material from the ,google ,print project47 ,,gleanings ,,by ,,the ,,way2 ,,by ,,rev4 ,,john ,a4 ,,clark1 ,d4 ,d41 ,rector of ,st4 ,andrew's ,church1 ,philadelphia1 ,,author ,,of ,,pastor',s ,,testimony1 ,,glimpses ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,world1 ,,etc41 ,,etc4 ,let me now go to the field and glean ears of corn4 ,,ruth1 ii4 #b4 ,,philadelphia3 ,w4 ,j4 ,j4 ,k4 ,,simon4 ,,new ,,york3 ,,robert ,,carter4 #ahdb4 ,entered according to the ,act of ,congress1 in the year #ahdb1 by ,,john ,a4 ,,clark1 in the ,clerk's ,office of the ,district ,court in the ,eastern ,district of ,pennsylvania4 ,,printed ,,by ,,king ,,and ,,baird4 ,,preface4 ,when it was not so common1 as now1 to issue publications from the press1 a book of any kind seldom made its appearance1 without a ,,preface1 to give the reader some idea of its contents1 and the history of its elaboration from the author's mind4 ,but at the present day1 when authorship is no longer the prerogative of the few1 and the press teems with every species of literature1 preface writing has quite fallen into desuetude2 not improbably for the very solid and satisfactory reason that it would be a most difficult1 perplexing1 and onerous business1 to their several authors1 to assign any plausible grounds for the publication of one half of the volumes that come forth in such immense shoals from the press4 ,we are certainly attached to the good old custom of having a preface1 although we are aware that many authors who omit this appendage1 assign as a reason1 that the preface is the only part of a book that is never read4 ,this we think1 in many instances1 is not exactly true4 ,there are those in the present day1 who like to know why a book was written1 and what it contains1 before they begin to read it4 ,by such knowledge--and this is precisely the information a preface ought to convey--they avoid the trouble of reading many a volume1 which had the author been of the same mind1 he might have escaped the trouble of writing4 ,to this class of readers the preface is an important part of the book3 while to those who eschew every thing of this sort1 it will give but little trouble1 to turn over a leaf or two to the commencement of the first chapter4 ,we did not mean1 when we began1 to write a defence of prefaces--but to write a preface to our own work4 ,the name of this volume1 ,,gleanings ,,by ,,the ,,way1 indicates the character of the work4 ,it consists principally of thoughts gathered up--and sketches of scenery1 and incidents1 that came before the author during excursions made into the country at different periods1 within the last four years4 ,for several years the author has been labouring under infirm health1 and has found it necessary after encountering the heavy pastoral duties and labours connected with a large city congregation for nine or ten months in succession1 to retire from the scene of his ministerial duties1 and seek to recruit his wasted strength and enfeebled health amid the retirement of rural life1 or the diversified scenes of travel and journeying4 ,during these seasons of relaxation1 the author desired still to be engaged in something that might at least indirectly promote the interests of religion4 ,this volume contains some of the things of which he at such seasons made a record4 ,in the tour to the ,,far ,,west1 made during the summer of #ahcg--;and the sketch that depicts the outline of the ,mormon ,delusion1 the author cherishes the hope that facts are brought to light that will interest a large class of readers4 ,and he also cherishes the hope that while these pages may interest the general reader1 may beguile a lonely hour--and attract the attention of some who would not be likely to take up a more serious book--the tendency of the whole volume will be to advance1 at least indirectly1 that cause which lies so near to his heart4 ,with this hope--and not with any expectation of earning increased literary reputation1 he sends forth these ,,gleanings ,,by ,,the ,,way4 ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 #ac ,the ,three ,gleaners4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 #be ,views of ,pennsylvania3--,tour to ,harrisburgh--,aspect of the country--,the ,valley of the ,susquehanna--,the passage of the ,river--,the ,valley of the ,juniata--,huntingdon--,the ,rev4 ,john ,w4 ,james--,his sudden exit4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 #cb ,glimpses of ,western ,pennsylvania3--,source of the ,juniata--,ascent of the ,alleghanies--,the summit--,the ,great ,mississippi ,valley--,skepticism--,rank growth of religious error--,dunkards--,valley of the ,conemaugh-- ,moonlight--,singular conversation--,infidel sneers4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 #db ,pittsburg and its environs3--,first view of ,pittsburg--,its general aspect--,sabbath and its employments--,an affecting incident--,orphan children--,a ,christian father in the midst of his children on the ,sabbath4 ,,chapter ,v4 #di ,voyage on the ,ohio3--,travelling companions--,steamboats on the ,ohio--,the ,elk--,the ,ohio river--,the ,harmonists--,steubenville--,wheeling--, marietta-- ,portsmouth--,kentucky--,the dead steamboat captain--,kentucky funeral4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 #fb ,a glimpse of ,kentucky3--,cincinnati--,the ,queen city--,views in reference to missionary labour--,the kind of missionaries wanted in the great ,valley--,walnut ,hills--,lane ,seminary--,dr4 ,beecher--,woodward ,college--,dr4 ,aydelott--,the old ,kentucky man--,louisville--,the ,galt ,house--,view of the interior of ,kentucky--,plantations--,a sore evil--,kentuckian traits of character--,a thrilling incident4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 #ge ,the ,ohio near its mouth3--,new ,albany--,sailing down the ,ohio--,profanity--,lovely views of nature--,a sudden squall on the river--,kentucky shore--,young fawn--,the mouth of the ,tennessee river--,the swimming deer--,his struggle and capture--,meeting of the waters of the ,ohio with the ,mississippi--,gambling--,intemperance-- ,sail up the ,mississippi to ,st4 ,louis4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 #hh ,the ,mississippi and some of its tributaries3--,st4 ,louis--,roman cathedral--,desecration of the ,sabbath--,golden sunsets--,sail up the ,mississippi--,the meeting of the waters of the ,missouri and the ,mississippi--,alton--,the burning prairie4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 #aje ,further views on the ,mississippi3--,des ,moines ,river--,iowa--,group of ,indians--,tributary streams to the ,mississippi--,galena--,bishop of ,illinois--,my sister's grave4 ,,chapter ,x4 #aad ,illinois and the ,lakes3--,lead mines--,indian treaty--,ride to ,chicago--,vast prairies--,the stricken family--,amusing adventures--,chicago--,milwaukie-- ,mackinaw--,indian encampment4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 #abf ,michigan3--,steamboat travelling upon the western ,lakes--,the waters of ,huron--,saginaw ,bay--,the stormy night--,the beautiful ,st4 ,clair--,detroit--,bishop of ,michigan--,ypsilanti--,ann ,arbour--,ore ,creek--,bewildered at night in the woods--,rescue--,meeting of friends--,log ,cabin4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 #adj ,tour from the ,west3--,the ,romanists--,miracles--,indians--,captai n ,m---- ,the unhappy sailor--,toledo--,cleveland--,buffalo--, niagara ,falls4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 #aea ,western ,new ,york3--,niagara ,falls--,rochester--,canandaigua--,genev a--,seneca ,lake--,the moonlit heavens--,departed friends--,the clergyman's son--,the candidate for the ministry--,a beloved brother--,my departed mother--,geneva ,college--,the ,sabbath4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 #afa ,a jaunt from ,philadelphia to ,albany3--,a bleak1 dreary morning--,bishop of ,illinois--,sail up the ,delaware--,new ,york ,bay--,sail up the ,hudson--,unexpected meeting--,college friend--,story of his afflictions--,poor ,african servant4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 #aga ,the ,irish couple3--,albany--,the ,irish mother--,incidents that occurred five years ago--,the disappointed emigrants--,the ,little ,falls--,rural retirement4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 #agi ,western ,new ,york4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 #aha ,a ,summer ,tour3--,retirement--,seneca ,lake--,burlington1 ,n4 ,j4--,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 #ahg ,green ,wood ,cemetery3--,brooklyn--,improvements--,r ide--,approach to the ,cemetery--,views--,beautiful scenes4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 #aic ,rhode ,island3--,sail up the ,sound--,burning of the ,lexington--,providence--,meeting of old friends--,mr4 ,emerson--,transcendentalism--,westerly4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 #bja ,the sudden storm3--,rapid travelling--,auburn--,stage coach--,seneca ,lake--,summer's sultry heat--,sudden change--,fierce tempest--,imminent peril4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 #bje ,reminiscences of the past3--,sunday--,sacred worship--,the sanctuary recalling youthful scenes--,early plighted vows at the table of the ,lord--,retrospect--,mournful reflections--,change in the congregation--,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,n---- ,the ,c---- family--,col4 ,t---- ,village burial ground--,c---- ,the buried pastor--,my ,mother--,palmyra--,early ministerial labours--,lyons4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 #baf ,the ,origin of the ,mormon ,delusion3--,the golden ,bible--,moral1 political1 and numercial importance of the ,mormon sect--,views of ,revelation--,causes that have contributed to spread ,mormonism--,martin ,harris--,interview with the author--,transcripts from the golden ,bible--,jo ,smith1 the ,mormon prophet--,his early history--,first pretended revelation--,his marriage--,chest containing the golden ,bible--,attempts to disinter it--,consequence--,delusion of ,harris--,translation and publication of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 #bcb ,a letter written by ,professor ,anthon3--,the circumstances that led to this letter--,martin ,harris--,his visit to ,new ,york--,interview with ,dr4 ,mitchell--,professor ,anthon4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 #bci ,the ,mormon1 or ,golden ,bible3--,the origin of the ,book of ,mormon--,the statement of ,mr4 ,isaac ,hale1 father-in-law of the ,mormon ,prophet--,rev4 ,mr4 ,spalding's ,historical ,romance--,mrs4 ,davison's statement--,the blindness of ,martin ,harris--,testimony of the three witnesses--,the eight witnesses4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 #bei ,mormon ,jesuitism3--,denial of ,mrs4 ,davison's statement in reference to the origin of the ,mormon ,bible--,the truth of her statement corroborated by a letter from the ,rev4 ,john ,storrs--,by another from the ,rev4 ,d4 ,r4 ,austin4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 #bfh ,analysis of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 #bhe ,analysis of the ,book of ,mormon continued4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 #cjd ,farther developments in relation to the ,mormon imposture4 ,,chapter ,,xxix4 #caa ,organization of the ,mormons1 and their removal to ,ohio3--,steps leading to the ,mormon emigration to the ,west--,conversion of ,parley ,p4 ,pratt--,mission to the ,lamanites--,sidney ,rigdon--,his avowed conversion--,fanatic scenes at ,kirtland--,dr4 ,rosa's letter--,mr4 ,howe's statement--,smith's removal4 ,,chapter ,,xxx4 #cbc ,mormon emigration to ,missouri3--,mission to ,missouri--,causes that led to emigration--,settlement at ,independence--,change in operations--,gift of tongues--,rule for speaking and interpreting4 ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 #cca ,mormon ,banking3--,the prophet's attempt at financiering--,mr4 ,smalling's letter4 ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 #ccg ,the ,mormon ,prophet and his three witnesses3--,an interesting public document--,the ,danite band--,testimony of ,dr4 ,avard--,paper drafted by ,rigdon4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4 #cde ,concluding sketch in relation to ,mormonism4 ,,gleanings ,,by ,,the ,,way4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,three ,,gleaners4 ,nature has a voice to instruct1 as well as charms to please4 ,no one can walk over the surface of this earth1 and gaze upon the objects and scenes that every where cluster around him1 and not hear her instructive voice echoed upon his ear from ten thousand points1 unless stupidity1 or sin have sealed up his senses1 and made him deaf as the adder that stoppeth her ear1 and will not hearken to the voice of charmers1 charming never so wisely4 ,providence1 too1 has a voice1 that speaks with trumpet-tongue in the ear of those who watch the movement of human events--who regard the work of the ,lord1 and consider the operation of his hands4 ,the fall of every leaf--the opening of every grave1 the subversion of kingdoms--the overthrow of empires--every event transpiring around us1 reads us a lesson full of deep and solemn instruction4 ,in the various and diversified developements of human character--whether contemplated in its rougher1 or more polished state1 there is a vast deal presented to view1 from which an intelligent mind may gather very important elements of instruction4 ,one who keeps his eye out upon these various fields1 will scarcely fail to ,,glean something every day1 either from nature1 or ,providence1 or the different and ever varying phases of human character1 that can be turned to a profitable account both for instruction and pleasure4 ,there are1 however1 different kinds of ,,gleaning--and different kinds of ,,gleaner4 ,the caption to this chapter contains an implied pledge1 that there is to be brought before the eye of the reader three successive ,,gleaners4--,and so we intend it shall be4 ,we will at once introduce you to the first of the three4 99 99 99 99 99 ,some sixteen hundred years before the first advent of the ,lord's ,,anionted1 there lived in ,bethlehem a man of wealth and distinction4 ,he possessed extensive flocks and herds1 and fields1 and all the usual resources of oriental riches4 ,palestine was then the land that flowed with milk and honey4 ,though there had been periods when for the sins of the people the heavens were shut1 and the dews and rains withheld--till the blight of sterility seemed to have impressed its dreary iron aspect upon every smiling valley and sunny hill3--at the time to which we refer it was not so4 ,that whole region then poured forth its productions most luxuriantly1 for the blessing of the ,lord was upon the land4 ,and now the season of the barley harvest had arrived1 and the reapers went forth with their sickles to cut down the bearded and bending grain4 ,this opulent citizen of ,bethlehem1 to whom we have referred1 when the rising sun1 ascending the deep blue arch of heaven and pouring its full orbed radiance over hill and dale1 had drank up the dew drops of morning1 rode forth into the country amid vine-clad hills1 and beneath groves of olive and palm till he reached his own paternal estate4 ,the bright luminary of day now poured down a full tide of heat and effulgence over the whole surrounding scene4 ,the reapers were plying their glittering steel1 and gathering the falling grain into sheaves4 ,the sound of rustic music came upon his ears as he rode along through the fields4 ,it was the song of the reapers4 ,he approached them4 ,they were his own hired servants4 ,though they were poor1 and had to toil for their daily bread1 their wealthy employer did not despise them4 ,he was one who feared the ,lord1 and saw in every human form a brother4 ,kind were his words as he approached the reapers1 and full of pious sentiment--for his salutation was1 ,the ,lord be with you4 ,those sun-burnt and swarthy laborers1 suspending for a moment their toil1 respectfully and piously responded1 ,the ,lord bless thee4 ,i know not what other pleasant discourse followed4 ,an object of deep interest now presented itself to the rich owner of these grounds4 ,in a distant part of the field was to be seen the slender and delicate form of a young female walking hither and thither to gather up the scattered heads of barley that had escaped the hand of the reaper4 ,then said he to his servant who was set over the reapers3 ,whose damsel is this8 ,and he replied1 ,it is the ,moabitish damsel that came back with ,naomi4 ,that lone female1 whose hand was gathering the scattered heads of barley1 had known better days4 ,she had been nursed in the lap of ease4 ,she dwelt in ,moab4 ,a stranger came there4 ,he had been reared near ,siloa's sacred stream4 ,he had been instructed in the divine law and his intellect had been beautified and expanded1 and his heart softened and refined by its heavenly teaching4 ,he was young and beautiful1 and full of manly dignity4 ,this interesting ,moabitess saw the stranger4 ,his dark lustrous eye met hers with an interest that mutually increased till love burned bright in both their bosoms4 ,they were joined in wedded love1 and her ,mahlon was all her own6 ,no1 not all--for death1 the insatiable archer1 had fixed his eye upon him4 ,only a short period elapsed1 and ,mahlon was numbered with the dead6 ,she saw his bright eye forever shut1 and the dark grave closing over his pale1 unbreathing corse4 ,mahlon had a father1 but he too had found a grave in that ,moabitish land where they now sojourned4 ,mahlon had a brother1 but that brother had fallen beneath the shaft of death1 and his dust slumbered fast by the side of his dead father4 ,mahlon had a mother4 ,poor lone widow6 ,her name was once ,naomi--,,pleasant1 but now she chose to be called ,mara--,,bitter--for the ,almighty had dealt very bitterly with her4 ,she had buried all she most loved in a stranger land4 ,why should she not now return to her native land--to the altars of her fathers--and the home of her childhood8 ,shall she go alone8 ,no--not while ,mahlon's widow lives4 ,the hour of parting came4 ,her two daughters-in-law--for both of her sons had taken them wives in the land of ,moab--had already accompanied her several miles on her way to the land of her nativity4 ,but the moment of separation had now come6 ,they stood under a cluster of palms--a cool1 refreshing spring sent forth its waters which flowed and gurgled along beside them4 ,all nature smiled around them1 but their hearts were sad4 ,this widowed1 childless mother--after a long painful struggle of silent feeling1 said unto her two daughters-in-law1 go return each to your mother's house4 ,the ,lord deal kindly with you1 as ye have dealt with the dead and with me4 ,then she kissed them each4 ,and they lifted up their voice and wept4 ,how could they part8 ,they said1 surely we will return with thee unto thy people4--,and she said--nay--,i have nothing to offer you3 ,i go back to my country stript of friends1 and substance4 ,therefore turn again my daughters1 why will ye go with me8 ,the deep fountains of feeling were again broken up1 and they again lifted up their voices and wept4 ,then ,orpah clasping the mother of her buried ,chilion in her arms1 fell on her neck1 and1 sobbing long and loud1 kissed her and bid her a final adieu4 ,not so the beautiful1 but now faded and care-worn ,ruth4 ,hers was a love stronger than death4 ,many waters could not drown it4 ,she refused to separate herself from the mother of him she had loved4 ,they still lingered under the shade of the clustering palms4 ,orpah had taken her final leave1 and her retiring form had now vanished from their view4 ,the sad widowed mother1 now preparing to start on her way1 again addressed ,ruth1 still lingering at her side--,behold thy sister-in-law has gone back unto her people1 and unto her gods4 ,return thou after thy sister-in-law4 ,but the fair and lovely ,moabitess nobly replied--,entreat me not to leave thee1 or to return from following after thee2 for whither thou goest1 ,i will go2 and where thou lodgest ,i will lodge3 thy people shall be my people1 and thy ,god my ,god2 where thou diest ,i will die1 and there will ,i be buried3 the ,lord do so to me1 and more also1 if aught but death part thee and me4 ,so onward they two went together to the holy land4 ,it was the beginning of the barley harvest when they reached ,bethlehem4 ,they were quite destitute1 and scarcely knew how they were to provide themselves with the means of subsistence4 ,but the eternal ,god in whom they trusted1 and who feeds the fowls of the air1 clothes the grass of the field1 and decks the expanded petals of the lily with hues more brilliant and beautiful than those reflected from the shining robes of royalty--had not forgotten the poor--had not forgotten to insert in his law when ye reap the harvest of your land--thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of the field1 neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest4 99 99 99 ,thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger3 ,i am the ,lord your ,god4 ,this divine injunction was reiterated again and again4 ,when thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field1 and hast forgot a sheaf in the field1 thou shalt not go again to fetch it3 it shall be for the stranger1 for the fatherless1 and for the widow2 that the ,lord thy ,god may bless thee in all the works of thine hands4 ,here was a merciful provision for the poor4 ,the devoted ,moabitess who had left country and home for her love to ,naomi1 was not backward in offering to go forth to glean in the field after the reapers4 ,it was on this errand1 that she walked into the country1 and patiently toiled beneath the rays of the scorching sun4 ,it was while thus engaged1 that ,boaz1 the rich ,bethlehemite1 came to his reapers1 and first saw the lovely stranger4 ,how she afterwards sped1 those acquainted with the sacred story need not be told4 ,it only remains for us to add1 that she gleaned in the field until even1 and beat out all that she had gleaned3 and it was an ephah of of barley4 ,and she took it up and went into the city2 and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned2 and she brought forth and gave to her that she had received after she was sufficed4 ,and her mother-in-law said unto her1 ,where hast thou gleaned to-day8 and where wroughtest thou8 blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee6 ,this is the first of the three ,gleaners4 ,the story of the two that follow will be much shorter4 99 99 99 99 99 ,circumstances1 several years since1 led the writer to spend a few days in a secluded little village1 in a very retired and beautiful part of the country4 ,it was in the month of ,august1 when the indications of summer were seen on every side--the wheat fields were ready for the hand of the reaper1 and during the livelong day there seemed no cessation to the tide of heat that came flowing down from the sun1 overwhelming the broad earth and every creature that moved upon it with his fervid influence4 ,the early dawn of morning1 and the hour of twilight at the decline of day1 seemed to be the only seasons1 when one could walk forth with any comfort1 to enjoy the rural scenery1 that the hand of the ,creator had spread with surpassing loveliness around this spot4 ,these seasons were not