1806.] j History: 283

Tmprovement of the Turnpike-roads and Higlways.

OUR readers will hear with pleaſure, that the Committee of the Houſe of Commons, who were ſo meritorigully employed during the late ſeſſions of Parliament, in an extended inveſtigation on the above intereſting ſubje&Xt, ſo far proceeded as to complete a ſecond Report,(which was ordered to be printed on the 18th of July laſt) and which was accordingly diſtributed to the Members, a ſhort time before the late diſſolution of Parliament.

This Report, of which we underſtand, that copies have been liberally diſtributed among pradtical and ſcientific men, likely to aid Parliament by their opinions and advice, extends to fifty-five folio pages», and is illuſtrated by four large copper-plates; the experiments and realonings of Mr. Alex- ander Cummings, on the great injury which roads may ſuſtain, in an ex- treme caſe of conical and wide rims of wheels for heavy carriages, is fully detailed in this Report, and is oppoſed to the experiments and conclußion of Mr. Robert Ruſſell, the great waggon-mafſter, of Exeter, who contends that as his wheels and thoſe of other waggoners, are and long have been con- ftruíted, no eaſcment of draught but the contrary, would enſue from the adoption of cylindrical rims, as recommended by Mr. Cummings. We can ſcarcely doubt that the ſubje& will be revived in the firſt ſeſſion of the new Parliament, and that concluñve experiments», in the large way» will be in< ftituted, for removing this and other doubts, and aſcertaining the propor- tionate injury which the gravel or ftonzs on a road ſuſtain, from the ſimple cruſhing effeâs of heavy carriages, of whatever form their wheels are, and from the dragging or grinding operation of all wheels whoſe rims are not cy- Jindrical, and turn alſo on, l&raight axles: the force of draught alſo, will doubtleſs be aſcertained with greater preciſion, by means of an improved apparatus tor the purpoſe, than has yet been mentioned in theſe Reports z wherein are contained, communications from, or the opinions of Meſſrs. Baucroft, William Cooke, Alexander Cummins, W Deacon, Nicholas Demezy, John Ellman, John Farey, William Jeſſop, Henry Matthews, J, Matthews, M. P, Rev, William Milton, Robert Ruſſel, Sir John Sin- clair,(the worthy chairman of the Committee),&c.&c-

British Manufactures. The following eſtimate of the annual value of ſome of the principal Ma- nufa@ures of this country, and of the number of perſons employed in them, ìs chiefly founded on official returns:

Annual Value. Perſons Employed,

Wooollen zs N Li 6,400,000 440,310 Cotton á. s 10,000.000 317527% Leather Y È z 10,000,000 241,818 Iron, tin, and lead« 10,000,000 200,000 Steel, plating,&c- À 4,900,000 70,000 Copper and braſs ä 4,600,000 60,000 Linen and Flax- 3,000,000 9 5,000 Silk». 4 2,700,000 6 5,000 Hemp«+ s. 1,600,000 3 5,000 Potteries é ¿ 2,700,000 45,000 Glaſs i“i E G I, 500,000 36,000 Paper s 5 2.00, 000 30,000 <=, Reabda a

£.67,200,000 1,665,429

Se: 1 GRE WD e

The annual value of other Manufa&ures of leſs importance is eſtimated at 4 or 5,000,0v0L, and the number of perſons employed in them at about 300,000.