ROAD. 



And it is thought, that the width of the driftway ought, 

 like that of the hard materials, to be guided by the publi- 

 city of the given road. In a great public road, it Ihould 

 certainly be wide enougli to let two carriages pafs each 

 other, or one pole in width. But in one of lefs publicity, 

 or where the exifling lane will not admit of that width, a 

 fingle carriage path may fuffice ; as this being a continuance 

 of the width of the hard road, no difficulty in paffing can 

 be experienced, it is fuppofed, from it. 



But the width of the foot-path and the ditch may vary 

 from half a pole to ten feet. 



It is therefore concluded, that on thele premifes, the 

 ■width of the lane of a great public road, near a populous 

 trading place, ought to be fifty-nine feet and a half; and 

 that of a common market-road, thirty-three feet. And 

 thefe widths, without any previous intention, come out 

 nearly the fame as thofe direfted by aft of parliament, for 

 the lanes of turnpike roads and highways. A great error 

 in the aft, however, is, that the lanes of all turnpike roads, 

 (hall be fixty feet wide : thus incurring a lenous wade of 

 land ; and creating great nuifances ; which green lanes ever 

 are to the occupiers of adjoining lands. He from thisfug- 

 gefts, that where exifting lanes are wider than all the defired 

 conveniencies require, flips fhould be fold oft their fides, and 

 be laid to cottages, or to the adjoining inclofures ; having 

 recedes here and there, in which to lodge materials. It has 

 long appeared to his mind an evident pofition, that every 

 part of a public lane fliould be ufed ; and consequently that 

 no part of it ought to be a nurfery for weeds, or an unpro- 

 fitable common pafture for ftarving flock. Still he remarks, 

 that a wide lane has its advantages ; efpecially in a low clofe 

 fituation. It gives freer admillion to the fun and air than a 

 narrow lane, and the road dries more quickly. And further, 

 that by permitting a more forcible current of wind, the 

 pulverized materials, or dirt of the road is, in dry feafons, 

 carried off in the Hate of dull ; leaving the ufeful materials 

 undillurbed. And it is highly proper to place the principal 

 line of road in the midway of the lane, that it may be the 

 moll effectually expofed to the agency of the fun and 

 wind. 



Mr Beatfon even fufpefts, that, in the whule kingdom, 

 thoufands of acres of fertile lands are loll to the public, 

 merely by making the roads fo much wider than there is any 

 neceffity for. In the vicinity of large towns, they fhould 

 have an ample width, as 30 or 40 feet ; or, in fome cafes, 

 confiderably more, as near the metropolis. But the prac- 

 tice of making them 40 or 50 feet wide, as is fometimes the 

 cafe, through a thinly inhabited part of the country, or 

 near the moll pitiful villages, where even 20 feet would be 

 fufficient, is, he contends, a mere wafle of ground for no 

 purpofe, and occalions a very great additional expence in 

 making fuch roads, which certainly might be avoided. 

 Suppofing the medium neceffary width of road to be 

 7 yards, or 21 feet, and that the medium width now made 

 is 11 yards, or 33 feet; this is, upon that fuppofition, 

 4 yards wider than is neceffary ; which, in every mile, is a 

 lols of 1 acre 1 rood and 2 perches: and fuppofing there 

 are 5000 miles of fuch roads in the whole kingdom, there is 

 a lols of more thin 6300 acre;, which, if eftimated the 

 fame as the improved value of the wafle lands, at 27.1. per 

 acre, and at 30 years' purchafe, would produce 255,150/. ; 

 a fum which, it laid out in improving the roads, and making 

 eafy communications through different parts of the king- 

 dom, would be of the grcuU-H public advantage. And it 

 it evident, that where they have the width Hated as necef- 

 fary by the firll of the above writers, the lols fuflaincd in 

 this wav mult be Hill greatly more confiderable. 



Vol. XXX. 



