THE WEALTH OE NATIONS.

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the rich; at the expense of those who are least able to supplyit, not of those who are most able.

Thirdly, if government should at any time neglect thereparation of the high roads it would be still more difficult,than it is at present, to compel the proper application of anypart of the turnpike tolls. A large revenue might thus belevied upon the people, without any part of it being appliedto the only purpose to which a revenue levied in this mannerought ever to be applied. If the meanness and poverty ofthe trustees of turnpike roads render it sometimes difficult atpresent to oblige them to repair their wrong, their wealth andgreatness would render it ten times more so in the case whichis here supposed.

In France , the funds destined tor the reparation of the highroads are under the immediate direction of the executivepower. Those funds consist, partly in a certain number ofdays’ labour which the country people are in most parts ofEurope obliged to give to the reparation of the highways ;and partly in such a portion of the general revenue of thestate as the king chooses to spare from his other expenses.

By the ancient law of France , as well as by that of mostother parts of Europe , the labour of the country people wasunder the direction of a local or provincial magistracy, whichhad no immediate dependency upon the king’s council. Butby the present practice both the labour of the country peopleand whatever other fund the king may choose to assign forthe reparation of the high roads in any particular province orgenerality, are entirely under the management of the inten-dant; an officer who is appointed and removed by the king’scouncil, who receives his orders from it, and is in constantcorrespondence with it. In the progress of despotism theauthority of the executive power gradually absorbs that ofevery other power in the state, and assumes to itself the ma-nagement of every branch of revenue which is destined forany public purpose. In France , however, the great post-roads,the roads which make the communicationbetweeen the princi-pal towns of the kingdom, are in general kept in good order ;and in some provinces are even a good deal superior to thegreater part of the turnpike roads of England. But whatWe call the cross roads, that is, the far greater part of thel 'oads in the country, a re entirely neglected, and are in manyplaces absolutely impassable for any heavy carriage. Insome places it is even dangerous to travel on horseback, and

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