the "Temperance Hall," Preston, Lancashire, in which thirty-three
branches of the Church were represented, including a total of near
two thousand members.
In this conference, Elders Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and
myself were appointed a publishing committee for the Church. I was
also appointed editor and publisher of a monthly periodical, to be
called the _Millennial Star_.
While the residue of the committee travelled in the ministry, I
repaired to Manchester and commenced preparing to fulfill my new
appointments.
The first number of the _Star_ was issued in May. The
following hymn was written by myself expressly for the introduction
of this periodical, and originally appeared on its cover:
The morning breaks, the shadows flee;
Lo! Zion's standard is unfurled!
The dawning of a brighter day
Majestic rises on the world.
The clouds of error disappear
Before the rays of truth divine;
The glory, bursting from afar,
Wide o'er the nations soon will shine.
The Gentile fullness now comes in,
And Israel's blessings are at hand;
Lo! Judah's remnant, cleans'd from sin,
Shall in their promised Canaan stand.
Jehovah speaks! Let earth give ear,
And Gentile nations turn and live!
His mighty arm is making bare,
His covenant people to receive.
Angels from heaven, and truth from earth
Have met, and both have record born;
Thus Zion's light is bursting forth,
To bring her ransomed children home.
While engaged in editing and publishing the _Star_ I also
preached the gospel continually to vast congregations in and about
Manchester, and the spirit of joy, and faith and gladness was
greatly increased, and the number of the Saints was multiplied. I
also assisted my brethren in selecting, compiling and publishing a
hymn book. In this work was contained nearly fifty of my original
hymns and songs, composed expressly for the book, and most of them
written during the press of duties which then crowded upon me.
In the third number of the _Star_, page 65, is published
the final action of the Congress of the United States, on the
subject of the outrages committed by the State of Missouri, upon
the Church of the Saints. It reads as follows:
"TWENTY SIXTH CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION.
"In Senate of the United States, March 4, 1840. Submitted, laid
on the table, and ordered to be printed.
"Mr. Wall made the following report:
"The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the
Memorial of a Delegation of the Latter-day Saints, report:
"The petition of the memorialists sets forth, in substance, that
a portion of their sect commenced a settlement in the County of
Jackson, in the State of Missouri, in the summer of 1831; that they
bought lands, built houses, erected churches and established their
homes, and engaged in all the various occupations of life; that
they were expelled from that county in 1833 by a mob, under
circumstances of great outrage, cruelty and oppression, and against
all law, and without any offence committed on their part; and to
the destruction of property to the amount of one hundred and twenty
thousand dollars; that the society thus expelled amounted to about
twelve thousand souls; that no compensation was ever made for the
destruction of their property in Jackson County; that after their
expulsion from Jackson, they settled in Clay County, on the
opposite side of the Missouri River, where they purchased lands,
and entered others at the land office, where they resided peaceably
for three years, engaged in cultivation and other useful and active
employments, when the mob again threatened their peace, lives and
property, and they became alarmed, and finally made a treaty with
the citizens of Clay County, that they should purchase their lands,
and the Saints should remove, which was complied with on their
part, and the Saints removed to the County of Caldwell, where they
took up their abode, and reestablished their settlement, not
without having pecuniary losses and other inconveniences; that the
citizens of Clay County never paid them for their lands, except for
a small part.
"They remained in Caldwell from 1836 until the fall of 1838;
and, during that time, had acquired by purchase from the
government, the settlers and pre-emptionists, almost all the lands
in the County of Caldwell, and a portion of the lands in Daviess
and Carroll Counties--the former county being almost entirely
settled by the Saints, and they were rapidly filling up the two
latter counties.
"Those counties, where the Saints first commenced their
settlements, were for the most part wild and uncultivated, and they
had converted them into large and well improved farms, well
stocked.
"Lands had risen in value to ten, and even twenty-five dollars
per acre; and those counties were rapidly advancing in cultivation
and wealth.
"That in August, 1838, a riot commenced, growing out of an
attempt of a Saint to vote, which resulted in creating great
excitement, and the perpetration of many scenes of lawless outrage,
which are set forth in the petition. That they were finally
compelled to fly from those counties, and on the 11th of October,
1838, they sought safety by that means, with their families,
leaving many of their effects behind. That they had previously
applied to the constituted authorities of Missouri for protection,
but in vain.
"They allege that they were pursued by the mob, that conflicts
ensued, deaths occurred on each side; and, finally, a force was
organized under the authority of the Governor of the State of
Missouri, with orders to drive the Saints from the State, or to
exterminate them. The Saints thereupon determined to make no
further resistance; but to submit themselves to the authorities of
the State. Several of the Saints were arrested and imprisoned, on a
charge of treason against the State; and the rest, amounting to
about fifteen thousand souls, fled into other States principally in
Illinois, where they now reside.
"The petition is drawn up at great length, and sets forth with
feeling and eloquence the wrongs of which they complain; justifies
their own conduct, and aggravates that of those whom they call
their persecutors; and concludes by saying that they see no
redress, unless it is obtained of the Congress of the United
States, to whom they make their solemn, last appeal, as American
citizens, as Christians, and as men; to which decision they say
they will submit.
"The committee has examined the case presented by the petition,
and heard the views urged by their agent with care and attention;
and, after full consideration, unanimously concur in the opinion,
that the case presented for their investigation, is not such a one
as will justify or authorize any interposition by this government.
"The wrongs complained of are not alleged to have been committed
by any of the officers of the United States, or under the authority
of its government, in any manner whatever. The allegations in the
petition relate to the acts of the citizens, and inhabitants, and
authorities of the State of Missouri, of which State the
petitioners were, at the time, citizens or inhabitants. The
grievances complained of in the petition are alleged to have been
done within the territory of the State of Missouri. The committee,
under these circumstances, have not considered themselves justified
in enquiring into the truth or falsehood of the facts charged in
the petition. If they are true, the petitioners must seek relief in
the courts of judicature of the State of Missouri; or of the United
States, which has the appropriate jurisdiction to administer full
and adequate redress for the wrongs complained of; and, doubtless,
will do so fairly and impartially; or the petitioners may, if they
see proper, apply to the justice and magnanimity of the State of
Missouri; an appeal which the committee feels justified in
believing will never be made in vain by the injured or oppressed.
It can never be presumed that a State either wants the power, or
lacks the disposition, to redress the wrongs of its own citizens,
committed within her own territory; whether they proceed from the
lawless acts of her officers, or any other persons.
"The committee therefore reports, that they recommend the
passage of the following resolution:
"_Resolved_, That the committee on the Judiciary be
discharged from the further consideration of the memorial in this
case; and that the memorialists have leave to withdraw the papers
which accompany their memorial."
The action of the general government on this momentous subject,
establishes the precedent that there is no power in the government to
carry out the principles of its own Constitution. Fifteen thousand
citizens of the United States can be murdered, robbed, plundered,
driven from their lands, or disinherited, while the Constitution
guarantees to them liberty and protection, _and yet there is no power
to protect or reinstate them_. Congress only mocks them by referring
them to their murderers for redress. It seems almost superfluous to
say that the Saints appealed to a higher tribunal--even the throne
of God, where the case is yet pending; and that the Congress of the
United States is charged with being accessory to these highest crimes
known to the laws of God and man. They hold in fellowship this guilty
partner--Missouri--after knowing her to be a wholesale murderer and
land pirate.
As the case is yet pending before the court of Heaven, we will
drop the subject and proceed with our own history.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
------------------------
General Conference at Manchester:--
Ordinations and Appointments:--Return to New York:--Meet with
my Family:--Visit to the State of Maine:--A Dream and its
Fulfilment:--Embark Again for England:--Consequence of Looking
Back:--Safe Arrival in England:--Resume the Editorial Duties:--
Reflections.
On the 6th of July, 1840, a general conference was convened at
Manchester, in the "Carpenter's Hall," a building which would seat
near five thousand people.
There were present of the Twelve Apostles: Brigham Young, H. C.
Kimball, Wilford Woodruff, John Taylor, Willard Richards, George A.
Smith and myself. Of other officers: High Priests, 5; Elders, 19;
Priests, 15; Teachers, 11; and Deacons, 3.
At this conference Parley P. Pratt was unanimously chosen
President; and William Clayton, Clerk.
Two thousand seven hundred and sixty-seven members were
represented, including 254 officers.
The publishing committee had just completed the new hymn book,
which was presented to the conference, and accepted by them by
unanimous vote.
Three persons were then ordained to the high priesthood, viz.:
Thomas Kington, Alfred Cordon and Thomas Smith; also John
Albertson, John Blezord, William Berry, John Sanders, John
Parkinson, James Worsley, and John Allen were ordained elders;
seven individuals were ordained to the lesser Priesthood.
Many elders were also selected and appointed to labor in the
ministry in various parts. There was a variety of business
transacted, and much instruction given by Brigham Young and others,
after which, conference was adjourned to the 6th of October, at the
same place.
During this conference I received a letter from my family in New
York, informing me that they were dangerously ill of scarlet fever.
I, therefore, by advice of the other members of the quorum,
concluded to cross the ocean once more and bring them to England,
where I was likely to remain for several years rather in a
stationary position as an editor and publisher. I accordingly
repaired immediately to Liverpool and embarked for New York. I was
thirty-seven days confined on this dreary passage, without any
friends or associates who cared for me or the cause of truth.
I then landed in New York, found my wife and children recovered
from their sickness, for which I felt truly thankful. They were
agreeably surprised at seeing me so soon and so unexpectedly, and
so were the Saints in that city and vicinity. After several joyful
meetings among them, I went to the State of Maine on a visit with
my wife and children to her parents and kindred. They lived in
Bethel, Oxford County, about sixty miles from Portland, the seaport
where we landed. The day before our arrival my wife's sister, a
Mrs. Bean, prophesied to her husband that Brother Pratt and family
would arrive there the next evening, and she actually changed the
bedding and prepared the best room for our reception, as if she had
received notice of our coming. At this her husband and friends
laughed in derision; "for," said they, "our brother-in-law is in
England and his family in New York; how, then, will he be here
to-night?" But she still persisted, and made ready the room and all
things for our reception, assuring them that I would arrive that
night with my family.
Night came, the deep shades of evening gathered around, a dark
and gloomy night set in, and still no signs of us. They still
laughed her to scorn for her superstition, and she still persisted
in her anticipations of our momentary arrival. At length, as they
were about to retire to rest, we knocked at the door and were
joyfully received--it being the first time that any of my wife's
kindred there had seen my face.
Mrs. Bean had a dream a few days previous to our arrival, in
which she dreamed that I came to her and gave her a key to the
Bible. As she related the dream to me, I presented her with my
"Voice of Warning." It seemed to her and her husband as they read
it as if it was indeed a key to the doctrine and prophecies of the
Holy Scriptures. They rejoiced with exceeding joy, and promised to
be baptized, and to gather to Nauvoo if God would only open their
way to sell their farm.
