THE COACHING AGE. 



unions, which, it may be presumed, had been found 

 to work satisfactorily, a period of twenty-eight years 

 having elapsed between the time when the poor-law 

 unions were established, in 1834, and the highway 

 boards were constituted under the authority of the 

 Highway Act in 1862. This difference, however, 

 exists between the two. The former was instituted 

 by the Poor-Law Commissioners, without the parishes 

 having the power to prevent their being incorporated, 

 or having any power to withdraw from a union after 

 once having been included in it ; while under the 

 Highway Act there is a power of protesting against 

 the formation of highway unions or districts, and the 

 adoption of the Act is not compulsory, as even at 

 the present time — twenty years after the Act was 

 passed — there are still more than 5,000 parishes not 

 included in any district, but still managing their 

 own highways separately, and 8,000 included in 

 376 districts, including North Wales. 



It would seem that the system of ^districts has 

 not been uniformly approved, as, although up to 

 1881 the districts formed generally increased by 

 a few numbers in each year, yet no less than a 

 decrease of 256 had taken place in the parishes 

 comprised in districts, which can only be accounted 

 for by those parishes being dissatisfied with their 

 experience of the system, and availing themselves 



