improvements; inspected the contractor's work; and instructed the surveyors of the local trusts in carrying on the repairs of the road.

The following extract from the report of the Committee of the House of Commons in 1819, on the public highways, contains remarks which concur fully in principle with the recommendations now given for the improvement of the turnpike roads :

"The importance of land-carriage to the prosperity of a country need not be dwelt upon. Next to the general influence of the seasons, upon which the regular supply of our wants, and a great proportion of our comforts, so much depend, there is, perhaps, no circumstance more interesting to men in a civilised state, than the perfection of the means of interior communication. It is a matter, therefore, to be wondered at, that so great a source of national improvement has hitherto been so much neglected. Instead of the roads of the kingdom being made a great national concern, a number of local trusts are created, under the authority of which large sums of money are collected from the public, and expended without adequate responsibility or control. Hence arises a number of abuses, for which no remedy is provided; and the resources of the country, instead of being devoted to useful purposes, are too often improvidently wasted.

"Your Committee do not mean, by these observations, to recommend that the turnpike roads of the kingdom should be taken into the hands of government, as such a measure is liable to

various objections; more especially as it would be difficult to compel either the government or its agents to keep the roads in a proper state of repair; and as, in process of time, the roads might be considered rather as a source of revenue, than an accommodation to the public. But your Committee are perfectly convinced, that leaving matters in their present state is in the highest degree impolitic. They are of opinion, that a parliamentary commission ought to be appointed, to whom every trust should be obliged annually to transmit a statement of its accounts, to be audited and checked. Before these commissioners any complaints of improper expenditure, by which so many innocent creditors suffer, ought to be brought and inquired properly into. An annual report of the state of the turnpike roads of the kingdom ought also to be laid, by such commissioners, before his Majesty and both Houses of Parliament. Such a commission would not be attended with any expense to the public treasury, as a small poundage on the money received by the different trusts would defray all the expenses it could possibly occasion.

"Nor is this all the advantage that would be derived from the proposed establishment. Under the direction of such an institution, the necessary experiments might be tried, for ascertaining the best mode of forming roads, and the best means of keeping them in repair; the proper construction of carriages and wheels; and the system of legislative provisions the best calculated

for the preservation and improvement of roads. All these are points which cannot be brought to the state of perfection of which they are capable, without some attention on the part of the legislature; nor by committees of the House, occasionally appointed, however zealous in the cause. Such great objects, which would add millions to the national income, and would increase the comfort of every individual in the kingdom, can only be successfully carried through by a great and permanent institution, whose whole attention shall be directed to that particular object; and who would take a just pride in accomplishing some of the greatest benefits that could be conferred on their country."

The expense which must unavoidably be incurred in making roads as roads ought to be made, is in many cases so great, that it is not possible to acquire sufficient funds by any rate of toll which would be submitted to; and therefore it becomes necessary to provide some plan for obtaining them by other means. When the improvement required is of a principal mail-coach road, the public is so much interested, that the counties should be enabled to levy rates, to be given in aid of the road tolls.* The mail coaches also should pay

* By the 45 Geo. 3. c. 43. power was given to the Treasury to advance to the grand juries of Ireland loans for making and improving mail-coach roads, to be repaid in instalments by county rates. Several excellent roads were made in this way, according to surveys furnished by the Post Office, and all the loans have been repaid.

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tolls, not to the trustees, but to the central board, to be applied by it in making improvements. It might moreover be proper to apply a part of the revenue to this purpose, derived from the duties on post-horses and stage coaches.

All past legislation may be said to have failed in producing perfect roads, in consequence of most erroneous notions as to the cost of making a good road. The want of correct opinions with respect to what constitutes a good road has commonly caused the necessity of providing adequate funds to be overlooked. With the greatest economy and skill, it is seldom possible to make a long line of new road in a proper manner, with no other funds than the money raised on the credit of tolls.

PARISH ROADS.

The roads commonly called parish roads, in England, are generally in a very imperfect condition. This is owing chiefly to the law by which their management is placed under the governing authority of the vestries of the parishes through which they pass. Blackstone says, "In England every parish is bound, of common right, to keep the roads that go through it in good and sufficient repair, unless, by tenure of lands or otherwise, the care is conveyed to some particular persons.'

The principle here established, of placing the highways of the kingdom under as many separate governing authorities as there are parishes, is, in

every respect, repugnant to any thing like a sound principle of management; and, until it is abandoned, no efforts of legislation can prove successful in introducing any real improvement.

So long as this radical error in principle shall be recognised by parliament, to pass acts of parliament containing a multitude of new regulations will be labour in vain. The influence of the original cause of the evils which prevail will render them, as they have rendered hundreds of similar regulations, wholly abortive.

Legislation on the highways of England, to be productive of any practical good, must be founded on a more enlarged view of the subject; and it seems advisable that, instead of the governing authority of a parish, that of a county should be substituted, or, when counties are very large, that of a division of a county.

The reasons which may be given to support this general proposition are so obvious, that it is unnecessary to state them all in detail; a few only will be noticed. The first is, that the private interests of a vestry lead it to be satisfied with very imperfect highways. A road that will allow a waggon to be drawn upon it without much difficulty will answer the purpose of those who commonly compose a vestry. But such a road need not have any other qualities than two ruts for the waggon wheels, and a track-way for the horses. The second reason is, that the limited extent and funds of a parish will not admit of giving such a salary