ROAD S C A R S> $7 



being the higheft in Ireland ; but in general it is from three- 

 pence to fixpence per acre, and amounts of late years, through 

 the whole kingdom, to one hundred and forty thoufand pounds 

 a year. 



The juries will very rarely grant a prefentment for a road, 

 which amounts to about fifty pounds, or for more than fix or 

 feven (hillings a perch, fo that if a perfon wants more to be 

 made than fuch a fum will do, he divides it into two or three 

 different meafurements or presentments. By the aft of parlia- 

 ment all prefentment roads muft be twenty-one feet wide at 

 leaft from fence to fence, and fourteen feet of it formed with 

 ftone or gravel. 



As the power of the grand jury extends in this manner to the 

 cutting new roads, where none ever were before, as well as 

 to the repairing and widening old ones, exclufive, however, 

 of parks, gardens, &c. it was neceflary to put a reftriftion. 

 againft the wanton expence of it. Any prefentment may be 

 traverfed that is oppofed, by denying the allegations of the 

 certificate ; this is jure of delaying it until another afllzes, and 

 in the mean time perfons are appointed to view the line of road 

 demanded, and report on the neceffity or hardftup of the cafe. 

 The payment of the money may alfo be traverfed after the 

 certificate of its being laid out ; for if any perfon views, and 

 finds it a inanifeft impofuion and job, he has that power to de- 

 lay payment until the caufe is cleared up and proved. But this 

 traverfe is not common. Any perfons are eligible for afking 

 prefentments j but it is ufually done only by refident gentlemen, 

 agents, clergy, or refpeftable tenantry. It follows neceflarily, 

 that every perlon is defirous of making the roads leading to 

 his own houfe, and that private intereft alone isconfidered in it, 

 which I have heard objected to the meafure ; but this I muft 

 own appears to me the great merit of it. Whenever individu> 

 als aft for the public alone, the public is very badly ferved ; 

 but when the purfuit of their own intereft is the way to bene- 

 fit the public, then is the public good fure to be promoted ; 

 iuch is the cafe of prefentment of roads ; for a few years the 

 good roads were all found leading from houles like rays from a 

 center, with a furrounding fpace, without any communication; 

 but every year brought the remedy, until in a fliort time, thofe 

 rays, pointing from fo many centers, met, and then the com- 

 munication was complete. The original aft parted but feven- 

 teen years ago ; and the effcft of it in all parts of the kingdom 

 is fo great, that I found it perfeftly practicable to travel upon 

 wheels by a map ; 1 will go here. 1 will go there ; I could 

 trace a route upon paper as wild as fancy could diftate, and eve- 

 ry where I found beautiful roads without break or hindrance, 

 to enable me to realize my defign. What a figure would a 

 perfon make in England, who fliould attempt to move in that 

 manner, where the roads, as Dr. Burn has very well obferved, 

 are almoll in as bad a ftate as in the time of Philip and Mary. In 

 a few years there will not be a piece of bad road except turn- 

 pikes 



