Seeing that you are on the committee on P. O. & P. Roads & at the instance of many friends I have been induced to write you respecting the Post office at this place which I have the honor of attending, I imagine you have before you a petition signed by the buisness men of this place asking some better compensation for this office it being inadequate for the labour we have to perform, had I consulted my own feelings I would have resigned a year ago but at the urgent solicitation Of the citizens I have continued to attend to the duties of the office believing that some allowance would be made there was an effort made last year to increase as they supposed the compensation of Post Masters, but which had a contratry effect on this office as I will shew you, hereafter. I then talked of sending on my resignation immedeately but was solicited to hold on believing that when congress was made acquainted with that fact they would certainly correct it. I then made up my mind to remain so long as to give them an opportunity of acting on it the present Session I have now waited almost 3 months & nothing done yet. I do not intend to remain in the office longer than the first of April next at furthest unless the compensation is increased, & consequently I would have to give the Dept sufficient notice for them to appoint a successor, which leaves me but a short time now to attend to it. If agreeable to you I hope you will take an interest in the matter and have it urged to a speedy close, so that I may know how to act. If I am to resign I want to Know it soon so that I may look out for other employment, & If I remain I would like to Know it, the Petition before you asks to have this made a sallary office in Lieu of the former or present mode of Payment. If they cannot make it a sallary office could they not pass a law instructing the P. M. General to pay what is deemed right in proportion to the Labour we have to perform[?] I firmly believe that the Post master here should receive at least 800. $ a year exclusive of office rent &^c one reason I have for saying so is that he has to perform more labour than the 4 surrounding offices (viz) Danville, Sunbury, Milton, Lewisburg & yet either of those offices receives more compensation than I do, for instance the Post Master at Danvill receives about 600. $ & yet he has not more than ¼ the buisness or Labour to perform that I have here, this being a central point the different Routes branch off from here, [6?] in Number &^c that going the North Branch route is put up in two Mail bags only one of which is opened by the P. M. at Danville & so of all the others I have named. I am satisfied that if this office was paid 1200, it would not be as easily earned as the 600. at Danville, the reason of this is simply this our town is so situated that we have to work for the surrounding ones there being but little buisness done here there is not so many letters sent or received, the Bank here does about ½ the buisness of the office in the way of sending & receiving Letters, which is but poor support to the office here, all the Letters they send off are unpaid & at least the one half they receive are prepaid

I promised to shew you that in place of increasing the pay at this office they decreased it at the last session of congress, the act of 3^d March reduced the pay of this office nearly 50 per cent from what it originally was (viz the Postmaster in 1843, rec^d about 600. per annum & under this act of the 3^d march they reduced it to about $420. the act of last session reduced it to about $365. besides the franking privilege, the way it is done is by not allowing for night work, which I think is very unreasonable to think that a person having to be disturbed of his rest at night should not be allowed something for it, under the present law the person having nothing to do in the night time gets Just as much compensation as the one engaged the whole night, for instance in this office I have to be up nearly all hours in the night to receive the mails, there always being 3 routes arriving in the night I have generally to be up at 12.—2. o Clock & ½ past 3. & at Danville & those other places named they have not to be up at night unless there is some interruptions in the mails caused by bad roads &^c I have already made this letter too long but wished to give you a fair statement of the matter as I am convinced neither congress or the P. O. Department have any Knowledge of the Difference there is in the labour of the offices named or they would at once remidy the evil complained of. Mr. Pollock the member from this district can tell you all about it he having a knowledge in part of the matter himself & being acquainted with all the signers to the petition. If you can act in the matter soon I would be pleased. I presume you have no Knowledge of me although I may have of you. I became acquainted with you when you were in the state senate years ago, hoping that you will endeavour to do what is right & just in the case I leave it with you