PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AND SATURDAYS KY JOHN FENNO, No. 69, HIGH-STREET, BETWEEN SECOND AND THIRD STREETS, PHIi l«l LPHIA [No. 75, of Vol. lII.] ON TURNPIKE ROADS From the Caledonian Mercury, publiChed m Edinburgh MR. PRINTER, BEING frequently obliged by business to tra verse difFerenc pans of this country, 1 foine times offer to the public, such observations as oc cur, through the channel of your paper. And as I ain just now returned from an excursion to the north, I beg leave to fubinit to your readers, a few remarks on the state of the roads, as 1 con ceive it to b« a fubjedl of very great importance. To the northward of the Forth, I found the roads in general bad. But beyond Perth, tliey they were so excessively deep, as to be nearly im -paflable. Tired and jaded, as a traveller mull i»e in going through a country in these circum stances, it is natural to think that that subjeCt iliould be frequently started in conversation. This was my cafe ; and 1 was nota little surpris ed to find, that among a uuinerous set of people, who are in general poflefted of quick pares, and found underitandings, prejudices ihouldl'o gene rally prevail against the erection of turnpikes. This appeared to ine one of the ftrongeit initauc es of the force of habit, and early prejudice,that 1 ever observed. It is, I think, impoilible to de vise a ta"x, that in its operation is so fair and e quitable, as a toll for making and keeping the roads in repair ; because it is the persons who are to be benefited by the roads, and they alone, who thus are inade to pay for it ; and it is exact ing only from tbofe,who damage those very roads that the money they pay is intended to repair. Yet, in this instance, we find, that the multitude, instead of wiftiing to remove from themselves a heavy load, by laying a part of it upon strangers and travellers, chule, voluntarily, to fubjedt themselves to n very heavy tax, that others may be treed from it. Common sense would dictate that national prejudices Jhould have been in fa vor of turnpikes, and againil the iiatute labor, liad not experience discovered the contrary. In talking on this fufcject, I found one objecti on very universally urged against turnpikes, viz. that those parts of the country arc yet too poor for admitting of them, and travellers too few to pay for the expence ot turnpike keepers, &c. But if the country is poor, by what device can they Contrive to enrich it so suddenly, as that of carrying good roads through the country ? For, without roads, it is obvious, that no improvements in agriculture can be made ; and if travellers are few, how can their numbers be augmented so ef fectually, as by making the roads so good, as to invite travellers to frequent them ? These pro politions are felf-evjdent ; but as in cases of this fort, one authentic fatft is worth a thousand ar guments, I lhall here state a few facts that have fallen unde<- my own observation, that ought to "oe entirely decisive on this fubjetft. 1 am old enough to remember tMefirft turnpike ast for Scotland, and to recoiled! the itate of the roads from Glasgow to Edinburgh, and in the neighbourhood of this metropolis, as well as the state of the country, with repaid to agriculture, and internal commerce, before rhat period. Anil thus it was—believe it who will, 1 am confident no one who then knew these things will contra tlicft me. At that time, a journey from Glasgow toEdin burg was an arduous undertaking, at any season of the year. It could only be performed on foot or horleback ; and, during the winter l'eafon, it whs a matter of the uttnoft difficulty. The roads were so excelfively rough and deep, that a horse then could fcarcdy attempt to fti ike a trot, and the inns were so poor and the accommodations so bad, that it made the ftoutetl heart thrink from attempting the enterprize ; for, with the belt horses, it was two days journey at the leall, and often more. For the truth of what is here said, ] appeal to the honorable commander in chief of his Majesty's forces in Scotland, who was some times obliged to undertake this journey at that period. At present, it is well known to be an easy jour ney> ol " eight hours only, which can he performed by the motl'delicate lady, at all fea iuns, by tvght or by day, without vifk or danger. At that time, 1 am pretty confident, that not more than ten or a dozen carriages of any fort, carts