220 STATISTICAL SURVEY 



leaft grievous, and the raoft beneficial -, the money 

 arifing from them is laid out upon the fpot, amongft 

 the poorer clafs, even before it is levied, and the bene- 

 fit is feh by every individual ; but this is now fo uni- 

 verfally understood, that to fay more on the fubjeft 

 would be fuperfluous. Upon the proper formation of 

 roads fo much of their real intention (the eafe of com- 

 munication) depends, that I hope I fhall be pardoned 

 for throwing together a few ideas upon this fubjeclr; 

 partly my own, and partly extracted from Marshall's 

 Rural Economy of the Midland Counties. The firft 

 ftep, towards making a road with effect, is to 'throw it 

 up and level it, fome time before tlie gravel is laid on, 

 that thofe parts, which are to be raifed to a level with 

 the general furface, may have time to fublide, and, in 

 cafe they Should fink too low, that they may be filled 

 previous to the covering ; when this is laid on, great 

 care Should be taken to keep the coarfer parts under- 

 neath, otherwife they never bind, but continually Shift- 

 ing under the feet of man- or horfe equally impede the 

 progrefs of each. When the materials are of a fub- 

 flance difficult to reduce, they ought to be bound toge- 

 ther with fome fofter Stuff; for the moil perfect ftate 

 of a road, that in which it is fafeft and moft pleafant to 

 the traveller, and in which it wears the leaft, is that, in 

 which the intervals or openings of the hard materials 

 are filled up with loofe matter, as fmall gravel, fand, 

 and where the firft coat is very hard, even with fine 



earth 