My father-in-law, Aaron Frost, and household, and all our
kindred and many others in that region, received me with joy and
hospitality, and I preached several times in their churches.
I finally took leave of them and returned to New York,
accompanied by my wife's sister, Olive Frost, a young lady of some
twenty years of age, who accompanied us to England to help us in
the family.
We soon embarked, and after a long and tedious passage we
arrived again in England in October, 1840. My family then consisted
of my wife and wife's sister, and my wife's daughter, Mary Ann
Stearns, and my sons, Parley and Nathan.
I now again resumed the editorial duties in Manchester, and
assisted in the publishing department and in the presidency of the
Manchester Conference, and the general presidency of the work in
that country. The _Star_ had, during my absence, been edited
and published by Elders Young and Richards.
My brother-in-law, Samuel Bean, soon sold out, according to his
desires, and started with his family to remove to Nauvoo.
He arrived in Portland, ready to embark, when he heard some
lying tales about the "_Mormons_," as is usual, and being
darkened in mind he turned back and bought a farm in Maine, and
soon afterwards died without ever obeying the gospel or gathering
with the Saints. His wife and children were left as a widow and
orphans to drag out a lonely existence on a farm which was not
saleable, and without means to gather with the Saints, and without
opportunity to obey the gospel--a solemn warning to all persons not
to delay or neglect a strict and punctual obedience to their
convictions.
On the 6th of October, a general conference convened at
Manchester, according to adjournment.
I had hoped to land from America in time to attend it, but was
disappointed by contrary winds.
The following members of my quorum were present, viz: Brigham
Young, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, John Taylor, Willard
Richards, H. C. Kimball and G. A. Smith; other officers, viz.: High
Priests, 5; Elders, 19; Priests, 28; Teachers, 4; and Deacons, 2.
In this conference, Elder Orson Pratt was called to the chair,
and Elder George Walker chosen clerk.
A general representation showed a great increase since the July
conference, and a spread of the work into many parts.
Many ordinations took place; much instruction was given; and
many additional missionaries were sent out.
In a few days after this conference, I landed in safety with my
family, and again repaired to Manchester, and resumed the editorial
duties; and, in connection with Elder Young, superintended the
publishing department.
The October number of the _Star_ contains much cheering
news of the spread of the work in various parts of the United
States, England, Scotland and Isle of Man, and an interesting
account of Elder Orson Hyde's appointment on a mission to
Jerusalem, in connection with Elder John E. Page.
May the Almighty speed His work, and bless the believers with
signs following, and with grace and wisdom to escape all the
judgments which await the wicked, and to stand before the coming of
the Son of Man; for Christ's sake. Amen.
Thus closed the year 1840 with us and our labors. An eventful
year it had been to us, and to the Church of the Saints. It was the
first mission of the Twelve modern apostles, as a quorum, to a
foreign country. It had been undertaken under circumstances which
would have deterred men of a less holy and sacred calling and
responsibility. It had overcome chains and dungeons, and gloomy
cells, and perils of robbers and of death. It had triumphed over
poverty and sickness, and perils by sea and land. And it had
triumphed and been crowned with a success unparalleled, even by the
history of the ancient Apostles.
It was the hand of God that performed it, and to his name be
ascribed honor and majesty, and power and glory, forever and ever.
Amen.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
------------------------
Visit and Ministry in Bolton:--Conduct of two
Methodist Priests:--Arrest and Trial:--Emigration:--General
Conference at Manchester:--Council of the Twelve:--Charter
the ship "Tyrean:"--"Philosophy of the Resurrection:"--Emigration
on the Ship "Chaos:"--Visit to the Isle of Man:--Visit to
Norwich:--Mob.
On the 19th of January, 1841, I visited Bolton for the first
time; found an interesting society there consisting of about one
hundred and thirty members, including some small branches in the
vicinity. They appeared to be dwelling together in truth and love,
and zealously united in the cause of God and godliness. Their
presiding officer is an aged minister by the name of Crooks,
formerly of Stockport; through whose labors the Society there has
grown from a small handful to its present flourishing condition.
The meetings are crowded to excess, and scores of people are
pressing forward and uniting with the Church by repentance and
baptism. The Holy Ghost is poured out into their souls, and its
fruits are manifested in their gifts and blessings.
On Wednesday evening, the 20th, I attended one of their meetings, and
had the privilege of addressing a full and attentive audience. The
subject was confined to a few scriptural observations, in which the
precepts and promises of Christ were clearly set forth, as contained in
the written word of the New Testament. These were contrasted with the
systems of Christianity as they now exist, and the difference was so
manifest that the people saw clearly that the religion of Christ was
_one thing _, and modern sectarianism another. This so exasperated some
craftsmen who were present, viz.: a Mr. James Pendlebury, professedly
a Primitive Methodist preacher, and Mr. Thomas Balsham, of the New
Connection, that they could no longer hold their peace. For while the
sermon was proceeding, the said Pendlebury arose and began speaking so
loud that the speaker paused and requested the interruption to cease;
but was not heeded, for the intruder with stentorian voice continued
to cry out, saying: "This is a new doctrine, and we cannot believe it
without miracles; here is a blind man, heal him; here is a blind man,
heal him! You have preached a new doctrine--a new doctrine, sir, and
we want the proof--we want the proof!" By this time the house was all
confusion, everyone endeavoring to act as moderator. We endeavored
from the pulpit to command silence, and expressed our surprise that
the New Testament doctrine should be a new doctrine; but we found that
it was a new doctrine to him, as was manifest in his behavior. Indeed,
the doctrines of common law and civilization were to him equally as
strange and new as the doctrine of Christ, for he still continued to
disturb the meeting. The Saints commenced singing, and finally closed
the meeting. But while this was proceeding the riot grew more and
more violent, till at length a form was broken, and some other damage
done. While the civil part of the people were retiring from the room
they were variously insulted by him and his comrades, some crying out,
"He hath a devil," some challenging to debate, and some calling for a
miracle. At length a policeman arrived and took this brave champion
into custody, and his associate, T. Balsham.
These were handcuffed, marched away, and finally held to bail.
Next morning they had a warrant served on them for a breach of the
peace, and were brought before James Arrowsmith, Esq., Mayor, and
five magistrates. An able plea was made by Attorney John Taylor,
Esq., and a laborious attempt on the part of the prisoners to
justify themselves by the introduction of several witnesses
belonging to several different orders of Methodists, whose
testimony was more calculated to throw a false coloring over our
doctrine than anything else. At length Pendlebury was found guilty
of a breach of the peace, had to pay for the form and make good the
damages and costs of suit; and was bound in the penal sum of ten
pounds to keep the peace for six months.
It is to be hoped that these prompt measures will put a stop to
similar disturbances in our public worship, and also prove a
warning to other priests not to turn infidels against the doctrines
of the New Testament, and then use such vile measures against the
truth.
Since this affair we have heard verbally from Bolton, that many
are embracing the truth and coming to the waters of baptism. May
the Lord shed forth His Spirit upon the people of Bolton, and cause
a great work to be done among them.
During February, about two hundred and forty of the Saints
embarked at Liverpool for America, intending to settle with the
Saints at Nauvoo.
An edition of the Book of Mormon, consisting of 5,000 copies,
was issued by us at Liverpool during this month.
On the 6th of April, 1841, the Council of the Twelve assembled
at Manchester, in the "Carpenter's Hall," for the first time to
transact business as a quorum, in the presence of the Church in a
foreign land, being the first day of the twelfth year of the rise
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Nine of the quorum were present, viz.: Brigham Young, Heber C.
Kimball, Orson Hyde, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, Wilford
Woodruff, Willard Richards, John Taylor, and George A. Smith.
President Young having called the house to order and organized
the Conference, then opened by prayer. Elder Thomas Ward was then
chosen Clerk. The president then made some introductory remarks
relative to the organization of the Church in the house of the Lord
in America; in reference to the different quorums; in their
respective orders and authorities in the Church.
The representations of the Churches and conferences throughout the
kingdom were then called for. The total numbers of which were as
follows: 5,814 members; 136 Elders; 303 Priests; 169 Teachers; and 68
Deacons, besides about 800 souls who had emigrated to America during
the year, who were not included in this representation. * *
Eleven persons were chosen and ordained to the high priesthood
during this conference, and twelve persons were ordained elders.
Several new conferences were also organized, and presidents were
appointed for each conference in the kingdom.
The names of the several conferences, with their respective
presidents, were as follows: Manchester, P. P. Pratt; Edinburgh, G.
D. Watt; Liverpool, J. Greenhouse; London, Lorenzo Snow;
Macclesfield, J. Galley; Staffordshire, A. Cordon; Birmingham, J.
Riley; Glasgow, J. McAuley; Gadfield Elm, Thomas Richardson;
Preston, P. Melling; Brampton, J. Sanders; Garmay, Levi Richards;
Clitheroe, Thomas Ward; Froomes Hill, William Kay.
The business of the conference being accomplished, several appropriate
discourses were delivered by different members of the quorum in
relation to the duties of the officers in their respective callings,
and in relation to the duties and privileges of the members, also on
the prosperity of the work in general. * * * * * *
Elders Young and Miller then sang the hymn, "Adieu, my dear
brethren," etc., and President Young blessed the congregation and
dismissed them.
This conference closed the mission of the Twelve for the present
in England, and as they were about to take their departure for
America, all save myself, an epistle was addressed by them to the
Saints in the British Isles. It was written by my own hand, under
the direction of the president of the quorum, and signed by each of
the nine members present in that country. It was dated at
Manchester, April 15, 1841.*
[Footnote] *See _Millenial Star_, April, 1841.
In the month of September, 1841, Brother Amos Yielding and
myself chartered a large new ship called the "Tyrean," Captain
Jackson, master, for New Orleans. On which we sent two hundred and
seven passengers of our society bound for Nauvoo.
Our chartered ship, the "Tyrean," sailed with two hundred and
seven passengers on the morning of the 21st of September. On going
out of the dock the previous day, many hundreds crowded around to
witness a ship load of the sons and daughters of Zion depart from
their native shore for the promised land. They moved slowly out
into the river, singing:
"Lovely native land, farewell!
Glad I leave thee--Glad I leave thee--
Far in distant lands to dwell."
Next morning they weighed anchor about ten o'clock, and hoisted
sail before a fair wind; moving away under the flag of liberty--the
American Stars and Stripes.
The emigrants were all on deck, and in good spirits; and as our
little boat came off with three hearty cheers, they were singing
the favorite hymn:
"How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!"
The last lines which we heard, as their voices were lost in the
distance, were as follows:
"When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o'er flow."
