button to main menu  Cary's New Itinerary, preface

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Preface, 6 unnumbered pages:-

preface
ADVERTISEMENT.

  accuracy
  authority

AS Accuracy must be considered the grand Object with Books which are published as a Guide to Travellers, the Proprietor of this Work thinks it incumbent upon him to state the Authorities under which this Itinerary was first published. It might, perhaps, be sufficient to say, that it was brought forward under the Sanction of His Majesty's Postmaster General; but he cannot avail himself of such an Indulgence without noticing the Circumstance which procured him that very honourable Patronage.
  surveying
  mail coach routes

Having had it in Command from the Postmaster General to make a Survey, under the Direction of Mr. Hasker, Surveyor and Superintendant of the Mail Coaches, of the whole of the Mail Coach Routs, and other principal Roads, throughout the Kingdom, for official Purposes, amounting in Admeasurement to upwards of Nine Thousand Miles, the Accuracy of which (as required by an Act of Queen Anne, for all Roads measured on Account of the GENERAL POST OFFICE) being attested on the Oaths of the several Surveyors employed, it was deemed to be a Work of such Utility to the Public, that it ought not to be withheld; as, from the Precision with which it was executed, much Benefit might accrue to the Traveller; and as the Distances on those Roads were planned from one stationary Object to another, it would enable him to determine, beyond Dispute, the exact Length of his Stages.
  seats
  inns

Extensive as this Survey might be deemed, yet it is not considered to embrace the whole of those Roads to which the Traveller might wish occasionally to refer; therefore the Proprietor has, with great Industry and Care, selected from the County Surveys such other Roads as appeared to him essential, the Distances on which, although not regulated by his own Survey, and, of course, not calculated from one stationary Mark to another, yet he has every Reason to believe are faithful, as the Manuscript Copy, previous to printing, was regularly sent to the Postmasters of all the principal Towns in the Kingdom for Inspection, and to report Errors where any might occur; by which Means the Proprietor was also enabled to authenticate the numerous Seats and Residences which are inserted in this Work. Through the same Channel he also received a List of such Inns as supply Post Horses and Carriages, which are added at the End of each Route, and a Variety of other useful Particulars.
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preface, 2nd edn
SECOND EDITION.

The very extensive and rapid Sale which the first Impression has obtained, cannot but be highly flattering to its Author, who, in offering this Second Edition, with peculiar Pleasure avails himself of the Opportunity which it affords him, of returning to his Friends, and the Public in general, his most sincere Thanks for their liberal Patronage.
Anxiously solicitous of preserving that Confidence with which he has been honoured, he has, in this NEW EDITION, carefully attended to every Circumstance connected with the Work, which he conceived might have any Tendency to render it more useful to the Traveller. With this View the following Alterations and Additions have been introduced.
To an Actual Survey of Nine Thousand Miles, made by Order of the Right Hon. the Postmaster General, and which is described in the first Edition, is now added an Actual Admeasurement of One Thousand more.

  direct roads
DIRECT ROADS.

  distances
That the Distances might correspond as nearly as possible with the Milestones on these Roads, they are reckoned from the customary Standards.
  return route
At the Conclusion of each Route, where the Length is such as to render it useful, a Return Route is added, exhibiting, at one View, the immediate Distance from Stage to Stage, with the Trouble of subtracting; to which Method of Calculation the Traveller would otherwise find it necessary to resort. The Reckoning on this Back Route is also continued to the General Post Office, for the purpose of preserving the Plan of the First Edition to those who may consider it essential.
Example.- Page 1.

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  towns
  post offices

In Addition to the Market Towns, as before described on each Road, all those Places which have Post Offices for the Receipt and Delivery of Letters, are also, for the Accommodation of the Traveller, distinguished by a characteristic Mark.
  index
  road map

Likewise is added a full and complete Index, containing a Reference to every Place, however small, which is passed through on these Roads; preceded by a General Map, on which are delineated the whole of the Roads that are described throughout the Work, particularly distinguishing the Mail from others, and the Direct from the Cross Roads. In laying down this Map, particular Attention has been paid to render it useful; and although on a small Scale(as being best adapted for folding), it is hoped it will fully answer the Purpose intended.

cross roads
CROSS ROADS.

  road map
To these, a NEW MAP is added, for the express Purpose of exhibiting the whole of them SEPARATE, and UNCONNECTED with the Direct Roads.
The MAP is so delineated as to show the several Routes distinct from each other: it also possesses the Advantage of an Index; each Road, as far as it extends as a Route, being varied in Design, and the Number of the Page added, so as to afford an immediate Reference to that Part of the Work where the Route is given.
The Roads described on the Cross Roads Map are likewise delineated on the General Map which precedes the Work, thereby exhibiting their Connexion with the Direct Roads, and affording the Traveller the Means of extending his Journey at Pleasure.

  seats
SEATS.

The whole of these have been carefully revised; and the Author has to acknowledge the Liberality of the Right Hon. the Postmaster General in permitting him to carry on a Correspondence on this Subject with all the Postmasters throughout the Kingdom; which has enabled him to correct many Errors in the former Edition, and to add to his List many Gentlemen's Seats in the present.
His Acknowledgements are also due to many Individuals for their valuable Communications; and he earnestly entreats those who may do him the Honour of making this Book their travelling Companion, that they will have the Goodness to transmit any additional Information for the Improvement of this Work; and their Communications shall be carefully attended to and gratefully acknowledged.- A full and complete Index to the Seats is given at the End of the Work, with particular Reference to the Page where they are noticed.
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  surveyors
Surveyors employed in measuring the Roads described in this Work.
GEORGE GRETTON, Liverpool.
RICHARD WOLLAMS, Shirleywich.
JOHN BURTON, Lancaster.
JOSEPH SINGER, Littletown, Devon.
L. HERBERT, Strand.
  distances
The Measurements, which are taken in Miles and Furlongs, are arranged in Columns; the first and second giving the Distance fro one City, Town, or Village, to the next; the third and fourth, the Number of Miles from the Commencement of the Road.

