Turnpike and Parish Roads. 



361 



following summer. We will suppose, then, that we begin the 

 last Monday in October, when each mile-man has an assistant 

 labourer appointed to him for the purpose of helping him to lay 

 on the gravel, which simultaneously commences upon every mile- 

 man's portion of road on the same day, each man beginning with 

 his first depot, and coating the road from water-table to water- 

 table the 25 yards on each side of his depot ; when that is done, 

 he misses two depots, and in like manner spreads his fourth 

 • — and so on, missing two and spreading one, until he gets to the 

 end of the mile, taking great care to properly rake down every 

 day his fresh gravel that he has - previously spread until it is 

 thoroughly worked in, otherwise the road will lose its proper 

 form, as before described ; ' and when the first depot is thoroughly 

 worked down (and not until then), the men commence with their 

 second, fifth, and eighth depots in the same way, to the end of the 

 mile again, and with the same precaution ; when that is worked 

 down, they begin on the third, sixth, and ninth, until they have 

 finished coating the whole road, without inconvenience, or, at 

 least, with as little as possible, to the traveller, because, wherever 

 there are 50 yards of fresh gravel laid on, there will be 100 yards 

 free from loose gravel, so that the coaches, waggons, &c., go 

 straight on without caring for the short interval of fresh gravel, 

 and thus it is equally worn down, and by the constant attention of 

 the mile-man raking and rubbing over with an old scraper the 

 portions he has laid on the previous days, a fine even and perfect 

 surface of road will be obtained. A month or six weeks has 

 always completed the operation of the general coating of the read 

 in the very best manner, and there is no longer any occasion for 

 the assistant to the mile-man. 



There is an old prejudice in favour of putting the fresh gravel 

 only along the centre of the road, and leaving the sides with little 

 or none—by which means all the traffic is thrown to the two 

 sides of the road, and which at all times creates a most objection- 

 able form of road, which causes great trouble and ex])ense to 

 correct ; whereas, by coating equally all over, the road is worn 

 equally, and no one part has to bear an undue proportion of traffic. 



Being unwilling to extend these remarks to a length that may 

 be inconvenient, at the same time being desirous to enter so fully 

 into the details of the system, that, should any trustees be desirous 

 of adopting the plan, they may do so from what I hope is clearly 

 explained ; and perhaps in the anxiety to do that, I may here ex- 

 pose myself to the observation by some of having gone too much 

 into detail, or by others it may be said ^' that there is nothing new 

 in it," every part of it was known before." 1 will admit for a 

 moment it was known before, but in reply I would ask, if it was 

 known, was it ever practised ? I have been told a hundred times 



