5 ROAD S-C A R S. 



pikes in all Ireland. The money raifed for this firft and mofl 

 important of all national purpofes, is expended among the 

 people who pay it, employs themfelves and their reams, en- 

 courages their agriculture, and facilitates fo greatly the im- 

 provement of wafte lands, that it ought always to be confider- 

 ed as the firft ftep to any undertaking of that fort. 



At firft, roads in common with bridges, were paid out of 

 the general treafure of the county, but by a fubfequent aft, 

 the road tax is now on baronies ; each barony pays for its own 

 roads. By another aft, juries were enabled to grant prefent- 

 ments of narrow mountain roads, at twofhillings and fixpence. 

 a perch. By another, they were empowered to grant prefer- 

 ments of footpaths, by the fide of roads, to one (lulling a 

 perch. By a very late aft, they are alfo enabled to contraft, 

 at three halfpence per perch per annum, from the firft making 

 of a road, for keeping it in repair, which before could not be 

 done without a frfl\ prefentment. Arthur French, Efq; of 

 Moniva, whofe agriculture is defcribed in the preceding mi- 

 nutes, and who at that time reprefented the county of Galway, 

 was the worthy citizen who firft brought this excellent meafure 

 into parliament : Ireland, and every traveller that ever vifits 

 it, ought, to the lateft time, to revere the memory of fuch a 

 diftinguifhed benefaftor to the public. Before that time the 

 roads, like thofe of England, remained impaflable, under the 

 referable police of the fix days labour. Similar good effefts 

 would here flow from adopting the meafure, which would eafe 

 the kingdom of a great burthen in its public effeft abfblutely 

 contemptible ; and the tax here, as in Ireland, ought to be fo 

 laid, as to be borne by the tenant, whofe bufinefs it is at pre- 

 fent to repair. 



Upon the imperfeftlons of the Irifli fyftem I have only to 

 remark, that juries ihould, in fome cafes be more ready than 

 they are to grant thefe preientments. In general, they are ex- 

 tremely liberal, but fometimes they take filly freaks of giving 

 none, or very few. Experience having proved from the gene- 

 ral goodnefs of the roads, that abufes cannot be very great, 

 they fhculd go on with fpirit to perfeft the great work through- 

 out the kingdom ; and as a cfieck upon thofe who lay out the 

 money, it might perhaps be advifeable to print county maps of 

 the prefentment roads, with correfponding lifts and tables of 

 the names of all perfons who have obtained prefentments, the 

 fums they received, and for what roads. Thefe fhould be given 

 freely by the jurymen, to all their acquaintance, that every 

 man might know, to whofe careleffhefs or jobbing, the public 

 was indebted for bad roads, when they had paid for good ones. 

 Such a practice would certainly deter many. 



At 1,142,642 acres in the kingdom, ne hundred and forty 

 thoufand pounds a year amounts to juft threepence an acre for 

 the whole territory, a very trifling tax for fuch an. improve- 



ment, 



