« better managed, there were better roads; and I instanced Jhe roads between Cross and Bridgcwater. in Somersetshire ; there 1 saw a better road than in most other j,arts of the country, and having inquired into their manage- ment, I found that they prepared their materials U-ttcr. The next improvement tliat I saw in roads, was at Kendal, in West- •23» sorl of biisi- was, I liu- avc 11 list of to keep me- placcs I tra- c purpose of -It was only occupations cur 1798 «" down to the to the year ar 1815. iquiry of ihc mcly bud in tr 1798. ""J between that if^norance of )rancc of the —I found the ind carriages, that was the :hc materials, ad appropria- 3 that conclu- f the country better roads; ridge water, in in most other their manage- better. 'I'lte ndal, ill West- moreland, where I think tlie same result proceeded from the » one ciiu>ie. 'I'liiit led me to the conclusion, that under a better system of numagemcnt a better road would be produced ; and having gone to every part of the country, and inquired into the manner in which they made the roads, I formed a theory in my own mind. This theory I got leave to put in practice by being appointed to the care of the Bristol roads, of which I was a commissioner in January 18l6. Did you make any inquiry into the expenditure of money upon those roads, that you found in so bad a state? — I did. What was the result of that inquiry?— I generally found that the expense was in proportion to the badness of the roads, not to their good quality, but as the roads were bad and badly managed the expense increased, and I found few roads that were not deeply in debt and in distress for money. In what did the improvident expenditure consist?— I think principally in carting great quantities of unprepared materials, and pulling them into the roads where they were not wanted ; liiat was one source of needless expense ; and then the ma- terials being put in so bad a state did not last; the road went boon to pieces. I believe there was a great deal of other kind of prodigality, of a worse character than carelessness. Did V'-'U lind a '••••gcr quantity of materials put in the road thiiii was necessary?— I did, in most instances; a much larger quaiiituv iliin was necessary. Di-ations on the stale of the roads ? — No. It is not very easy to ' \plain to gentlemen, ,it V' ,;'^ ' t *221 exactly, the inxrlicuhus that 1 know to be xvroi.g in roads; \ found the watcr-Nvays, and things connected with kccpn.g the roads dry, exceedingly neglected in the country. Be so good as to stale what defects you observed in the con- struction of the roads, besides those you have already men- tioned?-! think the water-ways were extremely neglected, and the roads in general were covered with water, and many of them standing in wet. It was a practice formerly to dig a trench when they made the new road. There was a hollow way, and a great deal of the bad quality of roads m general was owing to the circumstance that the road was standmg in water. \ I think that was one very great error formerly ; but the roads were made upon no principle ; there seemed to be no object; the persons who made them did not seem to understand there was some object to be gained; they had no other idea of mending a road than bringing a great quantity of material, and shooting it on the ground. When a road got into entire dis- repair, the next thing was to bring a quantity of the same kind of unprepared material, and to shoot it upon the road. Did you find that they made use of bad material when a better was to be procured ?-I found that to be very universally the case, that the tops of the quarries, and that to be easily procured, was taken in general, and the best stone left behind. I am afraid that is too much the custom in the country still. Did you find they put these materials on the road in an un- prepared and unfit state?-! did ; they were not broken, nor m many cases cleaned. Have you any thing further to state with regard to the con- struction of the road ?-No ; ! do not recollect any thing fur- ther I can state. What inquiry did you make into the management ol ttie funds of the different trusts?