the management of them, are generally from among the lower order of shopkeepers, and small farmers; their object is therefore to give themselves as little trouble as possible, and if none of these roads happen to lead to any gentleman's house, in the worse order and the more impassable are they, and the lower will be the rents of the farms. The shopkeeper, having his dependance pretty much upon the farmers, thinks if they are satisfied with the condition of the road, it is not to his interest to make a stir about them, even if he were conscious that it was his duty to do it, and that his capacity was equal to the task. And as to the farmer, the less trouble he gives his brethren in the performance of the statute duty, the less will be required of him when he is out of office. Thus then, do we see appointments of trust and of the highest conse quence to the agriculture, the commerce, and the convenience of the public, filled by persons in some instances utterly incapable, and in others determined to frustrate the wise intentions of the legislature, by keeping the roads as bad as possible; and who are not to be persuaded that it would be to their interest that it should be otherwise. How often do we find one man of greater capacity, with more enlarged ideas when in office, striving to rectify the mistakes of his predecessors, and resolved to leave to his successors a specimen of what may be done by perseverance and attention, who, instead of following up with the same spirit what his predecessor may have left undone, suffers the whole to go to ruin; that this is the case, every man conversant with country affairs cannot but be sen

sible. It has been so in the adjoining parish of Lingfield, where, if it had not been for the perseverance of Sir Thomas Turton, the road from Godstone through Lingfield to Edenbridge, would during the winter six months be almost impassable. Let any man accustomed to good roads follow me through Burstow, Horley, Charlwood, Ockley, to Rudgwick, Okewood, Awfold, Ewhurst, Cranley, Hascombe, Hambledon, Dunsfold, Chidingfold, Godalming, Frensham, Thursley, Witley, Newdigate, Capel, Chipstead, Merstham, Chaldon, Tanridge, Crowhurst, Oxted, Limpsfield, Addington, Warlingham, Chelsham, Waldingham, Tatesfield, Titsey, Ewel, Kingston, Wandsworth, Camberwell, and Peckham, during any of the spring months, and he would be ready to conclude that he was got into some of the most inaccessible and uninhabited parts of Ireland. In saying so, I do not mean that every one of these parishes are equally bad, but I do say, that some of these near the capital are shameful, and that the farther we go the deeper we get into the mire. Who would believe that it was necessary within 30 miles of London to take a guide; and that with good horses, we had much difficulty to ride six miles in four hours, and yet that was literally the fact in going from Ockley to Rudgwick, and a great part of that distance we were in danger of being swamped.

Thus we see how many of the parish roads are kept: I have travelled them on horseback and on foot several times during this survey, and I am not unacquainted with the reason which is assigned why many of them are so bad, and that is the want

of materials; but if hard gravel is not to be had within a short distance, it ought to be sought for farther; and in case there were none but at a very great distance, they might have made a substitute by burning their impervious clay into bricks, before the duty took place, and they might also lay their roads into proper form, provide drains and carry off the water, though there should be no hard materials at all laid upon the road.

Sir Thomas Turton has undoubtedly deserved great praise for what he has done respecting the roads; it is not every gentleman who will risk his popularity, and make himself obnoxious in a parish, by preferring indictments against this or that road, but he took a method which answered every purpose without his being seen in it, which was, to state to some of his brother magistrates the condition of a certain part of the road which was perhaps in a very bad state; when the high constable of that hundred came to report at the quarter sessions that all was well, he was instantly closely interrogated as to this particular road by some of the magistrates, as the man might not be prepared on oath to answer this interrogatory, he was sent back with a reprimand, that unless he saw that road properly repaired, and all others within his cognizance, they would levy upon him all the penalties allowed by law; this man, therefore, for his own safety becomes surveyor, or at least sees that the parish does its duty properly.

I have endeavoured to ascertain the amount of the sums levied by the tolls, as well as those which are levied by the parishes under the denomination

of composition for the statute duty, together with the value of such part of the duty which is performed by personal services, and I think that for England and Wales I am below the mark at estimating it at two millions sterling; but as I choose to err on the right side of the question, I will for the sake of the argument take it at one million.

At that sum we therefore see how much is committed to a class of men, nine-tenths of whom I will venture to pronounce know nothing of the business they are employed to perform; and if that is the case, is it not a pity that some other mode is not devised to put the whole upon a better footing? and I do not hesitate to say, that whenever that is done, all the roads throughout the kingdom would not cost half the grand total they now cost, and every road should be in better condition than it now is.

I see no great difficulty in effecting this: let all the roads, parochial and turnpike, be examined and surveyed by competent persons (who have no interest in practising a deception) throughout the kingdom, and let them give in upon oath, a valuation of every description of road, distinguishing turnpike from parochial, particularizing every mile in their estimate, and describing the state of each parochial road, its computed or determined length, its traffic, the sum it would take to repair it, and what it would cost to keep in repair de anno in annis.

When those estimates have been delivered in, a true state of the country may possibly be ascertained, (I say possibly, because, if such a survey

is to be performed in the same farcical way in which part of the county of Surrey was done this time three years, by a party of trustees in their carriages, with their surveyor perhaps in his, not one of whom knowing more of the subject than the paper I am writing upon, it had better not be attempted,) and when ascertained, let a bill be brought into the houses of parliament, vesting the whole in the hands of government. Let a certain number of persons properly qualified, whether surveyors or not, but if they are so, they would be to be preferred for reasons which must be obvious, because in case of the alterations of roads by the going through other property, they could readily ascertain the quantity required, and the value of it, without any additional expence to the trust.

These inspectors or surveyors should have charge of certain lines of road, with all the intermediate parishes, so as to give them at all times full employment; let them be appointed by the freeholders and copyholders at large in the county, or by the magistrates at large. Let there be one comptrolling surveyor for each county, to see that each subordinate one does his duty; this man to be a person of great experience, and appointed by government. The inspectors to order every thing, but to pay nothing, to make up their accounts monthly upon oath, stating the separate condition of every part of their road which might soon be filled up on printed formula, and these transmitted to the comptrolling surveyor, who should give an order upon the treasurer of that division for the payment of the several bills. The accounts of the turn