allowed to pass unimproved4 ,the first morning that ,i walked forth--while the grey twilight still lingered on hill and dale--casting a sombre1 dusky aspect over surrounding objects1 as ,i passed along1 refreshed by the fragrant breath exhaled from the fields1 cheered by the notes of the feathered tribe who were chanting their early matin lays1 and enamored with the glorious scene pencilled on the eastern sky1 which brightened and kindled into broader lines of orient radiance every step ,i took1 and every moment ,i gazed1 ,i saw a young lad1 some twelve or thirteen years old1 passing by me with a brisk step1 but stooping every now and then1 to gather up some straws of wheat1 that lay scattered along the road4 ,the occurrence1 however1 awakened no particular attention1 and would have been forgotten1 had not the same thing been observed in the evening4 ,in returning to my lodgings1 after a ramble over the fields on the evening of the same day1 ,i met this boy with quite a bundle of wheat under his arm1 moving with a quick step1 but stopping every now and then to gather up a single straw that lay in the road4 ,the next morning1 the circumstance had quite passed out of my mind1 till suddenly and unexpectedly the form of this boy again appeared before me4 ,he was still occupied in the same manner4 ,he seemed in a great hurry1 and yet he stooped to pick up every straw that lay in his path4 ,i felt an unusual curiosity to learn his history1 and the motives that influenced his conduct4 ,upon inquiry1 ,i was made acquainted with the following facts4 ,this lad was an orphan boy1 who resided in an old cottage1 about a mile distant from where ,i met him1 with an aged grand-mother1 who was blind1 and very poor4 ,her children had all gone down to the grave1 and this boy was the only representative of her family4 ,the old blind cottager1 was one who trusted in the ,lord1 and believed that he did all things well4 ,she tried to train up her child to a life of industry and early piety4 ,he was a promising lad and seemed disposed to aid his aged grand parent1 and contribute to her comfort by every means in his power4 ,every evening he would read to her out of ,god's holy book1 and in the day he sought some occupation by which he could contribute to her maintenance4 ,at the time ,i fell in with him1 he was in the employ of a wealthy farmer1 assisting in securing the wheat harvest4 ,this farmer resided in the outskirts of the village1 while the broad fields which he cultivated1 lay abroad in lengthening expansion and beauty in the immediate vicinity of his dwelling4 ,several of his barns were contiguous to his dwelling1 so that the wheat when harvested1 was principally conveyed from the field where it grew1 along the road on which ,i had taken my walks1 to these barns4 ,hence as one loaded wane after another was driven along1 the whole road became strewed with heads and stalks of wheat4 ,this lad1 to whom ,i have referred1 rose a half an hour earlier in the morning to go on his way to his daily toil1 and lingered a half an hour later at evening on his way homeward to his nightly couch1 in order to gather up these wheat stalks that had fallen by the way4 ,these wheat gleanings thus gathered up by the way he every night carried home with him and subsequently threshed1 and by steady perseverance in this course was able to obtain a considerable quantity of grain1 to afford bread both for himself and his aged grand parent4 ,was not this a beautiful instance of filial piety8 ,this is the story of our second ,,gleaner--one who ,,gleaned ,,by ,,the ,,way4 99 99 99 99 99 ,some twelve years since1 it was our happiness1 to have met a very remarkable man1 who seemed to live for one single purpose4 ,he possessed naturally great strength and brilliancy of intellect4 ,while yet a child1 a highly gifted mother had laid her plastic hand upon his character1 and so directed his education as to bring out the highest powers of his mind in symmetrical development4 ,thus through the educational advantages he enjoyed1 he was prepared to make large attainments1 and to gather much information from every field of knowledge through which he walked4 ,as he grew up1 he became furnished with most ample stores of learning4 ,he had the power to instruct and to please1 and was eminently fitted to act upon other minds4 ,added to all this--he was a ,christian4 ,he had felt the power of a ,saviour's love1 and had consecrated himself to his service4 ,to him had been committed the ministry of reconciliation1 and he was acting as the legate of the skies--the ambassador of the ,king of kings4 ,this was his business4 ,all the powers of his mind were consecrated to the work of winning souls to ,jesus4 ,he still moved around in society4 ,he was still the charm of every circle in which he was found4 ,he did not always speak upon religion4 ,he did not always stand before his fellow men in the attitude of a preacher4 ,he travelled2 for his health required it4 ,he walked out into the fields4 ,he looked abroad over the face of nature4 ,he moved amid the circles of his fellow men4 ,he engaged in literary pursuits and scientific investigations4 ,but he pursued nothing to the neglect of ministerial duty4 ,and from every circle in which he moved1 from every scene he witnessed1 from every company he met1 from every field he trod1 from every object to which he turned his eye1 from every investigation in which he engaged1 he gleaned something1 by which to throw new charms around religion1 and enable him to reach minds through new channels4 ,he never for one moment lost sight of his great business--but was all the time steadily moving forward to the attainment of the object for which he lived and laboured4 ,all his pursuits--all his enjoyments1 all his recreations1 were made to contribute at least indirectly to the furtherance of that great object4 ,like the wheat gleaning boy1 he went to his daily labour1 and relaxed no effort in the business of prosecuting prescribed ministerial duties1 yet while going to and from these duties1 he ,,gleaned ,,by ,,the ,,way4 ,every flower that spread its expanded petals before his eye1 every breath of music that fell upon his ear1 every dew drop that glittered in the beams of morning1 every little tiny insect that flitted across his path1 every landscape that stretched before him1 every mountain and hill that pointed upward to heaven1 every forest and stream on which his eye rested1 every star that hung out its golden lamp on the sable curtain of night1 every interview of friendship1 every vicissitude of life1 every incident of travel1 every occurrence whether pleasing or painful1 presented to his enriched intellect some new aspect of thought1 from which he could glean materials for the instruction of other minds4 ,thus he ,,gleaned ,,by ,,the ,,way4 ,and through ,,these ,,gleanings he acted upon a thousand minds1 that he could not otherwise have reached4 ,he has gone to his reward4 ,he sleeps in the silent sepulchre4 ,but though dead1 he yet speaketh4 ,a thousand flowers gathered by his hand from the fields of literature and the scenes of active life1 and by his hand planted in the garden of the ,lord1 still remain1 and from their contiguity to ,siloa's sacred font1 and the blood-stained cross1 they bloom with brighter tints1 and richer fragrance1 and still lead many to approach and fix their eye on that blessed cross1 and ultimately to feel its transforming power4 ,this is the history of our third ,,gleaner4 ,and from the history of the three1 our readers will be at no loss to determine what suggested to us the idea of entitling this volume ,,gleanings ,,by ,,the ,,way4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,views ,,of ,,pennsylvania4 ,tour to ,harrisburg--,aspect of the country--,the ,valley of the ,susquehanna--,the passage of the ,river--,the ,valley of the ,juniata--,huntingdon--,the ,rev4 ,john ,w4 ,james--,his sudden exit4 ,the following twelve ,chapters consist principally of extracts from the note book which the author kept1 during a tour through the great ,western ,valley in #ahcg4 ,on board the ,canal ,packet ,swatara1 ,wednesday evening1 ,june #ad1 #ahcg4 ,i have never been more struck than to-day with the tranquilizing influence which the works of nature are capable of exerting upon the mind4 ,there is a calmness1 a solemn stillness--a sweet quietude spread over field and forest1 and all that the eye rests upon in passing through the country at this beautiful season1 which cannot fail to find a response in the bosom of every beholder4 ,i have no doubt a ride into the country would often operate like a charm to calm down the agitations1 quiet the corrodings1 and soothe the anxieties of many1 who amid the engagements of the city are the victims of carking care1 and seem to live only to wade through the fiery stream of perturbed and anxious feeling4 ,we left ,philadelphia at six o'clock this morning4 ,the cars belonging to the three regular lines that run on the ,rail ,road to ,harrisburg1 filled with about one hundred and fifty passengers1 and fastened to each other in one train1 were moved by the same locomotive4 ,there is something very exhilarating in the act of being borne through a beautiful country at the rate of fifteen miles an hour4 ,it seemed as we moved along as though our whole train was instinct with life1 and endowed with magic pinions1 which it had only to spread abroad1 and skim over the surface of the ground with the fleetness of the wind4 ,as we passed along from the city1 one varied1 and verdant scene of all that is lovely in hill and dale1 forest and field1 orchard and farm-house1 presented itself in quick succession after another--filling up the whole way with images as beautiful and varied as are brought to the eye by every turn of the kaleidoscope4 ,the country between ,philadelphia and ,harrisburg in its outlines and agricultural aspect strikingly reminded me of western ,new ,york4 ,the impress of thrift and wealth are enstamped upon every vale and hill-side that meets your eye in this vast fertile landscape4 ,i could not but ask myself1 however1 ,is there a moral beauty here1 displayed in the lives of those who cultivate this land1 corresponding with the marks of material loveliness which the ,creator has spread over all this scene8 ,do the walls of these cottages and farm-houses resound to the voice of prayer and praise with each rising and setting sun8 ,is the ,saviour of sinners universally known1 and loved1 and served here8 ,do all these people1 whose homes are scattered along this range of country1 regard this beautiful region as the theatre on which ,god has placed them to prepare for the skies8 ,i know not what the state of religion may be generally through these counties1 but when ,i turned to a tabular list to see how many churches and communicants we numbered in this extent of country1 ,i felt sad to find how small a part of the land we had possessed1 and how very little we1 as a branch of the great ,catholic ,church1 were doing to extend the kingdom of ,christ even in our very neighborhood4 ,i hope other communions have done and are doing more to diffuse vital godliness through this section of the land than we1 otherwise there must be a lamentable want of that faith which ,christ came to establish on the earth4 ,o when shall prayer go up as one thick cloud of incense from every house and hamlet scattered through this region1 made so fair and beautiful by a divine hand6 ,then indeed will the valleys which stand so thick with corn laugh and sing1 the hills will clap their hands1 and every thing that hath breath praise the ,lord4 ,at ,harrisburg we took the canal4 ,our course till evening lay along the valley of the ,susquehanna1 which as we proceeded we found hemmed in with mountain bluffs1 not unlike the palisades which surmount the banks of the broad ,hudson1 or some of the rougher mountain features in the neighborhood of the ,highlands4 ,the scene that opened before us was one of calm--quiet beauty4 ,there was awakened somewhat of a romantic feeling as we sat down to our tea1 borne quietly along through the rural beauties that clustered thick around us4 ,our cabin windows were thrown wide open1 and we inhaled with delight the cool and refreshing breath of evening4 ,on our right1 almost within reaching distance1 the road passed along just under the brow of a very precipitous hill1 whose top peered up amid the clouds4 ,on the left1 parallel with our course1 was the expanded ,susquehanna3 and beyond this beautiful stream one bluff and lofty range of hills rising up after another1 gave to that side of the river the aspect of continuous mountain scenery4 ,as the day declined and the sun sunk below the horizon1 a dark mass of clouds seemed rolling up from the northwest4 ,this stupendous pile of clouds hung directly over the gap in the mountains1 through which the ,susquehanna poured its wide and troubled waters4 ,soon the heavens began to gather blackness1 and the forked lightning to play with fearful glare on the surface of this dark mass of clouds1 followed by loud peals of startling thunder4 ,almost immediately the rain commenced pouring down in torrents4 ,the transition from the quiet scene through which we had been passing1 to one of storm and tempest1 was sudden and unexpected4 ,there was a sublimity and awful grandeur that gathered around that hour and spot1 which ,i shall not soon forget4 ,what added to the effect1 was1 that just then we had arrived at the point1 where we were to cross the ,susquehanna4 ,the bridge that had been flung up over the river to afford a passage for the horses to tow the boat across1 had partially fallen down1 so that it was no longer capable of use4 ,a strong cable had been fixed across the stream1 by means of which a power was applied to our boat1 which1 in connexion with the force of the current1 would bear us rapidly over4 ,it began to be dark1 and the rain fell violently4 ,the waters seemed rough and threatening1 and many of the passengers felt a sense of great insecurity4 ,to many on board1 though ,i presume there was no danger1 it was a moment of deep and awful suspense4 ,my mind instantly run off into a train of serious thought4 ,it appeared to me that our course this day had been not unlike the journey of life4 ,at first in the ,may morning of our existence1 we start off with speed and are borne as by enchantment through a succession of gay1 bright1 blooming fields4 ,as we advance1 though we move apparently beneath benignant skies1 and tread amid many of the beauties of creation1 our path all the while runs along by the side of the river of death4 ,that river we must finally cross1 and it may be amid darkness and storms1 and beneath the impending thunder cloud of divine wrath6 ,happy are they whose hopes and interests are so garnered up in ,christ1 that it matters not to them when1 or how they cross it6 ,happy are they who can embark upon this river with such a simple1 and firm reliance on the ,saviour1 as to feel that there is no danger1 however rough or dark the passage may be6 ,thursday1 ,june #ae4--,when we awoke at four o'clock this morning1 we found ourselves wending our way along the valley of the ,juniata1 a stream tributary to the ,susquehanna4 ,the scenery on either side of this river is surpassingly beautiful1 and in style not unlike that which we passed yesterday on the ,susquehanna4 ,the hills that hedge in the narrow valley of the ,juniata are usually of a conical1 or triangular shape1 covered to the very summit with a stunted growth of forest trees4 ,there was a peaceful quiet--a solemn stillness reigning through almost the entire extent of this valley1 which to me appeared truly delightful4 ,it seemed like the deep and unbroken silence of nature4 ,it was to us a stillness seldom broken save when the sound of the boatman's horn1 or the heavy tread of the horse on the tow path1 went up the mountain side1 and woke an echo amid the untrodden solitudes that stretched up those wild1 and wood covered steeps4 ,as we advanced farther up the ,juniata we saw evidences of a more dense population4 ,villages occasionally rose to view4 ,we passed ,lewistown early in the forenoon1 and heard a favorable account of the acceptableness and labors of our young clerical friend1 the ,rev4 ,j4 ,f4 ,h4 ,how true it is1 that wherever a faithful servant of the ,lord is planted1 there the waste places will soon be converted into a fruitful field1 and the desert will be made to rejoice and blossom as the rose6 ,just at nightfall we passed ,huntingdon1 the place where poor ,james fell last ,august on his way to western ,pennsylvania4 ,this esteemed brother had been much in my mind in all our jaunt up the valley of this river3 and it had occurred to me as we passed along1 if there was a spot on earth where one could be content to lie down and die1 far from friends and home1 it was along this valley1 amid this sweet quiet mountain scenery4 ,one can scarcely look out upon these green and foliage clad heights and the multiplied demonstrations around him of ,almighty power and skill without feeling his heart drawn up in devout adoration to the ,framer of these everlasting hills4 ,i was disappointed1 and sorry in finding the scenery less beautiful at ,huntingdon than at any of the former points on the ,juniata4 ,the village presented an unattractive appearance4 ,the house in which our brother#a met his final hour was pointed out to me4 ,it seemed a very gloomy and unlovely abode4 ,as ,i passed the spot ,i felt the deep fountains of sensibility moved in my soul3 ,i thought1 that it was here1 far away from the sympathy of his people1 that this man of ,god lay down in the agonies of death4 ,it was here that his eye was sealed for ever on earthly scenes--and his liberated spirit mounted up to ,god6 ,though to mortal eyes the circumstances of his death seemed most undesirable1 yet we know that he went quickly up to tread the streets of the heavenly city1 and to stand where he could gaze everlastingly on the unveiled face of ,jesus1 his crucified and risen ,lord4 ,o who that looks to the end of the glorious consummation will not long to depart and be with ,christ which is far better6 ,,footnotes3 #a ,the individual above referred to was the ,rev4 ,john ,w4 ,james1 assistant minister of ,christ ,church1 ,philadelphia4 ,mr4 ,j4 was travelling with his family on a summer excursion in #ahcf1 when he was suddenly arrested with disease1 and called from the scenes of his labors to the rest which remaineth for the people of ,god4 ,he was a faithful minister of ,jesus ,christ1 and his memory is still most sacredly cherished by many1 who feel that he was to them the messenger of salvation4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,glimpses ,,of ,,western ,,pennsylvania4 ,source of the ,juniata--,ascent of the ,alleghanies--,the summit--,the ,great ,mississippi ,valley--,skepticism--,rank growth of religious error--,dunkards--,valley of the ,conemaugh--,moonlight--,singular conversation--,infidel sneers4 ,saturday morning1 ,june #ag1 #ahcg4 ,,we reached ,hollidaysburg1 a little village on the ,juniata1 where the ,alleghany ,portage ,rail ,road commences1 yesterday morning1 ,june #afth1 about eight o'clock4 ,our way from this point was up the mountain by successive inclined planes4 ,i never saw more strikingly illustrated the triumph of art over the obstacles of nature4 ,in our progress up the mountain1 we at length left the ,juniata1 at a point so near its source that we saw the two little rills which1 by their confluence1 constituted the commencement of that river1 pouring down the precipitous side of the same hill1 and which1 separately1 were so small that one might step over them with perfect ease4 ,we traced these mountain brooks with our eye as they swept along over the washed and worn pebbles--saw them unite1 and then followed them in imagination till they swelled along the banks of the ,juniata1 mingled their waters with the ,susquehanna1 poured into the ,chesapeake1 and finally were lost in the ocean4 ,in our ascending way up the mountain1 we found the scenery altogether of a new1 wild1 and more rugged cast4 ,our ascent amid these vast summits1--the wonderful velocity with which we were borne--the ease with which we seemed to move through the gaps of the mountains1 and over the tops of these everlasting hills--surrounded at every step by the most picturesque and gigantic elevations1 appeared like the effect of enchantment4 ,then too as we moved upward a change was perceptible in the atmosphere--we felt its invigorating and exhilarating influence--and perhaps the new buoyancy1 which our spirits acquired1 helped to impart increased effect to the majestic scene that stretched around us1 and had laid hold of our every sense and feeling with the power of a giant4 ,our course was still upward--upward6 and all our train of cars still flew upward till we reached the very tops of the mountain wilds and fastnesses that stood in such majestic grandeur around us4 ,it was announced at length that we had attained the summit height of the mountain4 ,just here the rivulets changed their course4 ,the streams had all flowed eastward to empty themselves into the ,atlantic1 but now they turned westward and leaped forward1 as though eager to find repose in the deep waters of the ,mississippi4 ,the ,conemaugh1 a tributary stream to the ,kiskiminetas takes its rise here1 and appears as a very little rill at its commencement4 ,it was with peculiar emotions that ,i stood on the summit of the ,alleghanies1 and strained my eye to look off towards the vast valley of the ,mississippi1 whose western boundary is terminated by the ,rocky mountains1 a distance not less than #bejj miles4 ,i then thought what immense undeveloped resources does this vast valley contain6 ,what an object of sublime contemplation is this broad and beauteous region in its surpassing fertility--its measureless capabilities--its vast rivers--its deep untrodden forests--its boundless prairies--and in its ten thousand rising villages and cities6 ,what vast1 complicated and mighty sympathies are gathering around this valley6 ,what scenes are to be acted here1 deciding this nation's civil and religious destiny6 ,what teeming millions are to be sustained by the products of this soil--are to live and die1 and be prepared for heaven or for hell on the broad bosom of this valley6 ,there is nothing but the gospel that can exert a saving influence upon the mass of mind congregating here1 and make this far outspreading and fertile region the abode of moral beauty and the home of civil freedom4 ,the gospel planting her foot here1 and stretching her arms over the whole extent of this western valley1 must wake up holy affections1 and songs of praise to the sin-conquering ,lamb1 all along the banks of these thousand streams1 or the blight of desolation will fall here--and the fairest portion of ,god's earth will be withered by the scorching fire of human passion--and bathed1 as has been the old world1 in seas of human blood6 ,there is but one influence that can save this mighty empire from the sway either of lawless anarchy or of iron-handed despotism1 or rescue the populous millions that will spread over it1 from the deep damnation of hell1 and that is the influence of the gospel4 ,what new arguments do we find in this thought to lead us to be unwearied in our efforts to send ,bibles1 and