The Petition of the undersigned citizens of the County of Caldwell in the state of Missouri Respectfully represents: That the city of Lexington on the south side of the Missouri River is a port & place of much & increasing trade business & importance. Here there are two political papers, one of each party & a literary paper, published, many numbers of which are taken in Ray, Caldwell, & Daviess counties & the people of said counties have much business & communication with said city. your Petitioners further state that the county of Ray borders on the Missouri River that the county of Caldwell lies immediately north of & adjoining said county of Ray & the county of Daviess immediately north of & adjoining said county of Caldwell & that Richmond the county seat of Ray, 8 to 10 miles from Lexington, & Kingston the county seat of Caldwell some 29 miles north of Richmond & Gallatin the county seat of Daviess some 20 miles north of Kingston, are all pretty much on a straight line from south to north. There is a very good State Road from Lexington by Richmond through Kingston to Gallatin, with good bridges across every considerable creek. your petitioners state that at present the mail is carried from Lexington on horseback on a serpentine route by Camden in Ray to Richmond, some 20 miles, whereas by the direct route the distance from Lexington to Richmond, is only about 8 miles. From Richmond the mail is carried on horseback once a week to Kingston, the end of the Route; & from Kingston to Gallatin there is not & never has been a direct post route, & the mail connection between Gallatin & Kingston, Richmond & Lexington is most inconveniently circuitous & dilatory. your petitioners therefore respectfully declare & insist that a direct mail Route from Lexington by Richmond & Kingston to Gallatin is demanded as well by the business & interests of the people as those of the P. O. department. your petitioners further represent that the present considerable quantity ^of mail matter^, constantly increasing, require that the mail from Lexington to Gallatin (a distributing office) should be carried semi weekly & by a two horse coach. The mail service by this means of transportation can be had at from $500 to $600, not more than the latter sum at the most. your petitioners therefore pray your honorable bodies to pass a law establishing a direct mail route from Lexington by Richmond & Kingston to Gallatin, the mail to be carried semi weekly in a two horse coach. And your petitioners will ever pray &c.