-! made it a business to inquire generally of the survcycrs, workmen, and people on the roads, ■S;l|j il m '*■ --"- ■-- 220 g in roads ; t h keeping the lei in the con- : already men- neglected, and , and many of ^erly to dig a was a hollow oads in general 111% standing in rraerly ; but the cmed to be no n to understand no other idea of of material, and into entire dis- »f the same kind le road, material when a very universally that to be easily tone left behind, country still. e road in an uii- lot broken, i\or in •ward to the con- cct any thing fur- lanagement of the usincss to inquire opk on the roads, as tn the expense of materials, cartage, day-labour, and then I took what pains I could with gentlemen of the country, to in- quire into the state of the funds : with surveyors and other officers of trusts, I found a jealousy and an unwillingness every where to give me information. An unauthorized indivi- dual finds it extremely difficult to procure information of that sort, and I found it so ; a very great unwillingness to inform. What class of persons did you find in the situation of sur- veyors on the road ?— Always, I think, almo. I '."ilhout excep- tion, very low people, many of them old servants, ruined tradesmen, people without that kind of energy and character which I think is absolutely necessary for such a service. Did you make any inquiry into the mode of the performance of statute labour? -Vcs; I inquired very particularly about that, and I found the statute labour, when called for, was sent by tlie farmer to the roads, but the people seldom did above half a day's work ; and though the farmer lost the service of his servants and team, the public did not get it ; it was a heavier oppression on the country than benefit to the roads. Did you find, in collecting the materials, that there was any deficiency, or any mismanagement, on the part of those who superintended it .'— ^I had very great reason to believe, that in most instances the country was imposed on. Have you any knowledge of it ? — No, I have no knowledge ; I had no legal means of taking such measures as should have made me so certain as to be able to give evidence to it. What extent of turnpike road is there in England and Wales ? — On my first examination before a Committee of this House, I stated my opinion to be 25,000 miles ; but I see, from a cor- recteil state of the returns made to parliament, which I made out, that the number is 24,599 miles. Do you know what sum is annually expended upon these roads?— The annual income has been ascertained by the same returns to be 1,282,715/. n 22(5 fan you state what part of the sum goos to the payment of thciutorcst of the debt, and what is applied to the improvement of the road ?.-Thc mortgage debt in the king.Jom xs 6,Q36,502L ; but there is a large sum due to treasurers, and balances of .n- tercst, which is also bearing interest, amounting to 569,04H. The whole debt that bears interest is 6,605,543/. What is the amount of tolls?— 1,282,7 15/. What do you compute the expense of statute labour at ?-I never have made any guess at it ; for two reasons, statute labour ,s so difficult to guess at ; and the proportion given to the turn- pike roads is so dilferent in different parts of the country, under local Acts, and under the general Act; but in the roads under my management it amounts to about five per cent, of the toll- duty. I^lr. James M'Adam, Examined. HAVE you in any instance tried the experiment of convert ing paved streets into roads ?-I have in several instances take.v up small pieces of pavement that I found upon the severa road trusts, and sttbstituted road. In the town of Stam ord 1 took a piece up of considerable extent, which is now road mstead of the pavement. What has been the effect of the conversion of the pavement into road ?-The expense has considerably diminished, and the facility of trave":ng very considerably increased. Has any suggestion been made to you of convertmg the pavement of any part of the streets of London into road ?-I have been ordered, by the Parliamentary commissioners having charge of Westminster Bridge, to prepare an estimate and re. port.'with a view to convert tnat pavement into a broken stone road, which documents I have furnished ; and I have reason to believe that the same will be immediately carried into effect. I have been also directed by the trustees and proprietors of bt. James's scjuare, to prepare (which 1 have done) the same docu- : 227 piiymont of iipvovcmeiit ;,036,502/. ; lances of in- to 569>041/. ibour at ? — I tatute labour 1 to the turn- )uutry, under ; roads under t. of the toU- nt of convert iistances takci> ic several road amford 1 took oad instead of r the pavement lishcd, and tlie converting the into road ? — I ssioners having timate and rc- a broken