Hats and handkerchiefs were still waving in view as a last token
of farewell. Soon all was a dim speck upon the ocean; a few moments
more and they vanished from view in the wide expanse and lost in
the distance. May God speed them onward in their course, and land
them safely in their destined port.
The _Star_ for October, 1841, contains several other
communications of interest; giving cheering accounts of the spread
of the work in various places, but we will not record them here.
The November number opens with an editorial on "The Philosophy
of the Resurrection," from which we extract the following:
The mysterious works of God in the formation, progress, changes,
and final destiny of creation, are all wonderful and miraculous in
one sense. The formation of the natural body in embryo, or even of
a plant or flower, is as much a miracle as the creation or
reorganization of a world or the resurrection of the body. Each
effect has its cause, and each cause its effect; and the light,
spirit or truth which proceeds from Deity is the law of life and
motion; the great governing principle of the whole machinery of the
universe, whether natural or spiritual, temporal or eternal. It is
the cause of causes; the main spring of nature's time piece. By it
we live; in it we move and have a being.
Let man be placed upon a lofty eminence surrounded with the
original elements of uncreated worlds; let him contemplate the
confused and chaotic mass of unorganized existence; let him hear
the voice of truth and power as its first sentence rolls in majesty
of wisdom from the lips of Deity; let him behold the first movement
of chaos as it begins to come to order.
Let him contemplate its various workings till the heavens and
earth, and man and beast, and plant and flower startle into
conscious being in all the beauty of joyous existence; let him
observe every minute particular of its progress through time in all
its various changes; let him contemplate the changing seasons as
they roll in hours and days, and months, and years; let his
thoughts reach to the starry heavens and view them in all their
motions and revolutions; the sun in its daily course; the planets
in their annual revolutions; the blazing comet as it moves afar in
the wilds of ether, and returns from its journey of a hundred or a
thousand years; let him return to earth and view the vegetable
kingdom as it blooms and ripens and falls again to decay in the
revolving seasons; the time-worn oak of a thousand years, as it
braves the tempest, or the modest flower whose life is but a day;
let him view the animal creation in all its variety, as it appears
and passes in turn from the stage of action; let him contemplate
man from his infant formation through all the changes of his
various life till he returns to dust; let him view the laborious
revolutions of the groaning earth and its various inhabitants
through all their temporal career, till wearied Nature sinks to
rest, and, worn by slowly rolling years, the earth itself shall
die; and lastly, let him contemplate all Nature regenerated,
renewed, and starting into being, while death itself shall
conquered be and immortality alone endure.
The vision ended. Man! what hast thou seen?
Nothing out of the ordinary course; all I beheld was nature
moving in perfect accordance with the law of its existence; not one
single deviation or shadow of turning from the immutable laws of
truth.
But hast thou seen no miracle?
Yes, it was all miraculous; it was all achieved by the law of
light, which was the immediate power of God; but it was all upon
the most natural, easy, simple and plain principles of nature in
its varied order, and which to call the most miraculous I know not,
whether it was the creation of a world, the blossoming of a flower,
the hatching of a butterfly, or the resurrection of the body, and
the making of new heavens and a new earth. All these were so many
displays of the power of God.
All these were miraculous.
All these were natural.
All these were spiritual.
All these were adapted to the simplest capacity, aided by the
Spirit of God. All these were too sublime for an archangel to
comprehend by his own capacity, without the spirit of revelation.
On Sunday, October 17, 1841, the Manchester Conference convened
at the "Carpenter's Hall." Twelve branches were represented,
consisting of one thousand, five hundred and eighty-one members,
with appropriate officers. Many were called to the ministry, and
ordained to their respective offices. Instructions were given in
relation to the duties of the officers, members, etc., and they
were particularly exhorted to abstain from intoxicating drinks,
together with tobacco, snuff and all other evil habits.
After the ordinations, the Saints present partook of the Lord's
Supper, and sung and rejoiced together. Several interesting and
useful addresses were delivered at evening, and the meeting
concluded with a spirit of joy and satisfaction. The number of
officers present at this conference was about one hundred, and
members not far from one thousand.
Some hundreds had emigrated from this conference, and still it
numbered near one thousand, five hundred members, all of whom had
been gathered in about two years, and that from an obscure
beginning in a small basement in Oldham Road, being the first place
where the fullness of the gospel was preached within the bounds of
what now comprises the Manchester Conference.
On the 8th of November we sent out the ship "Chaos," with about
one hundred and seventy passengers of the Saints.
Cheerfulness and satisfaction seemed to pervade every heart as
they bid farewell to their native shores, and set sail for the land
of promise.
Several interesting communications were received during the
month of November, from various parts of the country, the purport
of which was that the sick were healed, the lame walked, the old
men dreamed dreams, the young men saw visions, and the Lord's
servants and handmaidens spake in tongues and prophesied, while the
Lord was showing wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth
beneath--blood, fire and vapor of smoke.
In the meantime, the wicked rage, and the people imagine a vain
thing; the priests take counsel together against the Lord and
against His hinted ones. The most artful falsehoods ever inspired
by Satan continues to flood the country, both from the press and
pulpit, and reiterated those who profess to be followers of Jesus.
We went on a short mission to the Isle of Man of late, and after
preaching to vast multitudes the plain truth of the scriptures,
they would mock and make light of the Bible, and everything quoted
from it.
The priests too were busy in church and chapel, in lying against
and perverting the written Word, and thus inspiring the people with
violence, hatred and every cruel work; yet we found the Saints
rejoicing in the truth, and the honest in heart disposed to inquire
into it.
We have just returned from a visit to Middlewich and Norwich. In
the former place we had a very candid hearing in the magistrate's
room, which was filled. In the latter place many hundreds of people
assembled at our meeting house, among which were a large number of
"Association Methodists" and other professors, with one Thompson at
their head, who came possessed of the devil to make disturbance.
These made all manner of noises, such as whooping, shouting,
laughing, whistling, mocking, etc. They openly hissed and mocked
the written word of Jesus and His apostles, and made such a noise
as to finally break up the meeting; after which they began to rush
among the people, and to bellow like bulls, and to run over, and
knock down, and trample under foot all who came in their way. We
narrowly escaped, but finally got out of their midst. Mr. Thompson
then addressed them, justifying and applauding their conduct. The
lights were at length extinguished, and the room cleared, but not
until some persons were wounded, and some forms broken.
CHAPTER XL.
------------------------
Notice for a General Conference:--Extract of a
Letter from Elder Orson Hyde in Jerusalem:--Extracts from
my Farewell Address.*.
[Footnote] *See _Millenial Star_, October, 1842.
The following appointment for a general conference for the
British Isles appeared in the March number of the _Star_:
"The several conferences of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain, are
hereby informed that a general conference will be held in
Manchester, to commence on Sunday, the 15th day of May next, and to
continue for several days, or until all the business is completed.
"Each conference is requested to appoint one or more delegates
to present them in the general conference, and to assist in such
business as may be necessary for the general welfare and prosperity
of the cause of truth. It is very desirable that a full
representation should be made of all the conferences, branches, and
members of this realm.
"P. P. PRATT, _President_.
"THOMAS WARD, _Clerk_."
In the _Star_ for March, 1842, the following editorial
introduces an extract of a letter from Elder Hyde in Jerusalem:
"We have lately received two lengthy and highly interesting
letters from Elder Orson Hyde, dated at Trieste, January 1 and 18,
containing a sketch of his voyages and travels in the East; his
visit to Jerusalem; a description of ancient Zion; the pool of
Siloam, and many other places in Holy Writ; with several
illustrations of the manners and customs of the East as applicable
to scripture texts; and several conversations held between himself
and some of the Jewish missionaries, etc., in Jerusalem; together
with a masterly description of a terrible tempest and thunder storm
at sea, with a variety of miscellaneous reflections and remarks,
all written in an easy, elegant and masterly style; partaking of
the eloquent and sublime, and breathing a tone of that deep
feeling, tenderness and affection so characteristic of his mission
and the spirit of his holy and sacred office.
"Elder Hyde has, by the grace of God, been the first proclaimer
of the fullness of the gospel both on the Continent and in far off
Asia, among the nations of the East. In Germany, Turkey, Egypt and
Jerusalem he has reared, as it were, the ensign of the Latter-day
glory, and sounded the trump of truth; calling upon the people of
those regions to awake from their thousand years slumber and to
make ready for their returning Lord.
"In his travels he has suffered much, and has been exposed to
toils and dangers; to hunger, pestilence and war. He has been in
perils by land and sea, in perils among robbers, in perils among
heathens, Turks, Arabs and Egyptians; but out of all these things
the Lord has delivered him, and has restored him in safety to the
shores of Europe, where he is tarrying for a little season for the
purpose of publishing the truth in the German language--having
already published it in French and English in the various countries
of the East. And we humbly trust that his labors will be a lasting
blessing to Jew and Gentile."
Being about to return to America, I published in the October
number of the _Star_, 1842, my Farewell Address, from which
I here give a few extracts:
FAREWELL ADDRESS TO OUR READERS AND PATRONS
_Brethren and Friends_:--As I am about to take leave of
the STAR, and give it to the management of others, I feel it
necessary to make a few remarks suited to the occasion.
This publication was undertaken two years and six months since.
Since that time I have labored diligently, as far as a pressure of
other duties would admit, to render it a useful and interesting
periodical. I have published the principles of the Latter-day
Saints, together with a choice selection of the most interesting
items of news in relation to the progress of these principles among
men.
I have also endeavored at all times to defend the cause of
truth, and to ward off the arrows of envy and slander which have
been hurled at the children of light by the strong arm of thousands
who speak evil of things they understand not.
I feel great satisfaction in a review of my editorial course; I
feel my conscience clear, and a secret whispering within, that I
have done my duty faithfully before God.
I also feel to rejoice in the success which has attended the
efforts of the servants of God in this country in the publication
of truth. At the commencement of the STAR, the Saints in Europe
numbered less than two thousand, they now number near ten thousand,
besides thousands who have emigrated to a distant land. This,
surely, is a great triumph of the truth, when we take into
consideration the prejudice and opposition which we have had to
encounter. Surely the STAR has stood forth as a beacon on a hill,
as a lonely lamp amid surrounding darkness, to light the weary
pilgrim on his toilsome journey, and to kindle up the dawn of a day
of glory when the effulgent beams of the sun of righteousness shall
shine forth as the morning, and dispel the misty vapors which, like
a gloomy cloud, have for ages hovered over the pathway of mortals.
Dear Brethren and Sisters--Though I now take leave of the
editorial department, and withdraw from the shores of Europe, yet I
have the satisfaction of leaving the STAR to shine among you in its
full glory, being conducted by one who has a willing heart and a
ready pen, and one who, I hope, will be so aided by his patrons and
by Divine favor as to be able to conduct it with effect, till its
feeble rays shall be lost amid the effulgence of the rising morn.
