formed, the degree of improvement which they have introduced is little more than the palliative of a great evil, and goes but a short way towards securing that perfection which ought to be universally introduced.

While, however, England has been content to suffer her roads to be in so defective a state, Scotland and Ireland have acted far otherwise, and for a long time have had the benefit of a more improved system.

Lord Daer, eldest son of the Earl of Selkirk, about the year 1790, introduced into Scotland, and more especially through Galloway, the practice of laying out roads with the spirit level. The road from Dumfries to Castle Douglas was traced out by him, so as to have no greater inclination than 1 in 40, although passing through a very hilly country. Mr. Abercromby pursued, as a regular profession, the business of making roads. He laid out the road from Kinross to Perth, and by following the valleys, obtained an excellent line, instead of one passing over a successive range of very steep hills. He also laid out the road from Perth to Dunkeld. In all cases he acted on the principle of never making a road to ascend a single foot unless absolutely unavoidable; and this he accomplished by taking advantage of the valleys of the country, and skilfully cutting through high banks and filling hollows.

Mr. Abercromby made all his roads with stones broken very small. This practice had long existed

in Scotland, and is recommended by the old writers on roads in France.

Since his time, many others have followed the same rules; so that Scotland has been making great progress for a number of years in establishing excellent roads.

In Ireland the abolition of the system of statute labour in 1763, and the placing of the business of making roads under the grand juries, immediately led to a great improvement; for, notwithstanding the abuses which have attended the exercise of the powers of grand juries in money matters, the general result has been to establish good roads throughout the whole kingdom.*

Mr. Arthur Young, in his Tour in Ireland, says, "For a country so far behind us as Ireland to have got suddenly so much the start of us in the article of roads, is a spectacle that cannot fail to strike the British traveller;" and, in speaking of the law to which this was owing, he says, "The original act was passed but seventeen years ago, and the effect of it in all parts of the kingdom is so great, that I found it perfectly practicable to travel upon wheels by a map. I will go here, I will go there; I could trace a route upon paper as wild as fancy could dictate; and every where I found beautiful roads, without break or hinderance, to enable me to realise my design.

* By 5 Geo. 3. c. 14., 1765, all former road acts from 11 James 1., in 1614, to 3 Geo. 3. c. 8., inclusive, were repealed, and the statute labour, or six days' system, abolished.

"What a figure would a person make in England who should attempt to move in that manner, where the roads, as Dr. Burn has very well observed, are almost in as bad a state as in the time of Philip and Mary.

"Arthur French of Moniva was the worthy citizen who first brought this excellent measure into Parliament. Before that time the roads, like those of England, remained impassable under the miserable police of the six days' labour.

"Similar good effects would here flow from adopting the measure which would ease the kingdom of a great burden in its public effect absolutely contemptible."

One of the greatest efforts which has been made in modern times by the legislature, to afford, on an extensive scale, to a part of the public, the benefit of improved communication, is the plan that was adopted in 1803 for making roads in the Highlands of Scotland. Commissioners were appointed in that year for making these roads. The expense was defrayed in equal portions by grants of parliament and local contributions. The operations were conducted by Mr. Telford; and the result has been the construction of 920 miles of road in every respect suitable to the country, and of 1,117 bridges. These roads traverse the Highlands of Scotland in all directions; and, although the whole region consists of high mountains, the

* A. Young, Tour in Ireland, vol. ii. p. 56.

lines have been laid out with so much science, that the inclinations are every where moderate.

Next to tracing these roads, the principal merit consists in forming and draining them in such a manner as to place them out of the reach of all injury from the torrents to which they would otherwise be exposed.

In the districts between Glasgow, Cumbernauld, and Carlisle, upwards of 150 miles of new lowland roads have been made by Mr. Telford whilst acting under the same commission. But it was not until Mr. Telford was employed by the Commissioners appointed by Parliament, in 1815, for improving the Holyhead road, that he had an opportunity of carrying into execution a plan of road-making suitable to a great traffic on perfect principles. In that year, a sum of money having been voted by Parliament for the improvement of the Holyhead road, Mr. Telford was consulted by the commissioners with respect to the best plan of accomplishing the object Parliament had in view. He strongly recommended that, if employed by them, he should be allowed to execute all the new works upon this line of road in a substantial and perfect manner, in consequence of its great importance as the main communication between England and Ireland.

The commissioners having adopted Mr. Telford's advice, and Parliament having continued to grant further sums of money, eighty-two miles of new road have been made by him through North Wales,

between Chirk and Holyhead: three miles between Chirk and the village of Gobowen, near Oswestry, and seven miles on the Holyhead and Chester road. Thirty-one miles have also been made by Mr. Telford at various places on the Holyhead road between London and North Wales, with money advanced to the Parliamentary Commissioners, on loan, by the Commissioners for giving Employment to the Poor. These roads have been constructed in the most substantial manner. A foundation of rough pavement has been made as a bed to support the surface materials. They are uniform in breadth and superficial convexity. They are completely drained, and when carried along the face of precipices, protected by strong walls. They are acknowledged, by all persons competent to form a correct judgment on works of this kind, to be a model of the most perfect roadmaking that has ever been attempted in any country.t

* For a description of the works of the Parliamentary Commissioners on the Holyhead Road see the Report of a Select Committee of the House of Commons in 1830, in Appendix, No.4.

Extract from Mr. Telford's first Annual Report on the Holyhead Road, dated May 4, 1824, p. 17.:

"SHREWSBURY TO HOLYHEAD.

"This portion of the great Irish road having been originally constructed in a very imperfect manner, was, till within the last five years, one of the worst roads in the kingdom. Through North Wales, in particular, no attention whatever had been paid to the essential points of a good road; it was narrow and crooked, hills had been passed over, and valleys were crossed without