Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1870-05-27

ton Court House is connected by packet
boat with Norfolk, on the opposite side of the
Chesa peake. The distance from Cherrystone.
the landing near Northampton Court House
to Norfolk, is 60 miles across, the very broad
est and most exposed part of the Chesapeake.
If then an intercourse is constantly and
safely kept up across an expanse of water of
go miles, and so much exposed as that part
of the bay evidently is to the draft and swell
OF the ocean. how inconsiderable must be the
difficulty in crossing the Potomac from St.
Mary's to Gone, only ten miles wide or one
sixth of the above distance Much more con-
siderable are the obstacles formed by the deep
clay and unevenness of the road from WASH
ington, through Williamsburg to Norfolk -
Nothing can be worse than that road in VIM
ter; it is many times utterly impossible for
several days. The route suggested through
the lower counties of Maryland aud the North
ern Neck of Virginia, in addition to shorten
ing the road very considerably in any way,
whether we follow the usual post roads or
open new and straighter road, has the great
advantage of passing through level and
sandy country, whereas now it passes through
rough, billy, clayey country. That this al
teration will sooner or later take effect, can
not be doubted. But, however desirable such
change might be to the public, both for its
convenience and 10 political point of view,
and however advantageous it might be to the
country through which it would pass, yet
there is little hope of its being effected in -,
short time or even at all by the se.,.t,e
private ndividuals.-P:-S.s.oe' unioi tul"'e'J'
it so happenetiiat the lnhaoitants OF the coun-
ties through which this road must pass, both
ho1 ooSta for
prisiug of any in either State, and have no
idea Of the immense advantages resulting from
good roads. 1t is with them as with the
Spaniards, Portuguese and Italians, because
nature has done much for them, they choose
to do nothing for themselves. Although they
possess soil and climate, the most fertile and
mild in the world, yet so great is their indo-
lence, that they scarcely grow sufhclency
for their own wants. So the inhabitants OF
this part of Maryland and Virginia, because
nature has blessed them with an easy carriage
for their produce, and with soil the best tit
ted for roads in the world, have scarcely done
anything whatever for their improvement.
and have left everything to nature and to
chance. So that there is not one single
straight road in Prince Georges, Charles or
St. Mary'e counties, but all go winding round
hills and brooks, rivulets and marshes, woods
and fences, just as accident directs, and on
level ground, and nearly the whole surface of
that country is level. The public roads are
not straight, but bend to the caprice, obstin l.
cy or convenience of private individuals, who
have turned or altered them to suit their en-
closures, and set gates upon them in as great
plumber and where each individual pleases. SO
that travellers actually lose more time and
have more trouble in opening gates of all
sorts, from good to the very worst imaginable,
than would be necessary to make the best
paved turnpike in the United States. These
great and paralyzing evils would instantly
disappear to the infinite comfort and credit OF
the State on establishing one single channel
of intercourse and communication with other
States, for they can owe their existence to the
secluded state alone in which these counties
lie. Not having any thoroughfase or great
! land channel of communication with other
States and portions Of country; oefUg
necked off to themselves, they content them
selves with Indifferent, narrow and crooked
roads for that communication which taxes
place among themselves, and habits renders
tolorable the greatest evils, and to those who
never saw straight road or road without
gates, these appear the best in the world
But these crooked paths and gates, the tro-
phes of sloth and ignorance, could not long
exist where strangers would be continually
putting them in mind Of them by their suffer-
ings and complaints. Another thing which
would bring home to the reflection OF con-
tractel minds the necessity Of improving such
a road. would be the direct and immediate
profit that would arise from the passage Of
strangers, and when once single good road
was established, it would be living exam
pie and model for all other roads and a com
plete and total change for the better would
take place over the whole face of the adjoin'
ing country How profitable, how useful
how desirable such change need not be
, mentioned. A country without roads is like
body without veins or tree without roots
torpid mass, and the greater the number
and the longer the veins and roots, the greater
will be their nourishment and strength, ano
, to carry on the comparison, if the veins ar,
choked up and the roots are decayed, ane
both are strangely and unnecessarily crooked
:: and winding. in an exact proportion Will tina
!. BODY or tree BIZ weak and defective. Road
= are the channels of conveyance for produce
. and intelligence, the food of the body ant
mind. The greater the facilities for the con
veyance of both, the greater will be the guam
titles produced, and the greater will be tn
improvement of that country which possesse
h the best The saving of time, the saving o
J. hands, the saving of team, the saving OF foo
: and provender, the saving of wear and tea
of vehicles in the course of years, is beyoL'
O all computation, and the consequent improve
: ment created by these facilities, given to al
0 the occupations Of life, and particularly to tn
= agriculturist, who has to transport the great
a est quantity Of bulky articles, is in the pre-
n portion of figures continually doubled. Bu
v industry is still more promoted by the nfor
:: nation and knowledge men possess than D
o the external advantages of situation, soil, eli
Q mate and population. To find how true tn
I is, we need only examine map and hlstor
4 of the nations Of the world. Then how inf
nitely valuable are good roads in causing
o greater and more rapid circulation of informs
!, ton, by all the variety of means, by neigh
ly intercourse, by travellers, by books, .
J. newspapers. Do we want examples to sho
> the melancholy and sad effects of contrac
10 ed intercourse and bad roads? Look at a
,e the savage nations of the world, from tt
IF Laplander to the Hottentots. Look at Spai
v and Portugal and their colonies, throug
: which a jealous policy would not suffer
is stranger to pass They have wretched roae
70 and wretched accommodations for traveller
D. They are sunk in ignorance, sloth and COW
4 ardice. Look at Turkey and all her va
20 provinces which afford no accommodation
,e to travellers but four naked walls, without
g. roof. They are wretched and ignorant to Il
n Al, klor ho,, Ipok Of ~