36 THE COACHING AGE. 



Another material advantage of his plan was the 

 employment of a much greater proportion of human 

 labour instead of the work of horses. Previously, one- 

 fourth of the whole expense was paid for men's labour, 

 and three-fourths for that of horses; but on his 

 method being adopted, one-fourth only was paid for 

 horses' labour, and the other three to men, women, 

 and children. Large stones, he said, would con- 

 stantly work up by the agitation of the traffic on the 

 road, and leave spaces for the reception of water, and 

 the only way of keeping the stones in their places 

 was to have them of uniform size. 



In one road made on his system, in consequence 

 of the nature of the original soil, it became neces- 

 sary to put on in many parts, before the road was 

 sufficiently consolidated, as much as three feet of 

 materials ; it was, however, ultimately made excellent, 

 though at an expense of little less than a thousand 

 pounds a mile. 



On the subject of paved roads, and those made on his 

 system, McAdam said that in steep ascents pavements 

 were most objectionable ; and added that it was said 

 that at the north end of Blackfriars Bridge more 

 horses fell and received injury than at any other 

 spot in the kingdom. 



His choice as to the natural subsoil over which to 

 construct a road is rather curious, but of course per- 