stone ; have reason to :ind into effect, opriclors of St. tlie same docu- ; nionts, with a view to substitute a broken stone road in St. James's square, in lieu of the present pavement. What is your opinion of the effect that would be found from its being carried into execution in all the streets of London, ua to the reduction of expense, and benefit generally to the pub- lic ? — 1 consider that the expense would be most materially re- duced ; the convenience of passing over the surface, there could be no donbt, would be generally facilitated, ami made more convenient, particularly in the great leading streets, such as Piccadilly, Pall-mall, Parliament-street and Whitehall, and others of that description; the expense of the same weight of stone now put upon those streets as pavement would be ob- taincd at infinitely less expense, in a different form, for the purpose of road-making. Is it your plan to raise the present pavement, and convert that pavement into materials for making the road, or to bring new materials and dispose of the pavement? — For Westminster- bridge I recommended to the trustees to sell the present pave- ment, because as long as pavements continue to be generally used, stone in that shape and size will always be aluablc, and the same weight of granite I could obtain for the formation of the road over the bridge at 10s. 6d. per ton, the present pave- ment being worth a guinea per ton ; but were the streets of London generally taken up, pavement would of course become of less value, and it might be broken for the formation of the roads. Is that pavement of a quality calculated to make good roads i — The best material in the kingdom. What proportion would the pavement now used in the streets of London hear to the materials necessary to the formation of the roads ? — There would be sufficient for the formation of a strong durable road in the first instance; and I estimate that a 1 1 li'^ iffii i 228 supply of materials for tl.e future care of the roaa. for a comi- dcrable time, would be left. WouW that answer in all the small street, of the metropolis as well as for the large and open streets?-! think not so wel in the very narrow streets, which are liable to water, and where, from the width of ihe street, the thoroughfare must '.e- cessarily be upon one given spot. 1 be'^ however, to observe, that the thoroughfare in those streets is extremely small. Would the dust be increased or diminished by this alt. ra- tion'-I consider, that upon a well made stone road, with th. same care of cleansing and watering that is given to the streets, that the annoyance from dust would be iufiniiely less; and a road is mor. susceptible of retaining the water than pave- ment. , , „ What would be the proportion of the annual expense be- tween the paved street and the rcud?-Taking seven years, during which time I calculate that the pavement gets worn out, I should think the annual expense of the road would no ,e one fifth part, because in that seven years the whole value of the pavement is nearly lost. What would be the effect produced upon the necessity o raising the road for the purpose of alteration of the p.pes an.l : torks under the streets ?-At present, when th.s operate is necessary, a paviour. whose wages are from five o s.x sh.l- mraly! s required. Were the streets converted m to stone :r boure'r at eighteen-pence a-day would perform the le service; and by due care in laying the mater.als on one 7e nd the earth on the other, the injury to the road would L xtremely small, and the spot would very soon Income ob- Lated ; whereas in raising a part of a paved street U is qu. « i„.po»sible ever to unite the piece so raised w.th the rest of the pavement. Dad, for a consi- " the metropolis link not so well ; to water, and ughfarc must lo- ever, to observe, cly small, ed by this altira- nv. road, with the vcn lo the streets, liiely less; and a vater thaw pave- lual expense be- iing seven years, cement gets worn ic road would not the whole value of ,n the necessity of of the pipes and »hen this operation ^m five to six shil- jnvcrted into stone would perform the e materials on one to the road would y soon Income ob- ,ed street it is quite with the rest of the 229 Supi'Osing lh« pavement to be converted into a road, in that ease, would it be nt-essary, when ony pipe was repairing, to stop up the way to prevent carriages and horses passing ? — Cer- tainly not more so than at present, as that circumstance must