The Sun.
London, England, 1829-01-07 00:00:00

NORTH ROAD.

(From tlie Caledonian ,liercnry ‘'t S••• 121,3,)•)

It seems rather singular. while extraordii

exertions and sacrifices are made in other ;;;tr,
oF the country, for saving a single mile, that
ohs:titles should be thrown in the way of a plan
for taking off 30 miles from *the Highland road
from Inverness to Perth—the outlet to market,
" the great artery of the Highlands," as a has
well been called. In .order to render this more
explicit, we have given, in our last page, a plan
of the country in question, by which the great
circuit made by the old road, while compared with
that proposed by Mr. Telford, is made evident.
It is a short-sighted policy at best, but may ad-
mit of explanation. The editor of the. Inverness.
Jour:el—the " Mountaineer"—the " Protes-
tor"—the " Freeholder"—one single individual,
is the primum mobile of this " rising," and the
self-elected organ of the county of Inverness. It
i.s no doubt very natural and proper upon his
part (as the present. line of road passes through
his lands), and On the part of those similarly
situated, to object to any change ;—but to avow
such a motive, and set this up against a great
public improvement, is an instance of singular
simplicity at the present day.—lt seems the re-
mains of the dregs of feudalism, and affords a
strong proof of the expediency and necessity of
smprovmg and shortening the communication
with the south, as much and as speedily as pos-
sible. The inconsistency of objecting to a road
as " wild and visionary," and at the same time
objecting to it as likely to annihilate the other,
and the absurdity of setting up paltry private in-
terests against a great public good, were suffici-
ently exposed in a former paper. It was stated
there that no change of road, competition in
trade, or improvement in the arts, could go on
if it were te, be put down by saying, that the old
machinery would be useless or injured by its
success. ylt is proper to add in explanation,
that the objections of injury to ifidividuals, and
injury to what are called the county tolls,
merge into one, as the present line will cease
to be the communication to the south when
the new one is made ; and will be turned
into a local road, for the benefit of indivi-

duals through whose properties it passes.
Tolls are laid on in other places for the purpose of
keeping up a road, but in the north it would
eeein that roads are- to be kept up merely for
the purpose of raising tolls. This is something
of a novelty certainly,.but what shall be said if
it turns out that the
.tolls which the protestors
refuse to give up for the public advantage, do not
eeality belong to the county ? There can be
no doubt about this, and it is idle to assimilate
or confound the present case with cases of vested
rights, such as established ferries or harbours,
or roads made on the faith of nets of Parliament.
It is toto odo different. This old military road
was originally made and maintained exclusively
by Government for nearly a centurl—afterwards
kept up at the joint expence of the public and
county ; and la-t year by toll. placed under au-
thority of the Parliamentary Commissioners, not
permanently, but by way of experiment, and ex-
pressly for the maintenance of the road. The
county, eopears from the c:ii3o quoted in the
Journal, distinctly abandoned any claim they
could have for repiYment of their share of the
expence, and the Pariiernentary Commissioners
refused to abandon their ci.erge of the road until
the projected changes and improvements were
made, and security given for keeping it in proper
repair. As, therefore, it is an entire mistake to
consider the road and the tolls as belonging to
thecoenty, and as it will be of no use except
for local accommodation when the other is
opened, the objection is reduced simply to this,
that the rights or interests of a few may be in•
jived by the change.
The ilnverness Journal, instead of attempt-
ing td reconcile these mconsiatencies, or deleau
the positions formerly taken up, has changed its
ground ; and, admitting the exc:diency of the
road and the abeurriity of the objections made to
it, attempts to raise the county and the cowry
against subjecting themselves to the enorieoua
expence which it is said this change will bring
eiport-them. In the course of this attempt,further
proof., of the same spirit of self-contradiction
and coninsion, or obliquity of intellect, ere given.
The Parliamentary Commisaioners, after being
rather rudely taxed with following " wild and
visionary schemes,' are now accused of issuing
reports implying (erroneously) a minuteness of
examination which prevented the county, out of
respect for them, from making any objection ;
and after this the Editor ends by saying " that
they are all honourable men."
The errata in figures are more important. It
is said that a million and a quarter of the public
money has been disbursed within the last few
years eejthin this county. Now it is proved by
statements, appended to the last report, that the
whole outlay" in theme Highlands from the com-
mencement of the :21nmissi" (1803) is little
more than a quarter of a rr,Llion. There is thus
an exaggeration of one million sterling ! It is
next said, that the expence of the intended road
will be about 60,0001. at the least, bat it is
proved to be just half this sum, and further, that
the improvement of the present line would cost
upwards of 12,0001. These formidable figures
set down at random are meant to alarm the
county and the public, and another device has
been fallen on to detach the northern counties,
viz. by a paragraph in the Journal, stating that
a Joint Stock Company is to be set a going, to
ply steam-boats across the Moray Firth from
Cromarty to Nairn for transporting cattle from
the north. This is meant to supersede one
great object of the intended road, but we cannot
discover Pxy trace of so wild and visionary a
scheme, anal would like to have it from better
authority. At present it appears " A weak in-
vention of the enemy."
In short, we have seldom so clear a case i;.5
this. The practicability and expediency of the
road are warranted by Mr. Telford, and no rea-
sonable and impartial person will ask more. The
vast advantage of it must be manifest to every
one, and the objections made are palpably un-
tenable, corning from interested persons, and
founded on narrow and mistaken notions. The
only thing left is the expense, in regard to which,
and the proportioning of it, very unfair and in-
accurate statements have been given. It is cer-
tain that the expense of the new road (attended
with so many advantages) will be very little more
than double the outlay required for putting the
present one in a proper state of repair, and there
can be no doubt that the Parliamentary Com-
missioners, when they issued notices of the bill
tbr carrying it into effect, designed .that n this,.
as in all former cases of roads made under their.
Commission, one half of the expence should be
borne by Government. If therefore any change
has taken place, it must be imputed to the Pro,
test and Resolution sent forth in the name of
the County of Inverness.

eOREIGN ENTELLIGENCF-

FRENCH PAPERS
(From the Gazette de Frimce nt Jan 6.)

ODESSA, DEC. 3. che Onvernor-General.Counr
Woriirszow, returned yeptertiay from his ext•ursion in

?he Crimea.

On the sth of December the .Standard, Cdptain
Kin.tt-azoff, arrived in th, port of Srba..topol,
routing from Varna. At the time of its departure
every thing was in the best condition, as well as on
the whole of our cantotunt-nts : an attempt of the
enemy upon Paravadi had been vigorously repulsed.
Some of our men-of-war continue to cruise on the
Turkish coast, from Yarns to the Bosphorus.
PARts, JAN. 4.--It is announced, that on the
24th of September last, the King of Spain authorized
the Minister of Foreign Affairs to sign a treaty by
which France is inscribed for 80,000,000 of francs
in the great book of the public debt in three per
cent. stock. The Spanish Government will pay
4,000,000 annually, of which 2,400,000 francs for
the interest, and 1,600,000 francs for the redemption
of this stock.

For some days past the health of M. Auger, per-
petual secretary of the French Academy, excited the
most serious alarm in his family. He was attacked
by a nervous affection, which liindered him from at-
tending to any business : he did not even attend the
sittings of the Academy. Yeverday he disappeared
from his residence in his slippers and night-cap,
leavir-g his watch, his money, and a note, which an-
nounced the most fatal intentions. He has not re-
turned, aid the search made after him has hitherto
proved unsuccessful.

COURSE OF EEC%
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