Roads and Railways.—The great north road from London to Edin burgh, by Coldstream or Berwick, enters Yorkshire from Nottingham shire at 13awtry, and proceeds in a tolerably direct course to the north, inclining a little westward, by Doncaster, Boroughbridge, and North allerton, to the border of Durham, near Darlington. A branch leading also to Edinburgh, by Carlisle, leaves this line at Baroughbridge, proceed. nearly parallel with it by Leeming and Catterick, and after wards turns westward by Greta Bridge, and enters Westmorland near Brough : while another route from London to Edinburgh leaves the first-mentioned road at Ferrybridge, proceeds north to Sherburn and Tadcaster, and then inclines north-west to York, from which city it proceeds north-north-west by Easingwold and Thirsk, and rejoins the direct road a little south of Northallerton. The road to Whitby branches off at York, and runs pretty direct north-north-east through New Melton and Pickering : and from the latter town is a branch to Scarborough. Auother branch from the great north road enters Durham at Yarm, near Stockton ; and there are numerous other con nections with towns in Yorkshire and Durham. The road from London to Hull and Scarborough, through Lincolnahire, enters tho county by a ferry across the Humber near Barton, to the west of Hull, and proceeds northward through Beverley and Driffield, with collateral branches to Bridlington and New Melton. The road from London to Leeds and Ripon enters Yorkshire from Chesterfield a little to the south of Sheffield, and passes through that town, Barnsley, Wakefield, Leeds, Harrogate, and Ripley, to Ripon, in a course nearly due north, and beyond the latter place it inclines north-east, and crosses the great north road to Think. Skipton is approached by a road which extends from Manchester to Clitheroe, and then enters Yorkshire with a north eastern course, and also by a road from London, through Bedford and Nottingham, which enters the county near the eastern boundary of Derbyshire, and passing by Rotherham, Barnsley, Huddersfield, Halifax, Skipton, Settle, creates the northern extremity of Lancashire, and enters Westmorland by Kirkby Lonsdale, whence it is continued to Kendal. Notwithstanding the difficult nature of the country, abund ant lines of road have been formed in every direction between the several towns of the woollen district in the West Riding, and also between the West Riding and Lancashire.
Of the railways of Yorkshire it is unnecessary to particularise such as have been formed merely for communication with mines and quarries, for the most part by private individuals, and without parlia mentary powers; but one railway of this class is worthy of mention because of the peculiar interest attached to it as one of the first, if not absolutely the first, formed under the powers of an Act of Parlia ment, as well as being probably the first upon which locomotive engines were regularly employed. This is called Brandling's railway, from the name of its constructor and proprietor, and sometimes, from the collieries with which it communicates, the Middleton railway, and it was formed under an Act granted to Charles Brandling, Esq., and other persons, in the year 1758. It connects the Middleton collieries,
about 3 miles to the south of Leeds, with that town ; and on this road, about the year 1811, was introduced a kind of locomotive engine patented by Mr. Blenkinsop, which was propelled by a toothed wheel working into a rack-raiL The Yorkshire passenger railways may be noticed in connection with the companies to which they severally belong: 1. London and North-lrestern.—This company has taken at a rental dependent on the dividend of the parent hue, the Huddersfield and Manchester and the Leeds and Dewsbury railways. The former joins the Sheffield line near Ashton, and terminates at Huddersfield, passing through the ' Back-bona of England' by a tunnel three miles long, close and parallel to the tunnel of the Huddersfield and Manchester Canal. The Dewsbury railway joins the Lancashire and Yorkshire line near Mirfield.
0 Midland—The Midland hoe enters Yorkshire a little aouth-east of Sheffield, and proceeds by way of Normanton and Leeds to Bradford and Skipton, having one or two short branches within the county.
3. end Yorlehire.—This railway affords remarkable accommodation to the clothing district of the West Riding. The original Manchester and Leeds line entered the county at Todmorden, and proceeded nearly east till it joined the Midland at Normanton ; but great additions have since been made to it within this county. Three branches spring out northward from the mein line to accommodate Halifax, Bradford, Bowling, Low Moor, and Heckmondwike; another extends south to Huddersfield and Holmfirth ; another prolongs the original line east to Pontefract and Goole; and there are several others of minor importance.
4. Alanrhester and Sheffield.—Tbis railway passes through Yorkshire from the Woodhead tunnel, through Penistone and Sheffield to the Nottinghamshire boundary of the county; there is a branch from Penistone to Huddersfield.
5. Great Northers.—This company's railway was originally intended to extend to the city of York; but other companies have offered faci lities which have stopped it abort of that limit. The railway enters Yorkshire between Bawtry and Doncaster, and soon afterwards links itself to several other lines within the county.
6. Yolk and Nora Midland.—This company occupies a wide area in the south east part of the county. The original line extended from Normanton to York ; but there have sine° been constructed branches from York to Scarborough, from Pickering to Whitby, from Leeds to Hull and Selby, from York to Market Weighton, from Selby to Market Weights)°, from Hull to Beverley and Scarborough, from Church Fenton to Harrogate, from York to Knaresborough, and a few small connecting lines with the railways of other companies, all within this county.
7. York, Newcastle, and Berwick.—The main line of this company passed through Yorkshire from York to the Tees near Darlington, with branches in Yorkshire to Boroughbridge, to Bedale, to Richmond, and to one or two other pieties.
8. Stockton and Darlingron.—A small portion of thia company's railway extends along the Tees-mouth shore of Yorkshire, from 3liddlesborough to Bed= ; partly for passenger traffic, but much more lsreely for coals.