mr a 
ve 
strained, by the narrow limits of the road, to 
move constantly in the same track, they can- 
not fail to wear it out, and fill it with deep 
ruts and inequalities in a short time; and 
the ruts and holes, by holding water, soften 
the adjacent parts, and frequently render the 
whole impassable; while, on the contrary, if 
width had been allowed, when one track becomes 
bad, another is adopted. The vehicles, instead 
of continuing in one straight forward course, 
change from one track to another, thus traver- 
sing the ruts and inequalities obliquely, which 
has the effect of tending to flatten or fill them 
up; and thus a road that is wide, and has con- 
siderable traffic upon it, in some measure, re- 
pairs itself, of which there is abundant evidence 
in many country places, where the roads are 
little attended to. No road should, therefore, 
ever be made less than 24 feet in width for 
any purpose, and in those that are much fre- 
quented, from 30 to 60 feet will not be found 
too much, 
Notwithstanding a perfectly straight line forms 
the nearest communication between one place 
and another, and can very frequently be ob- 
tained in setting out a road, still, if it continues 
for miles in succession, it is generally admitted 
_to be irksome to the traveller; and, as a gentle 
undulation or waving of the line produces very 
little addition to the length, and adds to the 
beauty of a road, it may be safely admitted, and 
willin general be approved. When the neces- 
sity occurs of a road changing its direction, 
it should never do so abruptly, but in the 
form of a long and gentle curve, such a line 
being more safe and consistent with rapid 
travelling, than sudden turns, which ought 
only to be admitted where one road crosses 
another, and then sufficient space should be left 
at the intersection to admit of carriages taking 
such curved direction; and, in every case a cer- 
tain distance of the road in advance, should be 
open to view, to avoid the unexpected meeting 
of what may be moving in an opposite direction. 
Guide posts, indicating the place a road leads to, 
should also be set up at all intersections of roads. 
They are often disregarded by local inhabitants, 
as being useless to those who, living in the neigh- 
bourhood, know every road, but they are highly 
useful, and save much time and anxiety to 
strange travellers. In England the road trustees 
and parishes are bound, by law, to provide and 
maintain them as part of the road expenses; and 
the plan lately adopted for making them is good 
and convenient. The indices, or pointers, fixed 
to the top of the post, instead of being made of 
wood with the place painted upon it, (and which 
is very apt to be defaced,) is made of cast iron, 
and consists only of letters about three inches 
high, attached to the surrounding frame, so that 
no ground or board is necessary, but the whole 
is transparent with the exception of the letters, 
and these being seen against the sky, can be 
read after it is so dark that no other writing 
would be visible. 
In all great roads, mile stones should be set 
up to indicate the distances to and from places ; 
and these, of course, are placed at intervals of 
one mile asunder. Formerly the distances were 
indicated by posts of wood, painted; but these 
being subject to rapid decay and obliteration, 
were replaced by stone posts; which, although 
durable in themselves, are not so in their in- 
scriptions. They might answer if formed of 
marble or any good stone for maintaining carv- 
ing, but in many parts they have been formed of 
the nearest local stone, to avoid the expense of 
transportation, and the consequence is that many 
of them are illegible. Of late years, cast iron has 
been resorted to, and is found to answer the pur- 
pose in a more satisfactory manner than any 
material previously resorted to. They do not 
require great strength or weight of metal, and 
are often fixed upon the face of the old ponder- 
ous stone. The casting consists of two flat sides 
about fifteen inches wide, and about three and a 
half feet high out of the ground, placed at right 
angles to each other, and united at the top by a 
triangular piece that slopes so as to make an 
angle with the horizon of about 60°. The whole 
is cast in one piece, and the letters stand out, or 
are in relief. The large figure on the top is the 
distance from the metropolis, London, and the two 
sides present the distance from the nearest post 
towns in the two directions of the road. Being 
hollow, they may be attached to a post of stone 
or wood, or the cast iron may be prolonged suffi- 
ciently to be set in the ground. They are painted 
white, and the letters black, so as to be seen at 
a distance, and are not only exempt from oblitera- 
tion, but are cheaper, and, it is believed, better 
than any previous method of marking the dis- 
tance upon roads. 
In many places roads are unavoidably subject 
to floods, or freshets, so as to become occasionally 
covered with water. When this is the case, the 
proper direction of such road should be indicated 
by posts placed at convenient distances along 
their sides, with figures, cut or painted upon 
them at every foot from their bases, so as not 
only to guide the traveller in his proper track, 
but to inform him what depth of water he has 
to pass through. 
Trees and live hedges are, without doubt, pleas- 
ing to the eye, and add much to the beauty of a 
road, but at the same time, they are highly de- 
trimental to it, particularly if placed at the south 
or sunny side. Hedges, therefore, should be kept 
low by cutting, and trees ought not to be per- 
mitted, particularly if their branches are long 
and overhang the road. Many advocate the 
planting of a road side, on account of the pleasant 
shade produced, which is desirable during the 
hot season; but if trees are sufficiently large for 
this purpose in the summer, they will inevitably 
produce more than an equivalent mischief in 
eee 
