170 ON THE TRACK OF THE MAIL-COACH 



Still, the road was hard and sound, which was more 

 than could be said of other parts further along. For 

 instance, when, in 1815, the idea of sending the 

 Holyhead mail via Barnet w^as first mooted, the road 

 through North Wales was in so dangerous a state 

 that an inspector of mails expressed his belief that a 

 London coachman would sooner lose his bread than 

 engage to drive along it. 



Towards Hadley, at the site of the old Green Man 

 hotel and posting-house, the thoroughfare widens, 

 and from this point Telford, in the twenties, cut his 

 new road to South Mims and St. Albans, so avoiding 

 the circuitous and hilly road by Hadley. Henceforth, 

 the Highstone, set up by Sir Jeremy Sambrooke in 

 1740 to commemorate the Battle of Barnet, did but 

 guide the way for the mails to Alconbury Hill, 

 Wether by, and the North. The Liverpool mails and 

 others took to the new cut. 



The Sage of Chelsea seems to have been a trifle 

 envious of the fame of the greatest of road-engineers. 

 ' Telford,' said Carlyle,* who met him at dinner in 

 1821, ' was one of those persons to hear whom would 

 make one admire, and wonder how they have got the 

 name and the emolument they enjoy at present. 

 Telford spoke of his friend the Duke-of-this, and his 

 friend the Marquis-of-that — all honourable men.' 



Telford was nearly cut off in his early prime by a 

 singular accident. In 1788 a crack showed itself in 

 one of the pillars of the old church of St. Chad at 



^ ' Early Letters of Thomas Carlyle.' Macmillan, 1886. 



