Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/195

 i«6 THE H1SYOHY fcookT afcended, the interruption of a river which could not be dire&ly forded, or the intervention of a mofs which could not be crofled at all. Thus, to adduce only a fingle inftance, the Roman road to Slack courfes in one* uninterrupted right line from the Caftle- field to the Hollinwood, while, the modern and nearly parallel way to Huthersfield, one of the dire&eft roads that we have in the vicinity of the town, runs curving all the way at a little diftance from it, and has no lefs than twelve or thirteen coftfi- fiderable angles betwixt the end of Newton-lane and the extre* mity of Hoi lin wood. But the Roman roads appear not to have be6n conftru&ed upon the moil ieniible principles in general. The road over Newton Heath is a mere coat of fand and gravel, the fend being vejy copious and the gravel very weak, and not compacted together with any incorporated cement. And the noad at Haydock is merely ah heap of loofe earth and loofe rock laid together in a beautiful convexity, but ready to yield and open upon any fharp compreffion from the furfafce. Such roads could never have been designed for the paflftge of the cart and the waggon. Had they been fo defigned, they muft fodn have been furrowed to the hot* torn by the cutting of the wheels or cru&ed into the ground fay the preffure of the load, and have been rendered abfglufcely itn- paflable by either'. But for fuch rough fervices they were nQt intended at aU. This the fharp convexity of the road at Hay- dock mod clearly demonstrates, which icarcdjy leaves the level of a yard at the crown, and throws all the. reft of the ftyr&oe into a brifk defcent. And this the breadth of the more flattened road over FailfWofth Mofs concurs' to demonstrate, the furface, even now when it has naturally fpread out into « broader extent, being not more than three yards and a half in width. Both thefe roads, though the one was intended for the great weftern way into the north and the other was the way of cdmmumoacieti N- ttfixt Chefter and York, muft plainly haVe been confined to the mere walker, the mere rider, and the .mere beaft of bur- den f. The