PR E-FACE 
  
Mo=rE than three years having elapsed since the death of Mr. Telford, 
in the beginning of September 1834, the first care of the Editor must 
be to explain the cause of delay in the appearance of this volume, 
especially as it is known to many that Mr. Telford himself had made 
arrangements for proceeding with the publication, in which he foresaw 
no difficulty. 
The present volume originated very naturally when Mr. Telford began 
to withdraw himself from undertaking new professional engagements, 
and, from a growing infirmity of deafness, felt himself uncomfortable in 
any mixed company. In this predicament, it was obvious to suggest to 
him, that, in his intended transition from activity to leisure, he might 
yet do good service to the public, without too much fatigue to himself, 
if by degrees he renewed acquaintance with all his accumulated papers, 
making such a selection from them as, aided by his own recollections, 
might display to the public all the great works executed under his 
superintendence, and all the improvements introduced by him during 
the third part of a century of extensive practice in his profession.