REPORT IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
JANUARY 19, 1848.

Mr. Lincoln, from the Committee on the Post-office and Post Roads, made
the following report:

The Committee on the Post-office and Post Roads, to whom was referred the
petition of Messrs. Saltmarsh and Fuller, report: That, as proved to
their satisfaction, the mail routes from Milledgeville to Athens, and
from Warrenton to Decatur, in the State of Georgia (numbered 2366 and
2380), were let to Reeside and Avery at $1300 per annum for the former
and $1500 for the latter, for the term of four years, to commence on the
first day of January, 1835; that, previous to the time for commencing the
service, Reeside sold his interest therein to Avery; that on the 5th of
May, 1835, Avery sold the whole to these petitioners, Saltmarsh and
Fuller, to take effect from the beginning, January a 1835; that at this
time, the Assistant Postmaster-General, being called on for that purpose,
consented to the transfer of the contracts from Reeside and Avery to
these petitioners, and promised to have proper entries of the transfer
made on the books of the department, which, however, was neglected to be
done; that the petitioners, supposing all was right, in good faith
commenced the transportation of the mail on these routes, and after
difficulty arose, still trusting that all would be made right, continued
the service till December a 1837; that they performed the service to the
entire satisfaction of the department, and have never been paid anything
for it except $----; that the difficulty occurred as follows:

Mr. Barry was Postmaster-General at the times of making the contracts and
the attempted transfer of them; Mr. Kendall succeeded Mr. Barry, and
finding Reeside apparently in debt to the department, and these contracts