642 Letter on Affairs in genera’. CDee. 
SPO MTA SO WHOS roger 
post-chaises and stage coaches, running (and paying), where no quicker 
vehicle was formerly known than a waggon—and even that “ waggon ‘not 
a “ fly waggon.” But he forgets one broad circumstance of distinction in the 
character of these alterations, and of the change he proposes’ viz)'that-all 
our increase of acceleration, so far—unlike the mcrease which he would 
give us—has brought along with it an increase of personal’ gratification 
—of tastefulness—and convenience. ‘The \improved' roads which! ‘went 
to’ make! our travelling more rapid; at the same time made it/‘more 
secure. Our vehicles, as they galloped faster; grew” more’ actually 
pleasureable and commodious; and we found that we could enjoy the 
fine air, and fine scenery of the country, more advantageously from the 
box ofa stage-coach than we could do from the inside ofa ‘carrier's 
cart, or a broad-wheeled waggon. We journey more pleasantly, aad 
more safely, as well as more expeditiously, now we go nine miles an 
hour, than we did when we used to go three; but people would hardly 
care to expose themselves to a horrible danger every time they wanted to 
pass from London to Dover; or, for the matter of that, searcely to 
travel in gloom and silence within the bowels of the earth, when they 
might proceed upon the _—— of it. ISD OOK 
Another circumstanceepisodical, but material—would prevent’ such 
vehicles as Mr. Vallance’s from superseding our common stage coaches. 
Half the convenience—and consequent gain—of a stage coach, arises 
out of its ability to stop at irregular times and places ; for the purpose 
of delivering, or taking up, passengers or parcels. A coach which 
could not stop, for any purpose, except at the end of every thirty miles, 
would soon be beaten by every other vehicle on the same track. The 
high’ road—the “ common haunt of men”—is the “ market overt” of 
every public vehicle :—insomuch so, that, in fact, they constantly take 
round-about courses, for the purpose of adhering to it. siggy 
To settle this affair, however, fully, and to excite the wonder of all 
reasonable people how any gentleman could ever—as I ‘understand 
Mr. Vallance is actually doing—put himself to expense to illustrate or 
advance it*—I think it will only be necessary for me to subjoin a short 
calculation as to the matter of expense. Mr. Vallance proposes as the 
cheapest mode of constructing his tunnels, to build them of brick, covered 
with some sort of stone cement—say, on the average, ten feet high—or 
thirty feet the dimension over. Now the mere brickwork and cement for 
such a work as this, rated only at one brick and a half thick (which would 
be slight for ‘such an undertaking)—would cost twenty shillings a’ foot, 
which is at the rate (in round numbers) of £5,000 mile. The levelling, 
raising of hollows, and cutting hills away—for all must be done upon 
a perfect plane—the levelling, tram road arrangement, lighting, furnish- 
ing with inlets, outlets, &c.—together with the immense cost of air pump 
machinery, steam engines, &c., I don’t take, I think, above the mark, 
when I put it at £5,000 a mile more! In which case, multiplying 
£10,000, the price of one mile of such road by, say 112—the number 
of miles from London to Bristol—it appears that one single tunnel’ of 
this kind—running only between Bath and London, would cost’ the 
sum of ONE MILLION, ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND POUNDS! 
1g! gu fnodst esw 
: i 3. jo--ol Banal & 
* Myr. Vallance has published a pamphlet, and is actually constructing a. eylind r 
of 150 yards extent at Brighton, with # stage-coach running within. it, to prove the 
feasability of such a scheme. Uggs YF (it 2 19A8¢ 
