The Petition of the undersigned, citizens of the County of Daviess in the State of Missouri respectfully represents: That the scanty mail facilities dilatory & uncertain as they are, now afforded to the citizens of said county, are insufficient & inconvenient insomuch that as well those who take papers, as many others who would, if certain & convenient mail facilities were afforded are greatly aggrieved. your petitioners represent the said county of Daviess, which is from 50 to 60 miles from the Missouri River, is one of the most promising & populous counties in the North Grand River country, having a population of near 5000, the Seat of Justice having a population of about 300. They further state that the only mail facilities at present enjoyed by the citizens of said county, are a horse route once a week from Chilicothe the county seat of Livingston County on the East, through Gallatin the county seat of Daviess to Plattsburg the County Seat of Clinton on the South West. And from Gallatin, there is a weekly horse mail to Cravensville, 5 miles & to Pattonsburg 15 miles. These are all the mail facilities enjoyed by the People of Daviess. As at present arranged almost our entire mail intercourse with the world is through Chilicothe, between which place & Gallatin, besides several smart unbridged creeks, are the two considerable, unbridged, Rivers of the East & West forks of North Grand River, which often retard & sometimes prevent the passage of the mail, on that part of the route from Gallatin to Plattsburg there are several unbridged creeks which at times obstruct the mail, but this part of the route might well be discontinued, as it is almost wholly useless to the citizens of Daviess or any body else, as it only supplies one small country P. O. which is near Plattsburg & nearer the Hanibal & St. Joseph Mail Route. At Chilicothe the mail for Daviess often accumulates, so that the mail carrier cannot bring all at one trip & sometimes he comes with only a few papers. These delays & irregularities are extremely vexatious to the reading & writing portion of our population & can only be remedied by giving us other & additional mail facilities. There is considerable trade & intercourse between this county & Richmond in the county of Ray & the city of Lexington on the Missouri River eight miles beyond. And at Lexington there is published two newspapers, one of each party, and a periodical, of which papers many numbers are taken in Daviess. Your Petitioners would further represent that the county of Caldwell lies directly North of ^& adjoining^ Ray & the county of Daviess

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lies direct North of & adjoining the County of Caldwell. Richmond the county Seat of Ray, Kingston the County seat of Caldwell & Gallatin the county seat of Daviess being nearly on a north & south line. At present the mail is carried from Lexington by Camden to Richmond—some 20 miles—from Richmond to Kingston 29 miles, (which last route your petitioners presume has never been constituted a Post route by act of Congress, but established by the P. M. G. by way of getting the mail to the county seat of Caldwell) & from Kingston to Gallatin 20 miles there never has been any mail route. your petitioners further represent that from Richmond by Kingston to Gallatin there is a good State road, with good bridges across all the considerable creeks. Through Richmond the mail stage route passes across the State from East to West, through Kingston the mail route passes from Hannibal on the Mississippi to St. Joseph on the Mo. And if there was a direct Post route from Lexington, or at any rate from Richmond to Gallatin your petitioners would have the advantage of the Eastern and western routes through Richmond & Kingston, which would afford the people of Daviess great additional mail facilities. Your petitioners therefore pray your Honorable bodies to establish a direct post route from the city of Lexington by Richmond, & at any rate from Richmond in Ray county by Kingston in Caldwell County, to Gallatin in Daviess County. And your petitioners refer your Honorable bodies to their Rep. Hon. W. P. Hall for further & fuller explanation & your petitioners will ever pray &c.