TRANSPORTATION IN SOUTH CAROLINA. 621 



1789. General road and ferry law. Vests in road commissioners the 

 granting of licenses for taverns and billiard tables, the proceeds 

 to be expended in repairing bridges and roads within the j^arish 

 or district to which the license applies. This new departure, like 

 that of 1778, seems to have been unsuccessful. 



The dawn of the nineteenth century found tlie people of Soutli Caro- 

 lina at peace, united and prosperous. The years which had elapsed 

 since the Revolution had been well employed in securing these material 

 benefits. Industry and frugality had been elevated into the rank of 

 patriotic and fashionable virtues by the spirit of republican simplicity 

 which then pervaded all parts of the State. The cultivation of cotton 

 had spread rapidly and was very profitable, and the roads, bridges, ferries 

 and water courses were kept in as good order as circumstances allowed. 

 Drayton's " View of South Carolina," published in 1802, contains, at 

 page 158, the following sketch of the roads of that day: " The roads in 

 the State are well adapted to transportation and traveling, even to the 

 mountains ; and hence, wagons find no difficulty in coming from the 

 upper counties, bringing with them the commodities of that distant 

 region. Cross roads to and from each court house are made throughout 

 the State, and a wagon road has lately been made from the north fork of 

 Saluda river, over the mountains to Knoxville, in the State of Tennessee, 

 by which wagons have passed, carrying loads of twenty-five hundred 

 pounds weight. This opens a new source of wealth to this State, and 

 speeds a happy intercourse between the countries east and west of the 

 Apalachian mountains. 



" In the upper country, the water courses are mostly fordable, and 

 when they are not, like other parts of the State, they are crossed by 

 bridges and ferries. These roads are made and kept in repair — under the 

 direction of commissioners — in the lower country by negroes, and in 

 the middle and upper country by a suitable number of the residents in 

 the county or parish through which they lead ; otherwise there is little 

 or no expense attending them, and at this time a carriage and four 

 may be driven from any part of this State to the other, and from tlie 

 sea shore to the mountains, without any other difficulty than such as 

 naturally arise in long journeys. Some few toll bridges are erected, but 

 the spirit of the people is not yet favorable to these taxes on traveling. 

 It is hoped, however, that the day will come when bridges which are of 

 too great magnitude to be built and kept in repair by individuals, will 

 be taken under the direction of government. This is one of the good 

 purposes for which public moneys maybe reserved in the public treasury, 

 and for which thev mav be drawn out in the public service." 



