APPENDIX.

As I travel rapidly over great distances, and my attention is usually much occupied with the immediate business of the office, I cannot speak with accuracy about particular and local alterations. But I feel myself well warranted in stating, that whenever I have found any thing done under Mr. MᶜAdam’s immediate direction, or by his pupils, or even in imitation of his plan and principles, the improvement has been most decisive, and the superiority over the common method of repairing roads, most evident; and, as superintendent of mailcoaches, I have abundant reason to wish that Mr. MᶜAdam’s principles were acted upon very generally. If they were, a pace, which in winter or any bad weather cannot be accomplished without difficulty, would become perfectly easy, to say nothing of the comfort and safety of the traveller, and the credit to humanity in lessening the hard labour of the animals. I may add, that although so much has been accomplished, the postmaster general could still expedite the conveyance of the mails, and bring the arrangements of the posts nearer to perfection, if the roads were universally as much improved as the practice of Mr. MᶜAdam’s plan would effect.

Chas. Johnson.

General Post-office,Dec. 8, 1819.

General Post-office,

Dec. 8, 1819.

P.S. As one instance of the benefit of Mr. MᶜAdam’s improvement,I beg to mention that themail last winter lost ten, fifteen, and twenty minutes, in passing from Staines to Bagshot, but now the time isexactly kept.

C. J.

To the Right Hon. the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty’s Treasury.

My Lords,

We beg to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. Harrison’s letter of the 26th ult. transmitting, by your lordships command, the application of John Loudon MᶜAdam, submitting his claim on account of his inquiries relative to the improvement of the roads in this kingdom, and requesting any information in our power with regard to Mr. MᶜAdam’s services.

In conformity to your lordship’s desire, we have applied to the superintendent of mailcoaches, as the officer in our department most competent to give information upon the subject of Mr. MᶜAdam’s exertions; and we beg leave to inclose his report, and to add, that with respect to the road near Staines, to which he alludes, we had found it necessary to give notice of indictment, which has been prevented, by the commissioners resorting to Mr. MᶜAdam’s assistance and advice, which have produced the excellent road mentioned by the superintendent.

The road from Newbury, through Reading to Twyford has been so much improved, that the mail-coach has been better enabled to keep its time than heretofore; and we are convinced, that if the roads near London were improved in a similarmanner, considerable advantages would be obtained to the correspondence in general, but particularly in places from ninety to one hundred miles distant.

We are, with great respect, My Lords,Your Lordships very obedient humble servants,Chichester.Salisbury.

We are, with great respect, My Lords,

Your Lordships very obedient humble servants,

Chichester.

Salisbury.

General Post-office,20th Dec. 1819.

General Post-office,

20th Dec. 1819.

Certificate and Recommendation by several Peers and Members of Parliament, to the Right Honourable the Lord Commissioners of the Treasury, respecting Mr. MᶜAdam’s Claim for remuneration.

It appears to the undersigned, by the report of a Committee of the House of Commons of last session, and by their own experience and observation, that the system of road making, introduced by Mr. MᶜAdam, has already been of great public benefit, as it facilitates the communications of the country, and affords useful and universal employment to the labouring class, with sufficient funds already provided.

The undersigned are of opinion, that as Mr. MᶜAdam obtained the information necessary to perfect his system of road making, entirely at his own expense, and with the labour of many years; and afterwards, by his exertions and those of his family, reduced the system to actual practice, and has now put the public in complete possession of his plans, Mr. MᶜAdam has a claim on the country for remuneration.

They are further of opinion, that it will be a great means of encouraging the general adoption of this improved system ofroad management, if Government shall be pleased to bestow this mark of their approbation on Mr. MᶜAdam.

Chichester, De Laware, Hardwicke, Macclesfield, Salisbury, Beaufort, G. Clerk, Wm. Rea, Thomas G. Estcourt, Wm. Dickinson, N. Calvert, W. H. Ashurst, J. Fane, J. N. Fazakerley, Carrington, G. Doveton, Dacre, Daniel Giles, Wm. Lamb, George Shee, W. Freemantle, Warren Bulkeley, Grenville, Folkestone, R. Spencer, R. M. Davis.

Letter of Postmaster General to the Lords of the Treasury, on Petition of Mr. MᶜAdam for payment of Balance due to him on account of services stated to have been rendered by him in the improvement of the Public Roads.

My Lords,

Mr. John Loudon MᶜAdam having addressed to us a memorial, relative to certain claims on account of the services which he states to have been rendered by him in the improvement of the public Roads of the kingdom, we have the honour to transmit the same to your lordships for such consideration as it may appear to you to deserve; and we have to state, thatthe favourable opinions which we entertained and expressed in our former reports upon this subject, have been confirmed by experience; and that by employing Mr. MᶜAdam to survey the roads in Lancashire, the most beneficial results are likely to follow.

We are, my Lords, with great respect,Your Lordships most obedient servants,Chichester.Salisbury.

We are, my Lords, with great respect,

Your Lordships most obedient servants,

Chichester.

Salisbury.

General Post-office,6th Feb. 1823.

General Post-office,

6th Feb. 1823.

H. Bryer, Printer, Bridge-street, Blackfriars.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTESSilently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling.Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES

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