CHAPTER X. 



STATE OF THE EOADS IN 1874 AND LATEE. 



When road-making was first begun in Trinidad 

 it would seem as if the persons who planned and 

 laid them out had a very crude idea of how it ought 

 to be done. "With a few exceptions they followed 

 the old Indian trails going straight to the point, up 

 hill and down dale ; over mountains and through 

 winding rivers seemed to be the order of the day, and 

 yet, with very little extra labour, the passing directly 

 over mountains and so frequently through winding 

 rivers could easily have been avoided ; as to laying 

 down any foundation to a road it did not seem to be 

 thought of , and yet, as I have said elsewhere, the lay- 

 ing of a proper foundation to a road is the first im- 

 portant thing to be considered. Diverting a road so 

 as to prevent it passing so directly over a steep hill, 

 through or over winding rivers, though it may 

 slightly add to its length and expense of construction, 

 will add considerably to the ease and comfort of 

 travellers and prevent the heavy strain on the ani- 

 mals used by them. 



Let me give a few illustrations that will be 

 familiar to most of the inhabitants of Port-of-Spain. 

 Until recently the short journey of 3y 2 miles to 



