106 History of Inland Transport 



been applied there had, he further said, been no breaking up 

 at all by reason of frost. 



The figure here given suggests the extensive adoption of 

 McAdam's system which was then proceeding. It was not only 

 that old roads were being repaired according to his plan, 

 but there was much construction of " macadamised " roads, 

 the deficiencies of the existing roads having discouraged and 

 checked the provision of new ones. Between 1818 and 1829, 

 as told by Porter, in his " Progress of the Nation," the length 

 of turnpike roads in England and Wales was increased by 

 more than 1000 miles. In proportion, also, as the turnpike 

 roads increased alike in number and in quality, through the 

 wider adoption of McAdam's system, there was a corresponding 

 impetus given to coaching in respect both to number of 

 vehicles and to increase of speed, leading up to those " palmy 

 days " of coaching which were only to close with the spread of 

 the railway. 



It is true that McAdam's plans were not adhered to exactly 

 as he first laid them down. Greater experience led later 

 authorities to attach more importance to a foundation than 

 McAdam had been disposed to do ; though they did not 

 necessarily have foundations laid by hand, after the manner 

 of Telford's buried pavements. Later, the introduction, also, 

 of the steam-roller was to revolutionise the art of making 

 macadamised roads. 



Nor can it be disputed that McAdam and Telford had both, 

 to a certain extent, been anticipated. In an article on roads 

 published in the " Quarterly Review," in 1820, the observation 

 is made in respect to them that " Many of the practices of each 

 of these gentlemen had been previously adopted in a variety 

 of instances ; but it required zeal and perseverance like theirs 

 to recommend the entire system to the attention of the 

 public." 



Other persons might have recommended the use of broken 

 stones, and these are said to have been already employed in 

 Switzerland before McAdam came on the scene ; but it was 

 his lucid explanation of the scientific bearing of angular as 

 opposed to round stones ; his untiring zeal in travelling 

 thousands of miles over English and Scottish roads in order 

 to see and study everything for himself ; and his advocacy of 

 scientific road-making with such indefatigable energy, though 



