OF RAIL-ROADS.

41

districts of Great Britain . The yielding natureof the material, especially when saturatedwith wet, would create very considerable re-sistance to the wheels, which, by sinking intoand compressing the rails, would always forma rising surface, and thus impede the progres-sive motion of the carriages; still a horse wasenabled to convey a greater weight along aRail-road of this kind than upon a commonroad. At that time we find eight bolls of coals(equal to 17 cwt.) was the regular load for ahorse with a cart or wain, upon the commonroads; while, upon the Rail-road, the generalload for one horse w as nineteen bolls, or about42 cwt.

The formation of the Rail-road would cer-tainly be attended with considerable expence ;but the advantages derived from the increasedload, would soon compensate for this, and alsofor an increase of expence in keeping up therails. In general, the collieries were situated ata much higher level than the depot or placesto which the coals were to be conveyed ; conse-quently, the Rail-roads would mostly descendin the direction of the load :—except levellingdown abrupt undulations, little care w as takento make the road with an uniform descent . Formany years after the introduction of the w oodenRail-way, waggons containing nineteen bolls,