Travels in New-England and New-York

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: LETTER LI I. Rhode-Island Turnpikes?Johnstown?Scituate?Coventry?Sterling?Plainfield. Dear Sir, We left Providence, Monday October 20th, and crossing the state of Rhode-Island through the towns of Johnstown, Scituate, and Coventry, entered Connecticut at Sterling, and rode to Plain- field: thirty miles. The road after leaving Providence lay for two or three miles on a pine plain; and was tolerably good. It then became stony, and ill, or rather not at all, repaired. After dragging uneasily over several tedious miles, we came to a road, begun in the turnpike manner, and tolerably well made; which lasted, though not without several interruptions, ten or twelve miles. The former disagreeableness of the road was here renewed; and we proceeded with sufficient difficulty, till we came to Sterling; where we were again relieved by a turnpike road. The country between Providence and Sterling is a succession of hills and vallies, running North and South. The hills are of considerable height, and incumbered, as the vallies are also, with a multitude of rocks and stones. The people of Providence expended upon this road, as we are informed, the whole sum permitted by the legislature. This was sufficient to make only those parts, which I have mentioned. The turnpike company then applied to the legislature for leave to expend such an additional sum, as would complete the work. The legislature refused. The principal reason for the refusal, as alleged by one of the members, it is said was the following: that turnpikes, and the establishment of religious worship, had their origin in Great Britain: the government of which was a monarchy, and the inhabitants slaves; that the people of Massachusetts and Connecticut were obliged by law to support ministers, and pay the fare of turnpikes, ...