State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1831-1836, 1836-02-23

to increase your admiration fwhat nature
and industry and taste have done for our
father land speak ofmy first impressions
of the country, wherever i went. How far
these were subsequently modified, by pain
full association and degrading contrasts
may take occasion to mention in another
letter.
The Roads Of England.
There is hardly any thing, perhaps, which
at first gives more pleasure to an American
traveller than the roads Of England. They
have not near so many as we have, espe-
cially in some parts of New England, where
every man wants his own separate path to
go in; but they are uuspeHkably better
| Within the last few years, all the great roads
through out the kingdom. have been tho
roughly Mc.4damized; and they arein more
senses than one, "Royal highways" They
are very wide, almost perfectly hard, and as
smooth as any graveled walk in gentle
mans pleasure grounds. Where there are
hills, they are brought down, if possible, to
very small angle, or avoided, by turning a
| little TO the right or the left-our older
| brethren having found out, some time ago
it would seem, that it is as far over an
orange, MS around it. Men are kept con-
stantly at work upon these roads, breaking
up stones for repairs, filling every little rut
and depression as soon as it appears, pick
ing up whatever may happen to lie upon
the surface, and smoothing down the thin
covering of earth which is spread over the
solid basis. So perfect are these great tho
roughfares, in winter and summer, that you
can calculate, with moral certainty, what
| time the Royal mail, from London, will
| reach the remotest towns in the island.
A gentleman in Liverpool assured me, that
there is scarcely five minutes variation, in
the time of its arrival there, IA distance OF
more than two hundred miles,) from one
end of the year to the other.
However desirable we may think it, to
rival the English in this respect, l appre-
bend it well be timpracticable, without too
great an expense, on account of the great
depth to which the frost penetrates our soil.
! Nothing, believe, but solid stone work,
quite as deep, would prevent the heaving
of the ground in winter, and the breaking
up of the surface in spring. But happily,
we can build rail roads as cheap rs they can
and, in point of fact, we are doing it much
faster. And then again, our great lakes,
and navigable rivers, and numerous canals,
in a considerable measure obviate the ne
cessity of laying out any thing like what we
should otherwise be obliged to do upon our
roads.
Health Qfhe English people.
My first impression was, when landed
in Liverpool, and in going from thence to
London, that the English are n good deal
more healthy than the Americans; and all
may subsequent observations and inquiries
served to confirm that impression. Certain
it is, that the men in general have much
fuller and rounder muscles than we have !;
and you hardly ever meet with that thin,
death like, bilious aspect, which is so COM
mon in many parts of the United States.
The women, certainly, show much more OF
the rosy flush of health in their counte-
nances, than in any part of this country
which have visited: and / am quite sure,
that they suffer much less from bilious
dyspeptic, aud nervous diseases. The chill
dren, especially the little girls, in the large
towns of England, are, beyond all question
haler and harder than they are in any OF
our cities. What the causes are of this
decided advantage, in point ofhealth, among
the English people, have not now time to
inquire, but may have oci aston to advert to
the subject hereafter. Yours sincerely.