Author : W. T. Jackman
Publisher : Forgotten Books
Page : 486 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2018-02-09
Category : Reference
ISBN : 0656146494
The Development of Transportation in Modern England, Vol. 1 (Classic Reprint) by W. T. Jackman Pdf
Excerpt from The Development of Transportation in Modern England, Vol. 1 Since any discussion Of the subject Of transportation in modern England would be inadequate without some brief survey Of earlier modes Of conveyance and communication, we will endeavour to briefly present the conditions before the modern period, which we may roughly date from the time of the accession Of the Tudors. In the early history of Britain, the conquest by the Romans stands out as a very important event, from many points of view; and from no other standpoint is it more important than from the linking together Of all parts of the empire, by the construction Of great military highways. In order that their conquest might be complete, the Roman legions had to penetrate into distant and even secluded sections, where the early Britons had become ensconced to withstand the advance of their enemy; and even the fens had to be rendered passable to Roman arms by building suitable roads. Considering the fact that such works of engineering skill had all to be done by patient manual labour, through a wild and meagrely cultivated island, we can easily see what a vast expenditure Of time and effort must have been involved in it. In some places, great quantities of timber had to be cut down; in others, the ground had to be embanked and drained before it was firm enough to advance upon. The deeper rivers were crossed by timber bridges, Often laid on piers of such solid masonry that they were used in mediaeval times as the foundations of several successive bridges of better construction. The shallower streams were crossed by paved fords, whose courses were marked by large wooden posts. The enduring quality of the works, as well as their great extent, left its impress upon the face of England to such a degree, that these roads are the wonder Of the engineering world today. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