tracts1 and missionaries1 and to establish ,sunday-schools in the west6 ,i have already seen enough of western character to discover that while mind starts up here vigorous and majestic as the sturdy trees of the forest1 it is exceedingly prone to spurn the restraints1 and question the authority of divine ,revelation4 ,no where probably is there more avowed or evident independence of mind--or with a certain class1 greater susceptibility of being gulled1 by a swaggering1 boastful departure from the ancient landmarks of faith4 ,the great adversary is always ready to persuade men that there is much more manliness and independence in believing something new1 however false1 than in adhering to what is ancient1 however true1 in the faith of our forefathers4 ,we had scarcely crossed the mountains and reached the level of the great valley1 before we encountered a group of men of very singular1 and grotesque appearance4 ,their beards were long and filthy1 hanging down upon their breast4 ,i was greatly surprised to learn that this savage appearance was for conscience' sake4 ,i was told that these were individuals belonging to a religious sect called ,dunkards4 ,my informant gave me the following particulars in relation to this people4 ,they sometimes live in distinct communities1 and have all things in common4 ,this1 however1 is not always and perhaps not generally the case4 ,they do not usually build houses for public worship1 nor believe in sustaining a ministry as a distinct order of men4 ,certain persons in their churches1 they think1 are from time to time called to preach1 and these are denominated ministers4 ,these individuals1 however1 still pursue their own secular avocations as before4 ,they not only hold to baptism and the ,lord's supper1 but to washing each other's feet1 and1 ,i believe1 the observance of an annual love feast4 ,they also keep up the ancient custom of saluting each other with the kiss of charity1 and this among all their members1 whatever the color or sex may be4 ,their converts are all baptized by immersion1 and hence1 they are sometimes called ,dunkard ,baptists4 ,they hold to a trine baptism--dipping the candidate three times1 with the face downward into the water4 ,their sacramental seasons are periods of general feasting--when they keep open houses1 and free tables4 ,in doctrine they hold to the ,arian heresy1 though some of them are decided ,unitarians4 ,they also believe1 most of them1 in universal salvation1 holding that the wicked will be punished after death for a certain period1 and then be restored to happiness4 ,one of the peculiarities to which ,i have already referred1 is that they feel conscientiously bound to abstain from cutting the beard1 or removing the hair that grows upon their faces4 ,i am told that this sect is quite numerous in the west4 ,last evening we were slowly moving down the valley of the ,conemaugh1 on board the ,canal ,packet ,detroit4 ,the scenery on either side of the stream whose course we were following was bold and beautiful4 ,the trees were covered with dark thick foliage--at one time spreading out before us the view of a lengthening forest1 and then again opening to disclose to us a rich verdant lawn--a beautiful corn field or a smiling farm house--with all its usual appendages for convenience and comfort4 ,after the lingering rays of twilight had faded away1 and night had drawn her sable covering over the woodland scenes that stretched so gracefully around us1 the moon rose in silvery brightness1 and poured down her rich mellow light on all the shadowy landscape4 ,now and then a floating cloud crossed her path1 and gave a deeper momentary shade to the sombre shadows that here and there were flung over the face of nature4 ,it was a summer evening to make one court the open air2 most of our passengers were on deck4 ,some were sitting apart by themselves1 in silent meditation3 some were gazing upward into the peaceful heavens--and others1 off upon the quiet scenes of nature4 ,others stood around in little groups and knots1 holding various conversations4 ,i was walking slowly from one end of the deck to the other1 a silent observer of what was passing around me4 ,at length a remark that ,i heard arrested my attention1 and led me to stop and listen4 ,the group was composed of some six or eight individuals1 who were most of them evidently well educated and intelligent men1 though1 as it will appear in the sequel1 exceedingly ignorant upon all topics connected with the gospel4 ,one of the number was a physician of some standing2 another a lawyer1 a member of the ,senate in our state ,legislature1 who although young has already attracted considerable attention by the depth of his acquirements1 and the brilliancy of his talents4 ,the remark which fell upon my ear1 and drew my attention to the discussion that was going on in this little group--was--that any man would find it hard work to be an infidel4 ,i was glad to hear such testimony from such a quarter4 ,as it was regarded no intrusion to sit or stand any where1 where one chose on the deck1 ,i found an unoccupied seat near this little knot of gentlemen1 which ,i immediately took with a view of listening to their conversation now that it had turned upon the subject of ,christianity4 ,the question had been raised as to what constituted a ,christian1 when one of the company thus delivered himself3 ,he may be called a ,christian who acknowledges the divine authority of the doctrines and precepts of the ,saviour4 ,this remark the more interested me1 as it came from one who had spent much of his time since we entered the packet in card-playing4 ,as the conversation progressed1 ,i became more and more interested--but determined to continue a silent listener4 ,the general style of remark1 was of a character that evinced beyond all question a consummate ignorance on the part of the speakers1 not only of the real design of the gospel1 but of the leading truths which the ,bible unfolds4 ,i could not but think how melancholy it was that so many of the distinguished men of our country--who were well educated in other matters--should be so profoundly ignorant1 in the science of all others most important4 ,i could not but fear that the individuals congregated in that little group but too truly represented several classes in our country1 which taken collectively constituted the majority of our population4 ,i was so struck and so pained at what ,i heard that ,i felt constrained to note down the substance of the conversation at once4 ,as the conversation progressed1 one of the gentlemen observed-- ,no man can come up to the requisitions of the gospel3 neither is this expected4 ,it of course became a perfect ,being1 like the author of ,christianity1 to lay down a perfect system4 ,we are to aim to reach this system in all its demands4 ,some will succeed in one particular1 and others in another4 ,no one will come up to the required standard in all things4 ,still every one should do what he can to come up to the model set before us4 ,this is my idea of being a ,christian4 ,the same individual afterwards observed1 ,christ had great shrewdness4 ,he never answered questions directly1 but evasively4 ,take1 for instance1 the case when he was asked ',is it lawful to give tribute unto ,caesar1' he replied1 'render unto ,caesar the things that are ,caesar's1 and unto ,god the things that are ,god's6' this is the way he generally did4 ,it was difficult to obtain a direct answer from him4 ,he was like a ,yankee1 said another of the company1 sneeringly4 ,or like a ,quaker1 rejoined a third1 with a leering laugh4 ,i never yet could get a direct answer from a ,quaker2 they will always answer your question by asking another4 ,that is because they wish neither to give offence1 nor to get caught1 replied one of the company4 ,i felt it was almost sinful to sit and listen to this profane manner of speaking of the blessed ,saviour--of ,him before whom the loftiest hierarchs in heaven cast their crowns in lowliest reverence4 ,it was a page of human nature1 however1 that ,i thought it well for me to read2 and therefore1 ,i sat still3 ,a really conscientious man1 continued the man of law1 is just the worst witness that can be brought on to the stand4 ,he has so many qualifications to make1 and is so afraid that he shall not state every thing precisely as it is1 he fritters his whole testimony away4 ,a legal friend of mine told me the other day that he had just lost a cause by having a student of divinity as a witness4 ,when he conversed with him in private1 he thought his testimony would be entirely conclusive1 but when sworn he made so many qualifications to all he stated1 such as--'if he recollected correctly'--'if he heard correctly'--'if he did not receive a false impression1'--and ten thousand other hypotheses1 which so weakened his testimony as to render it good for nothing4 ,again the conversation went back to the question as to what constitutes the substance of ,christianity4 ,one of the gentlemen remarked4 ,in my view the whole of it is summed up in this precept--',do unto others as ye would they should do unto you4' ,whoever acts on this principle is a ,christian2 and ,i don't care what he believes about the ,trinity1 or atonement1 or any of the other mysteries of faith4 ,let him be a ,unitarian1 or ,trinitarian1 or believe what he chooses about the ,deity1 if he acts on this principle he will do well enough1 and need not trouble himself about matters of faith4 ,another of the group responded--,this is undoubtedly true--it is in accordance with common sense2 but some hold strange views4 ,a lady of my acquaintance1 the other day1 was expressing great anxiety about the salvation of a certain acquaintance of hers4 ,this acquaintance1 though somewhat of a fashionable woman1 and not particularly religious1 is nevertheless a most lovely and estimable character4 ,i replied to the lady expressing this anxiety1 ',if you think she is in danger1 ,i am sure there is not much hope for me4' ,she looked very grave1 and shook her head as though she thought my case wholly desperate4 ,now ,i think it is horrible for people to be cherishing such opinions about their neighbours--looking upon all the community around them as going infallibly to an eternal hell1 unless they have a certain species of faith1 which is supposed to ensure to those who have it the favour of ,god1 and everlasting life4 ,i believe this is all a mystic dream1 and whoever acts on the principle 'of doing to others1 as we would they should do to us1' may with perfect safety give to the winds all apprehensions about salvation1 and all controversies about doctrines1 and particular forms of faith4 ,the individual who uttered these sentiments was the very person who had remarked that it was hard work for any one to be an infidel4 ,to me it seemed astonishing1 that intelligent men1 who knew any thing of the scriptures1 could hold the views that had been broadly expressed1 and yet suppose that they were not infidels4 ,i was more than ever convinced that men might be learned in science1 in law1 in medicine1 in politics1 and yet be profoundly ignorant of the great design and prominent features of the gospel4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,pittsburg ,,and ,,its ,,environs4 ,first view of ,pittsburg--,its general aspect--,sabbath and its employments--,an affecting incident--,orphan children--,a ,christian father in the midst of his children on the ,sabbath4 ,saturday ,evening1 ,june #ag4 ,about nine o'clock this morning1 we passed the ,alleghany river just above the point where the ,kiskiminetas falls into it2 our course thence was along the banks4 ,the scenery on either side of this river1 like that of all the other rivers we have traced1 is very interesting4 ,its waters seem clear and transparent1 and the banks are beautifully over-hung with trees of a rich dark foliage4 ,it was about three o'clock1 ,p4 ,m41 when we caught the first view of ,pittsburg4 ,the day was unusually bright and sunny1 and the atmosphere uncommonly clear1 and our ,pittsburgian friends congratulated us upon having so favorable a time in which to take the first view of their city4 ,i was aware that the hills that encompassed this city were filled with bituminous coal1 and that one great source of its wealth and prosperity were the factories moved by steam power which could be employed with great effect and cheapness1 in consequence of the abundance of this coal4 ,i was also aware that this article constituted the principal fuel which warmed their houses4 ,i therefore expected to see a smoky city1 but ,i was not prepared to see what actually1 at first sight1 burst upon my view--a vast cloud of smoke rolling up in ten thousand dark columns1 and forming a dense1 murky canopy1 that hung in expanded blackness over the whole town4 ,the city seemed in its sooty and blackened houses1 and in its columns of everlasting smoke1 like one vast and extended group of furnaces or glass-factories4 ,as ,i continued to gaze upon it1 ,i was reminded of the smoke that went up from the plain of ,sodom the morning after the destruction of that city1 when ,abraham gat up early and looked over the whole plain4 ,our nearer approach to the city did not relieve me from my first impression4 ,every object and scene1 every house and building within the purlieus of the town seemed stained1 soiled1 and tarnished with the sooty vapour that was ceaselessly ascending from its ten thousand chimneys4 ,like the frogs of ,egypt this dreadful smoke came up into their houses1 and there was no escape from it4 ,the walls of the most elegant drawing-rooms bore evidence that the discolouring element had found its way there4 ,the atmosphere every where seemed impregnated with it4 ,i raised the window in my chamber1 and the room was almost instantly filled with smoke4 ,almost as soon as ,i reached the church on ,sunday evening1 the doors and windows being open for the admission of air1 ,i perceived the church was filled with a cloud of smoke4 ,surely ,pittsburg is a smoky city4 ,i ask the pardon of its inhabitants for this doleful description4 ,the town certainly bears marks of great thrift and prosperity1 and its inhabitants do not lack in sterling excellencies of character4 ,i should be very ungrateful if ,i did not here record the acknowledgement of the many acts of kindness and hospitality that were extended to me during my temporary stay4 ,in the manner in which the people regarded the unpleasant appendage connected with ,pittsburg to which ,i have just adverted1 ,i saw another evidence of the benevolence and wisdom of the ,creator in constituting us with capabilities of adapting ourselves to whatever is around us4 ,the smoky atmosphere1 so far from being an annoyance to the citizens of ,pittsburg1 is constantly spoken of by them as its beauty and glory1 and seems associated in their minds with all the delights and interest of home4 ,i have visited the environs of the city1 and clambered to the summit of some of the hills out of which the coal is dug4 ,the views from these elevations up the ,alleghany and the ,monongahela are beautiful4 ,the scenery in every direction around ,pittsburg1 viewed from these eminences1 would be magnificent1 were it not for that unchanging cloud of smoke that covers the city as a canopy of darkness4 ,from many a point on the lofty range of hills that encircle the city1 you have a view at the same glance of the ,alleghany and the ,monongahela1 wending their way from different points through their own distinct beautiful valleys1 and hastening on like two ardent lovers to meet and mingle into one2 and still farther on you see these two blended rivers moving off in one united stream--,,the ,,beautiful ,,ohio1 which winds its serpentine way through its own rich valley1 to meet the waters of the mighty ,mississippi--a thousand miles from this spot4 ,pittsburg1 ,sabbath ,morning1 ,june #ahth1 #ahcg4 ,the church-going bell calling worshippers to the house of prayer1 emits sounds that fall sweetly on the ,christian's ear4 ,how delightful is the thought1 that go where we may in this happy land1 we find some who love the ,saviour and are glad when it is said--,let us go up to the house of the ,lord4 ,as ,i sat in my room an hour since1 ,i was attracted to the window1 which looks out upon the back-yard1 by the merry voices of children4 ,i found the voices came from an adjoining yard2 and as ,i looked thither ,i was struck with the wonderful resemblance which two fine looking boys bore to a deceased clerical friend4 ,i was not deceived6 ,upon inquiry1 ,i found that these were the orphan children of my friend1 whose image was so accurately traced in their countenances4 ,their father had been suddenly cut down in the freshness and vigor of manhood4 ,their mother1 always delicate1 survived him only a few weeks1--and they were left alone4 ,they were now thrown upon the care of their paternal grand-father1 who was a ,campbellite ,baptist1 and whose family1 though very amiable1 were not professedly pious4 ,thus were the children of this deceased clergyman1 at almost the very dawn of their being1 removed from those religious sympathies and influences that their father would most ardently have desired1 should have encircled them4 ,we know not what may be in reserve for us1 or our children4 ,we may be quickly in our graves1 and our children may be left to be trained by those who have no attachment to the church of our affections--and little regard for that holy religion which brings us into blessed union with the ,framer of the skies1 and the ,father of our spirits4 ,can not we1 who are bereaved parents1 find in this thought an argument to reconcile us to that mysterious dispensation of ,divine ,providence1 which has smitten down our tender blossoms1 and covered up in the grave those dear ones that seemed the light of our eyes and the joy of our hearts6 ,surely1 it is the ,lord who hath done this6 ,he hath made safe and ample provision for our little ones in his kingdom above6 ,when we go the way of all the earth1 we shall have no anxieties about them--about their education--their morals1 their spiritual welfare1 or their future success in life4 ,yes1 thou art just and righteous in all thy ways1 ,o thou ,king of saints6 ,and blessed be thy name1 that thou art on the throne1 and orderest all things after the counsel of thy own will6 ,taking hold of the everlasting covenant1 we can leave ourselves1 our families1 our all1 in thy hands1 for eternity6 ,sunday ,evening4 ,after returning from divine service this afternoon1 ,i went to my room to spend a few hours in preparation for the evening exercises4 ,the window of my chamber being open1 and those of the back parlour directly under my room1 ,i discovered that my kind host had his children1 six little daughters1 assembled there for religious instruction4 ,he was a ,sunday-school teacher1 and his children were in the ,sunday-school2 and yet he did not feel himself on this account released from the parental obligation of instructing his own offspring in the way of holiness4 ,i could distinctly hear the sweet voices of that little assembled group1 one after another1 reading aloud to their parent the word of ,god1 and then his simple but striking comments upon the meaning of what was read4 ,this was continued for awhile1 and then they all united in singing one of the songs of ,zion4 ,never did ,i listen to sounds sweeter than those that came from those uplifted voices1 engaged in chanting the praises of ,god4 ,directly1 however1 those sweet strains were hushed4 ,a solemn pause ensued4 ,then ,i heard the voice of that father going up to heaven supplicating a divine blessing upon his offspring4 ,the prayer was a simple1 earnest pleading with the ,god and ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 for the sanctification and everlasting salvation of these children whom the ,lord had given him4 ,there was a tenderness1 and pathos1 and child-like simplicity connected with the prayer that deeply affected me4 ,this manifestly was not an extraordinary--but usual ,sunday exercise in which parent and children were engaged4 ,a lovelier1 or holier scene1 ,i could not well conceive this side of heaven4 ,what a delightful occupation to the parent6 ,what a blessing to the children6 ,when his head is laid low in the dust1 the memory of that consecrated ,sabbath hour1 will come up with an influence to melt and subdue their hearts1 and lead them to seek after their father's ,god4 ,but1 alas6 how is this duty of family instruction neglected4 ,how many ,christian parents could be found in any ,church who habitually set apart a portion of the sacred day1 to be employed in singing and praying with their children1 and instructing them in the knowledge of ,christ and his salvation8 ,what would be the effect1 if all professing ,christian parents were in the habit of spending an hour with their children this way each ,sabbath6 ,would not the baptized youth of our congregation be a very different race of beings from what they now are8 ,should we so frequently hear of infidelity1 and our breaking sins among the children of ,christian professors8 ,no4 ,there is unquestionably a great neglect of duty here--a neglect on the part of parents which results in the everlasting ruin of their offspring4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,voyage ,,on ,,the ,,ohio4 ,travelling companions--,steamboats on the ,ohio--,the ,elk--,the ,ohio river--,the ,harmonists--,steubenville--,wheeling --,marietta--,portsmouth--,kentucky--,th e dead steamboat captain--,kentucky funeral4 ,on board the ,elk1 ,monday ,evening1 ,june #ai4 ,i have two exceedingly agreeable travelling companions4 ,the one1 ,mr4 ,b----1 who started with a special view of accompanying me in this tour4 ,he is a young gentleman of mature intellect1 accomplished education1 and ardent piety4 ,the other friend we fell in with on our way to ,pittsburg4 ,mr4 ,f---- is a merchant1 residing in ,boston1 a devoted member of the ,congregational ,church1 a man of business1 and of sterling ,christian principle1 possessing more of the milk of human kindness than ordinarily falls to the lot of mortals4 ,the presence of these delightful companions has taken away much of the solitariness one feels in having a space of so many miles thrown between him and his home4 ,whoever has travelled on any of the western rivers knows something about the annoyances connected with western steamboats--the drinking--the swearing--the gambling4 ,we were induced to take our passage in ,,the ,,elk1 from the fact that it was the only boat that was going down the river this morning4 ,we soon found that our boat was not of the first order2 our captain1 however1 appears to be one of the most quiet1 taciturn1 and unmoveable men we ever met4 ,it was about ten o'clock1 that we found our boat pushing off from the shore1 and our backs turned upon the clouds of smoke that hung in dense masses over what has been called the ,birmingham of ,america4 ,as we stood on the deck1 we seemed at the moment of starting enclosed by a forest of dark tunnels peering up from countless steamers lying along the shore4 ,more than forty of these were clustered together in the same group where ,the ,elk was stationed4 ,it is said there cannot be less than seven hundred steamboats moving on these western and south-western rivers4 ,we were fully in the stream6--,we began to