S4 On Improving Inicnial [Jan, 



■w ould again act as an additional incitement to renewed exertion. On 

 being brought into collision with the inhabitants of the towns— his 

 mental deticiences could not fail to be made apparent even to himself, 

 and to prevent his children being over-reached by the superior acumen 

 of the citizen, education would necessarily be resorted to. Thus in the 

 train of knowledge all the blessings of civilization would be difiused 

 over the country. 



Should the above plan be considered worthy of examination, a com- 

 mittee of gentlemen might without much difficulty collect information 

 on the subject, sufficient to enable them to form an estimate of the 

 expence per mile, on a line of road in the vicinity of the presidency. 

 For example, from Madras to Arcot via Conjevaram and Wallajanuggur. 

 The following rough estimate, for raising a road and constructing upon 

 it a tram-way, may serve as a guide to future enquiries ; but I need 

 hardly remark that it is only by an accurate survey of the line of road on 

 which the way is to be formed, that any thing like an approximation 

 to truth can be arrived at : — 



Cost per mile. 



2,112 prepared granite slabs 5 feet long Rs. 21 12 



Levelling, laying down slabs, &c 583 



Bridges 300 



Carriage 675 



Sleepers 62 



Incidental expences J 00 



Rs. 3S32 



As the road betwixt Madras and AVallajanuggnr has already been parti- 

 ally raised, and levelled, we may expect that the formation of a tram- 

 way upon it would cost considerably less than the estimate I have 

 fomied, but taking Rs. 3S32 as the average cost per mile — 

 60 miles the distance betwixt Madras and Wallaianusfirur > 



will amount to ......!!. J 229.920 



Cost of oxen, carriages, &c. estimated at 53.200 



Total cost Rs. 283,120 



To justify the above outlay of capital the following is the annual 

 amount of traffic, and its value, on the line of road above alluded to, 

 taken from Captain Cotton's valuable report: — 



