THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 305 



locomotive power, produced by steam, but, be assured, it 

 will never take place. Whenever they travel by steam, it 

 must be on iron tram-roads, but the time is far distant 

 before that will be accomplished. At all events, coaching 

 by horses will last your time." 



" Then," resumed Jem, " there is a man who has built a 

 carriage that cannot be overturned, but they tells me it is 

 as heavy as a broad-wheel waggon, and as much iron about 

 it as is in three of our coaches. Surely our coaches are 

 safe enough, in safe hands." 



" I saw the coach you speak of, tried," observed Goodall ;: 

 "it certainly did run on a bank elevated thirty inches 

 from the ground, and the centre of gravity was not dis- 

 turbed, but I thought it a sad complicated piece of work- 

 manship, and, for my own part, I would as soon ride in a 

 waggon." 



" Well," said Jem, " we must not find fault with all' 

 those busybodies, as I calls them, for this American chap,. 

 Mr. McAdam, is showing our people how to make the roads- 

 run well, though they are terribly loth to follow his- 

 directions. They won't believe but what those smalL 

 stones will grind all to pieces in a very short time, instead 

 of which they do forming a hard and smooth surface.. 

 Indeed, I was myself some time before I could persuade- 

 myself that they would do so, even if properly broke, and 

 put thick enough on the road." 



"The surface of a road is formed as ice is formed,"' 

 observed Lord Edmonston, "by the uniting of its own 

 spiculoe, which dovetail into each other ; thus, small stones - 

 unite by their own angles, and produce the effect we see._ 

 I considered McAdam the greatest benefactor to England 

 since Dr. Jenner, for, until we adopted his plan, we did 1 , 

 not know what a good road is. The large stones pre- 

 viously made use of, both in forming and repairing roads, 

 were calculated, mechanically, to render them uneven and 

 full of holes, inasmuch as they acted as levers to raise up- 

 the ground, when a wheel passed over one end of them." 



"You have been very lucky in the accident way, have 

 you not, Jem ? " said Webber. 



" Never throwed a coach over, sir," replied Jem, " but 

 have had her over twice once by the axle-tree breaking, . 

 when I broke my leg, and once before we got patent 

 boxes by losing_a fore-wheel. There ought to be an Act 

 of Parliament to prevent any coach from running that has 