feel that we were borne on the flowing bosom of the ,ohio6 ,the luxury of that moment was worth travelling four hundred miles to enjoy6 ,what thronging emotions then came rushing upon our minds6 ,we remembered whither this stream was bearing us--away from our friends--perhaps never to return6 ,we thought of the vast territory it watered--its majestic length--the scenes of ,indian warfare that had been acted upon its shores and on its surface1 long before the axe of the white man had felled a single tree in those vast and unbroken forests that stood upon its banks1 and were reflected from its mirrored surface6 ,it was even then the beautiful river1 as the name ,ohio denotes4 ,it is said that the line of beauty is not a straight but waving line4 ,if so1 this river is richly entitled to its name4 ,from first to last1 it moves in the line of beauty4 ,so winding is its course that we usually do not see1 as we are passing along upon it1 more than a half or quarter of a mile in advance of us1 and often not so far4 ,thus we see it in distinct sections1 each section resembling a beautiful little lake1 surrounded by its own sweet and peculiar scenery--shut in by its verdant and variegated banks and wood-covered hills1 and ornamented by one or two1 and often several little green islets1 around which the parted waters wind romantically4 ,we passed the settlement of the ,harmonists1 or ,economists1 as they are frequently called4 ,this people are the followers of ,rapp1 and reside at a town called ,economy1 about fifteen miles below ,pittsburg4 ,they also form a singular instance of the power of delusion4 ,the people belonging to this community are principally ,german emigrants1 extremely ignorant1 and1 therefore1 more easily controlled by a shrewd and cunning leader4 ,rapp professes to be a prophet sent from ,god1 and gifted with the high privilege of holding such constant communication with heaven1 as to receive from thence directions how to regulate and govern all their affairs4--,he therefore enjoins upon every individual belonging to the community1 entire1 passive submission1 and implicit obedience to his orders4 ,this self-constituted ruler claims to be their sole religious instructor4 ,the people usually assemble on the ,sabbath1 when he speaks to them1 what it concerns them to know in relation to the ,supreme ,being and his ,prophet--and then gives them directions about their labour for the ensuing week1 reminding them of the great importance of harmony and economy1 assuring them1 that both of these will be effectually secured if they undeviatingly follow his directions4 ,though they have no outward ordinances1 they make great account of an annual festival--the ,harvest ,home4 ,at the observance of this festival1 after immense preparation in the way of providing all manner of good things to eat and drink1 not less than six hours are spent at the table--which are occupied alternately in eating1 singing1 and praying4 ,the above particulars ,i received from several different1 but well informed individuals1 residing at ,pittsburg4 ,in the course of the day we passed ,steubenville1 pleasantly situated on the river4 ,i had barely time during the landing of passengers to ascend the hill1 and look into one of its principal streets4 ,its houses1 like those of ,pittsburg1 bore the dingy stain so common to all this bituminous coal region4 ,i wished to have met the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,m----1 of this place1 with whom ,i had no personal acquaintance1 but in whom ,i felt a particular interest on account of the silent and powerful influence he exerted in the institution where he finished his literary studies1 in commending godliness and rebuking sin1 by a holy1 spotless1 and unblemished life4 ,the savour of his name still remained at that institution several years subsequent1 at the time when ,i was passing through my preparatory studies there4 ,i found upon inquiry that the same simplicity of faith1 and singleness of mind1 and devoted holiness of life1 characterized his labours on the banks of the ,ohio1 which imparted such a charm and moral power to his conduct as an academical student4 ,there is nothing1 after all1 that can place such a mighty moral lever in a man's hands1 as simple-hearted piety--decided holiness of heart and life4 ,we reached ,wheeling just at sunset1 and made our arrangements to remain there through the night1 with a view of taking the stage next morning to pass into the interior of ,ohio1 making ,gambier one of the points at which we should stop4 ,there having fallen heavy rains1 however1 the state of the roads was such that the project was abandoned1 and we determined to keep on in the ,elk4 ,we felt some pleasure in being permitted to spend an hour or two within the limits of the old dominion1 for it was the first time that either of us had trod upon ,virginia soil4 ,tuesday1 ,june #bjth1 ,cabin of the ,elk1 ,passing down the ,ohio4 ,i know of nothing more delightful than to sit at one's ease1 and be wafted down such a beautiful stream as this1 winding its graceful and circuitous way through groves and grass-covered fields1 and beauteous woodland scenes4 ,occasionally we see the banks surmounted with lofty bluffs that lift their proud summits up towards the clouds--and then succeeded by bottom land studded with trees that bend over to dip their pendent boughs in the glassy surface that sweetly reflects them4 ,as one sits in a sheltered nook in the cabin1 gliding down such a stream1 with such a scenery around him1 and feeling the cool refreshing breeze fanning his fevered brow1 and imparting vigour and new elasticity to his enervated frame1 he must be very stupid1 or very depraved1 if his heart is not drawn upwards and made to throb with gratitude to the glorious ,framer of this garnished and goodly scene6 ,one acquires as he proceeds westward1 largeness and expansion to his ideas3 his mind is carried out of its former habits of thought1 and swells away into the vast dimensions of the majestic rivers1 and boundless tracts of country1 over which his eye expatiates4 ,only think of sailing beyond the ,mississippi1 in a steamboat1 still westward more than two thousand miles1 and find your course at every step skirted with the most rich and fertile lands which stretch away interminably before you6 ,we passed this day some interesting towns4 ,marietta appears beautiful from the river1 is neatly built1 and bears the marks of thrift and enterprise4 ,point ,pleasant and ,guyandot in ,virginia1 ,gallipolis and ,burlington in ,ohio1 are interesting points4 ,wednesday1 ,june #ba4 ,we found ourselves this morning lying at the shore of ,portsmouth1 with the borders of ,kentucky on our left4 ,being detained several hours we took a view of the town1 found a neat little ,episcopal ,church1 and had an interview with its humble1 worthy1 and devoted minister1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,s----4 ,in all this western world we find that ministers have many trials and discouragements4 ,the people are more intent upon every thing else than that of saving their souls4 ,we here met1 to our great delight and surprise1 the ,rev4 ,w4 ,j----1 and his lady1 on their way to ,louisville1 his future field of labour4 ,the river continued to present us with the same beautiful views1 varied now and then by loftier ridges of head-land on the ,kentucky side4 ,it was about two o'clock1 ,p4 ,m41 when we saw on the ,kentucky shore in a solitary place1 a house surrounded by a large collection of people4 ,our boat seemed to sympathize in the scene before us1 for it was immediately arrested in its course1 and the captain put on shore4 ,i have before spoken of the captain of our steamer1 as remarkably quiet1 taciturn1 and even tempered4 ,we did not know that the placidity of his natural temperament could be moved1 or his tongue unloosed by any earthly power1 till the second night after our embarkation1 when we were awakened from our sleep by the tones of boisterous anger1 and volleys of oaths that almost froze our blood4 ,it was our captain chiding his men4 ,we were now to see him under new circumstances4 ,as ,i have said1 we dropped him on the ,kentucky shore about two o'clock1 while the boat went on to a small village a few miles below4 ,we were told by some of the hands on board that the captain had stopped on account of the severe illness of his brother-in-law1 who was the owner of the ,elk1 and its former commander4 ,the order was to wait until he joined us4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,j4 and myself improved the time of this delay by clambering up to the summit of one of the loftiest hills in the neighbourhood1 where we had a fine view of the river and the surrounding scenery4 ,when the signal for our boat's departure was sounded1 we perceived1 as we were going on board1 a coffin covered with black velvet4 ,we now learned for the first time that our boat was to go back to the point where we dropped our captain1 and remain there until the funeral rites of his brother-in-law1 now deceased1 were performed4 ,it was in vain to remonstrate1 so we submitted to the delay with as much cheerfulness as possible4--,to improve my time ,i determined to go on shore and witness a funeral among the yeomanry of ,kentucky4 ,the steamboat had been drawn up to the bank under the verdant canopy of a cluster of umbrageous trees4 ,after ascending the bank1 which might have been some fifty feet from the water to its summit1 we found ourselves in the midst of a beautiful grove1 where the underwood had been cut away1 and the earth was carpeted with green sward4 ,most of our passengers having landed1 the coffin was brought out from the boat and conveyed towards a cottage that stood some two hundred yards distant4 ,we all then moved on towards the house4 ,the first thing that attracted our attention in approaching this rural dwelling1 was the number of horses fastened to the fences1 and equipped most of them with ladies' riding saddles4--,around and within the house we found a large company assembled4 ,i was sorry to see so many rotund and rubicund faces among the men1 bearing unerring indications of intemperance4 ,the fair daughters of ,kentucky were certainly on this occasion more happily represented than the stronger sex4 ,they were1 however1 very peculiarly dressed4 ,they generally wore a sun-bonnet1 which had a long frill or flounce that hung like a shawl over their shoulders1 and carried in their hands little riding whips1 which left us at no loss to understand who were the riders of the caparisoned steeds that we had seen in such numbers around this house of mourning4 ,i pressed along through the crowd1 and followed the coffin to the house with the hope of witnessing the religious exercises that ,i supposed would be performed on this occasion4 ,the house consisted principally of one long large room1 in a corner of which the corpse was placed4 ,here also the mourners sat1 and the company that were collecting to attend the funeral4 ,the coffin was brought into this room1 and placed in front of the corpse1 which was clad in the vestments it was to wear in its narrow house4 ,it was immediately in the presence of the mourners1 and of this promiscuous company1 raised from its position and transferred to the coffin4 ,this being done1 the undertaker proceeded to fasten on the lid with the exception of the head-piece1 which was separate from the other4 ,the wife1 and mother1 and family friends1 then moved forward1 and proceeded to take leave of the unbreathing dead4 ,i never was more struck with the power of human sympathy4 ,at that moment many hardy1 sun-burnt1 iron-looking faces put on all the expression of deep and overwhelming emotion4 ,tears ran down cheeks that one would have thought had never been wet with such tender drops before4 ,even our imperturbable captain1 whom we thought proof against all feeling1 and almost a perfect impersonation of apathy1 wept and sobbed aloud4 ,the coffin was then borne out into a rude open piazza or stoop in front of the house1 and there left for some time till the curiosity of every gazer seemed fully glutted4 ,then again the near relatives came forward and kissed the dead4 ,the widowed wife seemed almost frantic in bestowing the parting tokens of her affection upon the unbreathing body of her deceased companion4 ,i felt obliged to turn away1 for ,i could not endure the sight of her wild frantic manner as she clasped and kissed again and again the cold clay of her husband6 ,this finally had a close4 ,then after a short pause1 a female bearing in her hands a pair of shears1 pressed her way through the crowd1 and proceeding to the head of the coffin1 took off several large locks of hair that rested on the cold forehead of the dead man4 ,the coffin was then immediately closed1 and preparation made to move towards the grave4 ,i accosted an elderly lady that stood near me and said-- ,are we to have no religious services on this occasion8 ,no4 ,is there no minister present to officiate8 ,no1 was the only reply ,i received4 ,i then turned to another and said1 ,are there no ministers who reside in this part of the country8 ,none very near here1 was the response4 ,i mentioned this conversation to my friend ,b---- who stood near1 and observed to him that ,i regretted that such an opportunity should be lost1 when the feelings of all were so subdued1 to direct the minds of these people to the solemn realities of eternity2 that even a single prayer offered up at this moment might be the means of saving a soul4 ,he went and spoke to our captain1 mentioned that there was a clergyman present1 and suggested to him the expediency of inviting him to engage in some religious exercises4 ,the captain with his usual apathy1 into which he had again relapsed1 replied1 ,i don't know whether it is worth while4 ,the funeral began to move off in the following order or rather disorder4 ,first1 the four bearers took the lead1 carrying the coffin on two rudely hewn sticks1 prepared for the occasion4 ,then followed four or five of the near relatives all abreast4 ,then came the bereaved widow1 riding on horseback1 and after her all the assembled crowd1 male and female1 hurrying on twelve or fifteen abreast of each other4 ,the funeral train proceeded near where we landed1 and1 after having gone a short distance into the grove1 it descended into a narrow ravine1 through which run a little brook1 gurgling over its pebbly bottom4 ,when the bearers reached this brook they had no other way to proceed but to ford it2 the others got over as well as they could1 on logs and stones4 ,having ascended the opposite bank1 we soon reached a well trodden path1 which we followed for some short distance1 and then turned abruptly into a cornfield4 ,when we had reached the central part of the field1 which was an eminence of some height1 we found an open grave4 ,the excavation was at least four times larger than the coffin required1 with a place sunk in the bottom just large enough to receive it4 ,while we were ascending the hill near the grave1 the captain having had some consultation with the friends of the deceased1 and again feeling some kindlings of sensibility1 sought me out from among the crowd1 and very affectionately throwing his arm over my shoulders thus accosted me-- ,i am very sorry to detain you on your journey1 but the hands were all so much attached to ,mr4 ,r41 ,i could not well send them on till the funeral was over4 ,i replied1 ,it is perfectly right to detain us under these circumstances4 ,this is a very solemn event1 and one that should be regarded as a loud call both to you and your hands4 ,we must all soon come to this6 ,how important then to lay it to heart6 ,to all this he readily assented and replied1 ,several of the friends have expressed a wish that you should give us a short exhortation at the grave4 ,i felt no disposition to decline complying with this request4 ,accordingly when the coffin had been placed over the excavated grave1 with the broad blue canopy over our heads1 amid the stillness of the surrounding country scene1 and the hill-side beneath me covered with a dense mass of human beings1 ,i lifted up my voice for my ,master1 and spoke to them of sin1 and death1 and ,christ1 and salvation4 ,as ,i looked over the silent listening throng1 ,i remembered that ,i had never met one of them before1 and probably should never meet one of them again1 till we stood together at the judgment bar4 ,i endeavoured to exhibit to them the scenes of that great and dreadful day1 and the terms on which they would be accepted or rejected4 ,i endeavoured to direct the mourners that wept around that grave to the balm that is in ,gilead and the physician who is there4 ,the countenances of all were solemn1 and there were not wanting evidences of deep and tender emotion4 ,the remarks were closed with prayer to the eternal ,framer of earth and sky4 ,whether on that hill-side1 with the ,ohio rolling at our feet1 and the blue heavens stretching over our heads1 any good was done when we laid the dead steamboat captain in his grave1 the developements of the great day must show6 ,in my heart ,i thanked the ,lord for this opportunity of going out into the highways and hedges to try to compel them to come in4 ,as soon as the grave was closed up1 the bell from our boat reminded us that we must be on our way4 ,during the rest of the voyage our captain seemed very serious and thoughtful4 ,at tea he requested that a blessing should be invoked on our meal4 ,my friend ,b4 sought a private opportunity to press the subject of personal religion upon his attention4 ,he received what was offered with great candour1 and seemed willing to prolong the conversation4 ,his conduct after this to us was marked with every indication of respectfulness and attachment4 ,the next morning we found ourselves at ,cincinnati1 the city which has been called ,,the ,,queen ,,of ,,the ,,west4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,a ,,glimpse ,,of ,,kentucky4 ,cincinnati--,the ,queen city--,views in reference to missionary labour--,the kind of missionaries wanted in the great ,valley--,walnut ,hills--,lane ,seminary--,dr4 ,beecher--,woodward ,college--,dr4 ,aydelott--,the old ,kentucky man--,louisville--,the ,galt ,house--,view of the interior of ,kentucky--,plantations--,a sore evil--,kentuckian traits of character--,a thrilling incident4 ,cincinnati1 ,friday ,morning1 ,june #bc;d1 #ahcg4 ,we reached this city1 not inappropriately called ,the ,queen of the ,west1 yesterday morning1 and bid adieu to the ,elk and its taciturn captain4 ,upon the whole ,i have been greatly pleased with ,cincinnati4 ,the whole air and aspect of the town has reminded me more of ,philadelphia than any city ,i have seen west of the mountains4 ,christ ,church1 in this city1 is a noble building1 and the interior furnishes a beautiful specimen of architectural taste and skill4 ,st4 ,paul's ,church is also a tasteful structure1 although ,i was not able to obtain a view of the interior4 ,the ,roman ,catholic cathedral and college make a fine appearance1 but the interior of the cathedral greatly disappointed me4 ,the audience room is small1 narrow1 and mean in appearance4 ,i am happy to say that in passing through this western region ,i find but one impression among well-informed and intelligent men in relation to the growth and progress of popery here2 and that is1 that it is making little or no advances1 except with the increase of foreign population4 ,in my visit to ,cincinnati ,i derived much information in relation to the west1 as well as much personal enjoyment from the conversation and society of our most excellent brother1 the ,rev4 ,j4 ,t4 ,b41 ,rector of ,christ ,church4 ,he occupies a most important position on the walls of ,zion1 and ,i could not but say to myself1 the more ,i saw and conversed with him1 ,oh that we had a thousand such clergymen at the west as he4 ,he1 as well as several other intelligent clergymen in this region1 assured me that it needed only a band of well-trained1 devoted1 godly men1 to plant the ,episcopal ,church every where through the whole length and breadth of this vast valley4 ,the united testimony of all is1 ,send us the right kind of men--or send us none4 ,the idea that any one will answer for a missionary to the west is a most fatal error4 ,we want here men of enlarged and liberal views1 thoroughly educated1 of great prudence1 energy and efficiency--men who are willing to work1 and willing to keep on working till they see the fruit of their labours--and above all1 pious1 devoted men--men full of the ,holy ,ghost1 and burning with a love for immortal souls1 who will speak directly to the hearts and consciences of people4 ,give us such ministers1 and no limits need be set to the establishment of the ,church4 ,but if men of another stamp are to be sent1 those whose dullness1 and deadness1 and inefficiency prevent their getting any place among the old established parishes at the east1 the result will be that our prospects here for the ,church wherever they plant themselves will be for ever ruined4 ,i have heard these sentiments again and again from the lips of some of our most devoted ministers at the west4 ,the body of clergy that now come here are going to give character to the ,church4 ,they are engaged in the momentous business of laying foundations4 ,we must look not only to the immediate1 but future results of their labours4 ,in almost all places1 before any thing can be done a church has to be built4 ,i had no conception till ,i entered this great valley of the difficulty of finding a place in which to assemble the people for public worship4 ,almost the first business to be done is to effect the erection of a church4 ,the clergyman who can inspire such confidence in himself and awaken such a degree of interest1 as to lead a western community to embark in such an enterprize1 must have some tact and power4 ,another difficulty is to induce the people to attend church4 ,vast numbers here have fallen into the confirmed habit of spending their ,sabbaths in another way4 ,it is an effort for them to go to church4 ,there must be some attractions in the minister to draw this class of persons out1 and they are here a very large1 and respectable1 and influential class4 ,a dull1 sleepy1 prosing minister is not the man for the west4 ,in the afternoon we rode out to ,walnut ,hills to visit ,lane ,seminary1 and pay our respects to ,dr4 ,beecher4 ,he received us with that frank1 blunt cordiality1 which ,i have so often experienced in ,new ,england1 and which makes its rough and cragged hills more attractive to me than all the luxuriant fields of the west4 ,the pleasure of our visit was not a little enhanced by the presence of ,miss ,catharine ,e4 ,beecher1 who is widely known to the literary world through the productions of her gifted pen4 ,i am sorry that my limits will not allow me to detail to you some parts of a discussion that we had upon several interesting topics--especially in reference to the present state of the ,presbyterian ,church1 and of the best mode of diffusing light among the ,roman ,catholics4 ,i certainly left ,dr4 ,b---- more than ever impressed with a high conviction of the brilliancy of his intellect1 and the depth of his piety4 ,the location of ,lane ,seminary is in the midst of a most beautiful landscape4 ,there is just enough1 and just the right admixture