KOAD. 



that now, the expence of alteration may be faid to be the only 

 obftacle, in ordinary cafes, to the perfection of the lines of 

 roads in this country. And which is, of courfe, a circum- 

 itance that has had much effeft in improving the convenience 

 of travelling. 



And it i< fuggelted, in refpeft to the direction of roads, 

 that the moll perfect line is that which is ftraight and level. 

 But this is to be drawn in a country only which is perfectly 

 flat, and where no obilructions lie in the way : — joint circum- 

 ftances that rarely happen. Where the face of the country, 

 between two points or places to be connected by a road, is 

 nearly but not quite level, by realon of gentle fwells that 

 rife between them, a ftraight line may be perfect ; — may be 

 the molt eligible under theie cireumltances. But where the 

 intervening country is broken into hill and dale, or if one 

 ridge of hill only intervenes, a itraight line of carriage road 

 is feldom compatible with perfection. And that in this 

 cafe, which is nearly general, the bell ikill ot the furveyor 

 lies in tracing the midway between the (fraight and the level 

 line. Here the level line of perfection, for agricultural 

 purpofes, is to be calculated, by the time and exertion jointly 

 considered, which are required to convey a given burden with 

 a given power of draft from itation to ftation. On great 

 public roads, where expedition is a principal object, time alone 

 may be taken as a good criterion. It is hkewife added, that 

 the mod regular method of finding out the true line of road, 

 between two ttations, where a blank is given, — where there 

 is no other obftrudlion than what the furface of the ground 

 to be got over prefents, — is to afcertain and mark, at proper 

 didances, the Jlraight line ; which is the only certain guide 

 to the furveyor. And that where the ftraight line is found 

 to be ineligible, each mark becomes a rallying point, in 

 fearching on either fide of it for a better. If two lines of 

 equal facility, and nearly of equal diftance from the ftraight 

 lines, prefent themfelves, accurate meafurements are to de- 

 termine the choice. If one of the two beft lines, which the 

 intervening country affords, is found to be eafier, the other 

 fhorter, the afcent and the diftance are to be jointly cen- 

 fidercd, the exertion and the time required are likewife 

 to be duly weighed. Further, alfo, the nature of the 

 ground, the fource of materials and, generally, the compa- 

 rative expence of forming the road by two doubtful lines, as 

 well as their comparative expoj'ure, are to be taken into con- 

 fideration. A long line of road, acrofs a broken country, 



fhould not be haftily drawn or determined upon by the di- 

 rectors of this fort of bufinefs. 



But in regard to the moll difficult and troublefome part 

 of this fort of work,— the neceffary management in the afcent 

 of hills, — it is obferved that, whether in laying out a frefh 

 line, or in altering an eftablifhed one, modern road furvey- 

 ors, like many other reformers, have run from one extreme 

 to another. To do away the abfurdity of going up one 

 fteep and down another, to afcend a third in order to reach 

 the required elevation (a common occurrence on fortuitous 

 roads), they have ingenioully, but very injudicioufly, given 

 an uniform rife from the bottom to the top ot the afcent. 

 In the theory of mechanics, and where mechanic powers 

 only were to be ufed, a regularly inclining plane would be 

 perfectly proper, in a cafe of this kind. Where the re- 

 quifite power is to be applied by rational beings, the 

 fame principle, though not altogether perfect, may be al- 

 lowed ; but when the moving power is neither purely me- 

 chanical, nor in a fufficient degree rational, but an irregular 

 compound of thefe two qualities, the nature and habits of 

 this power require, he thinks, to be conlulted. It is, he 

 conceives, one of many mftances, which fhew the impro- 

 priety of applying purely mechanical principles, in agricul- 



ture and rural concerns, in which they are to lie combined, 

 not only with the power but the will of the animals. No 

 man who lias been accuftomed to drive a road team or 

 in the habit of feeing one driven in a hilly country, and 

 who properly regards what he lees, would lay out a long 

 line ol afcent without one or more breaks, or convenient 

 reding-places ; in which the animals of draft may relax at 

 their eafe, and fet off again without difficulty. He, how- 

 ever, obferves, theory will readily fugged that, by a drag- 

 ftaff, or pall, a carriage may be fecurely ftopped on the 

 fteepeft afcent. Hut practice well knows the danger of 

 checking the efforts of beads of draft while they are 

 llruggling againft the collar. For if they poffefs any ha- 

 bits, or even the feeds of rellivenefs, nothing ij, he contends, 

 more likely to encourage, or produce it, than fuffering them 

 to flop under the difficulties of draft. Befides, thofe which 

 are true to their work, well knowing the extraordinary dif- 

 ficulty to be overcome, in putting a carriage at reft into 

 motion in fuch a fituation, flop under a degree of anxiety ; 

 while the more fpirited and irritable (land on the rack, and* 

 tremble at the apprehension of the painful effort they have 

 to make. But let them fee an end, or a refpite, of their 

 endeavours, and they will ftruggle with willingiiefs. A reft, 

 after the difficulty is furmounted, comes as a reward for their 

 exertions. But where the natural furface of the ground is 

 well fludied in any given cafe, there will feldom, he fup. 

 pofes, be much difficulty in affigning the places proper for 

 rells ; fo as to make the road not only eafier for carriages 

 of burden, but fafer and more pleafant to travellers, as well 

 as more fightly : befides being better to be kept in repair, 

 than an uniform defcent ; by reafon of the flatter ilages being 

 checks to the iurface water, and convenient places to get 

 rid of it, without injury to the face of the road. But where 

 fuch breaks do not occur, the line of afcent fhould be uni. 

 form ; or as nearly fo as the natural furface, or immoveable 

 obftruftions of the acclivity to be furmounted, will allow in 

 the particular cafe. 



Likewife in the fetting out of thefe lines, the common level 

 is to be fet by an obfervation from the bottom to the top 

 of the afcent (thefe points having been previoully de- 

 termined on, by the given circumftances of the general line 

 of the road), or from ftation to ftation where a clear view 

 cannot be had between the extremities ; and the degree 

 of afcent, thus afcertained, is to be marked with a pencil 



upon the inftrument that is made ufe of for the pnrpofe. 

 And by this mark it is advifed to trace a rough line along 

 the face of the hill; in order to determine, with fufficient 

 truth, refpecting the proper breaks, or refting-places, that may 

 be required ; endeavouring to fix upon fuch natural breaks 

 in the flope as are fituated in, or fufficiently near, the ge- 

 neral line of afcent. And that when this has been done, to 

 afcertain, by fimilar obfervations, the exact angle of el 

 tion, or degree of fteepnefs of each rife, or length of at. 

 between the breaks, &c. by thefe means procuring an i 

 ring guide, in marking out and forming the bafe or bed of 

 the road ; without the rifle of incurring unneceflary labour 

 and expence in doing the work twice over to bring it to tin- 

 truth, or a ilate of fuitablc exactnef*. 



But it is well remarked by Mr. Marfliall, that the bell 

 fervices of the road furveyor lie in avoiding, not io furmount- 

 ing hills. And that in a long line ol road, between places 

 of nearly equal elevation, this may often be done. There 

 are inftanccs of the molt public roads going over the tops 

 of hills, where lines of equal length might be traced along 

 their bales ; and the difficulty and danger of alcending and 

 defcending the deeps be avoided by fuch means. 



Very much attention has lately been beltowed on this de- 

 X x j partment 



