The money raised for this first and most important of all
national purposes, is expended among the people who pay it, employs
themselves and their teams, encourages their agriculture, and facilitates
so greatly the improvement of waste lands, that it ought always to be
considered as the first step to any undertaking of that sort.

At first, roads, in common with bridges, were paid out of the general
treasure of the county, but by a subsequent act the road tax is now on
baronies; each barony pays for its own roads. By another act juries were
enabled to grant presentments of narrow mountain roads, at two shillings
and sixpence a perch. By another, they were empowered to grant
presentments of footpaths, by the side of roads, at one shilling a perch.
By a very late act, they are also enabled to contract at three-halfpence
per perch per annum from the first making of a road, for keeping it in
repair, which before could not be done without a fresh presentment.
Arthur King, Esq. of Moniva, whose agriculture is described in the
preceding minutes, and who at that time represented the county of Galway,
was the worthy citizen who first brought this excellent measure into
parliament: Ireland, and every traveller that ever visits it ought, to
the latest time, to revere the memory of such a distinguished benefactor
to the public. Before that time the roads, like those of England,
remained impassable, under the miserable police of the six days' labour.
Similar good effects would here flow from adopting the measure, which
would ease the kingdom of a great burthen in its public effects
absolutely contemptible; and the tax here, as in Ireland, ought to be so
laid, as to be borne by the tenant whose business it is at present to
repair.

Upon the imperfections of the Irish system I have only to remark, that
juries should, in some cases, be more ready than they are to grant these
presentments. In general, they are extremely liberal, but sometimes they
take silly freaks of giving none, or very few. Experience having proved,
from the general goodness of the roads, that abuses cannot be very great,
they should go on with spirit to perfect the great work throughout the
kingdom; and as a check upon those who lay out the money, it might
perhaps be advisable to print county maps of the presentment roads, with
corresponding lists and tables of the names of all persons who have
obtained presentments, the sums they received, and for what roads.