I am authorised to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 15. ins^t., with the accompanying “petition of sundry members of the Virginia Legislature”, and to state in answer, that there is no direct mail route from New London to Rocky Mount V^a.

The Post offices at “Wades” & the “Meadows” are on a route from Martinsville by Dickensons &c to New London and Hales Ford & Taylor’s Shore on a route from Rocky Mount to Liberty. Mail communication between New London & Rocky Mount is now via Liberty (by the Lynchburg & Big Lick route) or via Dickenson’s, where the Martinsville & New London route intersects one from Danville to Rocky Mount.

The proposed turn-pike diverges at The Meadows (Goose Creek) from one of the above routes and intersects the other at Hales’ Ford (Holland’s,) and it is necessary that a route should be established by law between these two points before mails can be sent, as desired, between New London & Rocky Mount.

The distance from New London via Liberty to Rocky Mount is 59 miles and via Dickenson’s 63 miles; and, judging [...?] from the ^maps^

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maps of the Department, the proposed route would seem not to be much shorter; though the ^actual^ distance across from [...?] the Meadows to Hales Ford is not known.

The petition, submitted by you, is herewith returned, as requested.