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■Regulations of the hire of capital are fixed by the Legislature .The profits from the actual employment of capital are left to findtheir own level, except in so far as, by bounties and exclusivemonopoly privileges, the industry of towns has been encouragedabove that of the country, and capital been enticed, by superiorprofit, from agriculture to manufactures and commerce. Butthe profits of those, who, instead of employing their capitalsthemselves, hire them out to others, who are to employ them,have been regulated ; or, in other words, the Legislature hasfixed a maximum rate of interest of money.
nr.
Of the Establishment of Facilities of internal COMMU-NICATION,-BY BoADS-CANALS-IRON IIaIL-WaYS, FOR
the Advancement of National Industry.
Were everyothcr encouragement given to agriculture, it wouldbe in vain, if the means of internal communication were imprac-ticable or difficult.
Roads are of indispensable utility, to promote the internalcommerce of agriculture and of manufactures; as welt as to bringthe whole of a state under the equal controul of the government,for the extension of the authority of law, and the general securi-ty of justice.
It was the first care of the Romans, to traverse their conquer-ed provinces by roads, for the extension of authority, or partlyfor the facility of oppression, but, undoubtedly, to the effect ofthe diffusion of the useful arts, and the general extension of civil-ization. The military roads, in Scotland , were formed by Go-vernment, particularly through the Highlands, for the equal ex-tension of authority, and with the happiest effect, in every pointof view.
But, though it certainly best suits the general government toexecute works, of such enlarged contemplation, at the public ex-pense, and under its own immediate direction, it seems, neverthe-less, generally understood, that, where the object in view is mere-ly that internal communication which is necessary, for facility ofthat interchange so indispensable to universal industry, the ma-nagement is best entrusted to local funds and local administra-t'ons, from which may be expected more attention to economy°f outlay, and to all the minutiae of detail in the execution.
The general administration of the public roads has, in Scot-land , by the statutes 1617 and 1660, been entrusted to the Jus-tices of the Peace, in their respective counties : By subsequentacts, which, also, make some other alterations and amendments,(such as acts 1669, 1670, 1686, and acts 5th Geo. I. arid 7tii