The Sun.
London, England, 1822-04-05 00:00:00

MORPETII ROAD.

In consequence of their Lordships' instructions, communi-
cated by your letter of the Ist day of August 1820, I lost no
time in perambulating the whole district of country which oc-
cupies the space between the City of Edinburgh and the Town
of Morpeth, in the County of Northumberland, with the view
of ascertaining the state of the present Roads, and what im-
prOvements could be made in that great line which passes by
Newcastle to Boroughbridge in Yorkshire, and thence to
London.

The first eleven miles from Edinburgh being through a po.
pulous and well cultivated country, with apparently ample
means to accomplish any improvements -the inhabitants-might
think proper, I only commenced the inspection at the village
of Pathhead ; and after having carefully examined the whole
of the present Road, -and the most advisable improvements of
which it is capable, I have had correct-surveys-and levels taken,
which enable me to make the following statements
From the commencement, at the village of Pathhead, at the
eleventh mile stone, to the general summit of this part of the
country, at the ridge called Soutra Hill, the road is very im-
perfect ; it is unnecessarily crooked, with ascents and descents '
at rates of one in 8,9, 10 ; whereas a line may readily be ob-
tained, through land of comparatively small value, with no
inclination exceeding one in 22, and, from that to' 30. Road
materials are plentiful and good.
From this summit to Channel Kirk Inn, in the valley of the
Leeder, the descents are frequently one in 9; 10, 11 ; whereas
by varying the line in descending the great hill, they may be
reduced to one in 22, 24, 28, &c. Good road materials are
still -to be conveniently found, and a very considerable portion
of the present road maybe retained, being only required to be
improved; where that is the case, the space is marked by
dotted lines of red on Yellow, upon the map.
From Channel Kirk Inn, the present road may, at a made-
rate expense, be improved as far as Sylestine farm-houses ;
the present ascents and descents, which are one in 13, 14, 19,
may be reduced to one in 22, 23, 24 ; both freestone and whin-
stone are still to be procured. • •
From Sylestone farm-houses to Whitburn Inn, the line re-
quires (with a few exceptions) to be entirely new; the present
line descends too low, is circuitous, and has. inclinations of one
9, 10, 11 ; whereas that proposed would not have snore
than one in 23, 24, 25, 26. In this district, freestcne, whin-
stone, and field stones, are to be found. .
From Whitbum Inn to Greenlaw, excepting at the entrance
into the latter place, no deviation is proposed ; but at the said
entrance a change is necessary, in order to avoid a hill, where
there are ascents of one in 8, 11, 12. The other parts of the
present road only require improvement, to have inclinations of
one in 21, 24, 30. in this district whmstone is plentiful and
good.
From Greenlaw to Coldstream . Bridge, the present road is
inconveniently crooked; it passes very unnecessarily over sun-
dry hills, and to the westward of the town ; whereas the bridge
over the Tweed is considerably to the eastward. The ascents
and descents are also at the rates of One in 11,' 12, I 3; a new
line is therefore necessary for nearly the whole of the way, and
passing north-east of the town to Coldstream. Bridge. This
line would be very direct, and have no inclinations more than
one in 21, 24, 27, 30. The materials' on this division are free-
stone and field stones.
From Coldstream Bridge to the inn at Wooler, the present
direction of the road is very circuitous, and in sundry places the
ascents and descents are one in 9, 10, 11, 12 ; whereas. an- al-
most direct line may be obtained, with no inclinations exceed-
ing one in 24, 26; 30. In this district there are whinstones and
tield,stones, but no freestone.
From Wooler 'lnn to Pow Burn Inn, the present road, al-
though its general direction is tolerably - good, yet it is of very
imperfect construction, has a succession of inconveniently steep
banks and quick turnings; the ascents are one in 7,8, 9, 10;
upon the whole, one-half may be improved at a moderate ex-
pense; the other halt' will require deviations, with inclinations
not exceeding one in 21, 25, 28, 30.- In this district the ma-
terials must be chiefly field stones, of which abundance can
be procured. • '
From Pow Burn Inn to-the summit of Rimside Ms ir, the
present road passes over a succession of very steep hills, nod is
in all respects very imperfect; the inclinations arc one in 7,8,
9, 10 ; by taking a totally new line in a direction considerably
to the eastward, sundry very considerable hills are wholly
avoided, and the summits (which are Unavoidably crossed) are
lower than the present ones, by about 200 -feet of perpendicular
height ; the ascents and descents by the proposed line would
be no more than one in 21,24, 28. The Material here is chiefly
freestone; there are sonic field stones; the channels of the
brotiks also ailbrd a supply, and it is expected that a whin dyke
will-be found to cress sonic part of the line. •
From the summit of Rimside Hill to Welden Bridge, the
present road continues of the same, imperfect description, being
circuitous and hilly, with inclinations of one in,7, 8, 9 ; st) that
nearly a total new line is required, which may be obtained with
inclinations or one in 21, 25, 23. The materials are limestone
and freestone.
From Welden Bridge to Morpeth,- the road is equally im-
perfect as that last described, with. hills where the ascents and
descents are one in 8,9, 10, 11, so that a new line is required
for nearly the whole of the distance, and which may be ob-
tained with iiiclinatiOns not exceeding one; in 22, 23, 2(i, 30.
The materials are chiefly freestone and some field stones, but
good . materials must here be •procured from a considerable
distance. ! • •
The present bridge over the river at Morpeth and the south-
ern approach to that town being very imperfect, I had the sur-
vey.,continued for the above-mentioned distance, south of the
town where it Was terminated at Catch Burn.
The following two tables skew the general levels and dis-
tances, by which it appears, that the summits in Scotland, con-
sisting of lunglunbroken ridges, crossing the general line of
Communication, cannot be avoided ; .their improvement there-
fore consists ih extending the approaches on each side, so as to
obtain sufficiently easy rates of .inclination. But in Northun-
berland, by the ficie of road passing to the eastward of the great
mass of the Cheviei range of mountains, and where the ground
is more broken, several of the hills over which the present road
passes can be entirely avoided ; and in other cases much lower
summits are crossed, the highest on-the hew line on Rimside
Hill being only 607 feet above the level of the wharfs at
Berwick :--

GENERAL hEvEiS above the •Surface of the Quay at BER
WICK.

Soutra Hill, above Berwick Quay
Wanten ,Va's, .or Walls, ditto
Near Whiteburn - -
Near Greenlaw - _

Roadway of ColdstreatV Bridge.
At High Haugh House, 2 wiles
South of Wooler" - -
tof nude South of Ditto --
Glanton .Bank, • 1 mile South of

Pow Born Toll Bar
Whittingham Leaning-Bank -
Lanlilt Hill, South of liThitting-

ham- - - -
Rimside f t - - -
Weldon Bringe Roadway
Lundean Hilt, or Bank -
Fenrother ditto - -
111orpeth Bridge Roadway

General Distances.

From Edinburgh to Whiteburn
From ' Whiteburn to Coldstream
Bridge Toll Bar - -
From ditto Wooler Inn
From Wooler Inn 'to Welden
Bridge Inn - - -
From • ditto to King's Arms
Inn, Morpeth
From ditto to End of Sur-
,vey at Catch Burn, at 13th Mile
Stone from Newcastle - -

From termination of Survey tol
Borouglibridge - -

!Presentßoad

Difference in favour of New Line

170 '„1,343

From the table of distances it will be seen that the new line,
besides being of easier inclinations, is shwter than the present
one by four miles and seven hundred and eight yards.

The following is an Estimate of the Expense of roadmal:.