ROAD S C A R S. . 61 



thin the eighth of an eight-horfe one, for he will in a tolera- 

 bly level country draw a ton. 



I haw often converfed with the drivers of carriers waggons, 

 as well as with intelligent carters in the fervice of farmers, and 

 their accounts have united with my own obfervation, to prove 

 that one horfe in eight, and to the amount of half a horfe in 

 four, are always abtblutely idle, moving on without drawing 

 any weight ; a molt unremitting attention is necefTary even for 

 a partial remedy of this, but with carelefs drivers the evil is 

 greater ; hence, the fuperiority of horfes drawing fingle, in 

 which mode they cannot fail of performing their fliare of the 

 work. The expence, trouble and difappointment of an acci- 

 dent, are in proportion to the fize of the team ; with a broad 

 wheeled waggon and eight horfes, they are very great, but 

 with eight carts they are very trifling; if one breaks down, 

 the load and cart arc eafily distributed among the other feven, 

 and little time loft. When bufinefs is carried on by means of 

 fingle horfe carts, every horfe in a ftable is employed ; but 

 with waggons, he who keeps one, two, or three horfes, muft 

 {land ftill ; and what is to be done with five, fix, or leren ? It 

 is only four or eight horfes that form an exaft team ; but the 

 great object is the prefervation of the roads ; to fave thefe the 

 legiflauire has prefcribed wheels, even fixteen inches broad, 

 but all fuch machines are fo enormoufly heavy, that they are 

 ruinous to thole who ufe them ; befides, they form fuch ex- 

 ac~t paths for the following teams to walk in, that the hardeft 

 road is prefently cut into ruts, the moft folid .materials ground 

 into duft, and every exertion in repairing baffled as faft as tri- 

 ed. Roads, which are made annually at a vaft expence, are 

 found almoft impaffabie from the weights carried in waggons. 

 It may be afTerted, without exaggeration, that if there were 

 nothing but one-horle Carriages in England,, half the prefent 

 highway expence might be laved, and the roads at the fame 

 time incomparably better. 



It muft be admitted, that the expence of drivers would at 

 firft be greater, for a man would not drive above three of 

 them ; a man and two boys would do for nine : but why 

 they ihould not be as well managed here as in Ireland I can- 

 not fee ; a man there will often drive five, fix, or even eight 

 cars. 1 have myfelf feen a fingle girl drive fix. Even in this 

 relpeft there is an advantage which does not attend waggons, 

 a boy could any where manage one or two, but twenty boys 

 .would not be trufted to drive a waggon. Granting, however, 

 that the expence under this head was fomething greater, ftill 

 is it valtly more than counterbalanced by the fuperior advan- 

 tages (tared above, which render it an equal object to indivi- 

 duals and the public. 



SECTION 



