378 WANT OF HIGHLAND BRIDGES. PART VIII. 



his report, and hoped that it might be productive of 

 some good. 



The report was duly presented, printed, 1 and ap- 

 proved, and it formed the starting-point of a system of 

 legislation with reference to the Highlands which ex- 

 tended over many years, and had the effect of completely 

 opening up that romantic but rugged district of country, 

 and extending to its inhabitants the advantages of im- 

 proved intercourse with the other parts of the kingdom. 

 Mr. Telford pointed out that the military roads which 

 had been made there were altogether insufficient, and 

 that the use of them was in many places very much 

 circumscribed by the want of bridges over some of the 

 principal rivers. For instance, the route from Edin- 

 burgh to Inverness, by the Central Highlands, was 

 seriously interrupted at Duiikeld, where the Tay is 

 broad and deep, and not always easy to be crossed by 

 means of a boat. The route to the same place by the 

 east coast was in like manner broken at Fochabers, 

 where the rapid Spey could only be crossed by a dan- 

 gerous ferry. 



The difficulties encountered by the Bar, in travelling 

 the north circuit about this time, are well described by 

 Lord Cockburn in his ' Memorials.' " Those who are 

 born to modern travelling," he says, " can scarcely be 

 made to understand how the previous age got on. The 

 state of the roads may be judged of from two or three 

 facts. There was no bridge over the Tay at Dunkeld, 

 or over the Spey at Fochabers, or over the Findhom at 

 Forres. Nothing but wretched pierless ferries, let to 

 poor cottars, who rowed, or hauled, or pushed a crazy 

 boat across, or more commonly got their wives to do it- 

 There was no mail-coach north of Aberdeen till, I think, 

 after the battle of Waterloo. What it must have been 



Ordered to be printed 5th of April, 1803. 



