AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 661 



keavy vehicles over it. But from long experience, I am now 

 fully convinced, that the more solid the substratum is, the better 

 will be the road. 



Roads are generally classed according to their foundations: 



1. Those without any artificial foundation. 



2. Those with a foundation formed of concrete. 



3. Roads paved with stones and covered with stone chips. 



4. Roads paved with wood. 

 6. With iron. 



6. Stones laid in concretes; and these maybe subdivided accord- 

 ing to the material made use of by the constructors. 



Nearly all the roads in our country will come under the first 

 class, from the fact that it is by far the cheapest mode, as far as 

 first outlay is concerned. 



There are, in England, twenty-two thousand miles of such roads, 

 regularly turnpiked, yielding, annually, seven millions five hun- 

 dred thousand dollars. The repairs, improvements, and other 

 charges amount, annually, to two hundred and fifty-five dollars 

 per mile; or five millions six hundred and ten thousand dollars; 

 leaving one million eight hundred and ninety dollars profit. 

 Some of these roads are Macadamized through towns where they 

 answer a good purpose; but they would not do in cities, because 

 the trafiic is vastly greater in weight- and amount. And further- 

 more, we travel with great speed upon narrow wheels, cutting deep 

 ruts, requiring constant expense to repair^ which, in the end, 

 would cost more than paved streets, 



Blackfriar's bridge, in London, «ras once Macadamized, and it 

 cost five thousand dollars per annum to keep it in repair. It is 

 now paved; and the annual average is six hundred dollars a year. 

 It is always well so to build your road, as not to be compelled 

 to incur a permanent annual outlay of money; and this can be 

 accomplished by laying a concrete or paved foundation. Circum- 

 stances, however, alter cases, and it sometimes becomes necessary 

 to build a road upon wet ground. When this is the case, never 

 fail to cut deep ditches on the side and cross the road, at inter- 