I now return my sincere thanks to all our agents and patrons,
and to all who have in any way contributed to our assistance in
this great and good work; and I pray that the blessings of God may
rest upon them and upon the thousands who may hereafter peruse this
work.
I must now take leave of you for a season, as duty calls me
home. I have labored among you in the ministry between two and
three years, and for the last eighteen months (since the departure
of the rest of the Twelve) I have had the more particular
presidency of the Church in Europe, and as one of old said, "in
some measure the care of all the churches."
In this highly responsible trust I have endeavored so to serve
you in all things, both temporal and spiritual, and to go in and
out among you in the fear of God, exercising judgment, mercy, and
charity according to the ability which God has given me. I have
endeavored to teach the ignorant, to reclaim the transgressor, and
to warn the wicked; to comfort the feeble-minded, to bind up the
broken hearted, and to administer to the poor.
I recommend and appoint Elder Thomas Ward as my successor in the
office of the General Presidency of the Church in Europe, in
connection with Elders Lorenzo Snow and Hiram Clark. To these
persons I commit the care and government of the Church in this
country for the present, trusting that they will conduct and
counsel in all things according to the mind of the Spirit, and
according to the counsel which shall be given them from Nauvoo,
from time to time, by the quorum of the Twelve, or the first
Presidency.
On taking leave of you for a season I take this opportunity to
assure you before God, to whom we are all accountable, _that the
fullness of the gospel is true, that the Book of Mormon is true,
and that the everlasting covenant is true, and will stand when
heaven and earth shall pass away_.
I now take a pleasing farewell of the Saints, with a firm
conviction that I have labored diligently and done my duty thus
far, and I have nothing to regret but my own weaknesses and
imperfections, which I trust you will all be willing to forgive,
and that God will forgive also.
Please remember me in your prayers, and may the Lord Almighty
bless you all, and preserve us faithful to the end, that we may
meet again with joy. Amen.
CHAPTER XLI.
------------------------
Vessels Chartered:--Emigration:--Sail for New
Orleans on the "Emerald:"--Passage:--Land in New Orleans:--Charter
of a Steamer:--Historical Letter:--Journey and Arrival at
Nauvoo:--Mission with Joseph Smith:--Visit to Chester.
Between the middle of September and my own embarkation in
October, I chartered three vessels for New Orleans, and filled them
with the emigrating Saints, viz:
The "Sidney," with one hundred and eighty souls; the "Medford,"
two hundred and fourteen souls; and the "Henry," with one hundred
and fifty-seven.
I next chartered the "Emerald," on which I placed about two
hundred and fifty passengers, including myself and family.
Having finished my present mission in England and taken an
affectionate leave of the Saints and friends there, I embarked on
the "Emerald," and sailed on the 29th of October. We had a tedious
passage of ten weeks, and some difficulties, murmurings and
rebellions; but the Saints on board were called together, and
chastened and reproved sharply, which brought them to repentance.
We then humbled ourselves and called on the Lord, and he sent a
fair wind, and brought us into port in time to save us from
starvation.
We landed in New Orleans early in January, 1843. Here I
chartered a steamer called the "Goddess of Liberty," and took
passage with the company for St. Louis. Running up the river for
about a week, I landed with my family in Chester, Illinois--eighty
miles below St. Louis. The company continued on to St. Louis. My
reason for landing here was, I would not venture into Missouri
after the abuses I had experienced there in former times.
Here I wrote the following historical letter, which appeared in
the _Star_ of April 1, 1843.
CHESTER, STATE OF ILLINOIS,
January 21, 1843.
DEAR BROTHER WARD--I take this opportunity of communicating a
few items of news which may be of use to your readers. I arrived
here two weeks since with my family. We are all well, except my
eldest daughter, Olivia, who has the whooping cough. We are living
here a few weeks, waiting for the river to open for Nauvoo. We are
comfortably situated, a few yards from the landing, in a stone
house in a small village, eighty miles below St. Louis, and three
hundred from Nauvoo. Provisions are cheaper than ever; Indian corn
is 20 cents per bushel; wheat, 40 cents; flour 3 1/2 dollars per
barrel; oats, 15 cents per bushel; pork and beef, from 2 to 3 cents
per lb.; butter, 10 cents; sugar, 5 cents; chickens, 8 cents each.
Cows, from 8 to 10 and 12 dollars per head; good horses, from 25 to
50 dollars; land, from 1 1/4 to 4 dollars per acre.
We were ten weeks on the "Emerald," and one in coming up the
river. The weather was very fine until the day before we landed,
when it became extremely cold and snowy; but after a week of severe
weather, it became suddenly warm and pleasant, and it remains so
yet--all ice and snow have disappeared, and the weather is like
May.
I have not heard from Nauvoo, except by the public prints. From
these I learn that Brother Joseph Smith gave himself up to the
authorities of Illinois, agreeably to the governor's writ of last
fall to attempt to deliver him to the State of Missouri. He was
brought by _habeas corpus_ before the Judge of the Supreme
Court of the United States, and after a trial at Springfield, the
seat of government for Illinois, he was honorably discharged--the
Judge deciding that he must not be delivered to the Missouri
authorities, according to the demand of the governors of the two
States. Thus, one more malicious lawsuit has terminated in which
the rulers have been disappointed and bloodthirsty men have lost
their prey the prophet of the Lord having found protection under
the wings of the eagle.
Brother William Smith, Joseph's brother, is a member of the
legislature of Illinois, which is now in session. They have
introduced two bills for the purpose of taking away all our Nauvoo
charters, but they have both been lost without becoming a law, and
the charters still stand good. The first was a bill for the
repealing of all city charters in the State (for the avowed object
of getting rid of Nauvoo), this bill was lost by a majority of one.
Next a bill was introduced to repeal the Nauvoo charter alone. This
was too barefaced to be countenanced, and was lost by an
overwhelming majority; but not until some warm debating on
Mormonism had occupied the house for some time. The fact is, it
grieves the enemies of the Saints very much to see them enjoying
political privileges in common with others, and every exertion is
made to hinder the progress of a people and of principles which
they consider as already becoming too formidable to be easily
trampled under foot.
I have now been here two weeks, and have minded my own affairs
as a private man, in no way seeking to be public, or even to be
known. I have spent my time in providing for my family, getting
wood for fire, bringing water, etc., together with reading papers,
educating my children, etc., and have not mentioned "Mormonism," or
any other "ism," or principle, till it was first mentioned to me.
Mrs. Pratt and I attended a Presbyterian meeting last Sabbath, and
listened in silence to a dry sermon.
But after all my endeavors to be quiet, it is noised abroad,
through all parts of the town and surrounding country for
twenty-five miles, that a "Mormon" is here. All parties are on
tiptoe to hear him preach; the citizens have sent the postmaster to
me with a request to hear me, and have opened their chapel for
tomorrow where we heard the Presbyterian last Sabbath. I have
consented, and commence my public ministry tomorrow. In the
meantime I have lent and sold several books, "Voice of Warning,"
"Book of Mormon," etc., and these are having the desired effect.
The people here were greatly prejudiced against something called
"Mormonism;" they knew not what, having never read or heard any of
the Saints; indeed they had not the most distant idea of our
holding to Christianity in any shape.
Yesterday a brother called here, from twenty-five miles in the
country; he had heard of my coming and came to see me. He is a rich
farmer, being two hundred acres of land well improved. He informed
me of a small branch of the Church in his neighborhood, and made an
appointment for me to go to George Town (sixteen miles distant), on
Monday next, and another to his own house, nine miles further, for
Tuesday evening, so you see I am getting into business fast. This
man brought me two Nauvoo _Wasps_, the latest of which was
printed January 7th. From these I learned that all was peace,
industry and prosperity; a fine hard winter had set in so early
that none of our ships' companies which had sailed this season had
been able to get up the river to Nauvoo; they are scattered from
New Orleans to St. Louis, and are waiting to swarm Nauvoo in the
spring. From the weather, I judge that the river is about opening
that far; it is now open above St. Louis.
No one landed here with me but Sister Mary Aspen, and my family.
Sister A. is with us now, she is well and much pleased with the
country; most of our passengers went to St. Louis.
_January 26th_--Last Sunday, preached twice to an
attentive audience. Monday, walked sixteen miles; preached in
George Town; good attention. Tuesday, rode ten miles; preached
twice among the Saints. Wednesday, baptized two young men; held
confirmation meeting, then rode twenty-five miles to this place.
The river is now open, and is twelve feet higher than it was
last week, the weather is like May. I start for Nauvoo on horseback
tomorrow, my family will follow in two weeks by water. I shall
write again soon.
Yours truly, in Christ,
P.P. PRATT.
_January 27th_, 1843, I started for Nauvoo on horseback,
and after a ride of some eight days I arrived there in safety--a
distance of some two hundred and eighty miles.
I was astonished to see so large a city all created during my
absence, and I felt to rejoice. I visited my brothers Orson and
William and their families, by whom I was hospitably entertained. I
also visited President Smith and family, who received me with the
usual welcome and "_God bless you, Bro. Parley_."
While on this visit to Nauvoo I was invited to Shockoquon, a
small town up the river, a few miles above Nauvoo, in company with
President Smith, Elder O. Hyde and others. We started February
15th; stayed over night at a Mr. Russel's. On the next day we dined
at McQueen's Mills; visited Shockoquon and returned to the said
mills at evening. Here President Smith spoke for about two hours.
The crowded congregation seemed deeply interested--most of them
being strangers to "_Mormonism_."
After a few days I returned to my family in Chester County on
horseback. The weather being extremely cold the Mississippi did not
open till very late in the spring.
I at length sent my family per steamer to St. Louis, and stopped
at a hotel myself on the opposite side of the river, in Illinois
Town. In this situation we still had to remain for several days
awaiting the opening of the river above.
A small steamer arrived, commanded by Captain Dan Jones, and was
finally chartered for Nauvoo, and filled with Saints, including my
family. I passed by land to Alton, and there went on board.
Captain Jones was a good and kind hearted Welshman, and was much
interested in the fullness of the gospel. He soon joined the
Church, and was finally ordained and appointed a mission to Wales,
where he preached the fullness of the gospel and gathered thousands
into the Church.
_April 12th_ we landed in Nauvoo, and were kindly
welcomed by President Smith and scores of others, who came down to
the wharf to meet us.
My time, from my arrival until the last of the year, was spent
in the ministry, and in building, travelling, etc.
CHAPTER XLII.
------------------------
Miscellaneous Writings:--Mission to the East:--
Impressions of the Spirit:--Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum
Smith:--Spirit of Exultation:--Return to Nauvoo:--Sidney Rigdon
Disfellowshipped.
_January 1, 1844._
In the opening of this year I completed a number of
miscellaneous works, some of which were published in pamphlet form.
