28 ANNALS OF THE ROAD. 



in Ireland were robbed as frequently as the less aspiring 

 post-boys. 



The eminent services rendered by Mr. Macadam and 

 his three sons in perfecting the roads contributed greatly 

 to the successful working of the mail coach system. The 

 Postmaster-General, the Secretary of the Post-Office, 

 and the Superintendent of Mail Coaches, testified ' to the 

 direct advantage and great benefit,' that the post-office 

 work received from the good roads which were the result 

 of their united labours. 1 Such a tiling as an unmac- 

 adamised road is rarely seen now. The inventor has been 

 playfully designated the ' Colossus of Rhodes ' ! Among 

 the great and obvious advantages for which the country 

 is indebted to Macadam, are, acceleraticn in the speed of 

 coaches, and the possibility of their keeping time. 



Early in the present century it was deemed desirable 

 that all the mail coaches should be both built and fur- 

 nished on one plan. Hence the ' patent coaches ' as they 

 were then called. For many years, the contract for build- 

 ing and repairing a sufficient number of them was given 

 to Mr. John Yidler, who had suggested many improve- 

 ments in their construction. Although the post-office 

 authorities arranged for the building of the coaches, the 

 mail contractors were required to pay for them ; the 

 revenue bearing only the charges of cleaning, oiling, and 

 greasing them, which amounted to about 2,200/. a year. 

 The official control of the coaches, mail-guards, &c, was 



1 See ' Remarks on the Present System of Road-making,' by John 

 Loudon Macadam (London, 1824). 



