1836.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



141 



Ji'et him examine his map, and answer this ques- 

 tion. 



(J. L. C complains ol' my want of confidence 

 in ihe sfock of the Wiimin<j;ton and llaliliix road. 

 Jle puii'jrests ihata line from J)arlin^ton and Ilar- 

 h>esvilie, S. C to Fayeltoviile, to Halifax, via 

 Wa\'ncsborouii'h and Tariioiou<xli, &c. &(;., would 

 7nai<e travellers lbro;et that Raleigh was in exist- 

 ence. I will readily ffrant that this line would not 

 secure the travel, it' it were not extended south 

 from Raleiirh ; and if, at the same time, the line 

 he suijijests were completed. But suppose the 

 Raleiyh route extended south — suppose both the 

 conjectural lines finished, which, by the bye, is 

 an exceedingly liberal supposition.^ I will again 

 ask G. L. C. to ajiply the thread to the map which 

 is lying at his elbow — for, without a map always 

 at hand, no human memory could retain the names 

 of all the towns, villages, rivers, &c. which are 

 mentioned in his essay. I ask him to view the 

 two routes, and weigh their merits strictly, but 

 candidly. 



Consider the superiority in direction of the 

 route via Raleigh. The adv'antage of passing 

 through so many towns: (three cities which this 

 line passes through, and which are .missed by 

 the other, are the capitals of North Carolina, 

 V^irginia, and the United States.) Take into ac- 

 count, also, the healthy country through which 

 this line passes ; and then let him recollect the 

 voyage across the bay — which, though often 

 pleasant, is frequently disagreeable, and some- 

 times dangerous. I hope that he will, then, give 

 up his local prejudices, and cease to oppose such 

 a liberal and extended plan. Indeed, Mr. Editor, 

 I cannot persuade m3-self that any rational man 

 can examine the map, and not see the striking 

 advantages of the Raleigh route, unless he should 

 be blinded by those sectional prejudices which G. 

 L. C. so much abhors. 



Your correspondent prides himselfon Col. Long's 

 having recognized the route he prefers. What 

 mark of recognition Col. Long bestowed on this 

 route, I do not now remember, not having the 

 report b\" me. I apprehend, however, that, since 

 the funds have been provided for making a rail 

 road from Raleigh, to meet a road fi-om Peters- 

 burg, at the Roanoke, the opinion of Col. Long 

 would be materially afl^ected by the change of 

 circumstances. 



The last notice taken ol P. Q., in this miscel- 

 lany, is a reference to a certain project which he 

 mentioned in his former communication. Now, it 

 \vas particularly cruel in G. L. C, under existing 

 circumstances, to pretend to understand me as se- 

 riously proposing to confer the powers described 

 in the paragraph alluded to, on any body of men. 

 I thonght I had sufficiently guarded myself against 

 such a construction. I said that there were cer- 

 tain objects to attain ; that I saw no feasible plan 

 for attaining them : but that I would endeavor to 

 describe what end I thought desirable — leaving to 

 himself among others to suggest some plan to se- 

 cure the good, and shun the attendant evil. In 

 short, 1 pretended not to give a practicable scheme 

 at all, but merely to throw out hints to set more 

 competent minds to thinking. The whole of the 

 paragraph which follows the one just referred to, 

 commenting on what G. L. C. calls my heterodox 

 notions, is a tissue of false reasoning, supported 

 by an example of the merits of which I cannot 

 judge, for want of information on the subject. 



How are rail roads to be made, if individuals 

 are to reali:^c no profits fi'om them? JVIust o-o- 

 vernment make them ? I believe that it is a \vell 

 established fact, that works made by government 

 are far more expensive than those niade by indi- 

 vidual enterprise. It follows that a government 

 ought to en(leavor to siimulate private enterprise, 

 rather than to embark its own funds. If G. L. 

 C's ideas have been running on these subjects, 

 seventeen years, he ought to have found out that 

 there is no disposition among men to incur ex- 

 pense, for the mere pleasure of " indirectly adding 

 infinitely to the wealth of the community." If he 

 feels any ambition to act |in such a disinterested 

 manner, he is in a fair way of having abundant 

 opportunities, in some of his own pet schemes. 



I am sorry to see a man of such extended 

 views, echoing the demagogue's cry of " odious 

 monopoly." I grant that no greater monopoly 

 should be allowed than would be sufficient to draw 

 out the capitalists, and induce them to invest their 

 money. But, without a reasonable degree of pro- 

 tection, it would be in vain for a state to hope that 

 her own citizens, or others, will invest money 

 within her limits. 



You will perceive, Mr. Edjtor, that I have not 

 followed your correspondent through all his ram- 

 blings, but have only endeavored to reply to the 

 few casual notices with which he has honored me. 

 I confess, however, that it was sometimes difficult 

 to tell what was intended for me, what for Mr. 

 Editor, and what for Congress, and the various le- 

 latures. I regret that the piece was not divided 

 into chapters, and each of our shares put under 

 separate heads. 



P.Q. 



SKETCH OF THE AGRICUI>TURAL AND ECO- 

 NOMICAL LABORS OF SIR JOHN SINCLAIR. 



[It is from a biographical memoir of this distinguish- 

 ed man, of considerable length, and which is not yet 

 concluded, that we extract this sketch of his labors as 

 an improver of the soil and the wealth of his country 

 — labors, which though highly advantageous in their 

 results to his own private interests, were immeasurably 

 more beneficial to Great Britain and to mankind. His 

 biographer says that "from the days of Cato the Cen- 

 sor, down to those of Curwen of Workington Hall, 

 there is no greater name in the annals of Agriculture, 

 than that of Sir John Sinclair." This may, or may 

 not, be exaggerated praisp; but it is certain that no agri- 

 culturist has ever been directed by motives more purely 

 public spirited and philanthropic, and none has met 

 with more distinguished success, or gained so much 

 celebrity. 



In making these extracts, we have passed by all of 

 Sinclair's public life that was not connected with agri- 

 cultural and economical improvement. But there re- 

 mains another portion, to which the memoir has not yet 

 jeached, which, if well treated, will deserve a place in 

 this journal. This is the founding of (he British Board 

 of Agriculture, and the commencement and progress 

 of the county surveys and reports, and other impor- 

 tant measures instituted and effected by the Board — 

 the whole of which produced as much benefit to the 

 agricultural interests of Britam, as the plan, and its 

 execution, reflected honor on the distinguishedfounder.] 



