C 192 ] 
spirit of emulation amongst them. One would re¬ 
ceive instruction from the example of the other 
and all would be benefitted by a knowledge of the 
progress of improvement in each. But this would 
be a difficult task for any one person to perform 
My design in this communication is not to go be¬ 
yond the limits of my native state. 
Within a few years past the state of New-York 
has undoubtedly made very rapid advances in im¬ 
proving and opening roads. The legislature have 
from time to time made liberal grants of money, ' 
drawn from the avails of lotteries and other sources^ 
for opening new roads in the western and northern 
parts of the state. But so rapid has been the po- 
pulation of the new lands by emigrations principal¬ 
ly from the New-England states, that all the ordi¬ 
nary resources were found inadequate to satisfy the 
demands of the country for roads. Hence the sys¬ 
tem of establishing turnpike companies was resort¬ 
ed to. The prospect of increasing the value of 
lands by the establishment of good roads~the ex¬ 
pectation of profit from the tolls granted by the le¬ 
gislature, and the more fascinating project of spe¬ 
culating in turnpike stock, induced a large portion 
of the community to embark a part of their capitals 
lor these purposes. The spirit of turnpiking con¬ 
sequently spread over every part of the country,-—. 
Millions were vested in stock, and the state has 
become covered with turnpike roads. The num¬ 
ber of these incorporated companies, the great dis» 