Among these were _"An Appeal to the State of New York,"--"Immortality
of the Body,"--"Fountain of Knowledge,"--"Intelligence and Affection,"
and "The Angel of the Prairies."_ This last work was a curious and
extraordinary composition, in the similitude of a dream. It was
designed as a reproof of the corruptions and degeneracy of our
government, in suffering mobs to murder, plunder, rob and drive their
fellow citizens with impunity, etc. It also suggested some reforms. It
was read in the presence of President Joseph Smith and a general
council, and was highly applauded; but never appeared in print.
In the spring I went to Boston as a missionary, and on business.
I proclaimed the gospel, as usual, while on this journey, on
steamers on the lakes and rivers; in the cities of the Atlantic,
and in whatever village or neighborhood I had opportunity. Visiting
North Bridge, a short distance from Boston, and having a day's
leisure, I wrote a dialogue entitled "_Joe Smith and the Devil
_," which was afterwards published in the _New York Herald
_, and in various papers in America and Europe. It was finally
published and republished in pamphlet form, and had a wide
circulation; few persons knowing or mistrusting who was the author.
President B. Young, and most of the members of the Quorum of the
Twelve, were then on a mission through the Eastern States, as well
myself. While on this mission, on the 27th of June, 1844, a mob
murdered the Prophet Joseph Smith, and his brother Hyrum, in a jail
at Carthage, Illinois, while Governor Ford had pledged the faith of
the State for their protection.
A day or two previous to this circumstance I had been
constrained by the Spirit to start prematurely for home, without
knowing why or wherefore; and on the same afternoon I was passing
on a canal boat near Utica, New York, on my way to Nauvoo. My
brother, William Pratt, being then on a mission in the same state
(New York), happened, providentially, to take passage on the same
boat. As we conversed together on the deck, a strange and solemn
awe came over me, as if the powers of hell were let loose. I was so
overwhelmed with sorrow I could hardly speak; and after pacing the
deck for some time in silence, I turned to my brother William and
exclaimed--"Brother William, this is a dark hour; the powers of
darkness seem to triumph, and the spirit of murder is abroad in the
land; and it controls the hearts of the American people, and a vast
majority of them sanction the killing of the innocent. My brother,
let us keep silence and not open our mouths. If you have any
pamphlets or books on the fullness of the gospel lock them up; show
them not, neither open your mouth to the people; let us observe an
entire and solemn silence, for this is a dark day, and the hour of
triumph for the powers of darkness. O, how sensible I am of the
spirit of murder which seems to pervade the whole land." This was
June 27, 1844, in the afternoon, and as near as I can judge, it was
the same hour that the Carthage mob were shedding the blood of
Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and John Taylor, near one thousand miles
distant. My brother bid me farewell somewhere in western New York,
he being on his way to a conference in that quarter, and passing on
to Buffalo I took steamer for Chicago, Illinois.
The steamer touched at a landing in Wisconsin, some fifty or
sixty miles from Chicago, and here some new passengers came on
board and brought the news of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum
Smith. Great excitement prevailed on board, there being a general
spirit of exultation and triumph at this glorious news, as it was
called, much the same as generally shown on the first receipt of
the news of a great national victory in time of war.
Many passengers now gathered about me and tauntingly inquired
what the Mormons would do now, seeing their prophet and leader
killed.
To these taunts and questions I replied, that they would
continue their mission and spread the work he had restored, in all
the world. Observing that nearly all the prophets and apostles who
were before had been killed, and also the Saviour of the world, and
yet their death did not alter the truth nor hinder its final
triumph.
At this reply many of them seemed astonished, and some inquired
who would succeed him, and remarked to me: "Perhaps you will be the
man who will now seek to be leader of the Mormons in his stead--who
are you, sir?" I replied: "I am a MAN, sir; and a MAN never
triumphs and exults in the ruin of his country and the murder of
the innocent." This was said in the energy of my soul, and by
constraint of the Spirit, and a powerful and peculiar accent was
thrown upon the word MAN each time it occurred in the sentence.
This served as a sufficient rebuke, and all were silent.
Landing in Chicago I found great excitement, and the press had
issued extras announcing the triumph of the murderous mob in
killing the Smiths.
I now hastened on to Peoria, and, staying over night, started
next day on foot across the country to Nauvoo--distance 105 miles.
During the two or three days I spent in travelling between
Chicago and Peoria I felt so weighed down with sorrow and the
powers of darkness that it was painful for me to converse or speak
to anyone or even to try to eat or sleep. I really felt that if it
had been my own family who had died, and our beloved Prophet been
spared alive, I could have borne it, and the blow would have fallen
on me with far less weight. I had loved Joseph with a warmth of
affection indescribable for about fourteen years. I had associated
with him in private and in public, in travels and at home, in joy
and sorrow, in honor and dishonor, in adversity of every kind. With
him I had lain in dungeons and in chains; and with him I had
triumphed over all our foes in Missouri, and found deliverance for
ourselves and people in Nauvoo, where we had reared a great city.
But now he was gone to the invisible world, and we and the Church
of the Saints were left to mourn in sorrow and without the presence
of our beloved founder and Prophet.
As I walked along over the plains of Illinois, lonely and
solitary, I reflected as follows: I am now drawing near to the
beloved city; in a day or two I shall be there. How shall I meet
the sorrowing widows and orphans? How shall I meet the aged and
widowed mother of these two martyrs? How shall I meet an entire
community bowed down with grief and sorrow unutterable? What shall
I say? or how console and advise twenty-five thousand people who
will throng about me in tears, and in the absence of my President
and the older members of the now presiding council, will ask
counsel at my hands? Shall I tell them to fly to the wilderness and
deserts? Or, shall I tell them to stay at home and take care of
themselves, and continue to build the Temple? With these
reflections and injuries I walked onward, weighed down as it were
unto death. When I could endure it no longer, I cried out aloud,
saying: O Lord! in the name of Jesus Christ I pray Thee, show me
what these things mean, and what I shall say to Thy people? On a
sudden the Spirit of God came upon me, and filled my heart with joy
and gladness indescribable; and while the spirit of revelation
glowed in my bosom with as visible a warmth and gladness as if it
were fire. The Spirit said unto me: "Lift up your head and rejoice;
for behold! it is well with my servants Joseph and Hyrum. My
servant Joseph still holds the keys of my kingdom in this
dispensation, and he shall stand in due time on the earth, in the
flesh, and fulfil that to which he is appointed. Go and say unto my
people in Nauvoo, that they shall continue to pursue their daily
duties and take care of themselves, and make no movement in Church
government to reorganize or alter anything until the return of the
remainder of the Quorum of the Twelve. But exhort them that they
continue to build the House of the Lord which I have commanded them
to build in Nauvoo."
This information caused my bosom to burn with joy and gladness,
and I was comforted above measure; all my sorrow seemed in a moment
to be lifted as a burden from my back.
The change was so sudden I hardly dared to believe my senses; I,
therefore, prayed the Lord to repeat to me the same things the
second time; if, indeed, I might be sure of their truth, and might
really tell the Saints to stay in Nauvoo, and continue to build the
Temple.
As I prayed thus, the same spirit burned in my bosom, and the
Spirit of the Lord repeated to me the same message again. I then
went on my way rejoicing, and soon arrived in Nauvoo, and delivered
this message both to the people and friends individually, and in
the great congregation. In confirmation that the message was right,
I found them already renewing their labors on the Temple, under the
direction of John Taylor and Willard Richards, who were members of
our quorum, and were in jail with the prophets when they were
murdered Taylor being wounded with four bullets, and Richards
escaping uninjured.
We then, being the only members of the quorum now present in
Nauvoo, united in daily councils at Bro. Taylor's, who was confined
by his wounds, and counseled for the good of the Church. We were
enabled to baffle all the designs of aspiring men, such as Rigdon
and others who strove to reorganize and lead the Church, or divide
them, and to keep the Church in a measure of union, peace and
quiet till the return of President Young and the other members of
the Quorum. Elder Rigdon arrived from Pittsburgh soon after my
arrival, and with the aid of Elder Marks, local President of the
Nauvoo Stake, and others, attempted to worm himself in as President
of the whole Church. A public meeting was actually called and
appointed for that purpose, the call being made and the day
appointed by President Marks on the public stand. President W.
Richards was present when this appointment was announced.
On being informed of this untimely and underhanded attempt, I
called upon Elder Rigdon to meet with us--that is, the three of the
Twelve then in the city, at the house of Brother Taylor, who was
still confined with his wounds, and there we expostulated with him,
and showed our reasons for being opposed to such a course.
I finally told him that no such meeting should be held, nor any
such business attempted in the absence of the general authorities
of the Church. And that, if any such meeting was attempted, I
should be there and oppose it, and show my reasons, and then
dismiss the congregation and take my hat and walk away. He finally
assured us that no business of the kind should be attempted, and
that the meeting should only be the usual prayer meeting. We
likewise forbade President Marks from attempting any general
business till the return of the general authorities.
About this time, President Marks joined with the widow of the
martyred Joseph and some others, in a council in the upper room of
Brother Joseph's house, to try to nominate and appoint a trustee in
trust for the whole Church. I entered this council and heard Mrs.
Emma Smith plead in relation to this matter, the great importance
and absolute necessity of immediate action on this subject, as
delay would endanger much property of a public and private
character, and perhaps cause a loss of scores of thousands. I arose
and protested against any action of the kind, telling them plainly
that the appointment of a trustee in trust was the business of the
whole Church, through its general authorities, and not the business
of the local authorities of any one stake of the Church, and that,
therefore, it could not be done till the remainder of the quorum
returned. To this it was replied that by this delay much property
would be lost. I again repeated that dollars and cents were no
consideration with me, when principle was at stake, and if
thousands or even millions were lost, let them go. We could not and
would not suffer the authorities and principles of the Church to be
trampled under foot, for the sake of pecuniary interest. The
council finally broke up without accomplishing anything.
At length the day for Mr. Rigdon's great meeting arrived, when the
remainder of the quorum, or a majority, with President Young at their
head, arrived in time to be present. Mr. Rigdon was frustrated in his
ambitious schemes, and with his adherents, including President Marks,
soon left the place, being disfellowshipped by the Church.
President Brigham Young was unanimously chosen and upheld in the
Presidency of the whole Church; the keys of which he held by virtue
of his apostleship, being the senior and President of the highest
quorum of the Church then living in the flesh.
_October 6th_.--The half yearly Conference was held at
Nauvoo, which I attended.
CHAPTER XLIII.
------------------------
Eastern Mission:--Return:--Mobocracy:--Labor
in the Temple:--Expulsion from Nauvoo:--Cross the Mississippi:--
Garden Grove:--Mount Pisga:--Council Bluffs:--Mormon Battalion:--
Winter Quarters:--Mission to England with Elders Orson Hyde and
John Taylor:--Conference at Manchester:--Tour through the Kingdom.
