In the formation of roads, the Romans generally kept a straight line of direction, though at the ex pense of works of considerable difficulty ; at one place performing extensive excavations, at another stretching over valleys by bridges and aqueducts, and boldly piercing the mountain with under-ground tunnels, as that of Pozzuoli near Naples, cut about half a league through the solid rock, arid forming a road-way or aperture of fifteen feet square. But in nothing is our wonder so much excited as at the pains bestowed in preparing a firm bottom for the structure of their • roads. In some instances, they built walls of masonry, and strengthened the ground by ramming it with brick, rubbish, gravel, or small stones and flints, on which they laid a course of square blocks of various dimen sions, not unfrequently cubes measuring eighteen inches upon their several sides, though the lengthway was generally the greatest. The surface of these roads was spacious, firm, and smooth. Many of them had a double row of pavement for carriages going in dif ferent directions. These were separated by a cause way in the middle, somewhat raised above the others, and paved with brick for the conveniency of foot pas sengers. The ?flpian way, so much celebrated by Horace, was originally carried only to Capua, but was afterwards carried to Brundusium by Julius Caesar, being altogether about 300 British miles in length : it formed one of the most splendid memorials of that em peror's reign, under which about two-thirds of it were executed. This famous road is in many places still quite entire, though understood to have seen its nineteenth century.
In Britain, the remains of the Roman ways are now hardly to be traced. They were generally termed streets, as Watling Street, Theneild Street, Erminage Street, and others. At Castrum, or Chester, one of the greatest Roman depots in Britain, some of the old roads are still to be seen, and occasionally compactly built pavements are discovered, with several feet of soil upon them. Roman roads have also been found in different parts of Scotland. A portion of one may still be seen leading from Nlusselburgh bay to Aber corn, one of their principal stations on the Frith of Forth. A portion of this street, termed the " Fish wives causeway," leads through the fields from Piers hill Barracks towards Portobello. It consists of boulder stones very different in size, and is said closely to resemble some of the old Roman ways still seen in Italy.
The pontiffs and heads of the different Italian states succeeded the munificent reigns of the emperors in the government of this ancient kingdom, and follow ing the established taste of that country for roads, Italy still preserves her celebrity for interior commu nications. Amidst the misery which the sway of Bonaparte entailed upon the countries on both sides of the Alps, it was fortunate that his measures ulti mately tended to facilitate the intercetase between the ancient mistress of the world and the rest of Europe, by the impovement of the great passages across this mountain range, which was effected by the French and the Italians in the years the aus pices of this great man, the Aurelian road has been thus adapted to the speed of the modern traveller.
The track by the Simplon being generally at the rate of one perpendicular to twenty-eight horizontal, the postillion now takes that road, formerly almost imprac ticable, without requiring to slacken his pace. Among the difficulties to be encountered in the formation of this magnificent undertaking, there are several under ground tunnels, the longest of which measures about 200 yards. It is curious thus to see the aggregate pow er of armies under the control of one individual directed to such objects. It is indeed doubtful whether at this moment the fame of the Roman emperors stands higher as conquerors, or for the works of art which they achiev ed ; and we hesitate not to say, that the French empe ror's chief claim to true greatness will be sought for in the works which were executed under his powerful command as a military engineer.
The French highways seem to have been modelled upon those of Italy, the great and early prototype of the nations toward the north. The roads which radiate from Paris, like those of Rome, are chiefly chausees, causeys, or causeways. These consist of a bottom or foundation, carefully prepared, and previously drained, on which stones measuring about six, eight, and ten inches square, are set or built, the downward side being in the usual manner somewhat smaller than the upper one. The rock from which these stones are taken is generally quartzy sandstone, of considerable tenacity. The lines of direction of the French roads are for the most part straight, without much regard being paid on many occasions for more easy or favour able lines of draught. They are of a spacious breadth, varying from thirty to sixty feet, even seventy feet ; the causewayed part is usually situate in the middle, being about sixteen or eighteen feet in breadth, with a bridle or summer road on each side. Many of the roads of France, however, like those of England, are made with metal or broken stones, a system practised even before the revolution, by the Etats de Languedoc, under the direction of Al. Turgoz in Limonsin, ke, which now rather seems to he gaining ground, as forming a road so much smoother, and more agreeable than the irksome noise of the paved road. The chaussee in the middle being somewhat elevated in position, seems entirely to have precluded the idea of a foot either side; a comfort which rarely extends beyond the boulevards of the large towns. Nothing indeed surprises an English traveller more than to find Paris, the mistress of politeness, and the admired the atre of the arts, still without this accommodation ex cepting in a few streets at the Court-end of the town, where a kirb-stone is introduced, lining a somewhat elevated, though roughly causewayed footpath. In all other parts of that otherwise elegant city, the unfortu nate pedestrian is left to trudge along under all the indignities of the bespatteiing cheval and his harassing driver, in their traverse course through the kennel in the middle of the street.