5. What profit to the undertaker.

1. What I propose to do to the highways.—I answer first, not repair them; and yet secondly, not alter them—that is, not alter the course they run; but perfectly build them as a fabric. And, to descend to the particulars, it is first necessary to note which are the roads I mean, and their dimensions.

First, the high post-roads, and they are for the county of Middlesex as follows:

From London to Miles.
Staines, which is 15
Colebrook is from Hounslow 5
Uxbridge 15
Bushey, the Old Street-way 10
Barnet, or near it 9
Waltham Cross, in Ware Road 11
Bow 2
67

Besides these, there, are cross-roads, bye-roads, and lanes, which must also be looked after; and that some of them may be put into condition, others may be wholly slighted and shut up, or made drift-ways, bridle-ways, or foot-ways, as may be thought convenient by the counties.

The cross-roads of most repute are as follows:

From

To

Miles.

London

Hackney, Old Ford, and Bow

5

Hackney

Dalston and Islington

2

Ditto

Hornsey, Muswell Hill, to Whetstone

8

Tottenham

The Chase, Southgate, &c., called Green Lanes

6

Enfield Wash

Enfield Town, Whetstone, Totteridge, to Edgworth

10

London

Hampstead, Hendon, and Edgworth

8

Edgworth

Stanmore, to Pinner, to Uxbridge

8

London

Harrow and Pinner Green

11

Ditto

Chelsea, Fulham

4

Brentford

Thistleworth, Twittenham, and Kingston

6

Kingston

Staines, Colebrook, and Uxbridge

17

Ditto

Chertsey Bridge

5

90

Overplus miles

50

140

And because there may be many parts of the crossroads which cannot be accounted in the number abovementioned, or may slip my knowledge or memory, I allow an overplus of 50 miles, to be added to the 90 miles above, which together make the cross-roads of Middlesex to be 140 miles.

For the bye-lanes such as may be slighted need nothing but to be ditched up; such as are for private use of lands, for carrying off corn, and driving cattle, are to be looked after by private hands.

But of the last sort, not to be accounted by particulars, in the small county of Middlesex we cannot allow less in cross-bye-lanes, from village to village, and from dwelling-houses which stand out of the way to the roads, than 1,000 miles.