always depend upon the width of the street. !n very narrow streets, where the pipe lies in the centre, a large opening is ne- cessary ; it would follow as a matter of course that the street must be stopped ; but upon large streets one side would be left free. Would not a repair be more rapidly executed, supposing the way to be a road instead of a street ? — Were the streets con- verted into roads> the repair of the roads would be almost un- known to the public, and no stoppage whatever woidd take place ; the repair of such roads would be limited to a one-inch coat at a time, which would scarcely be known to persons pass- ing in carriages, and the great inconvenience at present con- stantly felt in every part of this large metropolis by the neces- sity of repaying the streets would cease. You assume that the roads for the streets in London must be made with granite ? — Most assuredly, I should never recom- mend any other material to be made use of for the roads in the town. Mr. William M'Adam, further Examined. HAVE you, in the course of your practice, converted any paved street into a road ? — Yes, I have'; Fore-street Hill, in Exeter, forms part of that turnpike trust ; it is very stuep, and was exceedingly slippery, so much &o, that I never rode on horseback down it myself till u as converted into a stone road ; it has been so for a year or two ; it has answered every pn.:- pose, and stood remarkably well, and by being watered a little in very dry weather, I believe there is less inconvenience found from dust than when it was paved. J have heard some gentle- pi 11 1' In. 2S0 ,\ af Lin with lUeir carriages, it not „en.ay,thatincom.ngup hat a WU^^ ,^ j,„g.h. ,,„, above a ^^^:^Z.^^.^^-- - -^J^ Tterroronhe horses in .Upp.ng abut. That was when it «as P*^*^'^ " " JJ-^^i,., ,hat road >-The VVhat Wind of stone do you u-jo^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ pebble of the country. ,.>ckcafomt - p ^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ Have you converted ^^^ f'l^^'l,^^,,,, ^^Jer the care of into road.-There is no °^^" ; ^ X, ,,..eh the Chamber the trust; butinconsequenc o thceff ^^^^^^ ^^ ^ ^^^^^ of Exeter saw in ^or-trec ' th y h ^^^_^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^..^^ „any of the streets m bxet r a , ^^ ^^^^^„.^,,„, ,v.ere gradually to do them aU n jhe ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ -r^:::?^a:L:.iar.anner. ---^^r:::r;:iedb. H^VE yo.^ in ^2:^^XZ^ ,,^ ,„.u.os of Bristol were your sons ?-Yes, I have . 1 ^^^^^ ^^ ^i^^ j.^t^ct ; Lirely paved ^l^^^^^^^^^ of the con,n,issioners those suburbs are w.thm the ju ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^j for the care of turnptkc roads and ^^^^ ^^ ^ ^^ ^^^^ paving was very heavy. -^ tb'jtf ^J^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ , f,„„, took the whole P-^vement up and^ ^.^ ^^ ^,^ „,g,, there into a stone road, up to in j trates. , ^^, ^ kind of stone called the Was that granite ^^°"'=^-^°' . of a I'gl't stone called ,».epennetin that ^<>^^;^> ^^j' ^i, Jnes: the blue 231 »es, it not 111 length, was made ;y brought they have of it, from „a(l >— The m pavement r the care ot he Chamber up a great ; proceeding ,.Abbot there p the bridge tiined. ition stated by of Bristol vrere of the district ; commissioners ihe expense of I, and 1 at once me that I found n of the magis- stone called the light stone called (tones : the blue ihe Brandon IWW itone, when broken, is prclly nearly as good as granite. But those suburbs having been tak«'n up, and given great satisfac- tion tlic year before las', the magistrates took up half of the street, called Stoke's Croft, which k the great entrance of the town from Gloucesteisliirc. The inhabitants were very much afraid of dust ; and therefore ihey rtqucsted the magistrates not to take up ihc whole of the sircct, but to niukc an experiment on one half of it, and afier ti yca-'s expcrinuMit they consented to the whole being taken up. When I left Bristol, which is now three months ago, they were busy taking up the remainder of that street ; and I understootl it was the intention of the magis- trates to proceed gradually to take up a great number of other streets in the town. Do you know what diflerence it has made in the expense?