Example.- Page 2.

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Thus, the Distance is given for Shooter's Hill in the third and fourth Columns, eight Miles three Furlongs; and in the Continuation of the Road to Dartford you find the Measurement to that Place from London to be fifteen Miles.

  tracing a road
General Directions for tracing the Roads.

Suppose you want the Road from London to York - look for the Name of that Place in the Index to the Direct Roads from London, and the Figure opposite to it refers to the Page in which is that Part of the Road containing York, though the Description of the Road in which it is situated (being that from London to Edinburgh and Aberdeen) begins in Page 361, and ends in Page 372.
In describing the lesser Roads branching from the greater, the last remarkable Place on the great Road, or the Spot where the lesser turns off, is first given, with a Reference to the Place in which you will find the Road so far as to that Place; and afterwards the Branch is continued: as, for Instance, to find the Road from London to Weymouth, the Index refers you for Weymouth to Page 74, where you find it in the following form, viz.

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By which it appears you are referred to Page 41 for this Road as far as Dorchester (the last remarkable Place on the great Road);
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and the Remainder of the Road to Weymouth is given after the above form in Page 74, as directed by the Index. These References are made use of in order to prevent the numberless Repetitions, which would otherwise unavoidably occur, and thereby swell the Book to an inconvenient Size.
The Index to the Cross Roads, it is conceived, is so copious and explicit, as to require no farther Explanation than what is given at the Beginning of it.
  price
The Proprietor of this Work, desirous of selling it at as low a Rate as possible, cannot but regret the Necessity of making the smallest Advance in its Price; but when he states, that, since the Publication of his First Edition, Paper of the same Quality has become full 50 per Cent. dearer, that the Printing has cost him nearly in the same Proportion, that he has added fifty-six Columns of Roads to this, more than the former contained; and that he has also greatly enlarged the Work by giving two additional Lines to the Length of its Pages; besides an entire New Map, for the Purpose of describing more minutely the Cross Roads; he presumes he shall not be considered unreasonable in adding Sixpence more to his Charge. It may here be necessary to observe, that the First Edition was published with two different Indexes to the Direct Roads, upon which the Price of the Book was varied - with the General Index it was sold at Six Shillings in Boards; with the full or particular Index, which contained every Place described on the Direct Roads, it was sold at Seven Shillings; and from the universal Preference which the latter obtained, it has been adopted wholly in this Second Edition, the Price of which, for the Reasons above stated, is now charged at Seven Shillings and Sixpence in Boards.
  errors
Having before observed ow much he should feel himself obliged to those Travellers who would do him the Favour to communicate any Error which they may occasionally detect in this Work, it may appear intrusive again to solicit their Attention; but he hopes his Anxiety will be excused, in Consideration of the Advantage which the Public must feel, in having a Work of this Nature correct in all its Parts, and that to make it so exceeds the Possibility of individual Exertion -- In the Performance of this Task, he has used his utmost Endeavours to make his Book complete, and flatters himself, that in the Delineation of the Roads, few Errors will be found; but it scarcely needs Remark, that in giving the numerous Seats which this Work describes, some Mistakes must occur, to rectify which, he takes the liberty of observing, that nothing can so effectually contribute, as the Information of the intelligent Traveller, whose Assistance he most particularly requests; as also that of Gentlemen of local Information, to whom he would consider himself highly indebted for their Communication, to which the utmost Attention will be paid.
At the foot of the first preface page is:-
  colophon

S. GOSNELL, Printer
Little Queen Street, Holborn.
There is one further page in the prelims, about plagiarism and copyright, which leads the reader to an appendix. It states:-

  copyright
  plagiarism

TO THE PUBLIC.

It having been unwarrantably asserted, and without any Regard to Truth, in the Twelfth Edition of Paterson's Roads (now supposed), that my former Edition (I transcribe the Words themselves) "is made up almost entirely from Paterson, and the Plagiarism is so manifest, that in the Cross Roads, which form nearly Half the Book, the Piracy may be traced Page after Page, and with even its Errors uncorrected: Gentlemen who are in Possession of the New Itinerary, and the late Editions of Paterson, may be convinced of this by a Comparison:" - It becomes a Duty on my Part to undeceive the abused Public; to which End I have subjoined a short Extract of the Trial, and a Motion since made by my Opponents for a new one ☆. It will there be seen on what feeble Grounds I was held up as the Pirator of another Work, and on what strong Grounds the Copy-right of my New Itinerary was fully and completely established by the Verdict of a Special Jury; subsequently confirmed by the solemn and unanimous Decision of the Court of King's Bench. It is presumed that Candour itself, under the Influence of such Authority, will not hesitate to recommend the following Correction of the above erroneous Statement: viz.
"This Twelfth Edition of PATERSON is made up almost entirely from CARY'S NEW ITINERARY; and the Plagiarism is so manifest, that in the Cross Roads, as well as the Direct, the Piracy may be traced Page after Page, and those Gentlemen who are in possession of Cary's Itinerary and Paterson's Twelfth Edition may be convinced of this by a Comparison'"
J. CARY.
☆   These will be found at the End of this Work.
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