Internal Communication 81 



have, in modern times, superseded to some extent the 

 common highways, roads still retain their importance, 

 and the improvement in motors is giving rise to a new 

 traction traffic. Indeed, the necessity for widening 

 and improving our main roads has been entrusted to 

 the Road Board, which has expended considerable 

 sums of money for this purpose. 



It is interesting from a historical point of view to 

 trace the gradual development^ of our roads during the 

 last twenty centuries. The Romans were great con- 

 structors of roads, and regarded them as of first 

 importance for conquest and for the maintenance of 

 their empire, which was ultimately intersected by roads. 

 Their roads were almost invariably in a straight line, 

 and so substantial was their construction that they 

 have in some instances borne the traffic of 2000 years 

 without material injury. In Britain the main lines 

 of Roman roads were four. Watling Street represents 

 the old route from Kent to Chester and York, and 

 northwards in two branches to Carlisle and Newcastle. 

 The Fosse Way ran from Bath to Lincoln. The Ermin 

 Street led from London to Lincoln, with a branch to 

 Doncaster and York; and Iknild Street went from 

 Norwich to Duns table and thence to Southampton. 



The Roman roads gradually fell into decay and for 

 centuries the highways of our country were in a bad 

 state. For the most part they were mere horse -tracks 

 and were usually impassable in winter. Even in the 

 neighbourhood of London, in the early eighteenth 

 century, the roads were so bad that in wet weather 

 carriages sometimes stuck in the mud. In the middle 

 of the eighteenth century some attempt was made to 

 improve the rtfads and make them suitable for carts, 



B. A 6 



