370

HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.

III.

which is new. It was not till many toll bars had been violentlypalled down, till the troops had in many districts been forcedto act against the people, and till much blood had beenshed, that a good system was introduced.* By slow degreesreason triumphed over prejudice; and our island is nowcrossed in every direction by near thirty thousand miles ofturnpike road.

On the best highways heavy articles were, in the time ofCharles the Second, generally conveyed from place to placeby stage waggons. In the straw of these vehicles nestled acrowd of passengers, who could not afford to travel by coachor on horseback, and who were prevented by infirmity, or bythe weight of their luggage, from going on foot. The ex-pense of transmitting heavy goods in this way was enormous.From London to Birmingham the charge was seven pounds aton; from London to Exeter twelve pounds a ton.** Thiswas about fifteen pence a ton for every mile, more by a thirdthan was afterwards charged on turnpike roads, and fifteentimes what is now demanded by railway companies. The costof conyeyance amounted to a prohibitory tax on many usefularticles. Coal in particular was never seen except in thedistricts where it was produced, or in the districts to which itcould be carried by sea, and was indeed always known in thesouth of England by the name of sea coal. .

On byroads, and generally throughout the country northof York and west of Exeter, goods were carried by longtrains of packhorses. These strong and patient beasts, thebreed of which is now extinct, were attended by a class ofmen who seem to have borne much resemblance to the Spanishmuleteers. A traveller of humble condition often found it

* The evils of the old system are strikingly set forth in many peti-tions which appear in the Commons’ Journal of 172jj. How fierce an op-position was offered to the new system may be learned from the Gentle-man’s Magazine of 1749.

** l’osllelhwaile’s Diet., Roads.