time parties came through from Canandaigua on the
old Indian Trail. In 1802, Mr. Ellicott, the Holland Land Company's
agent, procured the establishment of a post-office at Batavia, and the
appointment of James Brisbane as postmaster.[H]

In 1804 the Holland Land Company's survey of the inner lots of the
present City of Buffalo was made, and on the 26th of March in that year
Congress passed an Act in relation to post-routes which provides that
the post-route from Canandaigua to Niagara shall pass by Buffalo Creek.
From this it is clearly to be inferred that the mail to Niagara had been
previously carried upon a different route, as above stated.

In the Buffalo Directory of 1828 is the following statement:

The first mail received here was in March, 1803, on horseback. It
was conveyed from the East once in two weeks, in this manner, until
1805. A weekly route was then established and continued until 1809.
In 1810 the mode of conveyance was changed and a stage-wagon was
used.

This statement is substantially repeated in several subsequent
directories and is probably _nearly_ correct; although it will be
recollected that the post-office at Buffalo was not established until
September, 1804, and it appears by extracts from a Canandaigua paper
that a "stage road to Niagara" was advertised, in 1808, to leave
Canandaigua every Monday, at 6 o'clock a. m., and arrive at Niagara
_via_ Buffalo every Thursday at 3 a. m. These stages were run by John
Metcalf, who, in April, 1807, had obtained from the Legislature of this
State a law giving him the exclusive right, for some years, of running
stages from Canandaigua to Buffalo, and imposing a fine of $500 on any
other person running wagons on said route as a stage line. He was
required to provide at least three wagons and three stage sleighs with
sufficient coverings and a sufficient number of horses. The fare was
not to exceed six cents a mile for a passenger and fourteen pounds of
baggage; and for every one hundred and fifty pounds additional baggage
he was to be entitled to charge six cents a mile or in that proportion.
He was to start on regular days, and between the first day of July and
first day of October he was to accomplish said route between Canandaigua
and Buffalo at least once in a week, unavoidable accidents excepted.

In a report made to Congress by the Hon. Gideon Granger,
Postmaster-General, on the 21st of February, 1810, it is stated that in
Ma