_December 2d_.
Having been appointed by the President and others of the Twelve
to go East, and take charge of churches in the Atlantic States, I
this day bade farewell to home, family and the City of Saints and
started on this journey. I rode to Quincy; stayed over night at
Brother Haywood's, and next morning took boat and soon arrived in
St. Louis. I was accompanied by Elders E. T. Benson and P. Brown,
who were sent to assist me in this eastern mission. Nothing worthy
of note transpired on the passage. We arrived in New York towards
the close of the year. I appointed brother Benson to take charge of
Boston and vicinity, and Brother Brown to the charge of
Philadelphia and vicinity.
_January 1st, 1845_.--I sent forth a proclamation in a
New York paper, called the _Prophet_, edited and published
by Samuel Brannan, and professedly devoted to the interests of the
Church of the Saints.*
[Footnote] *See _Star_, No. 10, vol. 5, page 149.
As we gradually became acquainted with circumstances pertaining
to the Church in these parts, we found that Elders William Smith,
G. J. Adams, S. Brannan and others, had been corrupting the Saints
by introducing among them all manner of false doctrine and immoral
practices, by which many of them had stumbled and been seduced from
virtue and truth. While many others, seeing their inquiry, had
turned away from the Church and joined various dissenting parties.
We, therefore, in accordance with the instructions of the Holy
Spirit in President Young before he left home, directed William
Smith and G. J. Adams to return to Nauvoo, where, in process of
time, they were cut off from the Church. We also warned Brother
Brannan and others to repent speedily of all such evil practices or
we would withdraw fellowship from them. They promised faithfully to
repent and lead a new life, and therefore we bore with them. We
also taught the Church to beware of all impure and wicked doctrines
and practices, and not to receive any elder or minister who sought
to seduce them by any false teachings. With these exertions and the
continual labors of Elders Benson, Brown, Grant and many others,
with myself, we succeeded in setting in order the churches and
reestablishing pure gospel principles. There were, however, many
who would not believe us, nor hearken to our advice, but continued
in their abominations and dissensions. Elder Brannan was at length
disfellowshipped at Nauvoo, as appeared in the official organ of
the Church there. On seeing this notice I called his attention to
it, and urged him to repair immediately to the authorities there;
acknowledge and frankly repent of his faults, and seek restoration
to his standing. He did this, and returned in full fellowship. But,
as it finally proved, this was only to disgrace himself and the
cause still more in a wider and more responsible career in
California, where he, under our instruction, soon after repaired
with a colony of Saints in the ship "Brooklyn." He was a corrupt
and wicked man, and had the Church and myself been less long
suffering and merciful, it would have saved the Church much loss,
and, perhaps, saved some souls which were corrupted in California,
and led astray and plundered by him. I have always regretted having
taken any measures to have him restored to fellowship after he was
published in Nauvoo as cut off from the Church. However, if I
erred, it was on the side of mercy.
I devoted the winter in the presidency of the eastern churches,
to writing for the _Prophet_ and in visiting the churches in
Boston, Lowell, Philadelphia, Long Island and various other places,
and preaching the gospel among them.
The following pieces from my pen are found in the above
periodical, under their appropriate dates and titles:
"Materiality;" "New Proverbs."
I continued writing for this periodical in New York, which had,
however, changed its name, and was now published as the _New
York Messenger_. From my numerous editorials and communications
in that paper, I select the following as worthy of record:
"Heaven."
_July 20th, 1845_, I published an address to those under
my charge.
Soon after the publication of the foregoing, I took leave of the
Saints and friends in the Eastern States, and returned to Nauvoo by
way of the Erie Canal and the lakes, journeying from Chicago to
Nauvoo by land, by private conveyance, accompanied by a few of the
Saints from the East. We arrived in Nauvoo sometime in August. I
found my family mostly in health, and was rejoiced to meet them.
From the time of my arrival home until the end of the year, I
was engaged in the cares of my family, in finishing my house, and
in my official duties.
In autumn the mobs recommenced their murders, robbings, house
and grain burnings, and driving families away from their lands and
homes in the borders of our county, and elsewhere.
The sheriff of the County called out several _posses_ and
dispersed them, killing some and arresting others.
This bold and energetic execution of the sworn duties of Sheriff
Backinstafs did not seem to be quite congenial to the spirit of the
government and citizens of the State of Illinois--they being to a
great extent in favor of mob violence, murder, plunder and house
burning. Therefore, Sheriff Backinstafs was arrested to answer to
the charge of murder, and another sheriff was imposed on the
county, unlawfully, entirely independent of the ballot box.
Backinstafs, however, was afterwards discharged by the Court, who
justified his killing some of the mob, pronouncing it an official
act in perfect conformity with his duties as an officer. The
Governor sent troops to our county, on pretence of aiding the law,
but, in reality, to aid the mob to escape justice and carry out
their expressed resolutions of driving every member of the Saints,
and their families, from the State. General Hardin and Major
Warren, who had the command of this expedition, joined their advice
with Judge S. A. Douglass and others, some of them citizens of
Quincy, and meeting with President Young and our other leaders in
council, advised and urged us strongly to yield to the mob, and
abandon our houses, forms, cities, villages and Temple to this
wholesale banditti, who were engaged against us, and sell them for
what we could get, and remove out of the country. But very little
of the real estate was ever sold.
To these extravagant counsels we finally yielded assent, and
agreed to move West in the spring, and to advise others of our
society so to do, as fast as we could sell.
We continued, however, our work on the Temple, a portion of
which was finished and dedicated.
"It was the first specimen of a new order of architecture,
introduced by President Joseph Smith, and was the most beautiful
building in the Western States, erected at a cost of a million
dollars. The mob subsequently set fire to it, the light of which
was visible for thirty miles."
As winter approached, President Young, myself, the quorum, and
many others were daily engaged in the Temple, administering in the
holy ordinances of Endowment, to many hundreds of people. Thus
closed the year 1845.
_January 1st, A.D. 1846_, I continued to minister in the
Temple night and day, with my President and the rest of the Twelve,
until early in February.
Soon after these things the ministrations in the Temple ceased;
and President Young, with the rest of the quorum and many others,
bade farewell to their homes in the beloved city of Nauvoo, and
crossed the Mississippi River, with their families and such teams
and wagons as they could get. They formed an encampment on Sugar
Creek, in the State of Iowa.
_February 14th_, I crossed the river with my family and
teams, and encamped not far from the Sugar Creek encampment, taking
possession of a vacant log house, on account of the extreme cold.
This encampment was about seven miles from Nauvoo. In leaving home
at this inclement season, I left a good house, lot and out
buildings, worth about seven thousand dollars, and several lots and
houses of less value, besides a farm in the country worth near two
thousand. But I was much in debt. I, therefore, left Mr. Bickford
as my agent, authorized to sell the property, settle up my
business, and take care of such of my family or friends as might be
left it his care, including my aged mother, and the father, mother
and sister of my wife. I was intending, when things were settled,
to place the surplus, if any, at the disposal of the Church or its
agents, in aid of the removal of such as were not able to remove
without assistance.
While we lay encamped, some one hundred and twenty miles west of
Nauvoo, President Young coming up with the main body of the camps,
formed an encampment a few miles in the rear, and sent for me and
the members of the Twelve, who were with me, and George Miller, to
meet with the council at his camp. His letter censured us on
account of some of our moves, and as heavy rains had swollen the
small streams which intervened between the two encampments (so that
they could only be passed by swimming), and myself being sick on
account of exposure in the storms, we did not immediately attend
the council, as requested. However, we found means to cross after a
little delay, and were proceeding to his camp when an express met
us with another letter front the President, censuring us still more
severely.
We hastened on and met in council. The President then reproved
and chastened us severely for several things, among which was our
drawing off from the council and main body of the camp and going
ahead. He said there was manifestly a spirit of dissension and of
insubordination manifested in our movements. I could not realize
this at the time, and protested that in my own heart, so far as I
was concerned, I had no such motive; that I had been actuated by
the purest motives, merely seeking to sustain the teams and people,
and to make what progress we could with that end in view. However,
the sequel soon proved that it was the true Spirit which reproved
and chastened us. For Bishop Miller, who was a leading and active
member of our camp, has since left us and gone his own way, having
refused to be led by the counsels of the Presidency, and removed to
Texas. And here I would observe that, although my own motives were
pure, so far as I could know my own heart, yet I thank God for his
timely chastisement; I profited by it, and it caused me to be more
watchful and careful ever after.
All things being harmonized and put in order, the camps moved
on. Arriving at a place on a branch of Grand River we encamped for
a while, having travelled much in the midst of great and continued
rains, mud and mire. Here we enclosed and planted public farm of
many hundred acres and commenced settlement, for the good of some
who were to tarry and of those who should follow us from Nauvoo. We
called the place "_Garden Grove_." It is in Iowa, perhaps
one hundred and fifty miles from Nauvoo. After assisting to fence
this farm and build some log houses, I was dispatched ahead by the
Presidency with a small company to try to find another location.
Crossing this branch of Grand River, I now steered through the vast
and fertile prairies and groves without a track or anything but a
compass to guide me--the country being entirely wild and without
inhabitants. Our course was west, a little north. We crossed small
streams daily, which, on account of deep beds and miry banks, as
well as on account of their being swollen by the rains, we had to
bridge. After journeying thus for several days, and while lying
encamped on a small stream which we had bridged, I took my horse
and rode ahead some three miles in search of one of the main forks
of Grand River, which we had expected to find for some time. Riding
about three or four miles through beautiful prairies, I came
suddenly to some round and sloping hills, grassy and crowned with
beautiful groves of timber; while alternate open groves and forests
seemed blended in all the beauty and harmony of an English park.
While beneath and beyond, on the west, rolled a main branch of
Grand River, with its rich bottoms of alternate forest and prairie.
As I approached this lovely scenery several deer and wolves, being
startled at the sight of me, abandoned the place and bounded away
till lost from my sight amid the groves.
Being pleased and excited at the varied beauty before me, I
cried out, "this is _Mount Pisga_." I returned to my camp,
with the report of having found the long sought river, and we soon
moved on and encamped under the shade of these beautiful groves. It
was now late in May, and we halted here to await the arrival of the
President and council. In a few days they arrived and formed a
general encampment here, and finally formed a settlement, and
surveyed and enclosed another farm of several thousand acres. This
became a town and resting place for the Saints for years, and is
now known on the map of Iowa as a village and post-office named
"_Pisga_."
June 1. We crossed the river, and, travelling one mile,
encamped; next day we travelled nine miles, and the third day
twenty miles.
Passing on from day to day, we at length came to a large river
which could not be forded, called the Nishnihotany. Here was the
home of the Pottowatamie Indians who were very friendly and civil
to us.
We tarried here some days and built a large bridge, over which
the camps were enabled to cross.
