38 HIGHWAYS AND HORSES. 



and thus attended, and bearing with us besides a 

 hamper full of savoury cold meats, and fruit and wine, 

 we started off again in high spirits at half-past six 

 o'clock next morning, very much delighted to be by 

 ourselves, and disposed to enjoy even the roughest 

 journey." 



In the heavily-timbered districts of Canada and 

 the United States corduroy roads are very common ; 

 but they are more intended for waggons than for 

 coach and passenger traffic. They consist of straight 

 logs of timber, either round or split ; but they scarcely 

 deserve the name of roads, and are more often called 

 tracks. They are, nevertheless, vastly superior to a 

 soft marsh or swamp. They are called corduroy roads 

 through their ribbed character. The logs are all cut to 

 the required width of the road, which is fifteen or 

 sixteen feet. It is customary to level up between the 

 logs with pieces of the same length split to a triangular 

 cross-section. These are inserted, with the edges 

 downwards, in the open joints so as to bring their top 

 surfaces even with the upper sides of the large logs, or 

 as nearly so as practicable. Upon the bed thus pre- 

 pared a layer of brushw^ood is laid. With a few 

 inches of soil or turf to keep it in place, this completes 

 the road. 



Dickens evidently travelled on a road to which 

 sufficient attention had not been given, either in 

 construction or maintenance, to judge by the description 

 of his sufferings. 



But to return to our subject. In England 

 there is one circumstance which may affect the 

 condition and importance of common roads, that 

 is the agricultural depression throughout the British 

 Isles. This, of course, influences greatly the land- 