of hill and dale1 forest and field1 to give it the effect we love to feel in gazing upon a calm and quiet scene of beauty4 ,in our return to ,cincinnati we took another route1 which1 as we approached the town1 gave us from the lofty amphitheatre of hills that encircle this occidental queen a new view of her charms4 ,as we approached the lofty eminences in the rear of the town1 while we gazed from the summit down upon the city1 ,i could not but reflect how ,jerusalem must have appeared to the spectator who stood upon ,mount ,olivet1 and looked down upon the proud domes and busy streets that lay beneath him4 ,and the thought too then occurred to me1 that had ,i the gifted vision of him who once stood upon ,olivet1 and wept over ,jerusalem1 ,i might see in this beautiful city enough to draw forth floods of grief4 ,with all my admiration of ,cincinnati1 ,i see here abundant evidences of great wickedness4 ,the temperance cause ,i fear has made but little advance in this place1 and the god of this world holds a fearful sway over the minds of too many of its inhabitants4 ,i met last evening the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,aydelott1 the former ,rector of ,christ ,church1 who now occupies the place of ,president of ,woodward ,college1 an institution in ,cincinnati1 endowed by the munificence of a single individual1 and which promises1 with its present head1 to do much for the cause of learning in the west4 ,i am satisfied that education here is to be one of the great moral levers by which mind is to be raised from the darkness and degradation of sin4 ,in the ,president of ,woodward ,college ,i found a man of thorough evangelical views1 sound intellect1 and fine literary attainment4 ,louisville1 ,tuesday1 ,june #bg4 ,it was about noon1 ,friday the #bc;d1 that we left ,cincinnati on board the steamboat ,commerce4 ,having reached the great ,miami1 we had immediately under our eye the view of three states4 ,ohio which we were leaving--,indiana which now constituted the right-hand bank of the river1 and ,kentucky1 which still continued to present us with its alternations of bottom and bluff on the left4--,we met on board a fine specimen of plain1 honest1 fearless ,kentucky character4 ,he was an old man who cultivated a farm without slave labour1 possessing great bluntness1 a large share of intelligence1 and an evident warm-hearted piety4 ,having formed some acquaintance with ,b----1 he accosted ,mr4 ,f---- and myself almost immediately upon coming where we stood1 in the following manner4 ,well1 gentlemen1 ,i find your friend here is for ,christ3 which side are you on8 ,i am willing to show my colours4 ,he seemed very happy to know that we were trying to serve the same ,master whom he loved4 ,at early dawn1 on the morning of ,saturday1 ,june #bdth1 we found our steamboat lying along the shore1 on which ,louisville is built4 ,as the heat now began to be oppressive1 it was very reviving to leave the confined cabin of our steamer1 and inhale the fresh breath of morning4 ,louisville is evidently a flourishing business town1 containing about twenty-five thousand inhabitants1 ten thousand less than ,cincinnati4 ,we put up at the ,,galt ,,house1 an establishment which we had heard very highly commended4 ,we however1 in the end1 did not feel disposed greatly to dissent from the remark of one of the lodgers at the ,hotel1 who in true ,kentucky style remarked--that the ,galt ,house was not after all just what it was cracked up to be4 ,i found many things to interest me in ,louisville4 ,during the few days that ,i stopped here1 it was my intention to visit ,lexington1 but having been providentially prevented1 ,i endeavoured to make amends for this disappointment by taking short excursions into the country4 ,how could ,i fail to be delighted with the splendid corn and hemp fields along by the sides of which ,i passed6 and the luxuriant forests which1 with their underwood cleared away1 and grown up1 as they were1 with blue grass1 appeared like noble parks affording pasture ground for the hundred beeves that roamed there6 ,how could ,i fail to be delighted with the frank1 and generous1 and warm-hearted hospitality which ,i every where experienced4 ,but ,i saw a dark cloud hanging over this beautiful state6 ,almost all its inhabitants see it1 and lament it1 and hope that it may one day be rolled away6 ,through the politeness of a friend ,i was afforded an opportunity of visiting several large plantations cultivated by slaves4 ,i was pleased with the evident kindness with which the slaves are treated1 and the happy contentedness which they displayed4 ,but still ,i could not but see many evils connected with this system4 ,and ,i have no doubt that large portions of the intelligent part of the people in ,kentucky have juster views of these evils than any of their northern neighbours--and that could silent wishes remove the difficulty the chains of bondage would be instantly broken4 ,i dined with a gentleman1 of great urbanity and professed piety1 living on a small plantation in the country4 ,after dinner1 we walked out1 and passed by the shantee in which his slaves lived4 ,he asked me to look in1 and talk with them1 he in the mean time passing on1 with some other gentlemen into the garden4 ,i did so4 ,in the cottage they occupied there was every appearance of neatness and comfort4 ,i remarked to an intelligent looking woman who stood over the wash-tub-- ,you look quite comfortable here1 ,i suppose you are very happy4 ,she immediately replied1 ,i am not happy4 ,ah6 said ,i1 what makes you unhappy8 ,are you not treated kindly by your master and his family8 ,oh1 yes6 she responded1 ,i have nothing to complain of on that ground4 ,what is it then that makes you unhappy8 ,i asked4 ,my sins1 she replied4 ,i remarked that this was indeed the cause of all our misery2 and ,i then endeavoured to point her to that blessed fountain opened for sin and uncleanness1 where she and all our guilty race might wash and be clean4 ,as ,i passed along1 ,i saw several young children around the establishment1 and when ,i joined our host in the garden1 ,i told him what had passed1 and inquired of him1 if the parents of the children we saw had been regularly married4 ,he appeared somewhat confused1 and very serious--but at length replied-- ,this is one of the worst features of slavery4 ,two of the parents of those children are married4 ,the woman with whom you were conversing is the mother of four children1 and has never been married8 ,her conscience is not easy4 ,i inquired if such things were of common occurrence among the slave population8 ,he replied--,yes--and we cannot prevent it4 ,alas for that state of society which brings along unavoidably such sin in its train6 ,i inquired in relation to the religious instruction of the slaves1 and was sorry to learn that it was so very defective4 ,on one plantation where there were seventy slaves1 the master was a perfect worldling1 and never allowed his slaves to attend public worship or receive any kind of religious instruction4 ,must there not be something wrong in that state of society which places seventy immortal souls so entirely under the control of one individual that he can shut against them completely the gate of heaven8 ,but this is an unwelcome theme and ,i pass on4 ,perhaps there is no part of our country where there are such fixed and marked traits of character as in ,new ,england and ,kentucky4 ,there are many traits in the ,kentuckian which ,i admire1 and which when brought under the influence and control of ,divine grace form the substratum of a noble character4 ,one of the attributes of this character is an honest independence1 which despises the meanness of stooping to get any advantage by blandishment or truckling4 ,this is evident from the common drayman to the high-minded planter4 ,another attribute in this character1 is a love1 amounting almost to a passion1 for discussion1 oratory1 and public speaking4 ,it is said1 that in no one of the states are all political questions so thoroughly discussed and understood by the great mass of the people as in ,kentucky4 ,during the sittings of the courts1 ,i am told that all leave their work1 and give up their time to attend the trial of the various suits that are pending1 and to listen to the speeches that are made on the occasion4 ,wherever there is public speaking1 there the people will flock4 ,i believe there is no state where a talented1 eloquent ministry could effect more than here4--,unhappily there is much infidelity prevailing in this state1 and yet ,i have no doubt that it may and will be entirely supplanted by the labours of a faithful and efficient ministry4 ,you will be gratified to learn that the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,j---- has commenced his labours with great acceptableness4 ,his removal to ,louisville1 at this time1 is regarded by the friends of the ,church in this region as a most auspicious event4 ,i have no doubt that a wide field of usefulness lies before him4 ,they are erecting in ,louisville a new ,episcopal ,church1 and if a suitable pastor is procured1 there is not the least question but that both churches will be entirely full4 ,the very best specimen of true original ,kentucky character1 which ,i have met1 was on board the steamboat4 ,the love of this individual for his native state amounted almost to a passion4 ,though in exterior very plain and blunt1 he possessed uncommon intelligence1 and contributed by his conversation in no small degree to our enjoyment4 ,he gave me the following statement in relation to the early settlement of ,kentucky4 ,this was one of the most beautiful and blooming territories over which a wild luxuriant forest ever waved4--,and yet as it was a sort of dividing line between the northern and southern ,indians1 it became the battle-ground upon which these nations met and waged interminable wars1 so that it went among the savages by the name of the dark and bloody land4 ,near the close of the revolutionary war several settlements were attempted in ,kentucky by emigrants from ,virginia4 ,my ancestors were among the number4 ,the ,indians both from the south and north1 almost immediately became jealous of these white settlers1 and adopted the purpose of exterminating them4 ,the settlers were able to keep their position only by building a fort and living in it4 ,while a certain portion of the men worked in attempting to clear and cultivate the land1 another portion being armed1 were on watch4 ,i was born in one of these forts near ,boonsborough4 ,i wore1 till ,i was twelve years old1 hose made of buffalo hair4 ,our chief living was upon bear and buffalo meat4 ,we were in the midst of the wildness of nature4 ,hundreds of times have ,i seen the ,indians rushing upon our fort1 or fleeing before the sharp-speaking guns of our friends4 ,people who live in the densely settled portions of our country1 know very little about the toils and dangers1 the sacrifices and privations which the first settlers endure4 ,my ,kentucky acquaintance illustrated this last remark by a vast number of thrilling incidents1 one or two of which ,i will relate4 ,when he was quite young1 several of the people of that settlement1 undertook to manufacture maple sugar4 ,the winter had relaxed its rigours1 and the warm sun began to pour down his genial rays4 ,the snow was fast melting away1 and the sap ran merrily from the perforated sugar trees4 ,several negroes were engaged a short distance from the fort in collecting the sap4 ,it was supposed that no ,indians were in the neighbourhood1 as none had been seen for several months4 ,tempted by the bright sunny day1 a daughter of one of the settlers1 a young1 beautiful1 blooming girl1 rambled beyond the enclosures of the fort1 where the negroes were collecting the sugar sap4 ,while she stood there1 full of buoyancy and free from every apprehension1 a negro being near1 busily engaged in some of the various processes of sugar-making1 four or five wild ,indians in a moment sprung upon them6 ,the negro they seized and bound1 and in an instant cut down with their tomahawks this beautiful girl4 ,having scalped her1 they fled1 carrying with them the captured negro4 ,the alarm was soon given at the fort4 ,they were pursued--overtaken1 and several of them shot4 ,the negro was rescued4 ,those that had escaped went five hundred miles around among the tribe to raise the war-cry1 and then came back and again attacked the settlement4 ,in that encounter my ,kentucky friend told me that eleven of his family relatives were killed4 ,another incident which he related was the following4 ,somewhere on a station near ,kentucky river1 in the spring1 when the earth began to put on her bloom1 two young ladies1 the eldest of whom was the first child born in ,kentucky1 went out to gather flowers4 ,as they saw some very rich blossoms on the banks of the river1 they took a little skiff1 and went from one side to the other collecting them4 ,while thus engaged a number of ,indians were in the canebrakes watching them4 ,the young ladies having by a turn of the river passed beyond the view of their enemies1 the ,indians proposed to gather flowers1 and place them all along the bank1 where they were in ambuscade1 so that when they returned1 attracted by these flowers1 they would come up to the bank and then the boat could be seized4 ,the plan entirely succeeded1 and while these young ladies were gaily cropping their flowers1 a huge wild ,indian sprang from his concealment into the boat4 ,their destiny then seemed sealed4 ,they were immediately borne away as captives4 ,one of them1 however1 wore a dress handkerchief of red and brilliant colours4--,this she silently kept pulling to pieces1 and dropping the shreds as she was hurried along through the forest4 ,the friends of these young ladies soon become alarmed4 ,marks were discovered of an ,indian trail4 ,the empty boat was found4 ,a band of armed men commenced pursuit1 headed by the father of one of these young ladies4--,they discovered the shreds of the handkerchief1 and traced them till night fall1 when they suddenly came upon them where they were encamped4 ,they perceived there was a large number of ,indians1 and thought secresy in their movements important4 ,they waited till the ,indians were asleep1 and then the father drew near4 ,he saw the two young ladies sitting by themselves1 guarded by an ,indian4 ,the others appeared to be asleep4 ,his men were at some distance1 and he thought it better to go up unseen1 and tomahawk this sentinel1 and rescue his child without alarming the other ,indians4 ,but in attempting it1 his faithful dog which accompanied him1 growled at the sight of these savages4 ,in a moment they were on their feet and he their prisoner4 ,they determined at once to put him to death4 ,he was stripped and bound to a tree1 and they were just levelling their pieces to fire at him4--,what a moment of awful suspense for his child who stood looking on6 ,his men1 alarmed at his long absence1 drew near1 saw what was going forward1 and instantly fired upon the ,indians4 ,a panic was immediately struck into the camp1 and as the fire from the whites was kept up1 and one and another ,indian fell gasping on the ground1 they soon fled and left their prisoners4 ,the father and the two young ladies returned4 ,one of them is still living1 the mother of a large and respectable family1 whose declining age is cheered with the comforts of a sweet hope in ,christ4 ,it is well for us to know something of the hardships endured by the first settlers in the west4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,the ,,ohio ,,near ,,its ,,mouth4 ,new ,albany--,sailing down the ,ohio--,profanity--,lovely views of nature--,a sudden squall on the river--,kentucky shore--,young fawn--,the mouth of the ,tennessee river--,the swimming deer--,his struggle and capture--,meeting of the waters of the ,ohio with the ,mississippi--,gambling--,intemperance-- ,sail up the ,mississippi to ,st4 ,louis4 ,new ,albany1 ,indiana1 ,tuesday ,morning1 ,june #bg1 #ahcg4 ,indiana is unquestionably destined to become one of the most interesting of the ,western ,states4 ,its principal towns that stand along on the ,ohio1 must of course become very important points4 ,this will be particularly the case with ,new ,albany1 which is already one of the most populous and flourishing towns in ,indiana4 ,it bears on every part of it the marks of a new place1 and the manner in which every house and shed within its precincts is crowded1 shows that it must have expansion4 ,it is situated about four miles from ,louisville1 just below the rapids1 on a fine broad table of land1 which is so far above high water mark1 as effectually to secure it from those inundations1 occasioned by the sudden rise of the ,ohio4 ,some way back in the rear of the town1 and nearly encircling it1 rises up in a very picturesque manner1 what is here called a knob1 an elevated steppe of land1 from which we look down upon the town and river1 and see them spread out before us as on a map1 in distinct and beautiful delineation4 ,louisville appears in the distance1 and the adjacent country1 which with the windings1 and wooded scenery of the beautiful ,ohio1 presents a view so exquisite1 that the imagination can scarcely conceive any thing more romantic4 ,it is only three or four years since there were but a handful of inhabitants at ,new ,albany3 it now numbers six thousand1 and is rapidly increasing in population4 ,a very large proportion of its inhabitants are young1 enterprising men from the ,east1 who possess moderate means1 and have come here to build up their fortunes4 ,how important to bring such minds under the influence of the ,gospel6 ,this is a centre from which influences for good or evil will go forth through the state1 and ,i believe it may be truly said1 it is one of those fields that are white for the harvest4 ,i met ,bishop ,kemper at ,louisville1 on his way to hold an ordination at ,madison1 another interesting town in ,indiana1 on the ,ohio1 between ,louisville and ,cincinnati4 ,the bishop purposes to devote two or three months between this and autumn to ,indiana4 ,he appears indefatigable in his efforts to promote the good cause1 and every tongue through the whole west speaks forth his praise1 and cheerfully accords to him the high encomium of a zealous1 devoted1 and holy man4 ,there are now seven or eight ,episcopal clergymen in ,indiana1 and the cry still is1 ,the harvest is plenteous1 but the labourers are few4 ,steamboat1 ,tuesday ,evening1 ,june #bgth4 ,it was about three o'clock to-day1 that we started on our way from ,louisville1 down the ,ohio4 ,it was excessively hot1 and ,i experienced a languor and sense of exhaustion1 which ,i do not recollect ever before to have felt4 ,when the sun began to decline1 and we again found ourselves gliding as by enchantment over the surface1 and sweeping through the midst of the beautiful scenery of the ,ohio1 ,i felt that ,i had passed into a new world4 ,as ,i traversed the deck of the boat1 and saw reflected from the smooth and mirror-like bosom of the river1 the luxuriant foliage1 rich and dark by its own deep verdure--the smooth green bank that sloped down to the water's edge1 as though to kiss the smiling surface that slept so quietly below--the abrupt precipitous bluff1 starting up like a mound of earth1 or a wall of solid masonry--and the head-land sweeping off into sloping woods that towered in majesty above the stream1 ,i could not but feel1 and could scarcely refrain from exclaiming aloud1 how beautiful and surpassingly lovely are the works of ,god6 ,what must the heart of that man be made of1 who can pass through the midst of such displays of divine beauty1 and pollute the very atmosphere as he passes with profanity6 ,this is what hundreds are daily doing4 ,almost all the hands on board of the steamboats1 down even to the little boys1 utter an oath almost every other word4 ,profane swearing is one of the crying sins of this western world4 ,oaths the most horrid are awfully common among all sorts of people4 ,amid these scenes of varied beauty where creation appears so lovely we may truly say1 99 99 99 ,every prospect pleases ,and only man is vile4 ,in vain with lavish kindness ,the gifts of ,god are strown4 ,men pass here in thousands1 and mindless of all these tokens of a wonder-working ,deity1 continue to live as though there were no ,god in the ,universe1 or as if ,he existed only to afford a theme for more aggravated profanity4 ,and yet looking at the matter1 aside from the native depravity of the human heart1 one would think that the spontaneous effusion of every intelligent mind whose attention was directed to this scene1 would be1 as he looked around1 ,surely this is the teaching of the mighty ,god6 ,may lessons be impressed upon my heart by the outspread volumes before me1 which no mutations of time1 no excitement of passion1 no fascinations of the world1 no devices of the ,evil one will ever efface4 ,eternal ,creator1 here among this green1 boundless1 majestic temple of thy works ,i renew the consecration of myself to thee1 soul1 body1 and spirit4 ,while these rivers roll their waters towards the sea--while a spear of grass grows in these fields--while a tree on these wooded banks is clothed with foliage in the vernal month--yea1 while the solid earth lasts1 and the cycles of eternity move on1 with thy grace will ,i live only to serve and glorify ,thee4 ,wednesday1 ,june #bhth4 ,while we were leisurely sailing along to-day1 the weather being oppressively warm1 and the heavens very bright and sunny1 and not a breath of air stirring1 pyramids of snow-white clouds began to be piled up in the northern and western sky4 ,these masses of cloud seemed heaped together in every fantastic form4 ,they towered aloft like huge mountains of snow4 ,what added to the interest and singular appearance of the scene was1 that this arch of the snow-pillowed sky sprung directly up from a boundless sea of verdant foliage that stretched interminably around4 ,through these masses of white cloud1 there occasionally appeared large interstices1 like deep caverns1 opening into the blue profound6--long vistas through which we could seem to catch a view of the inmost heaven4 ,suddenly a tremendous gale struck us2 the waters of the calm ,ohio were thrown into the utmost commotion1 and the wind came down upon us with a power that threatened to shiver the steamer into a thousand atoms4 ,the heavens gathered blackness1 and the whole dark firmament presented a surface every now and then lit up with a sheet of the most vivid fire4 ,the waters ran very high1 the wind roared1 and the thunder was awful4 ,the captain very prudently sought the shelter of the shore1 and our boat was soon fastened by a strong cable to a tree4 ,then the rain fell in torrents1 as though the waters of the river itself were scooped up and poured upon us4 ,we learned that a few days before1 not far from where we were1 a steamboat had been capsized by a similar flaw of wind4 ,we were soon again on our way1 moving beneath a bright and benignant sky1 and fanned by a gentle and refreshing breeze4 ,how much our course down this river resembles human life6 ,i cannot stay to make the application1 but will only add that they only are wise who seek the shelter of ,god's presence as a hidingplace till the storm be overpast4 ,we stopped towards evening