In July we arrived at the Missouri River, near Council Bluffs.
There we encamped for several weeks; opened a trade with upper
Missouri, exchanging wagons, horses, harness and various articles
of furniture, cash, etc., for provisions, oxen, cows, etc.
In the meantime we built a ferry boat, fixed landings, made
dugways, etc., and commenced ferrying over the Missouri. The ferry
ran night and day for a long time, and still could not complete the
crossing of the camps till late in the season.
While we tarried here I returned on the road as far as
Pisga--being sent on a mission to the camps and settlements in the
rear--distance, in going and returning, two hundred miles. In this
journey I came near drowning, in attempting to swim a branch of the
Nishnihotany on horseback. My horse refused to swim, reared on his
hind feet to try to touch bottom, and caused me to slide off behind
him in the middle of a very strong current with all my clothes on,
including hat, coat and boots, and a large parcel under my arm. The
parcel contained letters and important documents. I, therefore,
clung to it and to my hat also, and stemming the current with the
other hand, swam to shore, a distance of several rods. Passing on a
mile or two, I came to a camp of the Saints and dried my letters
and clothing. As I returned from this mission I met President Young
and others, who were going down to Pisga and to intermediate camps
to try to raise five hundred men, who had just been called for by
the United States as recruits for the Mexican war. These troops
were soon raised by the united exertions of President Young and
Council, and were mustered into service by Lieutenant-Colonel
Allen, and called the Mormon Battalion.
This is that famous battalion which marched through more than
two thousand miles of a trackless waste on foot, and helped to take
and maintain California--some of the members of which first
discovered the gold mines of that country, and thus turned the
world the other side up.
The lateness of the season, the poverty of the people, and,
above all, the taking away of five hundred of our best men, finally
compelled us to abandon any further progress westward till the
return of another spring. The camps, therefore, began to prepare
for winter.
The place for winter quarters was finally selected on the west
bank of the Missouri River, in what is since known as the territory
of Nebraska. This was a beautiful town site. The land sloping up
from the immediate banks of the river sufficiently high to be
secure from high water, and then stretching away in an unbroken
plain to the hills, which swelled up at less than half a mile
distant in beautiful rounded grassy points, or in rising benches,
one above another.
Vast quantities of hay was cut and secured, and some seven
hundred log cabins and one hundred and fifty dugouts (cabins half
under ground) were built in the course of the autumn and winter.
Other large settlements were also formed on the other side of the
river, and back into the country.
President Young also caused the erection of a good flouring mill
on a small stream which here entered the river.
This city, which was known by the name of Winter Quarters, is
Florence, and is becoming a thriving place in Nebraska.
While the camps lay in these parts, and soon after I had, with
my teams and family, crossed the Missouri, Presidents Orson Hyde,
John Taylor and myself were appointed a mission to England. The
reason for this mission under the present distressing circumstances
was this: Elder R. Hedlock, who was then presiding in England, was
in transgression, and was engaged in a wild scheme of financing, by
which he obtained vast sums of money from the Church in a kind of
joint stock organization, which professedly had for its object the
emigration of the Saints to America, while in reality the money was
squandered by himself and others in any and every way but to do
good. Our mission was for the purpose of breaking up this scheme of
fraud, and displacing him and regulating all the affairs of the
Church in the British Isles.
July 31.--I bid a solemn farewell to my family and friends, then
dwelling in tents and wagons on the west side of the Missouri
River, and started for England. I met Elders Hyde and Taylor as
agreed upon, and we took passage down the river in an open scow, or
flat boat, in company with a family of Presbyterian missionaries
who had been residing on the Loupe fork of the Platte River, among
the Pawnee Indians, and who were now bound for St. Joseph,
Missouri. We floated or pulled the oars for some days, tying up and
sleeping on shore at night. Arriving at St. Joseph, the
missionaries landed and sold the boat to us. We then continued down
the river to Leavenworth, where we found the Mormon Battalion, who
were just receiving money for clothing, etc., preparatory to their
long march thence to California.
We visited with them a day to two, and they contributed several
hundred dollars to aid us on our mission to England.
They also made up a purse of between five and six thousand
dollars for their families and friends at the Bluffs, and
furnishing me a horse, it was finally agreed by my two brethren
that I should return to the Bluffs with this money. Accordingly, I
took leave of Elders Hyde and Taylor and the brethren of the
battalion, and started on horseback for the camp of the Saints. I
rode with all speed, and in less than three days reached
home--distance one hundred and seventy miles. Unexpected as this
visit was, a member of my family had been warned in a dream, and
had predicted my arrival and the day, and my family were actually
looking for me all that day.
I delivered the money to President Young and Council, with the
list of subscribers, and of the persons for whom it was sent, and
again prepared for my departure. Obtaining a light buggy, I
harnessed my horse before it, and started for Chicago, Illinois, by
land--distance five hundred and fifty miles. I performed this
journey in safety in eleven days, averaging fifty miles per day.
Arriving in Chicago towards evening, I immediately sold my horse
and buggy, and then took steamer the same evening across Lake
Michigan, thence by railroad to Boston; thence to New York, where I
arrived a day or two sooner than the day agreed upon. I was
hindered a little, being at a loss for funds to pay my passage; but
one Elder Badlam kindly assisted me, and I soon embarked in the
cabin of a splendid ship, and set sail for Liverpool. On this same
ship was Franklin D. and Samuel Richards, and M. Martin, on a
mission to the same country.
We had a long passage, and arrived in Liverpool October 14, in
good health and spirits.
We found Elders Hyde and Taylor there all well, and were kindly
received and entertained by the Saints.
A General Conference was convened in Manchester October 17; an
account of which will be found in the _Star_, No. 7, Vol 8.
In this Conference it was agreed that President Hyde should edit
the _Star_, and attend to all business in the publishing
office at Liverpool, while President Taylor and myself should visit
the different conferences in the British Isles. We, therefore,
published our appointments beforehand in the _Star_, and so
commenced our winter's mission. I will not detain the reader with a
detail of our journeyings, visits and meetings in pursuance of this
arrangement; but, suffice it to say, we travelled from conference
to conference by railway, coaches, steamers, etc., visiting nearly
all the principal towns in England and Scotland. We were everywhere
received and treated with the utmost hospitality, and with
demonstrations of joy and gladness not soon to be forgotten. The
Saints and others convened from far and near at the sessions of our
several conferences, and vast crowds of strangers, as well as
Saints, listened to us. Public feasts, tea parties, public dinners
and all kinds of demonstrations of joy and welcome greeted us as we
visited from place to place. So that our sojourn was more like a
triumphal procession than like a dreary pilgrimage. We preached the
gospel, set in order the churches, directed the labors of the
elders, comforted the Saints, and reproved and corrected the abuses
introduced by President Hedlock and others in relation to the joint
stock companies, etc.
Hedlock fled at our approach, leaving many debts unpaid and
finally lived incog. in London with a vile woman--he being severed
from the Church.
It was during my travels in England on this mission that I wrote
the following letter in blank verse to my family, whom I had left
at Council Bluffs, on the Missouri River. It was published in
England at the time, on a beautiful sheet with a handsome border,
and designed to be put in a frame as a household ornament; and is
frequently seen to this day (1856) as a memorial in the parlors of
the Saints on both sides of the Atlantic.
May it be handed down to posterity as a monument of suffering
and self-denial of women and children for the gospel's sake.
CHAPTER XLIV.
------------------------
AN APOSTLE OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST,
OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS,
_Was in the Island of Great Britain for the gospel's sake;
and being in the Spirit on the 24th of November, 1846, addressed
the following words of comfort to his dearly beloved wife and
family, dwelling in tents, in the camp of Israel, at Council
Bluffs, Missouri Territory, North America; where they and twenty
thousand others were banished by the civilized Christians of the
United States for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus:_
MY DEAREST WIFE,
Thy kindly soul and all
Thine acts of love to him, thy chosen head,
Are treasured deep in memory's archives.
And when, amid the busy throng of towns,
I pass unheeded, or wander lonely
In some country lane, or graveled highway,
Lined with hawthorn hedge--or turn aside
From the busy walks of men in meadows green,
Or wander 'mid the solitary grove
At twilight hour, where silence reins, and the
Fading tints of autumn tell of time's flight,
And the low murmur of the whispering breeze
Steals o'er the senses like a funeral dirge,--
Or flying swift o'er country hedge and ditch
In flaming chariot; while hills and vales--
And towns, and villas, farms, plains, and woods
Are swiftly whirled behind--or musing in
The midnight hour in lonely solitude
Upon my bed--'Tis then I think of thee.
Sweet thoughts steal gently o'er the memory;
And my spirit wanders o'er the wide sea
And far away o'er Alleghany's heights,
And down the broad Ohio, from its source
To where it mingles its limpid waters
With the dark waves of Missouri's current;
And onward still, with lightning speed it flies,
Till towns and cries all are left behind;
And the last trace of Gentile dwelling fades
From view, and disappears in the far east.
At length the long sought vision bursts to view
And stays my spirit in its onward flight.
Towering bluffs; deep indented vales; wide spread
Prairies; boundless plains and beauteous groves
Expand to view; all clad in green, and deck'd
In summer's richest livery of flowers;
Or with the grey tints of fading autumn
Crown'd--emblem of Nature's dissolution.
There one eternal silence seems to reign,
And slumb'ring Nature rests in solitude.
There peace prevails; the Sabbath rules the year;
And, in its own primeval innocence,
Uncursed by man's polluted touch, the earth
Seems resting in sacred, sublime repose.
No Gentile tyrant sways his sceptre there;
No pris'ners groan in solitary cells.
There freedom dwells; no superstitious creed
Enslaves the mind of man; no Christian mobs
To drive him from his home or shed his blood.
O sacred solitude, divinely blest--
Zion's retreat; where dwell the great and good.
There, with delight my spirit lingers still,
And would prolong the heavenly vision.
I love thee, for thyself, O land of Zion!
The beauty of thy landscape, thy flowers,
Thy boundless immensity of green fields,
Mingling with the with expanse of Heaven's
Blue arch; thy star-bespangled firmament
Have charms for me.
The mellow moonlight
Gently stealing o'er thy sacred forests;--
The fading tints of twilight painted on
Your evening sky;--the soft and plaintive voice
Of the autumnal cricket, as he sings
The funeral knell of expiring insects,
Or sounds a requiem to the closing year--
All these steal o'er my senses with delight,
And wake the memory to scenes afar:
They whisper to the lonely exile,
And tell of youth, and friends, and native clime.
Yet not for these charms alone I love thee;
Nor yet for peace, or freedom sweet, or rest,
Or sacred Sabbath of sublime repose.
All these, though dear to me, are worthless toys,--
Mere baubles,--compared to that precious gem
Which yet remains to beautify my verse,
And swell the music of my joyous theme.
