ring a 
discover to have been an ancient British 
common name for aroad. The Watling 
is confessedly a Roman work—a Road 
to their Conquests in Wales. The Ro- 
mans never attempted Ireland, and in 
their time it could not be ealled the Irish 
road. 
| In early times, when our vallies were 
overrun by rivers and swamps, and when 
their woods were the haunts of wild 
beasts, low lands were dangerous for tra- 
velling.. Hence our oldest roads, every 
where must have traversed the Aids or 
216 Observations made 
highlands, avd were named the high 
ways.* The Icening-street being an old 
road,as much as possible avoided vallies, 
and, by frequently, making curves, kept 
on the tops or sides of hills. It is not an 
old raised road, but generally exhibits a 
flat, narrow tract. It therefore took not 
its name from its formation, as did the 
Akemann, but from its situation. The 
reader. may consult Messrs. Lysotis’s 
Britannia, which contains the Bishop of 
Cloyne’s Accurate Description of this 
Road. 
The Ikeneld, or Icening, is called also 
Tkning,Ikneld, and Axneld; and the name 
is said to be found in Acelton, Icalton, 
and Arcordon. It goes (says Dr. Stuke- 
ley) to Aigordon hill, north of Bridport ; 
and he conceives that it derives its name 
not from beginning, but. from ending at 
the Iceni. I shall make it appear that 
it is derived from neither. 
Ach, Ak, and Ac, are syllables which 
frequently denote hills, and various names 
of places iu this kingdom beginning with 
these, will, from their situations, decide 
this point. As g was anciently often 
changed to c, this syllable is, 1 conceive, 
derived from Aig/e, an hill,as in A1cordon 
beforementioned, and is often changed 
to Aiche,and Ach, in old names. Thus 
Blaighdon,: or Blaighdown, a range of 
hills in Somerset, &c. is also written more 
generally Blackdown, which implies hill- 
land ; Ton and Don, in all our old names 
implying land: 
‘In Vallancey’s Tracts, Ing and Ning 
are said to import a corner: and in his 
Prospectus, “nis said to be a preposite, 
inserted euphoniously.” To the abbre- 
viation of the proper names, Edward, 
Oliver, Eleanor, &c. we also prefix x, 
to remove the open, slow, and weak ar- 
ticulation of words beginning with a 
vowel. In like manner, when words be- 
_® Hence our name bighways peshaps. 
Ri tse 
Tour in the 
sinning 
So as to fe 
more nec 
A.B. 
Your's, &c. 
— 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
OBSERVATIONS made during a TOUR 
through the UNITED STATES of AME- 
RICA.—NO, XXIII. 
ees in two preceeding Tet- 
ters narrated the circumstances 
which probably may interrupt our cor- 
respondence, I feel anxious to conclude 
the observations which occurred during 
my tour on the shores of Lake Erie, 
Nor would they have been so long de- 
ferred, had I been able to procure the 
numbers of your Magazine since the pub- 
lication of my second letter, which would 
have enabled me to escape repetitions I 
fear now unavoidable. This circumstance 
your readers will duly consider, and 
acceptasmy apology. ‘Therefore, before 
I proceed with my travelling remarks, I 
shall state, that since my last, two mid- 
shipmen and three sailors, who were sent 
from the Melampus frigate to procure 
water, at Lynnhaven Bay, have been 
made prisoners by the United States. 
The universal opinion is, that war is ine- 
vitable, or that nothing can prevent it but 
a signal victory over the Russians by Bo- 
naparte ; and I Mesitate not toadd, that 
if we are compelled into war with Great 
Britain, the necessity of the measure will 
be so fully admitted, that it is proba- 
ble the union of sentiment which exists 
on this subject, in these united repub- 
lics, was never on any occasion, in any 
nation, exceeded, probably in none ever 
equalled. 
The river Cayahoga is about forty 
yards wide one mile from its mouth, 
Just below which a sand bar obstructs its 
navigation: itis however thought that if 
a pier were run into the lake, that impedi- 
ment would be removed. The river itself 
‘ is 
2 