to take in wood on the ,kentucky shore4 ,we there saw for the first time the native cane-brake4 ,a wood-cutter's hut was near4 ,a little ragged boy came out followed by two large dogs1 and a little pet fawn4 ,the dogs seemed to be fond of this little innocent thing1 which had been taken only two or three weeks before4 ,it seemed as it skipped along1 and played around the footsteps of the child1 very affectionate and confiding4 ,oh6 that hardened sinners were transformed into a nature as mild1 and gentle1 and sweet as this little fawn6 ,the power of ,christ through the gospel can alone accomplish this4 ,just at nightfall we passed the steamer ,louisiana in distress4 ,she had run upon a reef of rocks1 and was in a sinking state4 ,i cannot but here record the mercy of ,god which has followed us thus far in our journeyings4 ,steamboats have been blown up1 and fired1 and sunk1 all around us since we started1 and yet the ,lord in boundless mercy has preserved us4 ,thursday1 ,june #bith4 ,when ,i awoke this morning1 ,i found the boat was taking in wood at ,paducah1 just at the mouth of the ,tennessee1 having passed the ,cumberland river in the night4 ,we were now approaching a scene of interest that we had been long anticipating--the meeting of the waters of the ,ohio and the father of rivers4 ,the morning was rainy and unpleasant1 still we were constantly on the alert1 eagerly intent upon seeing every object of interest around us4 ,while thus looking abroad1 an affecting scene presented itself to us4 ,the ,ohio here1 having received its last large tributaries1 had become very deep and broad4 ,its banks were covered with tangled underwood1 and dense forest-trees--presenting a scene of unbroken wildness4 ,now and then a woodman's hut was visible on the shore1 and a little boat fastened to the bank4 ,a deer1 bounding with the fleetness of the wind to escape his destroyers1 had reached the river's edge4 ,what could be more natural than that1 as his pursuers pressed on1 he should plunge into the midst of the flowing stream6 ,how cool and grateful must have been its waters to him thus panting and faint6 ,but will he find safety here6 ,no4 ,his pursuers are again upon him4 ,having seized two little skiffs they eagerly press on to reach him4 ,we saw them gliding through the waters towards him4 ,again he puts forth all his energies1 and dashes through the waves like an arrow through the air4 ,the effort he is making is for his life4 ,but the strong arms that ply the oars1 send forward the little barques which contain his pursuers with a velocity that seems to cut off the hope of escape4 ,now they are upon him6 one boat is in advance of him1 and the other rushing towards him4 ,his destiny seemed sealed6 ,but no--he is gone6 ,he has darted to the depths beneath1 and risen far beyond the furthermost boat6 ,he is exerting every nerve to reach the shore6 ,a few moments more1 and his point will be gained--he will be bounding through the ,kentucky woods6 ,no4 ,hope again dies6 ,his pursuers are again upon him--the boat is again between him and the shore4 ,his strength is exhausted4 ,the uplifted oar with dreadful stroke has fallen upon his head4 ,the hands of his fell pursuers have grasped his horns1 he is dragged up into the boat and the huntsman's knife has made a deep incision in his throat4 ,he pants1 and struggles1 and expires6 ,i said to myself--the sinner is pursued by sin1 and satan1 and passion1 like that chased deer4 ,there is no escape for him but in ,christ4 ,oh what a happy1 blessed hour of deliverance is that when the arm of mercy is reached forth to pluck him from the hands of his destroyers6 ,it was about nine o'clock this morning1 when we first come in sight of the ,mississippi4 ,the waters of the ,ohio had seemed muddy to us1 but now they appeared clear and limpid compared with the muddy and discoloured stream which we were about to enter4 ,there it was before us in all its magnificence1 the mighty father of rivers6 ,when our steamer touched its waves1 it was with us a moment of deep and intense interest4 ,we now turned up to breast its impetuous current which swept proudly along by us in foaming eddies4 ,every part of the river seemed turbid and thick with mud1 and we could not understand how these waters could hold so much soil in solution4 ,i shall never forget my sensations1 when1 shortly after we reached the ,mississippi1 ,i saw one of the boatmen draw up a pail full of this muddy water1 and putting his lips to the vessel drink it off with apparent relish4 ,i afterwards found it was the only water drank on board the steamboats1 and in the towns situated on this river4 ,i also found that after it was filtered1 it was the most delightful water that ,i ever drank4 ,one cause of its turbid appearance is the large portions of magnesia it holds in solution4 ,this water derives its peculiar characteristics from the ,missouri4 ,above that stream the waters of the ,mississippi are clear and limpid4 ,i have already spoken of the annoyance to which we were constantly subjected from the profanity of those we encountered4 ,and ,i may now add that1 gambling is another of the vices that are rife here4 ,on our way from ,louisville to ,st4 ,louis there has been one incessant scene of gambling night and day4 ,we have evidently had three professed gamblers on board4 ,i am told that there are men who do nothing else but pass up and down these waters1 to rob in this way every unsuspecting individual1 they can induce to play with them1 of his money4 ,we saw one victim fall into the clutches of these blacklegs4 ,he was a young merchant1 ,i believe1 from ,chilicothe1 ,ohio4 ,he was first induced to play a simple game of cards4 ,a slight sum was then staked to give interest to the game4 ,he was allowed for awhile to be successful and to win of his antagonist4 ,he played on till he became perfectly infatuated4 ,he would hardly stop long enough to take his meals4 ,being fairly within their toils1 large sums began to be staked1 and this young man did not see the vortex into which he was being borne until he had lost six hundred dollars4 ,in this deep gambling1 physicians and judges who were present participated4 ,what will our country come to1 with such examples before the people6 ,after being shut up for two or three days with such company1 ,i thought how horrible it must be to be shut up in perdition with such characters forever6 ,surely the very presence of such men1 with their depraved passions in full play1 would of itself constitute a perfect hell6 ,another crying sin1 which abounds on board the western steamboats1 and is fearfully prevalent through every portion of this western region1 is the free and unrestrained use of ardent spirits as a drink2 usually on board these western steamboats whiskey is used just as freely as water4 ,all drink4 ,the pilot--the engineer--the fireman--all drink4 ,the whiskey bottle is passed around several times a day1 and then the dinner table is loaded with decanters4 ,i am satisfied that more than two-thirds of the disasters that occur on board these steamboats1 are attributable to this free use of ardent spirits4 ,i know it will be natural to ask1 can nothing be done to arrest the progress of these mighty evils8 ,a gentleman at ,st4 ,louis1 ,captain ,s----1 has embarked in a noble effort to do this4 ,last summer he ran a boat from ,galena to ,st4 ,louis1 with these avowed principles--that the ,sabbath should be sanctified--that wherever the ,lord's day found them1 there they would tie up their boat and remain till ,monday--that no ardent spirits should be brought on board the boat--that no profane swearing should be allowed1 and no card-playing permitted4 ,he remarked to me that the exclusion of ardent spirits removed the whole difficulty--that where there was no intoxicating drink1 there was very little disposition to indulge in profanity or gambling4 ,this gentleman has now raised forty thousand dollars1 and hopes to bring it up to one hundred thousand in order to establish a line of boats on the same principle from ,pittsburg to ,new ,orleans4 ,i do believe that this is one of the most important enterprises of the present day1 and that the religious interests of the west are vitally connected with it4 ,captain ,s---- remarked to me1 that no class of men1 after the clergy1 could exert such a prodigious influence for good or for evil1 in the western valley1 as the captains of steamboats4 ,if they were only pious men1 there is no telling how much they might do1 every trip they made1 to promote the cause of the ,redeemer4 ,if something be not speedily done at the west to prevent the profanation of the ,lord's day1 there will soon be no ,sabbath4 ,at the principal landing places along the rivers1 business appears to go forward on the ,sabbath just as upon any other day4 ,professors of religion are deeply involved in this sin4 ,goods are carried to and from their ware-houses at noon-day1 and their clerks are busy in the counting-room while they are at church4 ,facts of this kind ,i do not guess at1 but know4 ,will not ,god visit for such things8 ,oh what will become of our land when ,god riseth up to judge the earth8 ,the whole character of the scenery1 since we entered the ,mississippi has become changed2 the banks of this great stream are low and marshy4 ,they are generally covered with dense forests and tangled underwood1 and present the appearance of nature in its untrodden wildness4 ,friday1 ,june #cjth4 ,we to-day made a short stop at a place which bears the name of ,western ,philadelphia4 ,there were some half dozen buildings1 and two stores4 ,it is only about nine months since the settlement commenced4 ,chestnut and ,market streets were pointed out to us4 ,their course was through a flourishing cornfield1 the stalks of which were so luxuriant and lofty1 that we in vain essayed to reach their tops with our hands4 ,there are more signs of cultivation visible1 as we passed along1 on the ,missouri than on the ,illinois side4 ,the banks as we proceed up the stream1 occasionally rise into high bluffs--especially in ,illinois--towering aloft1 not unlike the palisades on the ,hudson4 ,frequently one rock is piled upon another to such an elevation1 that the summit of the bluff juts over the river1 as though it were ready to tumble down upon the heads of those who were passing along on the quiet stream beneath4 ,this is particularly the case as we enter the lead country which commences some time before we reach ,st4 ,louis4 ,these lofty towering bluffs that rise up so perpendicularly1 projecting over the river1 afford every convenience for forming natural shot towers4 ,we saw several of these lofty cliffs that were thus used4 ,a little box was erected upon the summit of the rock1 where the molten lead was poured down through the mould1 into a little tub on the shore beneath to receive the shot as they fell4 ,as we slowly wended our way up this mighty stream we found the shores adorned with flowers1 and covered with cane-brake and thick underwood4 ,we also saw the trees loaded with grape-vines--and many of them completely matted over with ivy1 woodbine1 and misletoe4 ,the luxuriance of vegetation seemed so great1 as not only to cover the earth1 but to lift itself up suspended in the air4 ,we passed to-day ,st4 ,genevieve1 a ,french village standing on a beautiful hill-side4 ,the loveliest prospect stretched out before the town4 ,we could from this point see the broad ,mississippi in its magnificent course piercing the boundless forests of eternal verdure1 and spreading out its watery surface upon which a hundred green islets seemed to float4 ,the town itself1 like all the ,french villages that we have seen on this river1 appeared old and dilapidated1 and quite destitute of every thing like improvement1 or enterprise4 ,i could not but contrast these ,french villages1 in the midst of this rich luxuriant land1 with their little ,roman ,catholic chapels1 their low narrow houses1 and abundant marks of poverty1 with the neat1 tidy1 thriving villages of ,new ,england1 which1 although they rear their heads from a hard rocky soil1 where industry has to be taxed to the utmost to obtain the means of subsistence1 present--in their beautiful church edifices--their elegant public buildings1 and well constructed private residences--marks of thrift1 industry1 and comfort1 which cannot fail to gladden the heart of the traveller who passes through them4 ,such is the difference in their influences between ,protestantism and ,romanism4 ,twelve miles before we reached ,st4 ,louis we passed ,jefferson barracks1 a military station on the ,missouri shore1 located on a beautiful swell of land4 ,carondolet is another ,french village on the banks of the ,mississippi1 around which every thing appears ruinous and poverty stricken4 ,at length ,st4 ,louis rose to view1 and we hailed the sight with no ordinary sensations1 not only as it was to be our resting place for awhile1 but as a point of exceeding interest in this vast western world4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,the ,,mississippi ,,and ,,some ,,of ,,its ,,tributaries4 ,st4 ,louis--,roman cathedral--,desecration of the ,sabbath--,golden sunsets--,sail up the ,mississippi--,the meeting of the waters of the ,missouri and the ,mississippi--,alton--,the burning prairie4 ,st4 ,louis1 ,tuesday ,evening1 ,july #dth4 ,this1 unquestionably is destined in time to become ,,the ,,great ,,city ,,of ,,the ,,west4 ,its location is pleasant1 and from the manner in which the upper part of the city is now building1 ,i should think it would ultimately compete in regularity and beauty with almost any city in the ,union4 ,its most prominent public buildings at present are the theatre and the ,roman cathedral4 ,one of the priests politely showed us through the latter building4 ,the interior would be very grand and imposing1 were it not for the gaudy paintings1 intended as scriptural illustrations1 suspended around the audience room4 ,however much these may catch the attention and awaken the admiration of the ignobile vulgus1 they cannot fail to excite any thing but complacency in minds accustomed to the more chaste productions of the pencil4 ,in entering the church1 we passed through the basement1 where are the confessional boxes and a small altar1 on which wax candles were burning4 ,here we saw one of the sisters of charity1 sitting in black vestments1 in a solitary dusky nook1 as though absorbed in holy meditation4 ,in the church we found another priest1 engaged1 as far as we could understand1 in preparing a class of ,german boys for confirmation4 ,i learned from an intelligent source that ,romanism is making little or no progress among ,protestants at ,st4 ,louis4 ,they have found it necessary to cut off1 or conceal many of its offensive excrescences1 so that a friend remarked to me1 that he thought that a reformation in spite of themselves1 silent and gradual1 was going on in the ,roman ,catholic ,church4 ,the fact is1 that the great difficulty at ,st4 ,louis is1 that the mass of the people care for none of these things4 ,they are equally indifferent to every form of religion4 ,of course iniquity abounds1 and the institutions of ,god are trampled in the dust4 ,the following fact will illustrate this point4 ,as ,i went to church on ,sunday morning1 to my utter astonishment1 in passing by the new theatre1 ,i saw some twenty or thirty men at work on it--masons1 house-carpenters1 and painters4 ,god's law1 ,remember the ,sabbath1 to keep it holy1 was to be of no account1 because the people of ,st4 ,louis were anxious to have their new theatre opened on the evening of the ,fourth of ,july6 ,each one of the usual denominations has a church here4 ,from all ,i could learn1 however1 ,i fear religion is at a very low ebb in ,st4 ,louis4 ,there are numberless discouragements to be encountered every where in the ,west1 calculated to weaken the hands and depress the spirits of the ministers of religion4 ,no one can understand the number or nature of these discouragements1 without being actually on the ground4 ,a successful missionary at the ,west must have great faith and patience1 and be unwearied in his labours4 ,to animate his clergy1 and cheer them on in their toil1 there could not be a better man than ,bishop ,kemper4 ,he seems to throw sunshine around him wherever he goes4 ,one thing struck me as remarkable at the ,west1 and particularly at ,st4 ,louis4 ,i refer to the appearance of the heavens at sunset4 ,nothing can exceed the richness and splendour of a western sunset4 ,i have heard much of an ,italian sky1 but my imagination never conceived such pictures of beauty and indescribable glory1 as are painted on the sky here at the decline of day4 ,the whole hemisphere seems flooded with unearthly radience4 ,the clouds piled up the western sky1 appear more brilliant and gorgeous than any or all the colours of earth can make them4 ,and as you look at them1 you see1 through the clouds1 apertures1 which seem like golden vistas1 through which you look almost into the heaven of heavens4 ,our ,fourth of ,july has been spent quietly here4 ,there has not been half the noise and disturbance ,i had anticipated4 ,wednesday ,evening1 ,july #eth4 ,we this morning left ,st4 ,louis about nine o'clock4 ,our progress up the river has been slow4 ,some eighteen miles from ,st4 ,louis we witnessed one of the most interesting sights in all our journey--the meeting of the waters of the ,mississippi and the ,missouri6 ,i cannot attempt description6 ,the imagination alone can conceive it4 ,if ,i ever had feelings of sublimity waked up in my bosom1 it was when our boat stood off just abreast the ,missouri1 and ,i looked up its mighty channel1 and thought of its source between two and three thousand miles distant1 amid those mountains whose tops are covered with eternal snow1 and then thought of the sunny orange groves1 near where it empties its waters into the ocean6 ,we stopped a few hours at ,alton1 ,illinois1 just above the point where the ,missouri mingles its waters with the ,mississippi4 ,this is an interesting town1 fast rising into importance4 ,it is destined to become a point of great interest4 ,its present population exceeds two thousand4 ,we passed ,marion ,city and ,quincy1 as we advanced up the river4 ,of the former we have heard frequent descriptions4 ,we stopped an hour or so at the latter1 and enjoyed from the high bluff on which it is built1 a view of one of the most magnificent prospects that ever stretched before the human eye4 ,the expanded waters of the ,mississippi--the innumerable green islets that seem to float on its bosom--the beautiful vistas opening between these--the boundless ocean of forest stretching off to the south and west1 and the level1 treeless1 luxuriant prairie running back to an unknown distance--all these lay at your feet1 furnishing one of the most picturesque scenes upon which the eye ever gazed4 ,i regretted the shortness of our stay at ,quincy1 not only on account of the enchanting loveliness of the spot1 but more particularly as it deprived me of the pleasure of paying a visit to ,dr4 ,nelson1 the author of a popular work entitled1 ,the cause and cure of ,infidelity1 a book of sterling excellence4 ,we had now passed over a long tract of river navigation since we embarked at ,pittsburgh4 ,our eyes had become almost wearied with tracing first the endless sylvan beauties that clustered around the banks of the smooth-flowing ,ohio2 and then the vast1 unpenetrated1 boundless forest scenes that spread away on either side of us from the abrupt1 muddy banks of the ,mississippi4 ,our ear had become wearied with the monotony of the sharp1 rough sound of the high-pressure engine1 that was heard ceaselessly day and night4 ,books scarcely any longer could interest us4 ,the character and conversation of most of those around us seemed exceedingly dull and common-place4 ,there was however one exception4 ,this was found in the person of one of our passengers--a man of almost herculean stature1 who1 we soon learned1 possessed great versatility and vigour of mind4 ,his manners1 however1 at first appeared so coarse1 and his conversation so blunt1 that there seemed something exceedingly repulsive connected with his character4 ,but this impression soon wore away1 and in a few days he became the centre of almost universal attraction4 ,he was a true ,kentuckian of the old school2 he was born and brought up amid the stirring scenes connected with the early settlement of his native state1 and was perfectly familiar with all the war legends1 and every bloody fray from the first movement of ,col4 ,boone to the final expulsion of all the savage tribes from this their ancient hunting ground4 ,to use his own language1 he was born in an ,indian fort1 and through childhood fed upon bear's meat1 and clothed in buffalo skins4 ,his physical strength seemed enormous1 and he bore evident marks of being one of those brave1 reckless characters that find pleasurable excitement in facing danger and death in every form4 ,yet he was not destitute of the softer and more kindly feelings of our nature1 and withal seemed to have a high and reverential regard for religion4 ,it was now just at the close of a long summer's day4 ,our steamer for many a long weary hour had been pushing her slow course up the broad current of the ,mississippi1 when there suddenly opened upon us a vast1 far-extending prairie4 ,to me this was an object of thrilling interest1 and the more so because hitherto we had seen scarcely nothing upon either side of the river but unbroken and boundless forests1 stretching away as far as the eye could reach to the distant horizon4 ,but here was a vast expanse in which no tree1 nor stump1 nor stone was visible4 ,naught met the eye but the tall grass1 waving in the breeze1 bending1 rising1 and rolling to and fro like the waves of the ocean after a tempest2 and this grassy surface interspersed with wild flowers of every colour1 hue and form4 ,for a long time ,i watched this beauteous scene1 till the shadows of evening began to settle down upon it4 ,while ,i continued still gazing upon the prairie1 the old ,kentuckian1 who stood near1 was making his observations1 and at length remarked1 ,that prairie on fire would be a noble sight6 ,i have seen them burning in a dark night1 while the wind sprung up and bore on the flames like a sea of fire4 ,i can tell you a good story and a true one about a burning prairie1 and a family who perished by the conflagration4 ,we were urgent for him to proceed in the narrative4 ,he began by giving an account of the family that perished in this conflagration1 with whose history he seemed quite familiar4 ,it was a beautiful and touching picture of real life that he drew in describing this family as they lived somewhere in the valley of ,onion ,river1 amid the sublime mountain scenery of ,vermont4 ,he represented ,mr4 ,n----1 the father1 as a hardy1 sensible1 and pious ,new ,england farmer4 ,the family consisted of four children1 two of whom1 ,james and ,lydia1 were grown up to adult age1 while ,george1 the next son1 was about thirteen years old1 and the youngest daughter was only eight4 ,mr4 ,n---- had long toiled to accumulate a little property1 but the increase had been so slow1 that in a fit of discouragement he sold his little farm1 and determined to emigrate to the ,far ,west1 where he learned he could purchase land