included, pah'ed in a year between Glasgow and Edinburgh. All the commercial intercourse being then carried on, between these two great cities, by a Itiing of ten or a dozen pack-horses, Saturday, January 14, 1792. who went and returned once a week ; the lead ing horse being ornamented with bell's, on pur pole to p;ive notice to travellers not to enter into narrow defiles, where ihey could not pass this then formidable troop. Where, 1 could alk, is the road in the north of Scotland, leading be tween two coniiderable towns, that is so little frequented as this road then was ! What is its present fiate ? To answer this question with exact precision, requires more knowledge than I am pollelled of; but I make not a doubt, that, including the roads which lead to Glagfow, there are not fewer than a hundred carriages pass the turnpikes every day, on an average throughout the year. The money borrowed oil the turnpike a<St, enabled the truitees to wake roads, and these roads be ing made, have attracted travellers to frequent them, which they could 110 c otherwise have done. I now proceed to observe, that with rcfpeift to the improving of the country, the good roads have enabled farmers not only to carry the pro due of their farins to market, but alio to biing manures from a diitance, at an expence greatly l.ess than they otherwise could have done. The confeqence is, thai farms have rilen universally in their value, to more than double their former amount, and the farmers, at the fame time, are much richer than formerly. Many places are now converted into good fields of torn and hay, where nothing but heath before grew ; becauie a market is brought to their very doors for ihefe articles, in confequcnce of opening the roads. For it has been computed that no less than ten or twelve thouland pounds a year has been left upon the road between Glasgow and Edinburgh, by travellers, three-fourths of which gtes to the enconragement of agriculiure, in a diitritf, that, without this circuinltaiice, niuft have ever conti nued a defart watle. As to tlie effects of the turnpikes upon the in habitants of the towns, they have been as benefi cial as on those in the country. Hsy, which be fore that period, could not be brought from more than two miles from town, is now brought from the distance of twelve or fifteen miles all round, and the average price of that article, which used to be about Bd. per ltone, is now reduced to a bout though the quantity now consumed in Edinburgh be perhaps a thousand times greater than at the time I allude to. Till the turnpikes had been made, it would have been nearly as practicable to rear a palace in the moon, as to ereift the buildings that have been conftruCred within the last twenty years in Edinburgh. The hundredth part of the holies that are wanted for these fabrics, would have occasioned a famine for provender in one week's time. The inhabitants of Edinburgh, however, like inhabitants of every other place who know no better, complained of the hardship they would be fubjedted to by the turnpikes, as the toll there exacted, they thought, woyld enhance the price of the necellaries of life that were coming to them. What has been the consequence ! It has already been dated as to hay. With regard to coals ; be fore the turnpike act, all the coals were brought to Edinburgh in sacks, upon horses backs ; and the large't load at that time, I have been afl'ured, was 400 weight. Now, the load of the smallest single horse-cart that can be exposed to sale in Edinburgh, mull weigh 1200 wt. ;ind I saw paid the oilier day, to a common coal driver, the price of 2300 wt. for a lingle horse-cart of coals. The toll 011 this cart is two-pence. So that, in this instance, 2300 weight of coals, or nearly fix horse loads, was brought from (he distance of fix miles, for two-pence to the consumer. In the carriage of grain of all forts, and merchandize of every kind, there is nearly the fame saving. An ordi nary load for a single cart to Glasgow, is from 2000 to 2500 weight, inliead of 300 or 400 wt. as formerly. From these faiSs it is clearly demonftrated,that turnpikes are the greatest blelfings that "can be conferred on a country ; and that, inflead of proving burdensome, either to the inhabitants of a town or the country, they are in the highest degree beneficial to both. Were it poflible to let alide the turnpikes, and bring the roads back to their