I. INTRODUCTORY 1 II. BRITAIN'S EARLIEST ROADS 4 III. ROADS AND THE CHURCH 11 IV. EARLY TRADING CONDITIONS 15 V. EARLY ROAD LEGISLATION 28 VI. EARLY CARRIAGES 35 VII. LOADS, WHEELS AND ROADS 43 VIII. THE COACHING ERA 51 IX. THE AGE OF BAD ROADS 64 X. THE TURNPIKE SYSTEM 77 XI. TRADE AND TRANSPORT IN THE TURNPIKE ERA 85 XII. SCIENTIFIC ROAD-MAKING 98 XIII. RIVERS AND RIVER TRANSPORT 108 XIV. RIVER IMPROVEMENT AND INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION 128 XV. DISADVANTAGES OF RIVER NAVIGATION 150 XVI. THE CANAL ERA 165 XVII. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION 186 XVIII. EVOLUTION OF THE RAILWAY 195 XIX. THE RAILWAY ERA 222 XX. RAILWAY EXPANSION 242 XXI. RAILWAYS AND THE STATE 258{xii} XXII. DECLINE OF CANALS 294 XXIII. DECLINE OF TURNPIKES 312 XXIV. END OF THE COACHING ERA 325 XXV. RAILWAY RATES AND CHARGES 335 XXVI. THE RAILWAY SYSTEM TO-DAY 359 XXVII. WHAT THE RAILWAYS HAVE DONE 385 XXVIII. RAILWAYS A NATIONAL INDUSTRY 405 XXIX. TRAMWAYS, MOTOR-BUSES AND RAIL-LESS ELECTRIC TRACTION 453 XXX. CYCLES, MOTOR-VEHICLES AND TUBES 472 XXXI. THE OUTLOOK 494 AUTHORITIES 514 INDEX 522 {1}A HISTORY OF INLAND TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY The gradual improvement, throughout the centuries, of those facilities for internal communication which reached their climax in the creation of the present system of railways has constituted a dominating factor alike in our industrial and in our social advancement as a people.