. The roads and railroads, vehicles, and modes of travelling, of ancient and modern countries; with accounts of bridges, tunnels and canals, in various parts of the world . e to the inter-ference or obstruction to the taking of toll. It wasenacted, that if any person forcibly opposed the detectionof cattle, &c., for non-payment of toll, he should be finedforty shillings, and confined in prison until the fine waspaid. At a subsequent period, mobs used to collect, andpull down or destroy the turnpike-gates; the militarywere often called out to quell the disturbances occasionedby these disagreeme
. The roads and railroads, vehicles, and modes of travelling, of ancient and modern countries; with accounts of bridges, tunnels and canals, in various parts of the world . e to the inter-ference or obstruction to the taking of toll. It wasenacted, that if any person forcibly opposed the detectionof cattle, &c., for non-payment of toll, he should be finedforty shillings, and confined in prison until the fine waspaid. At a subsequent period, mobs used to collect, andpull down or destroy the turnpike-gates; the militarywere often called out to quell the disturbances occasionedby these disagreements; and, at the same time, a penaltyof seven years imprisonment was awarded against thosewho should continue these unlawful proceedings. But, notwithstanding, the progress of improvementwas very slow. We read of a journey from Glasgow toLondon, in the year 1739, performed by two persons onhorseback; there being no turnpike road till they arrivedat Grantham, within 110 miles of London. Up to thatpoint they travelled on a narrow causeway with an un-made soft road on each side of it. They occasionally metwith strings of pack-horses, from thirty to forty in a carrying goods. The leading horse of the troop carried abell, to warn passengers coming in an opposite direction;and the travellers were then compelled to make Avay forthem, and pass into the road-side, since the causeway didnot afford room for both. In 17o4 improved turnpike-roads were made; but the opposition attending theirfirst introduction was renewed, and so difficult was it toreconcile the people to such a change, that in the reign of ORIGIN OF THE MAIL. 69 George the Second, an act was passed, making it felonyto destroy a toll-bar. So inveterate is custom, that the in4;roduction of animprovement which tends to destroy old usages, incon-venient though they be, generally raises a host of alarmistswho regard the novelty as a sure proof of the degenera-tion of our species, and a sign of the decline of thenation. At
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