UN THE PAVEMENT UE ItOADS AND STABLES. 243 
shuts them out from the rays of the sun, as well as from all but 
occasional and partial currents of air, Macadamization was never 
adapted, or, I presume, intended. 
For the modem introduction of wood in place of stone, as a 
material for paving, there appears such an all-but mania in most 
of our metropolitan parishes, that it may be regarded, perhaps, 
as little short of heresy in me to set up any opinion unfavour- 
able to it: I cannot, however, help thinking, with all this host 
in support of it, that ere many years elapse we shall find our- 
selves riding again upon granite in many situations where now- 
adays the inhabitants are glorying in their noiseless wood pave- 
ment. I say, “ noiseless for so far as the shopkeepers and 
others resident in the streets are concerned, the noise created 
by the stone pavements appears to be the great and crying, ob- 
jection to them. And, certainly, a formidable objection this is, 
and one, perhaps, that ought to and will continue the use of 
wood in many localities, where stand churches, public schools, 
&c. & c.; though other considerations may, and I think ultimately 
will, cause the eradication of it from streets in general, at least 
from such as are much used as public thoroughfares. 
Hitherto, however, the public have heard only the opinions of 
the inhabitants of the streets concerning wood pavements ; and 
though to such opinions we are all implicitly bound to pay re- 
spect and attention, seeing that the inhabitants are the people 
who are to pay for such alterations and “ improvement,” yet is 
there another class of persons to whom we are bound to listen, 
inasmuch as it is their property, together with the lives of the 
public, which are incurring greater risk by this said “ improve- 
ment” becoming, in the language of the Insurance Office, 
“ doubly hazardous.” At a meeting of job-masters and omnibus 
proprietors, held on the 23d March last, it was stated by the 
chairman, Mr. Gray, of Earl-street, Blackfriars, that petitions 
had been presented to the Court of Sewers of London, and to 
the Vestry of St. Mary-le-bone, signed by ninety job-masters and 
eighty-one omnibus proprietors, deprecating wood-pavement as 
“ highly dangerous and destructive to their valuable property, 
and offering to prove that the accidents on wood pavement ex- 
ceeded those on granite or Macadamized roads as ten to one;' 
and it was stated in addition, that, in consequence of this 
“dangerous and destructive” condition of the streets, they had 
given instructions to their servants to avoid, in driving about in 
town, all streets paved with wood # . 
i\fter the experience that has been had, I should not imagine 
* Since this was written I have been informed that Mr. Wimbush is a 
dissentient from these opinions of his professional confreres. 
