Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 September 1881 — How They Traveled in the Good Old Time. [ARTICLE]

How They Traveled in the Good Old Time.

In the sixteenth year of the reign of Charles 11. of England was established the first turnpike-road where toll was taken, which intersected tbe counties of Hertford. Cambridge and Huntingdon. -Until the middle of the eighteenth century, however, most of the merchandise conveyed from place to place was transported on pack-horses through short distances. Between distant places a cart was used, a pack-horse not being:able to trimsport a sufficient quantity of goods to pay the cost of the Journey. The common carrier between (Selkirk and Edinburg, a distance of thirty-eight miles, required a fortnight for his journey going and returning. In 1687 a coach for passengers between Edinburg and Glasgow, a distance of forty-four miles, was drawn by six horses, and the journey to and fro was completed in six days. In 1849 the same route was made, by a route three miles logger, in one hour and a half. In the year 1763 there was but one stage-coach between Edinburgh and London. This started once a month from each of these cities. It took a fortnight to perform the journey. In 1835 seven coaches started daily between London and Edinburg, which performed the journey in less than for-ty-eight hours. In 1763 the number of passengers by the coaches between London and Edinburgh could not have exceeded about twenty-five monthly. In 1835 the coaches conveyed about 140 passengers daily. Until the close of the last century, the Internal transport of goods in England was performed by wagon, and was so expensive as to exclude every object except manufactured articles aud such as, being of light weight and small oulk in proportion to their value, would allow a high rate of transport. Thus the charge from London to Leeds was at the rate of £l3 a ton, being I3jd per mile. Between Liverpool and Manchester it was 40s. a ton, or 15d. per ton per mile. Heavy articles, such as cool and other materials, could only be available for commerce where their position favored transport by sea, and, consequently, many of the richest districts of the kingdom remained unproductive.