at a very low price1 and procure the means of subsistence with very little labour4 ,he persuaded himself that by adopting this course he should be doing more justice to his children than by remaining in a country where property1 and even the means of subsistence for a family1 could be attained only by years of persevering toil4 ,there was only one heart made sad by this determination1 and that was the heart of his favourite and eldest daughter4 ,lydia ,n---- was a girl of excellent sense1 and some personal attractions4 ,she had interested the affections of a young man who had grown up with her from childhood4 ,his father owned an adjoining farm4 ,the two families were quite intimate1 and many happy hours had ,charles ,s---- and ,lydia passed together4 ,this proposition of emigrating to the ,far ,west seemed to the young people a death-blow to all their long-cherished hopes1 as the circumstances of the young man did not warrant his forming a marriage connexion at once4 ,but true affection is ready to make any sacrifices to attain its object4 ,as soon as it was a settled point that ,mr4 ,n---- was to leave1 ,charles ,s---- offered to accompany him in the capacity of a hired man1 if he would accept his services4 ,mr4 ,n---- assented1 and every thing was arranged accordingly4 ,they were now on their way1 moving in true western style4 ,they expected to be weeks and months on their journey before they reached their distant home4 ,the family and all the effects they bore with them1 were carried in two stout wagons1 each one of which was drawn by three yoke of oxen4 ,mr4 ,n---- or his eldest son usually acted as the driver of one of these wagons1 while ,charles ,s---- took charge of the other4 ,they had already been on their journey many weeks1 and had penetrated so far into the western world as to find it necessary to pitch their tents each night1 and seek a lodging-place wherever the shades of evening overtook them4 ,they at length entered the prairie country1 and were for awhile almost spell-bound by the wide tracts of plain that stretched around them4 ,to them the wonders of the boundless prairies appeared more amazing1 because they had always been shut up by lofty mountains in a narrow dell1 and had never till now looked abroad upon such amplitude and vastness of expanse4 ,they had now been travelling through prairie country for several days4 ,it was late in autumn1 though the weather continued as bland as summer4 ,the day was bright and sunny2 the wagons1 each covered with a thick tow-cloth awning1 and drawn by three yoke of oxen1 were moving slowly on through the vast extended region of long grass1 now sere and dry1 which stretched around them like a shoreless ocean1 and gently bent and waved to and fro in the autumnal breeze4 ,no house1 nor stone1 nor hillock1 nor solitary tree were seen within the vast circle of the encompassing horizon4 ,as the sun declined1 and the shadows began to lengthen1 the tops of a small grove began to be visible in the distance4 ,the emigrants immediately determined to seek a place of encampment for the night in the neighbourhood of this grove2 for they naturally concluded that they should there find a spring or rivulet that would furnish water for their cattle and for their own use1 and fuel for cooking their evening meal4 ,they had been successful this day in shooting a large quantity of prairie hens1 and were anticipating a delicious repast4 ,mr4 ,n---- proposed that ,james and himself should go on ahead of the wagons1 and get every thing ready by the time they came up4 ,they accordingly started off1 having left ,charles ,s---- to drive the forward wagon in which the family rode1 and ,george to conduct the other4 ,mr4 ,n---- and ,james1 however1 had gone but a few yards before ,lydia came bounding through the long1 sere grass1 with the fleetness of a deer1 bearing a tea-kettle in one hand1 and three or four prairie hens in the other4 ,lydia1 as we have before said1 was full of sprightliness and vivacity1 and she had too often clambered up the steep and rough sides of the ,green ,mountains to think any thing of a walk of two or three miles across the prairie4 ,her object in accompanying her father and brother was to hasten the evening meal2 and as her father made no objection1 the group moved on with quickened step towards the distant woods4 ,they had already proceeded full three miles when they came to a beautiful spring of cool1 clear water4 ,here they all sat down1 and with grateful hearts partook largely of nature's refreshing beverage4 ,in the mean time ,mr4 ,n---- drew his pipe from his pocket1 and having filled it with the dried ,indian weed1 a supply of which he always carried with him1 he soon ignited the same by means of his jack-knife and a flint4 ,they were now only a short distance from the woods1 and having filled a tea-kettle and a pail with water1 they went forward and began to cut up some wood and prepare for kindling a fire4 ,and now the sun had set1 and the evening shades were gathering fast around them4 ,beneath the covert of a large tree a fire was burning brightly1 over which was suspended the tea-kettle and all things were ready for the arrival of the party on board of the wagons4 ,lydia ran out of the woods a little way into the prairie to see if she could any where discover the advancing party4 ,she saw them about a half mile distant1 moving slowly on1 but she saw at hand1 and near the spring1 what greatly alarmed her--a smoke and flickering blaze4 ,she ran back in great haste and said1 ,father1 ,i fear in lighting your pipe you have set the prairie on fire6 ,mr4 ,n---- started up as though a thunderbolt had fallen at his feet1 and rushed forward to ascertain the truth of ,lydia's remark1 ,james and ,lydia both following him4 ,the moment they had emerged from the woods and got into the open prairie1 the awful certainty burst upon them in a moment6 ,what a sight then met their view6 ,the prairie was indeed on fire4 ,it was now quite dusky1 and the little flickering blaze which ,lydia had seen had already become a sea of fire6 ,the wind drove the flames in the direction of their friends1 whose escape seemed impossible4 ,the long dry grass1 which had waved so gracefully in the wind1 now caught every where like tinder1 and sent up a long sheet of flame that widened and expanded every moment1 and mounted up with increasing brightness and height1 as though it would reach the very skies4 ,the feelings of this group were excited almost to agony in behalf of their friends4 ,the thought at length struck them that if they could only succeed in getting them through the long line of flame1 they might save them1 as the conflagration was evidently moving off from the place where they stood2 and as the column of flame seemed to extend more to the right than to the left1 they embraced the determination to make an effort to reach their friends in that direction4 ,reckless of consequences1 wild with despair1 they instantly rushed forward1 and succeeded in getting in advance of the fire in one place4 ,but they soon saw that the enemy was coming upon them with the speed and the fury of the whirlwind4 ,mr4 ,n---- lifted up his voice and shouted aloud1 bidding the teams to move in this direction1 but no sound was returned save the awful crackling of the advancing flames4 ,darkness1 too1 covered the whole vast prairie1 save where this sweeping column of fire spread its desolating track4 ,they could no where discover a single trace of the wagons2 and now they began to see the peril of their own situation4 ,already were they completely environed with the fire1 and all retreat seemed cut off4 ,the only hope left them was to endeavour to rush through the flames and get to the windward side of the conflagration4 ,mr4 ,n---- and ,james made their way for a while successfully through this awful tempest of flame1 the daring ,lydia keeping close at their heels4 ,at length a point was gained which seemed to open the prospect of escape2 not a moment was to be lost1 for already the fire raged around them like a furnace4 ,mr4 ,n----1 drawing in his breath1 dashed through this awful line of flame1 and reached a spot where the consuming element ceased to rage1 it having already swept away every vestige of combustible matter4 ,though scorched and smarting in every limb1 he could not but feel grateful to ,god for this deliverance4 ,he instantly turned to see what had become of his children4 ,at this instant he saw one bright1 lurid sheet of fire mounting up like a vast wave of the ocean1 and completely overwhelming them6 ,he rushed back to assist them1 but the flame1 like a furnace seven times heated1 rolled its intense1 fiery surge back upon him in such a manner that he was obliged to retreat4 ,at this moment he heard ,lydia shriek--her dress was all on fire1 and her brother was trying to bear her through the raging tempest4 ,when it had in some slight degree abated1 again the father rushed forward--but another gust of wind swept such a torrent of fire over the bodies of his children that it was impossible for him to reach the spot where they were4 ,when the burning waves had passed by1 he strained his eyes1 but in vain1 to catch a glimpse of these objects of his affection4 ,they were not visible4 ,at length1 as the fire marched on1 he reached the spot where he had seen his children struggling with this awful element1 and there he found them both1 lying on the ground--their clothes nearly burnt off1 and their bodies half consumed by the devouring flame6 ,his poor daughter was gasping in death1 and his son so dreadfully burned that he could scarcely move a limb4 ,the fire was still burning the roots of the grass around and beneath them4 ,a little distance1 however1 there was a spot where the consuming element had exhausted itself2 to this place he endeavoured to remove his children4 ,poor ,lydia almost expired in his arms4 ,as he laid her down on this black and scathed spot of earth1 she faintly said1 ,christ is my hope6 ,jesus can make this resting-place 'soft as downy pillows are6' ,the father hastened to remove his son to the same spot4 ,he there laid him with his face turned towards his sister4 ,he soon saw that she was dead1 and said to his father1 ,this is a sad night for us2 ,lydia is gone1 and ,i think ,i shall soon follow4 ,this is an hour1 replied his father1 in which all we can do is to look to ,god4 ,he has said 'when thou passest through the fire ,i will be with thee4' ,will you pray with me1 dear father8 ,i will1 said the agonised father1 and kneeling down on the blackened earth1 while bending over one child already dead1 and another almost ready to expire1 he cried unto ,god for help and mercy4 ,when he arose from his knees he perceived that ,james's breathing was more rapid and embarrassed than it had been before4 ,a dreadful fever was burning through his veins4 ,i shall soon be1 said the dying son1 where the flame can no longer kindle upon me2 and ,i shall be able to bathe in the cool1 refreshing stream that flows from the throne of ,god and the ,lamb4 ,god grant1 said the father1 that an entrance may be ministered unto thee abundantly into his everlasting kingdom4 ,amen1 responded ,james1 and died4 ,the chill of death had suddenly come over him1 and his spirit fled to the presence of his ,maker and ,judge4 ,the father sat for a long time on the ground gazing upon his dead children4 ,the curtain of darkness was drawn over the scene--but here and there dissipated by the dying and reviving embers1 and flickering flame that still lingered on almost every spot over which the awful conflagration had swept4 ,an unsteady1 lurid light1 just sufficient to reveal the wide-spread scene of desolation1 was thus flung over the dark and blackened waste where the consuming element had a few hours before rode on in his resplendent car4 ,at the distance of a few miles1 and as far to the right and left as the eye could reach1 rose one vast extended column of flame1 mounting up to heaven amid the darkness of midnight1 and marching on with the speed1 and fierceness1 and fury of the whirlwind4 ,it was an awful and sublime sight6 ,here the father sat by the side of his lifeless and unbreathing children2 the stillness of solitude was around him2--and there1 bursting up from amid thick darkness1 was this tremendous conflagration1 which seemed so bright1 and fierce1 and awful1 that one could hardly refrain from thinking it would burn up the world and melt the elements with its fervent heat4 ,but ,i ought before this to have told the reader the account the ,kentuckian gave of the fate of those who were connected with the advancing wagons4 ,they had seen the smoke of the fire that was to cook their evening meal curling above the trees1 and directed their course to that point as the spot where they should meet their friends4 ,they were not at all aware of the coming of this awful conflagration1 or of the approach of danger1 till they saw the whole prairie directly before them lit up with one extended sheet of flame4 ,no one can depict the terror1 the anguish1 the horror of that moment6 ,no one can depict the sublimity and grandeur of the scene that at that moment burst upon their view6 ,but fear and wild distraction took complete possession of the whole company4 ,the very cattle that drew the wagons seemed to sympathise with them1 and to discover at once that their fate was sealed4 ,we have already remarked that the fire extended more rapidly in one lateral direction than the other4 ,this ,charles ,s---- observed1 and immediately sought to take advantage of it1 and if possible get to the windward of the fire4 ,but long before they reached the line of the flame1 the fire had extended miles in this very direction4 ,it was too late--there was no escape--the fire was every moment approaching them4 ,mrs4 ,n---- clasped her young daughter to her bosom and sat still in the wagon4 ,the oxen1 as the flames advanced1 became perfectly unmanageable4 ,they rushed forward with the fury of wild and maddened beasts into the thickest of the flames4 ,the one team took one direction1 and the other1 another1 but both of them continued to move on through the hottest column of flame1 till at length the cattle one after another fell down in the yoke1 suffocated by the flame1 and bellowing as though in the agonies of death4 ,long before the last ox had fallen1 and the wagon had ceased to move1 ,mrs4 ,n----1 with her youngest child clasped to her bosom1 had given up the ghost4 ,the tow awning which covered the wagon in which she rode1 took fire almost as soon as they met the line of flame1 and instantly all the combustible materials in the vehicle were in flames4 ,escape seemed impossible1 for already the oxen were moving with the speed of the wind through the thickest of the flames1 and ,mrs4 ,n4----1 clasping her child to her bosom1 yielded to her fate1 committing all to ,god4 ,poor ,george1 not able to keep pace with the team he drove1 as he saw the flame marching on1 sought by running to escape from the face of the devouring element1 but the attempt was vain4 ,the whirlwind of fire soon overtook him1 and like a resistless sea1 rolled its burning waves over him4 ,when ,charles ,s---- saw the team he drove could no longer be controlled1 and that in order to follow them he must encounter certain death1 he left them to take their own course1 and sought to rush through the line of flame--which had now become so expanded1 that long before he passed the fiery column1 the flesh was almost burned from his bones1 and he at length fell down upon the burning earth1 unable to move a step farther4 ,the fire still moved on with awful1 unabated fury over the wide and far-extended prairie4 ,no one that looked upon that awful sight could have failed to have exclaimed1 ,what a time it will be for the ungodly when this whole world shall be on fire6 ,when the morning came1 a most melancholy spectacle was presented to view over that blackened plain4 ,one solitary living human form alone1 was seen slowly moving amid the scene of desolation--and that was ,mr4 ,n----4 ,he found ,charles ,s---- just in the last agonies of death1 from whom1 however1 he learned the particulars above stated4 ,this young man soon expired2 and ,mr4 ,n----1 alone1 of all that emigrant train1 was left to tell the sad story of ,,the ,,burning ,,prairie4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,further ,,views ,,on ,,the ,,mississippi4 ,des ,moines ,river--,iowa--,group of ,indians--,tributary streams to the ,mississippi--,galena--,bishop of ,illinois--,my sister's grave4 ,friday ,evening1 ,july #gth4 ,having passed the ,des ,moines river1 the whole country bordering on the west bank of the ,mississippi1 is denominated the ,wisconsin ,territory1 or more commonly here1 the ,iowa country4 ,it is indeed a most beautiful country4 ,it is said that a little more than four years since1 there was not a single white settler west of the ,mississippi and north of ,des ,moines river2 now1 there are between thirty and forty thousand4 ,the ,iowa country will1 undoubtedly1 soon become a state4 ,its new towns are springing up rapidly4 ,i stopped at ,burlington1 where there are more than twelve hundred inhabitants1 and where two years since there were only a few log-cabins4 ,how important is it that the gospel should be planted here6 ,the ,methodists are beginning to send their preachers to proclaim salvation here4 ,every where we find them first on the ground4 ,truly their promptness and zeal are to be commended4--,we have not a clergyman in this whole region4 ,cannot one be found who is willing to go to the ,iowa country8 ,is there not one in the classes now graduating in our seminaries1 that will come over to this ,macedon and help them8 ,as the day declined1 the scenery around us seemed still more pleasing4 ,the prairies on the left bank of the ,mississippi became increasingly interesting4 ,the river stretched before us like a broad lake1 indented at a hundred points by masses of luxuriant and thickly clustered trees1 that seemed to float in natural and upright form upon the surface4 ,these1 with all their verdant foliage1 were distinctly reflected from the mirrored bosom of the unruffled waters1 so that we seemed1 as we gazed upon the watery surface1 to look into the very depths of the forest1 and see one tree standing back of another almost interminably4 ,while thus gliding on1 by a turn of the river we came suddenly upon the corner of another large prairie1 and almost the first object that met our view were two rude bark covered wigwams that had just been put up on the very margin of the stream4 ,in front of these cabins a fire had been kindled1 either to keep off the musquitoes or to cook their evening meal4 ,at the entrance of these ,indian huts lay a dog1 and around him stood or sat half a dozen ,indian children1 some of them in a state of almost entire nudity4 ,still nearer the water1 looking into it1 and off on to the opposite shore1 stood the adult members of each family4 ,these scarcely raised their head1 or deigned to cast a glance at us1 as our boat with all its clattering machinery swept proudly by4--,while ,i continued to look at them1 and saw them standing amid the solitariness of the prairie1 with their eyes still fixed upon the opposite bank of the river1 where rested the bones of their ancestors--when ,i saw how dignified1 and serious1 and contemplative they seemed1 ,i could not but regard them as the last representatives of a race fast fading away1 and who will soon scarcely have a place or name this side of the ,rocky ,mountains4 ,it seemed to me that they were standing at this twilight hour looking once more upon the shore where rested the bones of their people1 before they bade a final adieu to these scenes where they used once to hunt the deer1 glide over the watery surface with their bark canoes1 raise the luxuriant corn1 and build their wigwams4 ,strangers now possessed their home1 and they were just bidding to the scenes of their childhood a long1 long farewell6 ,oh1 thought ,i1 that they could have the gospel to tame their fierceness1 soften their savage natures1 and cheer them in their solitary wanderings through the wilderness6 ,it occurred to me as very likely that those ,indians who stood there on the bank of the ,mississippi1 knew nothing of the way of salvation1 and very likely had never heard of the name of ,jesus6 ,we know there are thousands that range over the great hunting grounds of the west precisely in this condition4 ,we are going to meet them at the judgment bar--shall we not make every effort to send them the gospel8 ,saturday ,evening1 ,july #hth4 ,we found ourselves1 when we awoke in the morning1 at ,stevenson4 ,this is another of those places springing up as by the wand of enchantment4 ,it is located at one of the most beautiful points in all the west4 ,just here ,rock ,river enters the ,mississippi1 separating the town from ,rock ,island1 on which stands ,fort ,armstrong4 ,it was in reference to the section of country just around here1 that the ,black ,hawk war took its rise1 and all along above was the scene where it raged4 ,i do not wonder that the ,indians gave up this tract of country with reluctance4 ,the eye never looked out upon a more beautiful land--the imagination in its most romantic flight never conceived any thing more lovely4 ,on the ,iowa side1 especially1 the country sweeps off from the shore most beautifully in the form of a rolling prairie1 covered here and there with small clusters of trees1 that give it the aspect and loveliness of a region that had been under the highest cultivation for the last three centuries4 ,and yet five years ago no foot trod there but the ,indian's4 ,the day passed pleasantly away4 ,as the shades of evening gathered thick around us1 we bade adieu to the mighty ,mississippi1 on whose broad current we had travelled nearly seven hundred miles4 ,our boat turned in behind an islet of living green1 and pushed its way up the serpentine course of ,fevre ,river4 ,at length ,galena was in view4 ,it was at the close of the week1 and here we were to seek a resting place for a number of days4 ,galena1 ,july #aeth4 ,fevre ,river1 at ,galena1 runs through a narrow vale1 and is hedged in on either side by ranges of hills4 ,the town is built at the base and on the side of the western ridge1 which is here quite precipitous4 ,the valley itself is overflown with every rise of the ,mississippi above this point4 ,the waters of the ,fevre ,river between ,galena and its junction with the ,father of rivers are very sluggish--so that the waters of the ,mississippi flow up to ,galena often three or four times a year1 and flood the whole lower part of the town4 ,since ,i have been here the third rise which they have had this season occurred1 occasioned as it was supposed by the melting of the snows and ice around the sources of the most northern tributaries of the ,mississippi4 ,one thing is very remarkable in relation to the whole class of western tributaries to this stream4 ,the freshets to which they are subject1 all occur at different seasons1 beginning with the southernmost and ending with the most northerly4 ,this is accounted for by the fact1 that1 as these streams take their rise at different points of latitude in the ,rocky ,mountains1 spring and summer reach the source of each of them in regular progression from south to north1 by a few weeks later4 ,this