Mr. Marfhall thinks, that in the operation of forming 

 roads of the public kind, the firff bufinefs of the road- 

 furveyor is to examine the lane, or other fcite of the in- 

 tended road, in every part, to afcertam whether offenfive 

 waters lodge beneath it, and whether quickfands or land- 

 fpring:, break out in a wet feafon, in which this examination 

 is requiflte to be made. If defefts of this kind be found, 

 effeftual fubdrains are to be run up to them from the ditches 

 or fide-drains of the lane, or other fcite. And that the 

 next operation is to adjull the furface of the fcite ; to ffrike 

 off the protuberances, and fill up the hollow parts; and 

 thus, in ordinary cafes, to mould it to the firlt proper 

 form, or according to fome of the other forms that have 

 been mentioned ; the foot-path and the higher fide of the 

 foft road being raifed with the earth which is required to 

 be taken off the bed of the hard road, whofe bafe or founda- 

 tion ought to be formed with peculiar care. Every part is 

 required to be firm and found ; dry earth or hard materials 

 being rammed into every hollow and yielding part. It i* 

 fuggelted that the firll form is adapted to firm binding ma- 

 terials ; to fuch as acquire, by wear, a repellent furface, 

 and fhoot off the waters that fall upon it ; not to thofe 

 which are loofe and incohefive, yielding to preffure, abforb- 

 ing rain-waters, and conveying them down to the bafe or 

 bed of the road. Thefe require a flat or a convex bed, free 

 from obllruftions on either fide, fo that the abforbed wa- 

 ters may effeft their efcape at the bafe. And that on this 

 firm and level bed the largefl of the hard materials are to 

 be laid ; next, thofe which are more finely and evenly 

 broken ; and, laflly, a covering of Hill finer materials : to 

 afiill the roller in giving fufheient firmnefs to the fur- 

 face, and to render it immediately capable of being travelled 

 upon. 



But in regard to the preper materials for conftrufting 

 roads with, Mr. Marfhall thinks that although every dif- 

 trift may be faid to have its own material, and often with- 

 out choice or alternative, yet there may be inllances in 

 which ufeful materials are overlooked or difregarded. And 

 that in fome parts, particularly in Lancafhire, large paving 

 Hones are in common ufe ; fome of the more public roads 

 being rough pavements, relembling the flreets of ill-paved 

 towns. But that in the northern, and fome of the midland 

 provinces, broken quarry Hones are the ordinary road ma- 

 terial ; and that, taking the kingdom at large, they are 

 the moll common material. But in the fouthern and wellern 

 counties, flints and other hard field Hones, gathered off ley 

 grounds, are in common ufe ; and in the neighbourhood of 

 the metropolis, and in other parts of the kingdom, fharp 

 flinty gravel is a favourite and valuable material. In many 

 parts of England, fmooth, water-worn, pebbly gravel, col- 

 lefted on the fea-bcach, and in river beds, is ufed ; and if 

 the pebbles are of a hard texture^ and be properly broken, to 

 make them bind, or unite firmly together, a good road may 

 be made of this material. In fome cafes, faud and filt, or 

 fine fea-fand, have been employed with fuccefs. 



It is likewife added, that the artificial materials oj 1 iad . 

 which he has met with, in quantity, are the drofs and 1 

 ders of iron and copper works; and burnt clay, (burnt a 

 bricks in heaps,) which in a clayey dulrict, deiutute 

 other materials, and where fuel is cheap, may be found a 

 valuable fubllance for the purpofe. It II fuggefted by Mr. 

 Beatfon, that in a fandy foil the roads may be made on the 

 new conflruftion, he has already recommended, with the 

 greateft cafe. In fueii a (oil, there will be nothing more to 

 do than to level the furface properly, fill up all the hollow 

 parts, roll it well with the long wooden roller, and lay on 

 the materials intended to finifil it with, in the manner di- 

 Y y reded. 