— That part of the suburbs that "as lifted, and laid again with the same stone broken, cost 5d. .quare yard for doing it. I took up the stone; I had nothing to purchase ; the stone that came out of the streets fully made the roadf and wc had a little remaining for repair afterwards, and that operation cost 5d. a square yard ; paving, in the city of Bristol, cost 5s. (id. a square yard when stone is found by the pavior, and I believe they reckon the laying down to be eighteen-pencc of that. What would be the difference of expense annually between a paved street and a road ?— I think that road required no repair for the first three years after it was done. A paved street would require no repair for aevcn years after it was done ?— I think we repaired it for about a fifth part of the money, when it required repair, that a pavement would have cost. We seldom find our streets in Bristol last above three years; the pavements become rugged, and full of holes, and so on ; they are obliged to be taken up, and they re-lay them generally once in three years. There is another street in Bristol which has been taken up, but I cannot recollect the a2 s '232 nam« of U ; it goc. from btoke. Croft to Kingston ; .t has bee.. taken up by ihe magistrates, not under my d.rect.on. Has any objection been taken by any person to the alterat.on that ra b e./made at Rri.o, P-No. except 0. a.aro. that th. habitants of S.one Croft had when it was began to be on and they got the magistrates to delay do.ng more than half of t 'l ley were sati.tied that it would not inconven.ence them ; an circumstance of their sending a request to the mag.s- ul; fi-h it induces n>e to believe that they were very :; Satisfied with the experiment. Park-street, .n Br.U,^ has been done in that way for, I »^-'^. -—/;;' I^J" then a commissioner for watching and pav.ng the streets ^"Who did it?-It wa, done at the expenoe of the commis- sioners for watching and paving, at my wish, and certaji.^y aid superintend It. though I had r^<>^:;^ll^;:^\Z: than any other ^^-^-'^^::, Zl BristoAo the tncn know very »eU ; it i» a puo ic ,.rt. .nd .hc„ p.ved .., .0 ve„ dan,™.. '^^'^^ It.;e..«.n.™o.-K.,>«ne;.«^or»U...^^^^^ What Stone was it paved With before f ma« species of liroebtonc. II 'f 93S liai been alteration n that th« I be done, an half of ice them ; he magis- were very in Bristol, ars ; I was I streets of le commis- I certainly ith it more lany gentle- ristol to the inches in a ilippery that y good road verage, since cl to do. cock-stone, « APPENDIX. Appendix (B.) MEMORANDUM of Mr. Johnson, respecting lh« Roads under Mr. M'Adara's superintendence. As I travel rapidly over great distances, and my attention is usually much occupied with the immediate business of the office, I cannot speak xvith accuracy about particular and local alterations. But 1 feel myself well warranted in statmg. that whenever I have found any thing done under Mr. M' Adams immediate direction, or by his pupils, or even in imitation of his plan and principles, the improvement has been most deci- sive, and the superiority over the common metL^ f repaiung roads, most evident; and, as superintendent of mailcoaches, 1 have abundant reason to wish that Mr. M'Adam's principles were acted upon very generally. If they were, a pace, which in winter or any bad weather ca..iot be accomplished without difficulty, would become perfectly easy, to say nothing of the comfort and safety of the traveller, and the credit to humanity in lessening the hard labour of the animals. I may add, that although so much has been accomplished, the postmaster gene- ral could still expedite the conveyance of the mails, and bring the arrangements of the posts nearer to perfection, if the road, were universally as much improved as the practice of Mr. M' Adam's plan would effect. General PosHfficc, Chas. John.on. Dec. 8, 1819. , . r.S. As one instance of the btiiefit of Mr. M'AdHms.m- 234 f Tovrmcnt, 1 bfg lo nuiilion that th« mail lait winltr lotl ten, flfUen, and tvitnty minutet, in pasting from Sfainei to Bagtfiot, but now the time is exactly kept. C. J. Appendix (C.) LETTER from PostmaHter General to the Lords of the Treasury ; dated SOth December 1819. To the Right Hon. the Lords Coinmissiouers of His Majeirty'* Treasury. My I^rds, We beg to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. Harrison's letter of the 26lh ult. transmitting, by your lordships command, the application of John Loudon M'Adam, submitting his claim on account of his inquiries relative to the improvement of the roads in this kingdom, and requesting any information in our power with regard to Mr. M'Adam's services. In conformity to your lordship's