ROAD. 



of the folid very rarely requires any covering laid upon it. 

 This, however, depends on the nature of the foil. If the 

 whole breadth of the road is formed from the folid, and 

 that is fufficiently hard, no extraneous materials will be 

 neceffary ; but if the foil is a compound of clay, or of a 

 fbft nature, the above rules and regulations muft be had 

 recourfe to. And that where the parts are made up from 

 the excavation, they ought to be formed confiderably 

 higher at firll than the other parts, as they will naturally fub- 

 fide for fome time afterwards, and the hard materials mould 

 not be laid on till they have fufficicnt time for that purpofe, 

 which may be greatly expedited by rolling ; and it fhould 

 be obferved, that it is much better to be obliged to lower 

 thofe parts to their proper level before the materials are 

 laid on, than to be under the neceffity of making up any 

 of them at the time. And further, that where the hill is 

 of a confiderable height above the road, a good deal of 

 water will fometimes come down. In this cafe it is in 

 general better to intercept that water at fome little dif- 

 tance from the fide of the road, than to allow it to run 

 down the face of the bank. If allowed to run down this 

 face, it will very foon moulder it away, efpecially in frofty 

 weather, and will always choak up any drain that may be 

 made, whether covered or open ; for if covered, the earth 

 that moulders down will in a fhort time become fo clofe, 

 that water will not get through it to the drain before it 

 runs off upon the road ; and if open, it would be extremely 

 difficult, and troublefome to keep it clear. In this cafe, by 

 intercepting it about four or fix feet from the brink, and 

 conducting it away to the moft convenient outlet, it would 

 be much eafier to keep the road dry. If the face of the 

 bank be irregular, the water may it ill be conducted away, 

 by making the drain recede from the brink at fuch places, 

 and keeping the courfe always at a proper level, or it might, 

 he fuppofes, be let off at every hollow place by fmall re- 

 ceffes faced up with (tone, or by wooden fpouts funk up- 

 right in the bank at every fuch hollow ; to conduft the 

 water from the upper drain to a crofs covered drain below 

 the road, by which it may be carried away at the lower 

 fide, without any injury being done to the road. And it is 

 advifed, that in the forming and making of thefe, as well as 

 all other roads, the preventing of any water running on 

 them, except what falls from the clouds, lhould carefully 

 be attended to. Where this cannot eafily be done, and 

 where it is neceffary to allow a dream to run along the fide 

 of a road, the drains or ditches which, as before obferved, 

 fhould be withinfide the fences, lhould be made of a proper 

 fize accordingly, as the fmall drains filled with fand or 

 gravel, as already recommended, are only meant for fuch 

 roads as can have no extra water coming upon them in this 

 way. 



But in refpeft to private roads, the nature and manner of 

 laying them out has been already noticed. And in refpect 

 to the method of forming them, Mr. Marihall fays, it is 

 the fame where llrong cohefive binding materials are made 

 ufe of, whether in a lane, or acrofs open ground. The 

 mode he advifes is to form a receptacle for fuch hard ma- 

 terials, twelve or more inches deep ; either by digging to 

 this depth beneath the natural furfaee, and carrying off the 

 excavated foil ; or to half the depth, difpoling of the foil 

 raifed in the operation on each fide of the receptacle ; fo 

 as to elevate the general furfaee of the road above that of 

 the adjacent ground. And in this receptacle depoiit the 

 materials ; leaving the furfaee cither in a convex or a lemi- 

 convex form, as the turn of the lurface of the ground to 

 be travelled over may direct : the margin or margins of 

 the road, at which the rain-water is to be collected, being 



left a few inches beneath the adjoining fward. But that 

 in forming roads of every defcription with fand, loofe 

 gravel, or other incohefive abforbent materials, which im- 

 bibe the rain-waters that fall on them, a receptacle of that 

 kind is altogether improper. Such materials ought to be 

 laid on a level or an elevated furfaee ; and a fhallow drain 

 to be open on either fide, for the abforbent waters to filter 

 into ; thus preventing a furcharge, and freeing the furfaee 

 entirely from colle&ed moifture, which would be highly inju- 

 rious to it. And it is here added, that the furfaee of a road 

 which is formed of well-broken itones, binding gravel, or 

 other firmly cohefive materials, and which is much ufed, pre- 

 fently becomes repellent of the water which falls upon it ; no 

 matter as to the bafis on which they are depofited ; pro- 

 vided it is found and firm enough to fupport them. And 

 that where the fituation is low and the land of a moid reten- 

 tive nature, a deep drain on one or on each fide may be 

 proper to give due firmnefs and liability to the bafe. Such 

 drain, however, is not to be funk clofe along the margin 

 of the hard materials, to deter horfemen and carriage- 

 drivers from coming near it, but a few feet diftant from it ; 

 fo that every inch of the hard road may be ufed with equal 

 plealure and fafety, and a commodious driving and walk- 

 ing path be formed between the road and the drain ; pro- 

 per channels being cut acrofs it, in order that it may be 

 kept properly dry, And further that in a dry fituation, 

 as acrofs a gravelly or ftony height, little more is frequently 

 required than to remove the furfaee mould, and lay bare the 

 rock or the bed of gravel beneath it ; asd then to give the 

 indurate bafe a round or a (helving form, as the lying of 

 the ground may require. In this way a travellable road 

 may be made, and kept up at one-tenth of the expence 

 incurred by the ordinary pra&ice in this cafe ; which is to 

 gather up the furfaee foil into a ridge, and on this foft 

 fpongy bed to lay coat after coat of fome hard materials, 

 fetched perhaps from a diltance ! at much expence for the 

 purpofe. 



But in addition to the above forts of roads there are ftill 

 others, which require fome art to form and keep them up 

 in particular fituations ; thefe have the denomination ol 

 carriage and horfe-tracks, and are defcribed under theC 

 different heads. 



Methods of Repairing Roads. — It is noticed by the author 

 of the " Landed Property of England," that this is B 

 bufmefs that incurs a heavy expence on landed property, 

 and of courfe requires the peculiar attention of the pro- 

 prietors and managers of land. And in the paper men- 

 tioned above it is obferved, that where the funds of the 

 parifli will admit, which would generally be a faving, that 

 proper pcrfons fhould be appointed in them, or have the 

 charge of a certain extent of road to fee where any part is 

 giving way or getting out of order, and to direft their 

 immediate repairs. Alfo to take care that no water ftande 

 m the hollows or ruts upon them. And, that the fummer 

 feafon is the bed not only for making, but for repairing 

 roads, nor ought they on any account to be touched in 

 winter, unlefs to give a temporary aid to fome fudden 

 breach that is perhaps almoft impaffable, or to let off any 

 il [Tiding water. Yet nothing is more common than to 

 lee a number of labourers employed on the highways in 

 winter, when the days are fliort, and but a few hours 

 labour can be obtained of them. Indeed fo little attention 

 is there often paid to repairing the highways, that fome- 

 times old infirm people are employed for the purpofe, as if 

 repairing roads were a lort ol trifling bye job, merely for 

 the employment of paupers, or lame, miferablc objects, 

 who can get no other means of fubfiftence. And Mr. 

 Y y 2 MarQull 



