()04 POST-OFFICE, ROADS, AND CONVEYANCE. 



ments by some extracts from Mr. Porter's LETTER to the Duke of 

 Richmond which has just issued from the press. 



Mr. Porter addresses his Grace the Postmaster-General as " Chair- 

 man of the Select Committee of the House of Lords, appointed to ex- 

 amine the Turnpike Returns, and to consider whether any alteration 

 can be made in the law relative to Turnpike Trusts." He states 

 " I feel more at liberty to do this, because I believe your Grace to 

 be zealous in every endeavour to improve the present laws relating 

 to roads, and to be open to receive from any one hints which may 

 tend to further the object in view ; but more especially from those 

 whose profession and practice have qualified them to make useful 

 suggestions. The following observations are made with deference, 

 after ten years' practice as a road surveyor and engineer, and after 

 having carefully perused the minutes of evidence given before the 

 above-named Committee last year. 



"In the first place, having had frequent opportunities of witnessing 

 the operation of the present laws relating to roads, I confidently give 

 my testimony to the fact, that such operation bears unequally and 

 unjustly upon the country ; and that the roads themselves, and par- 

 ticularly parish roads, are, in most places, in a very indifferent or 

 ruinous state of repair, while the funds derived from the country for 

 their support are more than sufficient, under a more perfect system 

 of management, not only to keep them in repair, but to produce con- 

 tinual and increasing improvement. These are facts which are, if 

 proved, sufficient to demonstrate that the laws themselves are defi- 

 cient and inefficient, and at the same time that they are susceptible of 

 great improvement. 



. " The short limits of a letter, and a knowledge that your Grace has 

 received full proof of the existence of the evils to which I bear my 

 humble testimony, render it unimportant and unnecessary that I 

 should enter into particulars which would justify my general opinion. 

 But were it otherwise, I could state much on the subject. For in- 

 stance, the great amount of Tolls, Statute Duty, and Composition 

 taken under one set of trustees, or under the order of one bench of 

 magistrates, and the small amount levied in other districts. This 

 evil arises principally from the great number of trusts, each having 

 gates which do not free each other. I am tempted, as an illustration, 

 to state the comparative amount of tolls on four roads, contiguous to 

 each other near this town, under four distinct sets of trustees : 



No. of Gates 

 Miles, payable. 



" Oswestry to Llansantflfraid, Montgomeryshire, distance 8 3 



(JJndes three sets of trustees.) 

 " Llanymynech to ditto . . . .32 



( Under two sets of trustees.) 

 " Ditto to Burlton . . . .15 111 I 



( Under one set 'of trustees.) 



" (The two first demand double toll on Sundays j the latter not. 

 The rate of tolls taken at the three gates is, I think, alike.) 



" To render this gross anomaly and injustice more glaring, I should 

 state that the first two roads, where the frequent toll is taken, lies in 



