1825.] 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
Sir: 
W HAD committed a few remarks to 
paper, by way of reply to the obser- 
vations of your correspondent J. M.L. 
“On Macadamizing,” in your number 
for December; but was prevented, by 
want of leisure, from sending the com- 
munication in time for your last number, 
I was, however, agreeably surprised to 
find that a gentleman at Woburn (Mr. 
Castleden) had anticipated me in reply- 
ing to the observations of J. M. L., and 
in defending, to a certain extent, this 
improved method of road-making from 
the opposition of those who are partial 
to “the old state of things.” 
Your correspondent J. M. L. observes: 
“ Thus parishes are modestly asked. to 
destroy all they know to be good, and 
which it has been the work of many 
years to bring to the state of perfection 
in which it now is!” J.M.L. ought to 
have mentioned a few of the London 
streets where this high state of perfec- 
tion of the carriage-pavement was to be 
found, previous to the opposition which 
has been created by the introduction of 
what is called Macadamizing. If J.M. 
L. had been in the habit of passing, in a 
light carriage of any sort, through Pic- 
cadilly, the Strand, Bishopsgate-street, 
or any of the great thoroughfares lead- 
ing to the environs of the town, about 
two or three years back, he would not 
have congratulated himself on the good- 
ness or eyen the safety of the carriage- 
road in many cases. Scarcely a day 
elapsed, at that period, without horses 
falling, or carriages breaking down, ow- 
ing to the disgraceful state of the car- 
riage-pavement, in the principal streets 
of the metropolis. The job-contracts, 
and other causes which operated to 
produce such a “ state of perfection” 
mn our street-paving, I sufficiently stated 
in my former communication;’ but J. 
M. lL. (from inadvertence;"of course) 
does not once allude to this part of the 
subject, but proceeds in his strictures 
by putting. the following question :— 
“What is the present state of the roads 
which have been Macadamized in the vici- 
nity of London? The Kingsland-road, 
which was entirely renovated at an enor- 
mous expense, I believe by Mr. M‘Adam 
himself, and which was quite a crack road, 
is now full of holes innumerable, and some 
of the coachmen are not very nice in their 
expressions of dissatisfaction against both 
the plan and the planner.” 
' Now, it is somewhat unfortunate, that 
J.M.L. should not make-himself better 
, Montrury Mage. No, 407. 
- Defence of Macadamizing. 
105 
acquainted with the actual state of the 
case with regard to the piece of road in 
question ; or that he should require 
“nice expressions”? from coachmen, in 
order to form an opinion of the com- 
parative merit of this or that method 
of road-making. With respect to the 
piece of road between London and 
Waltham-cross, it is unquestionably the 
worst site for a great road of any lead- 
ing from the metropolis. With the ex- 
ception of Stamford-hill, the low level 
‘of this road forms almost a dead flat, 
from which it is difficult, or impossible, 
to drain the water at all times. Great 
part of the lower four miles, as is well 
known, is subject to be flooded on every 
great fall of rain, and which has hap- 
pened several times during the present 
winter. That part of road, from Shore- 
ditch turnpike to Newington, is also one 
of the most severe tests to which we 
could be referred for a specimen of the 
perfection of Macadam’s plan of road- 
making. 
J. M.L. should have also stated, that 
no good material can be procured for 
this piece of road, but such as must be 
procured from a great distance, either 
by canal navigation or otherwise; and 
that previous to the road trustees placing 
it under the superintendence of Mac- 
adam or his assistants, the road was a 
mass of loose rounded gravel and loam 
(which is dug in the vicinity), and always 
sodden with wet, or partially inundated 
after every heavy shower of rain. 
The substratum of this road, there- 
fore, being so bad, from the former 
materials, it must, for a long time to 
come, prevent the present covering of 
limestone and flint gravel from binding 
into a compact mass, And although 
there are numerous slight inequalities 
in this piece of road, it is even less bro- 
ken than might be expected with such a 
bad foundation. 
The principles on which the great 
roads are now constructed, both by 
Macadam and other intelligent surveyors 
(from using only broken stone, or angu- 
lar gravel), are so simple and obvious, 
that it seems extraordinary the plan 
should meet with any opposition, except 
from persons who are interested in 
maintaining the “old order of things.” 
But it is not judging fairly of the merits 
of the plan, to form an opinion before 
the materials are ‘laid on in sufficient 
quantity to prevent sinking, or can have’ 
had sufficient time to consolidate into 
amass. [See p. 219, Vol. LVIII.]_ The. 
présent winter has also been extremely’ 
2 unfavourable 