There dwell my family,--my bosom friends,--
The precious lambs of my Redeemer,--my
Best of Heaven's gifts to man,--my germs of
Life and immortality,--my hope of Heaven,--
My principality on earth began,--
My kingdom in embryo, big with thrones
Of endless power and wide dominion.
Ye kindred spirits from worlds celestial!
Offsprings of Deity;--Sons and daughters
Of eternity;--Ye nobles of Heaven
Whose dwellings were of old among the Gods
In the everlasting mansions, and who stood
In the councils of the High and lofty
One, ere chaos sprang to order, or the
Foundations of the everlasting hills
Were laid: Why came ye to this world of woe?
Why this disguise?--This painful sojourn in
A land of death?--
Why wander far from Heaven's eternal fold
And from the bosom of your Father there?
Had _He_ no love? No fond affection for
His own, that you are banished thus, and left
As exiles wandering in some dreary waste?
And if thus fallen, and forsaken quite,
Like evil spirits thrust from Heaven, to
Return no more;--why that latent spark of
Heaven's pure love still glowing in your breast?
Why does your bosom swell with hope and joy,
And fire celestial kindle in your eye?
O heavenly gift! The key of knowledge
Restored to man, the mystery unfolds
Of God's elect--their final destiny.
You are here because your Father loved you;
Because in Heaven ye kept your first estate,
And firm remained when angels did rebel,
And Lucifer drew a third of Heaven's host
From God; and with them sunk in dark despair.
You are here for further proof and trial;--
For a second estate; which if ye keep
As ye did the first, will purify your souls,
And fit you for a Heaven celestial.
You came to the earth to be born of flesh,
To fashion and perfect your earthly house,--
To live, to love, to suffer and to die,--
To rise and reign in immortality.
To form your kindred ties with kindred souls,--
To blend your sympathies by mutual acts
Of kindly charity:--
To love and serve
Each other in ten thousand nameless ways;
And thus give exercise to mutual love,
And qualify yourselves for union endless
In that world of bliss.
O ye beings of noble birth! ye lambs
Of celestial origin, to Zion bound!
I know ye now; and knowing, can but love.
O my Father in heaven? Thine they were,
And Thou gavest them to me:--Precious gifts!
Endear'd by long acquaintance in the heavens,
By the soul's best affections on the earth,
By mutual love and sympathy of soul,
By all the kindred ties which twine around
The heart in sacred, inexpressible
Delight--Made nigh by a Savior's blood:--
Seal'd by the Holy Ghost, and secur'd
By the spirit and power of Elijah--
By which the hearts of the fathers are turn'd
To the children: Enliven'd by the hope
Of endless union in that world of life
Where all is pure:--
Thrones, principalities,
Powers, majesty, might and dominion,
As a mutual reward!
Who can but love?
O precious kindred! my loveliest, best!
Are motives wanting still to prompt my love,
And kindle my soul's affection to its
Highest, purest flame? sweet memory dwells
On all the past--Your sufferings with me;
Your sacrifices for the Gospel's sake.
For _me_ and truth you gladly left your home,
Your native clime, your father, mother, and friends,
And kindred dear, and wandered far away
O'er mountain, seas, and continents. The wide
Expanse of ocean--its waves and tempests
Could not quench your love, or cool your courage:--
Towering mountains rose before you; rivers
Intervened to check you on your journey--
Wide lakes, gloomy forests, and desert plains
Forbid your further progress, but in vain.
Truth was the prize you sought; and love impell'd
You onward. These overcome, a host
Of fiends assailed you next, with lying tongues
To flatter, frown, to pity or deceive;
To coax, or drive you from your chosen course.
When slander, rage, and lies, and pity fail'd,
Then came the deadly strife!--The fires consum'd;
The sword devour'd;--Widows and orphans mourn'd;
Hell's artillery bellow'd; Martyrs bled;
The world exulted;--Devils hugely grinn'd;--
Heaven wept; saints prayed; Justice stood aghast;--
Mercy, retiring, dropped a tear of blood;--
Angels startling, half drew their glittering swords;
And the Gods, in solemn council decreed A just VENGEANCE!
Amid these awful scenes ye firmly stood
For truth, and him you loved; And leaving house
And home again behind, in poverty
Ye fled; and pitch'd your humble tent amid
The storms of winter: And wandering o'er the
Wide, unsheltered plain, ye braved the tempest
Many a weary month without a murmur--
Without a _murmur_! Nay more--Ye smiling
Stood, amid the awful storms, and hail'd the
Tempest welcome. The solitary wilds
Reverb'rated with freedom's joyful songs,
While there you fondly pressed your infant to
Your bosom,--smil'd on your lord,--receiv'd his
Smile in turn, and realized your freedom.
Supremely blest with heaven's approving smile,
With peace and friendship, liberty and love;
And with the daily presence of your lord,--
Whose best affection sweeten'd every care;
Ye still were happy in your low estate,
Nor sighed for more.
One only sacrifice remained for us
To make, to further test our depth of love
For God and truth;--'twas all that Heaven could ask.
With you, my lambs, be left _alone_, to spend
Another winter in this dreary wild,
While him _you love_ shall wander far away
Beyond the sea, for truth and Zion's sake?
Your pulse beat quick; your bosom heav'd a sigh;
Your heart swell'd with emotion; a big tear
Gush'd forth, and stole in silence down your check;
While your spirit said: "_If I must, I will!_"
The Recording Angel smil'd; Heaven approv'd,
And said: "_It is enough_," record the same,
And with it Our decree: They are Elect!
Eternal life is theirs: They shall be ONE,
WHILE ENDLESS AGES ROLL!
PARLEY P. PRATT.
CHAPTER XLV.
------------------------
Return with Elder John Taylor to America:--Arrival
at Winter Quarters:--Camp Starts for the Rocky Mountains:--Meet
the Pioneers:--Arrival in Great Salt Lake Valley:--Visit to Utah
and Great Salt Lakes.
Early in January, 1847, having completed our mission in the
British Isles, Brother John Taylor and myself went to Liverpool,
preparatory to our return, with a few of the Saints, who were
accompanying us as emigrants. Here we soon made arrangements for
passage to New Orleans, chartering the second cabin of a large new
ship, called "America."
We bid adieu to our warm hearted and affectionate friends in
England, and embarked on this ship. Our company consisted of
fourteen persons in all, composed of returning elders and a few
families or individuals who were emigrating with us. We were very
comfortable in our own little cabin, where we had our own
provisions, and set our own table, hiring the ship's cook to do our
cooking. We sailed January 19th, but we soon met a gale of wind,
which was directly contrary to us. This gale continued for nine
days, without any cessation or abatement, during which time we were
beating in a land-locked channel between Ireland and England,
without gaining fifty miles on our course, being in imminent danger
of being cast away on a lee shore. During all this time our Captain
lay sick in his berth with a fever on the brain, and much of the
time in a state of mental derangement. We frequently watched with
him, and in his rational moments he would converse a little. He
said his family lived in America, and he much wished to get to
them, but was very positive he should never see them more, having
been for many days oppressed with a sure and certain presentiment
that he should never reach America alive. We, in reply, allowed
that presentiments of that kind were possible, and sometimes true,
and to be depended on, but not always. And Brother Taylor and
myself assured him, as men of God, that his present presentiment
was false, and that both him and his vessel would reach America in
safety. This we assured him over and over again, from day to day.
After nine days of severe struggle with the wind and waves, the
mate and supercargo becoming discouraged, and the men worn out,
they counselled with us and concluded to put back into the port of
Liverpool, which was accordingly done after some difficulty and
delay. Here the Captain, who was still dangerously ill, went on
shore, and under proper medical aid, recovered, and afterwards
landed in America per steamer, where he reached his family in
safety. Our mate was sworn in captain, and we again put to sea,
after visiting our friends on shore, and recruiting our stock of
provisions. On taking this second farewell of our friends in the
British Isles I sent forth through the columns of the _Star_
the following farewell address:
TO THE SAINTS IN GREAT BRITAIN
_Beloved Brethren_:--Having been so crowded with business
and care on my late departure from your shores for my home in the
distant wilds of western America, I had no time to say _farewell
_, or to leave my blessing with you in a formal manner as a
whole, although expressed frequently in our farewell meetings. I
have, therefore, providentially returned to your midst, after nine
days of seafaring life, in order to take a fair start, and to say
farewell through the medium of the _Star_.
I feel the most perfect satisfaction with the manner of our
reception and entertainment among you as men of God. I also feel
that we have, as far as time would permit, accomplished the work
for which we came, and that the utmost success and prosperity has
attended our labors. The Church universally has manifested a spirit
of confidence and obedience to the instructions we had to impart,
and the measures we were sent to purpose for their prosperity and
deliverance, both temporally and spiritually.
We have also been received and entertained in the most kind and
hospitable manner in every place we have been permitted to visit.
We have been lodged, fed, comforted and cheered as if we had been
angels of glad tidings, and we feel the utmost satisfaction in
expressing our most grateful thanks for all the kindness and
assistance rendered unto us while in your midst; and, in the name
of Jesus Christ, and by authority of the Holy Priesthood and
Apostleship vested in us, we bless the congregations of the Saints
throughout this land, with all the officers and members thereof,
with the blessings of time and eternity in all their fullness. We
also bless the Queen, ministers, magistrates, and people of this
realm, while they continue to administer equal justice for the
protection of every subject, without respect of persons; and we
pray that Heaven's choicest blessings may rest upon the Saints, and
upon all that fear God and work righteousness in this land. Ye sons
and daughters of Zion, be of good cheer; for God will deliver you
in due time, and gather in one the children of God. Pray for us and
for the camp of the Saints in the wilderness. Farewell.
P. P. PRATT.
LIVERPOOL, _January 29, 1847_.
Elder Hyde did not sail with us, but stayed a few days longer to
complete the business in the office. Soon after we set sail Elder
Joseph Cain, returning missionary, was married on board to Miss
Elizabeth Whittaker. It was a fine affair, and we had a good dinner
on the occasion. The wind was now fair continually, and we were
only thirty-five days in coming to anchor off the port of New
Orleans--having sailed some seven or eight thousand miles. Here we
were delayed a day or two by a dense fog, but as the weather
cleared, a tug steamer soon got hold of us, and took us into port.
Here, as soon as we could get clear of the custom house, we took
a steamer, and, in about six days, arrived in St. Louis.
Here I left Brother Taylor to pass up the Missouri River on a
steamer, with the company and baggage, while I took a horse and
rode through the northwestern portion of Missouri, and into Iowa,
by land. I went _incog_. for fear of my old enemies in that
State.
I struck the wagon trail we had made the year before, near
Garden Grove, and tarried there with the Saints one day. It was
then quite a flourishing place the farms which I helped to open and
enclose the previous year having yielded abundance of provisions,
and other farms having been opened.