We the Subscribers, citizens of the counties of Jefferson and St Lawrence, in the State of New York: would petition your Honorable Body. to establish a mail Route, commencing at, LeFargeville, in the Town of Orleans, in Jefferson County, by way of Shantyville, and Parker Settlement, to Theresa, where it intersects the Watertown and Hammond and also the Plesis and Alexandria Mails from thence by way of Websters Corners, to the Ox Bow, where it intersects the eastern and Southern Mails, from Denmark in Lewis County, Ogdens Burg, from thence by the way of the village of Caledonia in1 Rossie to [Gouverneur?] in St Lawrence County the whole distance being but Twenty Seven Miles. And your Petitioners would further represent the Necessity of said Route by Refference to the accompaning map. (which was drawn from a Lithograph of the State giving Town lines by authority of the State) And by the following information and statisticks. All the Northern Parts of Jefferson County and the Southern and Eastern parts of St Lawrence County with their heavy productions find an outlet either at [Alexandria?] Bay or at French Creek on the River St Lawrence and most of the Merchandise for Gouverneur Fullerville the East Part of Rossie Lewisburg Sterlingville Philadelphia [Antwerp?] Ox Bow Theresa and all this Section of Country both send their produce and Receive their Merchandise from those [Posts?][.] The amount of Lumber and the great amount of Iron from the numerous Furnaces make an immense buisness besides the agricultural Productions of the Country make a large buisness centering at those Posts while east from Theresa in all the above named places there is no communication by Mail except arround by Ogdens Burg or Watertown the other way, From Ox Bow [Antwerp?] or Gouverneur a distance of only from 20 to 30 miles on the proposed route to [Alexandria?] Bay the nearest route at present is sixty to eighty miles and takes from six to ten days to get an answer from Ox Bow to [Alexandria?] Bay or French Creek. a And We would further represent that by establishing the above Route commencing at Le Fargevill intersecting the Watertown and French Creek line which runs three times a week each way from thence to Theresa intersecting the mail from Watertown to Hammond Redwood Plesis and [Alexandria?] Bay which also runs three times a Week each Way from thence to Ox Bow intersecting the Denmark and Ogsden Burg Route with the Southern and Eastern Mail from thence to Gouverneur where it would reach the Watertown and Ogdensburg Route by the Way of Evans Mills an Philadelphia and Antwerp and through from Gouverneur by2 Richvill Decalb Canton Hewvelton to Ogdens Burg, The above Route would not only afford a great accomodation to those villages and sections that are deprived of direct communication with those [Posts?] on the St Lawrence River where they do all [their?] buisness of transportation and is so Necessary to them, But would by intersecting the three Routes North from Denmark and Watertown to Ogdens Burg add greatly to their Facilities in communicating with those places and those places with each other. as this cross line would enable them to Communicate daily each Way. The amount of Buisness done at those [posts?] and from the section of Country lying on the proposed routs may be inferred from the Census in 1845 and with the knowledge that some portions of the Buisness of the Country has doubled since that time there has been three large Furnaces put in operation with in three years and others inlarged which have their buisness on the proposed routes

And your Petitioners would further represent that the proposed route runs through a good [...?]well settled and thriving Country with good Roads and with good Facilities for the transportation of the mails[.] And your Petitioners believe will yield more revenue to the department than will pay all the expenses of of transporting the mail and add greatly to the Facilities of Buisness

Theresa has a poulation of near 3000 2 large ^Flouring^ Mills 5 saw mills Furnace 8 stores printing office &c &c, Antwerp 6 stores 2 mills 1 Furnace, East Rossie one Large Furnace Building Mills &c. Governeur large Buisness, Fowler 3 Furnaces and Mills. Philadelphia Furnace Mills &c. Lewisburg do., Edwards do