ROAD MAKING. 



509 



carriage "oads. Before sufficient attention was 

 paid to the subjecl. the lands on eitlicr side of 

 the road had been fenced off and appropriated 

 by individuals, and thus the random tracks be- 

 came the legal high\va>s. 



The evil is now i)er[)etuated l)y the unwilling- 

 ness of farmers to allow a road to run through 



their farms in a winding line. They attach 

 more importance to the squareness of their fields 

 than to the improvement of the lines of their 

 roads — not being aware how much more labor 

 is wasted by tliem in traveling over their steep 

 roads than tliere would be in cultivating an awk- 

 ward corner of a field." 



The evils of ascents and descents having been explained, the question of the 

 advantages of undulating roads is thus disposed of: 



Dr. John Barclay of Edinburgh, ("no less emi- 

 nent for his knowledge than successful as a 

 teacher of the .science of Comparative Anato- 

 my,") and he made the following reply : " My ac- 

 quaintance with the muscles by no means ena- 

 bles me to explain how a horse siiould be more 

 fatigued by traveling on a road uniformly level, 

 than by traveling over a like space upon one 

 that cros.ses bights and hollows ; but it is dem- 

 onstrably a f'lihe iJcii that muscles can altera- 

 ately rest and com.e into motion in cases of this 

 kind. . . . Much is to be a.scribed to preju- 

 dice originating with the man continually in 

 quest of variety, rather than with the horse, 

 who, consulting onlj' his own case, seems quite 

 unconscious of Hogarth's Line of ]3eauty." 



Undulating Roads. — There is a popular 

 theory that a gently undulating road is less fa- 

 tiguing to horses than one which is perfectly 

 level. It is said that the alternations of ascent, 

 descent and levels call into pliiy different mus- 

 cles, allowing .some to rest while the others are 

 exerted, and thus relieving each in turn. 



Plausible as tiiis speculation ajipears at first 

 glance, it will be found on examination to be 

 untrue, both mechanically and physiologically ; 

 for, considering it in the former point of view, it 

 is apparent tiiat new iuscents are formed which 

 offer resistances not com[)ensated by the de- 

 scents; and in the latter, we find that it is con- 

 tradicted by the structure of the horse. The 

 question was submitted by Mr. Stevenson to 



The best width and shape of the road-bed are next examined ; the resistance 

 of different surfaces established, and the profits of various improvements investi- 

 gated. In the directions for " Laying out Roads," are explained methods of per- 

 forming all the necessary measurements of distances, directions and hights, with- 

 out the use of any instruments but such as any mechanic can make and any 

 farmer use. The details of construction are very fully given, and copious instruc- 

 tions are laid down for making Macadam roads on their true principles, the favor- 

 ite Plank roads, &c. &c. A popular exposition of Railroads follows. The con- 

 cluding Chapter is devoted to the " Management of Town Roads." It points out 

 the great practical evils of the present system of " Road-tax," and suggests an 

 improved system, to which we will return after the publication of the book. 



ESTIMATED CROP OF THE UNITED STATES.... [From Reports of Commissioners of Pafents.J 



EXPORT OF BRE.4D STUFFS from the United States to Great Britain and Ireland, from September 1, 

 1846, to March 27, 1847 



The latter Table, though not at all obtained from ofiBcial sources, is believed to be very nearly 



correct. 



(1029) 



