ROAD, an open way, or public passage, forming a communication between one place and another. The Romans took the most pains in forming roads, and the labour and expenses they were at in ren dering them spacious, firm, straight, and smooth, is incredibld. They usually strengthened the ground by ramming it, laying it with flints, pebbles, or sand, and sometimes with a lining of masonry, rub bish, bricks, &c. bound together with mortar. In some places in the Lionois, F. Menestrier observes that he has found huge clusters of flints cemented with lime, reaching ten or twelve feet deep, and making a mass as hard and compact as marble, and which, after resisting the injuries of time for 1600 years, is still scarce penetrable by all the force of ham mers, mattocks, &c. and yet the flints it consists of are not bigger than eggs. The most noble of the Roman roads was the Via Appia, which was carried to such a vast length, that Procopius reckons it five days journey to the end of it, and Leip sius computes it at 350 miles : it is 12 feet broad, and made of square free-stone, generally a foot and a half on each side ; and though this has lasted for above 1800 years, yet in many places it is for several miles together as entire as when it was first made.
The ancient roads are distinguished into military roads, double roads, subter raneous roads, &c. The military roads were grand roads, formed by the Romans for marching their armies into the provinces of the empire ; the principal of these Roman . roads in England are, Watling street, Ikenild-street, Foss-way, and Er minage-street.—Double roads, among the Romans, were roads for carriages, with two pavements, the one for those going one way, and the other for those return ing the other : these were separated from each other by a causeway raised in the middle, paved with bricks, for the conveniency of foot passengers ; with borders and mounting stones from space to space, and military columns to mark the distance. Subterraneous roads are
those dug through a rock, and left vault ed; as that of Ptrizoli near Naples, which is nearly half a league long, and is 15 feet broad, and as many high.
RoAD, in navigation, is a place of an chorage at some distance from shore, where vessels usually moor, to wait for a wind or tide proper to carry them into harbour, or to set sail. When the bot tom is firm, clear of rocks, and sheltered from the wind, it is called a good road ; and when there is but little land on any side, it is termed an open road.
The roads in his Majesty's dominions are free to all merchant vessels belong ing to his subjects and allies. Captains and masters of ships, who are forced by storms, &c. to cut their cables, and leave their anchors in the roads are obliged to fix marks, or buoys, on pain of forfeiting their anchors, &c. :Masters of ships coming to moor in a road must cast anchor at such a distance, as that the cables, &c. do not mix, on pain of an swering the damages ; and when there are several vessels in the same road, the outermost to the sea-ward is obliged to keep a light in his lanthorn in the night time, to apprise vessels coming in from sea.