The Sun.
London, England, 1817-10-08 00:00:00

[PRICE S EVEN PENCP

VROVJ(NCIAL JOLIRNALS.

not lte •e6i)ine.(i to political .subjects
in our Extraets-frOtri Frorindal Jonroals, but
take whatever may tend to the improvement of
the Country, as %veil as to the security ot, its-" Con.
stitotion. The followin accthint of a new im-
provement we have -extracted from 'The Leas
.Intelligencer of Monday laSt, 'Papo that-is &1.
ways alert when it can contribute to national ie•
clirity]and public information; and which, upon
subjects of essential importance, as obeli as.ott the
present occasion, has ihewn a persetering atixiety
to mend our taais

" We some time since stated that Mr.. Clay,
who recently obtained patent tor 'certain machi-
nery, calcnlated to etieet.an improved farm ton
of the roads, liad COMlrletta tot' their r,pait.widt
ht.Ver:si Conzinisz.loner.,.jv Lids thstt
have now the satisfaction to anounnee. (oat the
first experitnent ever-Made on a large scale, is it
progres-s-im the road trottaActls to Waketidils arid.
that it has-been 'attended with a degree ot success._
truly astonishiug.
" The advantages of tne system ate so-im-
mense, and of so much national importance, thic
we cannot but cokratulate the Pliblic on there-
sult of this first, practical application of Mr.Cl.ty'll
Invention, principally that of operating, in com-
bination, with other machines, by a stupeodous
roller, that can be loaded to almost any weight,
and by means of which we have seen on one day
a road raised two feet, and on the next, after hav-
ing been just subjected to the operation of the
machines, exhibiting all that solidity and smooth-
isess hitherto peculiar to the best roads, and in•,
their state of greatest, perfecticni.
• " The thanks of the Pohlic are emineriq doe
to the Commissioners Of the Leeds and Wakefield
*road, for having so judiciously perceived the ea-
t cellency of Mr. Clay's mode, and for having 'so
promptly enabled OW gentleman to lint the. counts
try in 'possession of -its advantages. The .tffect
seems almost that of magic. The roads are at
once:tendered smooth, hard, and even; and _what
is most importaot, by the regular application of
the mathines, they must alway.s remain so. ,A
narrow-wheeled waggon apparen ly makes not the
slightest impreSsion, but passes over lire impenee
trable•surface or the road as if upon marble..-1.
The system eminently cooduces• to Safety, as 'welt
pis to beauty and duraniloy, for it-is- impossible
that anYloose stones or other material can exist
upon the surface. All is reduced into one loos
movable mass, by the ponderous roller, %Oriels
either forces the largest4tones into their_ bedi•ot
rea.to, • • • -.
" The contracts for applyieg the system cannot.'
in any zuse, we believe, oe more expensive, in the
first instance, than repairing -on. the old mode;
and 1119:t ultinwely be attended with incalculable-
economy, 'Vile are not is little-gratified that lb*
Leeds roads' baste been selected for the.first specie
tnens of-improvement. The toad now under iiper•
ration was the vv.,rst in this neighbourhood, hod -
perhaps-one of, the worst in the king lore. One
of the worst pars of this wretched road lay be-
tween Leetls and the further extretuit y tit the
-township' of Iliii let., lir the. conrse of • a few
days it has heel' rendered.the best i and though
hundreds of coal and .otrer narrow-wheeled Carta
and carriages have daily passed over-it, they have
made no perceptible inspt4ssion on Mr. Clay's
work. But Mr. Clay widens -and levels thsi-
road, at the same time that he comumnicates to
it smoothness and durability. ,Not an inch of•the
original width is Snikred to•le useless ; and every
part of the road is rendered equally good. -At
Hunslet, the iinprovement,• in these respects, and
by the removal of nuisances, is veil peat. That
part of the road ascending the 'hill to Roth welt
Haigh has been new-formed; and widened, by the
removal of loose material and. litter, -apparently
••about one-third. Proceeding on towards Wake-
field, we were glad to observe that-the COntrue.,
tor was lowering the hill at Newton, and that-by
. removing the late miserable material, he is widen-
- Jug the road not less, as we estimate, than front
nine to twelve. feet throughout the village: In short,
• every species of nuisance and • obstruction is ra-
pidly disappearing from the whole- line of the
road, The proprietors on its course, perceiving.
.the greatness of the advantages, have most cor-
dtally with Mr. Cloy, in giving every
facility to widening, by Ehe liberal sacrifice of
such portions of their land as stood in the way of
improvement.
• " After what we have- seen effected by the
'roller, we think it might be most beneficially ap..,
plied to paved streets, itmnediately after the phtie-
meta has been laid, or Willie it is loose, after the
breaking up of frost.
"-We shall not tail tb notice any future import
ant operations of a system so pregnant with pub-
-lie benefit, which requires only to be known, to
.-instire its universal adopAon."

A REMARKABLE VACT.—Mr. George Pease, a
Gentleman weil known by 'a numerous anii tea
speetable aconabitauce in Darlington and its
neighbourhood, can boost of having had a grater
number of nephews aml.nieces, perhaps, than ant
other bachelor in the King's dominions. He has
been uncle to sixty-three, great uncle to seventy-
three, and great great uncle to six ; making atotal
of one hundred and forty-two, out. Irindren anti tem
of whom are now living.. Mr. I),,ase is about 64
years of age, and is in excellent btaltb and Spirits.
It is. supposed, on a ,nnoderate calodat ion, t tat
this Gentienian (although lame) has walked in
the town of Patiingtont within the la, t fiery
years, not lets thau thirty-six thouso. d -lave Uuu.
dred