conveyance of passengers and goods, must be obvious to all. With a rapid and easy mode of transit, new markets will be opened up for manufactures, which must lead to the establishment of factories in heretofore neglected localities. From this impetus the vast resources of the nation will be still farther developed; the immense stores of mineral wealth so widely diffused will be made more available, and the fields of commerce, manufactures, and agriculture be enlarged and extended.

It

Railways in their present form may with certainty be considered as a modern invention, and of little more than the growth of a century is understood that the iron railway system is entirely of British origin; and so peculiarly was it confined till recent years to this country, that it has been designated by some writers the British roadway. But although this may be the fact,

*

* It has been claimed for Germany that a railway was formed in the mountainous district of Hartz, and that the principle was brought to England in the year 1676 by some miners who came to this country; but this is not much credited.

as viewed in connection with the modern principle of railway construction, still the idea of forming smooth surfaces for carriages to run upon-which is the germ of the railway system-cannot be deemed a modern invention, but is undoubtedly one of very great antiquity. It may easily be supposed that such a plan would suggest itself in very early ages, and would be taken advantage of for the transport of heavy loads. Indeed it is impossible to suppose that a people who have left us so many colossal works as the ancients have done, in Egypt and Persia, would be ignorant or not avail themselves of this method for facilitating conveyance. Very little, however, has been discovered of the practices of those nations, or of the Greeks, upon this point. But the works which the Romans have left behind them have thrown much light on the subject: for of all the works of the ancient Romans, no memorials have been handed down to posterity more enduring, and evincing more labour and enterprise, than their military roads. These seemed to have kept pace with the progress of their arms, and every country they subdued participated in the advantage; for the Romans formed their roads, it seems evident, with the twofold object of obtaining supplies and for the easier movements of their troops. Several

of the Roman roads are famed in history, and known to all readers; and our wonder of this singular people undoubtedly does increase, when we consider the celebrated Appian Way, which was carried to the extent of 300 miles from the capital. The excellence of the principle on which the Roman roads were constructed, and their prodigious durability, are attested by the fact, that parts of this famed road are yet entire, after the lapse of more than nineteen centuries. Such was the extent of roads the Romans made in Italy alone, some of which took their names from the gates of the city,—that they have been estimated by historians at about 14,000 miles.

No principle seems more apparent in the construction of roads by the Romans, than the adoption of a smooth surface to diminish friction; and hence it may be supposed they were well aware of the advantages of smooth wheel-tracks. From the description which has been given us by the Romans, of the construction of their roads, there must have been employed a degree of skill and perseverance almost incredible. Vast labour seems to have been taken in preparing a firm foundation: sometimes arches were built, on which it was formed; sometimes piles were driven, as the basis of the road; and often, substrata of small stones,

several feet in thickness, were laid. In this country these beds of stones, of so much as three feet in thickness, have occasionally been met with. When the ground was brought towards a level, heavy stone blocks were laid for the roadway, so as to make it firm and smooth. These stone blocks have been found of different dimensions, generally of an oblong form, though sometimes a cube of about eighteen inches. Some of the Roman roads are described as being divided into two parts, for carriages going in different directions, similar to a double line of railway, and these lines of roads were separated by an intermediate footpath, paved with brick, and elevated above the carriage tracks.

STONE WHEEL-TRACKS.

Wheel-tracks formed of stone or marble, laid in parallel continuous lines, have been in use for several centuries at Milan and other parts of modern Italy; and these probably owe their origin to Roman invention. Indeed, the idea of using stone wheel-tracks till within late years was a favourite scheme for increasing the power of animal labour. Various attempts, accordingly, at different periods, have been made to introduce

this system into Britain, and several tracks of continuous stone rails, usually termed tram roads, have been constructed both in England and Scotland. The stones of such wheel-tracks are usually about a foot in width and depth, and three or four feet long. In London, and most cities, such tramways for short distances have long been in general use, and found of great advantage for ascents. A considerable portion of the road leading to the East India Docks from London is laid in this manner. There is another of some extent on a steep incline a little to the south of Edinburgh. There was an extensive stone wheeltrack near Aberdeen. It was composed of granite, and was above a mile in length.

Several persons have proposed plans of stone railways for common roads and public streets on an extensive scale. The plan of Mr. Matthews of Walworth was noticed in a report of the House of Commons several years ago; and the description of another plan is also given in 1824 in vol. vi. of the Highland Society's Transactions.

The want of durability, and the expense, of stone tracks, and their comparative inefficiency for the general traffic of heavy carriages, have prevented their general adoption. As they are, however, adapted for the wheels of any kind of carriages,