former state, in the south of Scotland.an universal bankruptcy of tenants, landlords, and artisans, mart be the immediate consequence. How ihort-fighted then niurft those people be,who by opposing turnpikes, strive to cuntinue tbeni 297 |y >>^0 [Whole No %.] selves in the fame degree of deba^ eilie to which ihefe would be reduced in ca* c'f f" cil 311 eVeiic having taken place. With regard to travellers, the v ' arf ' equally be nefited by turnpikes as every otli er order ot the people—For although it ft'ems to take mo ney from them, yet it actually foves to them, up on the whole, a great Heal that muitotber wife have given out. Here too, facts ihal! speak for thenifelves. Perhaps the easiest mode of computing tl,e ex pence of travelling is, by comps» r ' n g the price lor a feat in the fly or ftage-coacfi from one place to another, equally distant, when w »th or with out turn-pikes.* For as the undertakers p y for the turnpikes, where there are an?> th ' B forms a part of the expence in one cafe, vi'hich tluy are not under the necessity of paying in f hfe other— By this rule then let us compare thtf expence of travelling with or without turnpike?- Krom Glasgow to Edinburgh, the geared road is 44 miles ; the price of a llage ticket is eight {hillings ; which is something less taai? two-pence farthing a mile From Edinburgh to Aberdeen ">ile.= . The price of a Itage ticket two n< which is a Iniall fratftion less than four- c * ' niilc. In the firil cafe there are turn-j irougli the greatell part of the road to A 1 \ there are none. In this lall cafe, the tr lii :i 'g e is nearly double to that from G1 o\' burgh. Yet, notwithstanding this c< 1 • ant charge, in confequtnce ot the badne s 1 1 ( ' s > the loss of horses, the breaking of hai * ,e repairs of machinery, &c. are so greai,' '' * ve the undertakers so little profit, that ihey dl u " fually obliged to give it up forfome won stacli winter ; during which time, nothing less :;aa 4 horses can drag along, even an empt , •» vl *% e - He that hath ears to hear, let him obi'- -nd if these facts do not convince his unde n S> let him continue to be an object of d< by every man of common sense. * To travellers, who are men of bulinefs, the mere difference of stage hire is not the moll important advantage. The journey be ing looner performed, they are enabled to tianfaft their business more Jpeedily, and to save much time, which to them may be morevainable. There is also a confiderabic saving in travelling expc rices. LONDON, Otftoberit THE old labels, at our goldfniiths' windows, of Light Guineas bought here, are mostly all now taken down, and in their Head the new la bels of Louis d'Ors bought here, every where ap pear. From this it would appear, that the French Revolution has done some good to this country. The ensuing winter is expelled to be unconi' monly brilliant, from the arrival of the Ouchefs of York. Should the Prince Royal of Prussia ac company his filter—as it has been reported ac Berlin he intends to do—the Ladies in Waiting very jultly observe, it is itnpoflible to fay what may happen. A most extraordinary and truly eccentric cha racter has lately appeared in the Province of Weflphalia, in Germany : He is a young man, under thirty, and has the wonderful faculty of diffinguifhilig colours in the dark.—Several pub lic experiments have been made, and every pre caution taken to detect hint as an impostor, buc in vain ; he tells the colour in a moment, and with the greatest exattnefs. PERSIA. This kingdom has long been diffracted with intelline wars, and the one which at present ex ists, threatens to prove more destructive than any former one. The party of the ("on of the late Jaffer Khawn daily increases, and mo(t of the provinces have espoused his cause. His opponent, however, re tains Shiraz, and with it the provinces of Canda liar, Jorgan, Jefletten, and two others. He isac the head of 100,000 men, but (j universally de tested, that moll of his own family are continu ally plotting against him. One of his brothers was, a few mouths (ince, put to death, for keing concerned in a conspiracy against him. Ispahan, once esteemed the uoblell city of the East, has been made the scene of adlion.—lts in habitants, within a few years, were estimated to amount to one million ; at present, the city ami suburbs do not contain half that number. VIA i OA
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