desire, we have applied to the superintendent of raailcoaches, as the oflRcer in our depart- ment most competent to give information upon the subject of Mr. M'Adam's exertions ; and we beg leave to inclose his re- port, and to add, that with respect to the rond near Staines, to which he alludes, we had found it necessary to give notice of indictment, which has been prevented, by the commisBioner* resorting to Mr. M'Adam's assistance and advice, which have produced the excellent road mentioned by the superintendent. The road from Newbury, through Reading to Twyford has been so much improved, that the mailcoach has been better enabled to keep its time than heretofore ; and we are convinced, that if the roads near London were improved in a similar 2i)o Itr lail ten, to Bagthot, C. J. le Lords of 1819. [is MajrM/» rriEoii'i letter ominand, the ; bis claim on cincnt of the lation in our ive applied to ill our depart- :he subject of inclose his re- ?ar Staines, to give notice of commiseionert e, which have perintendcnt. I Twyford has IS been better ire convinced, in a similar manner, considerable uJvantogcs would be obtained to the cor- resp..ndtnce in Renoral, but particularly in places from ninety to one hundred miles distant. We are, with great respect. My Lords, Your Lordships very obedient humble servants, Chichester. General I'oit-office, Salubury. 20rA Dei. 1 81 9. Appendix (D.) Certificate and Recommendation by several Peers and Members of Parliament, to tlie Right Honourable the Lord CommiBsioners of the Treasury, respecting Mr. M< Adam's Claim for remuneration. It appears to the undersigned, by the report of a Committee of the House of Commons of last session, and by their own ex- perience and observation, that the system of road making, in- troduced by Mr. M'Adam, has already been of great public benefit, as it facilitates the communications of the country, and affords useful and universal employment to the labouring class, with sufficient funds already provided. The undersigned arc of opinion, that as Mr, M'Adam ob- tained the information necessary to perfect his system of road making, entirely at his own expense, and with the labour of many years; and afterwards, by his exertions and those of his family, reduced the system to actual practice, and has now put the public in complete possession of his plans, Mr. M'Adam has a claim on the country for remuneration. They are further of opinion, that it will be a great means of encouraging the general adoption of this improved system of ■} «*jr^" U!Mi ( » V rnaJ management, if Govenimunl iliall b« pl(>asf«i to hoittuvr this mark of their apprubatioii un Mr. IM'Adum. Chicliester, De Laware, llardwiciie, Macclcsfirld, Salitbury, Beaufort, G. Clerk, Wm. Rca, Thomas (1. Kstcourt, VVm. Dickinson, N. Culvert, W. II. Aoliurst, J. Fune, J. N. Fazakerley, Carringtun, G. Dovcton, Dacrc, Daniel Giles, Wm. Lamb, George Sheo, W. Freemontle, Warren Bulke^ ley, Grcnville, Folkestone, R. Spencer, R. H. Da»is. Appendix (K.) LETTER of PostraaNter General to tlie Lords of the Treasury, on Petition of Mr. M'Adain for payment of Balance due to him on account of services staUtl to have been rendered by hiiu in the improvement of (he Public Roads. My Lords, Ma. John Loudon M'Adam having addicsscd to us a me- morial, relative to certain claims on account of tht; services which he states to have been rendered by him in the improve- ment of the public Roads of the kingdom, we have the honour to transmit the same to your lordships for such consideration as it may appear to you to deserve ; and we have to state, that tht favourable opinions which xve entertained and expressed in our former reports upon this subject, have been confirmed by experience ; and that by employing Mr. M'Adam to survey the roads in Lancashire, the most beneficial results are likely to follow. We are, my Lords, with great respect, Your Lorships most obedient servants. General Post-office^ Chichester. 6/4^^6.1823. Salisbury. H. Bryer, Printer, Bridge-street, Blackfiiart. < lEFe 10 / pl«•n^«l |o Ijoiitovr !sfirl(l, Salitbury, .). Estcourt, Wm. , J, Fune, J. N. crc, Daniel Gilfs, e, Warren Bulke- I. H. Da»i». 3 Lurds of the in for paymei>t services sUUtl improvement of jsscd to us a me- lt of tb« services in the improve" have the honour I consideration as avc to state, that and expressed in een confirmed by Jam to survey the ults are likely to N -'» abedient servants, :hester. SBURY. =*.:t 41 J»~— • . t - / '.,!