1807.J. 
To. the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
7° must be admitted, that any plan 
which will render travelling more 
pleasant and agreeable, is worthy of at- 
tentive consideration; and if it can be 
proved that it is likely tg lessen the ex- 
pence ultimately, to make the road more 
safe, and to benefit the poor of the neigh- 
bouring parishes, prejudice will not pre-~ 
vent its adoption. ‘The plan I have to 
propose, will, I think, embrace all the 
above advantages; and therefore, without 
farther preamble, I submit it to your con- 
sideration. 
Travelling between London and High 
Wycomb, but especially between Ux- 
bridge and London, I was struck most 
forcibly with the numerous gangs of 
labourers who were working upon thé 
road; and I could not help calculating 
the number of useless miles they must 
daily walk, and the number of hours 
so lost, which might be more advan- 
tageously employed. It occurred to 
me, that it would be heneficial to erect 
small cottages, where the mile-stones now 
are, for the use of labourers upon the 
road: and to write up in front of the cot- 
tage the number of miles from London, » 
or other place.. A labourer living im one 
of these cottages, should have the care of 
the road half way to the cottage on each 
‘side of him; the next cottage the same, 
and so on. Each man’s house will be in 
the centre of his work, so that himself 
and his tools will be always at hand: 
and he may be continually employed in 
paring up the sides of the road; filling 
in hollows; letting the water out of the 
ruts: scraping up the slush, and, in dry 
weather, gathering up and screening the 
dust. By keeping the dust well scraped 
up, the roads will run much easier and 
pleasanter; and when wet comes, the 
slush will be much less, and the ls not 
run so stiff, 
In regard to the laboure 
every man’s work will spe 
and the surveyor will s 
has done justice to his al 
-not, the commissioners may discharge 
him, and put another in his place, by 
which means they will soon get a regular 
set of labourers. Near London, where 
two labourers are employed on one mile, 
each man should ‘have the care of his 
half-mile, that one man may not be blamed 
tor the neglect of another. 
The surveyor will have no occasion 
for foremen to keep the labourers to their 
work; he will only have to ride through - 
Kis district to see that it is done. 
_ Mowntuiy Mac., No. 161, 
Plan for M. ile- Houses: 
121 
A good footway would be very desir- 
able, which is very seldom to be found, 
except near large towns. d 
The cottages should be built all alike, 
that travellers may know it is a mile-house 
before they come directly to it. As 
houses are provided for the labourers, 
they will of course receive less waves, a 
part being deducted for rent. ‘The road- 
men should be selected in the parish the 
mile-house stands in; or, at leasf, pa- 
rishioners should have the preference, if 
proper persons. are to be found among 
them, Each man should be allowed 
proper tools, which may be marked with 
the same number as his mile-house. 
I should ‘suppose the greater part of 
these cottages may be built on the waste 
ground by the road-side, and have 2 
small garden at each end of the house 
to prevent any nuisance against it; and 
a small yard behind for litter, &c. that 
the front may be kept clean and neat, — 
The men being thus distributed on 
the road, will greatly contribute to the 
safety of travellers; and more parti- 
cularly so, if the magistrates give them 
instructions to make observations on 
any suspicious persons they may see 
on the road; and when such persons are 
brought tojustice by their vigilance, they 
may be rewarded accordingly. In case 
of accidents on the road, they will be 
ready to give assistance. * 
As the extremity of the part allétted 
to each labourer will be but half a mile 
from the house, there will be little loss of 
time 1n going to their work, meals, or to 
change their tools, as their work may re« 
quire, 
The cottages might be built ata small 
expence, and the mile-stone fixed in 
them, so as to be very convenient to be 
seen, and sufficiently out of reach, to pre- 
vent its being defaced, as mile-stones so 
generally are. By way of example, sup- 
pose a mile-house is built upon Turnham 
Green, which is five miles en the Bath 
road, as that mile-stone stands on the 
Green in the county of Middlesex, and 
in the parish of Chiswick, the first line 
should indicate the county, the second 
the parish, the third the village or town, ’ 
if it happens to stand in one; if not, the 
county, parish, and miles. Suppose a vil- 
lage or town to stand between’ two 
mile-howses, as, for instance, Hounslow 
does, let the name be on each mile-stone, 
marked {(- Town 83 so that the trae 
veller coming either way will know what 
place he is going to. 
I have for many years made use of | 
artificial stone, and find it answer so well, 
R ie I have 
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