is a most merciful provision3 for if the freshets in two or three of these streams were to happen at the same time1 the effects would be desolating4 ,let the ,red ,river1 the ,arkansas1 and the ,missouri1 pour their swollen streams at the time of their annual freshets1 together into the ,mississippi1 and the whole lower regions for hundreds of miles above and around ,new ,orleans would be one unbroken sea4 ,what a tremendous armament of destruction has the ,almighty here6 ,have not the inhabitants of that city which has seated herself as a queen at the mouth of this river1 reason to remember that the ,lord can bury them in a moment in the midst of the sea8 ,he has only to blow with his wind1 and the waters will flow1 and the depths cover them6 ,let those who openly and remorselessly trample on every law of ,god consider this and tremble4 ,galena is by no means a pleasant town4 ,there are some situations on the hills which environ it that would furnish delightful sites for residences1 but at present these are chiefly unoccupied4 ,the streets of this place are narrow1 and after a rain unspeakably muddy4 ,the houses are small1 poor1 and crowded4 ,there is nothing interesting or attractive about the appearance of the town1 except in a business point of view4 ,galena is the port where almost all the lead raised from the vast mines scattered through this region is brought to be shipped1 and will therefore unquestionably be a place of great importance4 ,its moral character1 ,i fear1 is far from what we could wish it4 ,like many of these western towns1 till recently1 there has been scarcely the semblance of a ,sabbath here4 ,drinking1 duelling1 and gambling1 have all been common4--,and yet there are many here that wish things were different1 and are making some successful efforts to cause them to be so4 ,the ,bishop of ,illinois was here1 and officiated the first ,sunday ,i spent in ,galena4 ,he bore his testimony very faithfully1 in rebuking the prevailing sins of the country1 especially duelling1 ,sabbath-breaking1 and profane swearing4 ,i believe his counsel was very kindly received4 ,there is a great deal of intelligence among the residents in this place1 and they seem willing to have the truth preached to them plainly4 ,to me there was one object of thrilling interest in ,galena--its grave yard6 ,some half-mile from the town1 on the head lands beyond the western range of hills that encompassed it1 where one stands and looks down into the valley of ,fevre ,river1 and off upon the far-spreading prairie1 in a retired place1 is the spot of earth allotted to the dead1 shut in and guarded from unhallowed tread by a neat enclosure4 ,owing to the newness of the country1 and the difficulty in procuring marble1 scarcely a single sculptured monument appears on this ground which has already become the resting place of many who were once engaged amid the activities of life4 ,but affection has displayed itself in another form4 ,not a few of the graves are enclosed by a little fence1 painted beautifully white1 and the graves are adorned with wild roses which scatter their fragrance and leaves over the place where rests the mouldered dust beneath4 ,when ,i first entered this sacred enclosure1 and trod through the high tangled grass that grew here1 ,i felt at each step that ,i was treading on holy ground4 ,i was led to a spot where rested the mortal part of one whose image came up before me with the vividness of living reality4 ,the long grass had grown1 and become matted over her grave6 ,fifteen years had elapsed since ,i had looked upon that dear form1 that rested in unbreathing stillness below4 ,during this period ,i had passed through many trying scenes and often drank deep into the cup of sorrow4 ,and now with the image of this dear departed one1 all of life's troubled dream rose up before me with a power that paralyzed every effort ,i made to subdue or control my feelings4 ,i then felt and wept like a child4 ,why should ,i not have done so8 ,i was standing on the grave of the sister of my childhood1 whose existence and mine for many years had run along together as though our being had been woven in the same web4 ,i remembered how when ,i was but a very little child1 she led me to the country school--how we wandered together in playful glee on the green bank of the ,housatonic1 and her hand gathered for me the wild flowers that grew there4 ,i remembered how in the wild buoyancy of childhood we strolled together through the orchard1 and gathered fruit from a favourite tree8 ,with what kind looks and affectionate greeting our dear mother met us when we returned from such a ramble4 ,and could ,i then fail to remember the sad hour when that dear sainted mother gasping in the agonies of death bade us all a long farewell8 ,when a mother's kind eye no longer gazed upon me1 was it not natural that my heart should turn with deeper and stronger affection to the sister of my childhood8 ,but where was she8 ,she no more came1 bounding along with sparkling eyes1 and flowing locks1 and animated features at the call of her brother4 ,there she lay sleeping1 oh how silently1 how profoundly in the grave6 ,the solitude and stillness of the mighty prairie were around me4 ,no mortal was present to witness or intermeddle with the feelings or overflowings of my heart1 save him who recognised in this heaped hillock of earth the resting place of the loved one of his heart--the wife of his youth--the mother of his children4 ,together we bowed down there in silent grief8 ,our hearts were so full that we could do nothing but mingle our tears together over that sacred spot1 which ,i would again travel all the way from the ,atlantic to the ,mississippi to look upon6 ,a thought full of light and glory1 however1 darted across my mind as ,i bent over that grave4 ,i remembered that this dear sister had closed her eyes upon this mortal scene1 full of faith1 full of trust in ,christ1 and of calm resignation to his blessed will4 ,i recollected the words of my ,saviour1 and his promise to raise the dead4 ,this recollection chased away my tears1 and brought a flood of heavenly radiance down upon that grave4 ,i said1 my sister shall rise again4 ,the ,lord ,jesus will bring her with him4 ,this is his promise4 ,the last time ,i visited this grave1 ,i brought away a little flower that bloomed on it4 ,it has already faded--but that glorious body which ,christ will give to that dear mouldered form will never fade1 but bloom on in immortal youth1 through the unending ages of eternity4 ,oh1 how happy shall we be1 when we have passed all these gloomy scenes that now surround us1 and stand in the midst of that land where the inhabitants no more say ,i am sick--when we shall have done with sin1 and behold the ,redeemer in all his glory6 ,may the ,lord safely bring us there4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,illinois ,,and ,,the ,,lakes4 ,lead mines--,indian treaty--,ride to ,chicago--,vast prairies--,the stricken family--,amusing ,adventures--,chicago--,milwaukie--,mack inaw--,indian encampment4 ,we spent one day during the present week in passing through the mining country to visit several of the diggings in ,wisconsin1 and around ,galena1 and also the smelting furnaces1 where the mineral is extracted from the ore and cast into pigs4 ,the country through which we passed was one continued series of rolling prairies4 ,it was perfectly enchanting to see what a perfect flower garden was before us wherever we went4 ,we descended a mine which had been sunk about one hundred feet4 ,the lead runs in veins either due north and south1 or west and east4 ,veins frequently cross each other at right angles4 ,if it is a north and south vein1 and a good one--and crosses an east and west vein1 it becomes inferior from that point1 and the other assumes a superior character1 and usually is the best lead4 ,the way the miners dig the lead is to pierce down perpendicularly till they get to the bottom of the sheet--then take the base out and dig upwards4 ,the lead is usually wedged in between two ledges of rocks1 filling up the crevice1 which runs down from fifty to one hundred feet4 ,it is frequently wedged in so tight that the rocks have to be blasted to loosen it4 ,i went down about fifty feet where they were at work1 and then passed along in a horizontal direction1 about eighty feet1 where the miners were knocking out the lead in the fissures in the rocks over their heads4 ,we loitered around the mines till the decline of day4 ,the shades of evening gathered over us before we had crossed the last prairie on our way to ,galena4 ,the moon was just climbing above the horizon1 when a prairie wolf darted across our path1 as though scared by the sound of our carriage wheels1 but having run a few rods1 turned around to look to see who were the intruders upon his domain4 ,an ,indian treaty is about negotiating at ,st4 ,peters1 and a steamer started from here a few days since to carry up a party who desire to be present at this gathering of the wild men1 and to visit the majestic and stupendous scenery around ,st4 ,anthony's ,falls4 ,i had fully intended to have been one of the party1 but on the eve of starting ,i felt myself forced for want of time to forego the excursion4 ,the ,steamer ,james ,madison1 ,wednesday ,evening1 ,june #aith4 ,at early dawn1 on ,monday last1 we crossed ,fevre river1 and started for ,chicago in an open lumber wagon1 'ycleped a stage4 ,taking our trunks for seats1 we determined we would make the best of every thing1 and if possible keep up good spirits1 while we learned the manner in which people travel through new countries4 ,our journey1 though attended with no little fatigue1 was like a walk over the rosied path of pleasure1 compared with a jaunt of which ,bishop ,kemper gave me an account4 ,he had made an appointment somewhere in the interior of ,indiana1 where it was necessary for him to be at a given day1 and had undertaken to pass over ,illinois from ,st4 ,louis to that point by land4 ,he was overtaken by rain which continued a day or two3 the streams became swollen1 and the roads1 often for miles1 completely overflown4 ,all this time he was obliged to ride in an open wagon1 the bottom boards of which were loose1 and often slipping out1 rendering it necessary for him every now and then to get out1 and stand in the mud and water1 till the rickety wagon could be again brought into a state of temporary order4 ,during the last part of his journey he rode all night with the rain pouring down upon him1 and the horses sometimes fording deep creeks--sometimes plunging into sloughs1 and then wading for miles through the water which had overflowed the road4 ,the office of a missionary ,bishop at the west1 if he does his duty1 and throws himself with all his heart into the work1 is no sinecure4 ,our course from ,galena1 for the first thirty miles1 was through beautiful oak openings1 and over a rolling prairie4 ,after this1 on nearly to ,chicago1 our path lay through a magnificent1 level prairie country4 ,the wide sea of grass around us was now and then broken by a grove1 springing up with luxuriance and beauty amid the treeless tract of country that stretched around on every side4 ,these groves are points of great interest1 and are spoken of by the sparsely scattered inhabitants of northern ,illinois1 as we speak of cities and towns4 ,the most beautiful of those which we passed were ,buffalo1 ,inlet1 and ,paw ,paw groves1 around or near which were scenes of massacre and slaughter during the ,black ,hawk war4 ,as no one can conceive the sensation awakened by being out of sight of land at sea1 till he actually stands on the deck of a vessel1 that is ploughing her way through the trackless world of waters that stretch interminably around him1 and strains his eye in vain to catch a view of one single fading outline of the far off shore--so no one can conceive the emotion that rises up in the bosom of the traveller as he stands on the broad prairie1 and sees the horizon settling down upon one wide sea of waving grass1 and can behold around him neither stone1 nor stump1 nor bush1 nor tree1 nor hill1 nor house4 ,these vast prairies1 though bearing a luxuriant growth of grass1 would impress one with a sense of desolateness1 were they not beautified with flowers1 and animated with the songs and the sight of the feathered tribes4 ,the view of the prairie1 as it stretches off before you1 often appears like a perfect flower garden4 ,though we were too late to see these productions in their rich vernal beauty1 yet often they stood strewn around us on every side as far as the eye could reach1 spreading out their rich and brilliant petals of every colour and hue4 ,an intelligent lady told me that in a single walk over the corner of a prairie1 she gathered for a bouquet forty different kinds of flowers2 and another informed me that she had been able to gather one hundred and twenty different kinds4 ,though the music wafted along over these luxuriant expanses of earth be usually not so melodious nor varied as that to which the woodlands echo1 there is something very animating in the wheeling of the plover1 the chirping of the robin1 and the fluttering of the wings of a flock of prairie hens1 started up at every half mile of your journey4 ,and then occasionally we saw noble herds of cattle feeding over these vast plains4 ,such large1 and fat1 and noble-looking oxen and cows1 ,i never before beheld1 as ,i saw grazing amid the luxuriant prairies of ,illinois4 ,there is no fence to stay them in their course3--they range where they choose amid the ten thousands of acres that stretch unenclosed around them4 ,i have already intimated that this part of ,illinois is as yet but thinly populated4 ,it is rapidly filling up but for some years the first settlers will have to endure many hardships1 and submit to many privations and sacrifices1 of which we can scarcely form an idea4 ,the following fact will serve to illustrate this remark4 ,while on our way to ,chicago1 as we stopped on one occasion to change horses1 ,i went in and sat down in the only house in the place4 ,it was a comfortable log-cabin1 and all nature looked so bright and sunny without1 ,i was hardly prepared for demure and melancholy looks within3 and yet the moment ,i entered1 ,i saw in the countenance of the good lady of the cabin that her heart was ill at ease4 ,she looked so forlorn and full of gloom1 ,i determined to enter into conversation with her and if possible elicit the cause of her depression4 ,after a variety of inquiries1 she was drawn out to give the following sketch of herself1 which ,i will put down as nearly as possible in her own words4 ,we came into this country from western ,new ,york several years since4 ,we have never failed to be amply remunerated for our cultivation of the soil4 ,in a temporal point of view we have increased in goods4 ,but our children have never been to school a day since we have been here4 ,we used to go to meeting every ,sabbath1 but here often for months there is no such thing known as public worship4 ,a while ago1 there was a minister that used to come once in three weeks1 and preach about four miles from this4 ,but now he is dead1 and we have no preaching at all4 ,we have no ministers and no physicians4 ,what made me more contented to reside here1 was that my oldest daughter was married and lived my nearest neighbour1 about two miles from this4 ,she had three lovely and promising children1 in whom all our hearts were bound up4 ,but the grave now covers them6 ,they were all cut down one after another about six months ago by the scarlet fever4 ,we could'nt get any physician to see them1 and they all died within ten days of each other4 ,and then we had to carry them ourselves to the grave4 ,we put them into the ground in silence4 ,there was no one to lift up the voice of prayer4 ,here the good woman seemed choked in her utterance4 ,she wiped her eyes and ceased speaking for a moment4 ,i remained silent1 and soon she proceeded4 ,my daughter laid her loss very much to heart4 ,she never after the death of her babes wore a bright countenance4 ,about ten days ago she was confined4 ,herself and her infant are dead6 ,we buried them about three days since4 ,she had no physician to attend upon her1 for there was none within thirty miles4 ,she had no minister to speak to her words of heavenly consolation1 for there are none near here4 ,her husband has a good farm1 and the crops look well2 but what is all this to him1 now that his wife and children are all gone8 ,he appears desolate and broken-hearted4 ,having listened to this touching story1 ,i could well understand why the aspect of gloom sat upon her countenance1 and while ,i endeavoured in a few words to direct her thoughts to ,him who was appointed to bind up the broken-hearted1 and to comfort all that mourn1 ,i was led to think of the unnumbered blessings and privileges that we who live on the ,atlantic border enjoy1 for which we feel little or no emotions of gratitude4 ,how unspeakable are our religious privileges6 ,and yet how little are they appreciated by the great mass of the people6 ,will not ,god one day visit for these things8 ,in our journey we had some singular and rather amusing adventures4 ,we found all along at our log inns1 for our refreshment1 substantial food1 bacon and beans1 or fried pork and potatoes1 and if we were too dyspeptic to eat these1 we could fast1 which is sometimes useful4 ,but at night we frequently found ourselves placed under more embarrassing circumstances4 ,a single instance will serve to illustrate a number of analogous cases4 ,i select the second night after leaving ,galena4 ,it is after nine o'clock4 ,the strip of moon that is visible emits a few feeble rays4 ,the stars1 half obscured1 glow faintly in the heavens4 ,our course is still onward through the boundless prairie4 ,in the distance may be seen the faint outline of a grove4 ,we hope to find there a resting place for the night4 ,as we approach it1 we find it is a cluster of trees that grow on either side of ,somonauk ,creek4 ,our driver has already plunged his horses into the cool waters of the creek4 ,the farther bank is gained4 ,our course now is beneath the noble elms that hang drooping over the creek1 and spread abroad their branches forming a thick and dark shade over the road4 ,we see in the distance the smoke eddying up amid the trees4 ,it is the place where we are to spend the night--a log cabin1 before the door of which is kindled a fire1 half smothered with dirt and chips1 whose eddying currents of smoke as they are swept into the house by the evening breeze expel the swarms of musquitoes that for several hours had been making acquaintance with us4 ,when the weary traveller reaches his resting-place for the night1 it is a great comfort to have a bed and room by himself to which he can retire and seek repose4 ,but this is a luxury not to be expected usually by the western traveller4 ,they have here what is playfully called ,the ,potter's field1 a place in these log taverns in which they put strangers--a room designed as a dormitory1 in which all travellers1 men1 women and children are placed to lodge6 ,the house which we had reached at ,somonauk ,creek had a place of this sort4 ,it was the only room in the house save the kitchen4 ,two stage loads had already arrived1 and other travellers were coming in4 ,i told my friend ,b---- that we must try to secure a bed while we could4 ,in this ,potter's field they gave us a comfortable corner with a straw bed on which to stretch ourselves4 ,we were among the earliest to seek our repose4 ,fortunately1 there was one bed enshrouded with curtains1 which was assigned to a gentleman from ,vermont and his newly married bride1 whom he was bringing to reside at the west4--,they went on stowing the beds with occupants1 and spreading the floor with couches1 till fourteen persons were disposed of1 and then they found that every foot of ground was occupied4 ,the landlord appeared to be full of the milk of human kindness4 ,when some of our fellow lodgers cried out1 that they were half devoured by musquitoes1 he very benignantly replied1 ,i will open the door and let in a current of smoke1 and that will drive them out4 ,we found some inhabitants tabernacling in our bedstead that annoyed us more than the musquitoes4 ,yet after all we got some rest1 and when we rose to breathe the fresh air we felt that we had abundant cause to thank the ,lord for his goodness4 ,however indifferent had been our lodgings1 we remembered that the ,saviour while here on the earth1 had not always so comfortable a spot at night to lay his head as this4 ,about a dozen miles before we reached ,chicago1 we seemed to descend to another steppe of land1 where the prairie was for the most part from two to twelve inches under water4 ,the grass1 thus having its roots continually irrigated1 looked very rank2 we made but very slow progress through it on our way4 ,though that part of ,chicago which is built up1 stands on more elevated ground1 the anticipated limits of the city extend into this wet prairie4 ,we saw the lots staked out as we passed1 which ,i suppose have been sold at a very high price4 ,i could not but think of the remark of a fellow traveller1 who1 in speaking of this and several other places1 said1 ,if each of these places do not become as large as ,pekin in ,china1 these city lots cannot all be built upon4 ,chicago is truly an interesting place4 ,it has sprung up here in three or four years--a city--as by the wand of enchantment4 ,i had heard much of this place1 but must confess ,i was not prepared to find so large and interesting a town4 ,its situation on either side of the ,chicago river is too well-known to need description4 ,it has quite the air of an eastern town4 ,there is a fine brick ,episcopal ,church just completed4 ,our stay was very brief in ,chicago4 ,almost the first sound we heard after our arrival1 was the ringing of the bell of the large and beautiful steamboat1 ,james ,madison1 which was on the eve of departure for ,detroit and ,buffalo4 ,as we might have no other opportunity of going by the lakes for the next ten days1 with the specimen of land travelling that we had just had1 we were not long in making up our minds whether we would avail ourselves of this boat1 or direct our course to ,detroit through the ,michigan woods4 ,we gave ,chicago a very hasty survey1 took our passage on board the ,james ,madison1 and as the shades of evening gathered over us we found ourselves skimming over the waves of ,michigan lake4 ,mackinaw1 ,july #bjth4 ,we this morning found ourselves bounding over the green waters of the ,michigan with the ,wisconsin ,territory on our left4 ,about nine o'clock1 ,a4 ,m4 we landed at ,milwaukie4 ,a bar in the river prevented the steamboat from going up to the town1 but we found ourselves amply compensated for our long walk by a view of this interesting place from several of its streets and more elevated parts4 ,the whole site of the town1 in connexion with the adjacent country1 is richly entitled to its ,indian name1--,,the ,,lovely ,,land4 ,less than two years since there was scarcely a frame house on the spot1 and now there is a population of nearly three thousand1 with buildings that will compare in stability and elegance with those found in our large eastern towns4 ,it was towards evening when we approached this picturesque spot--,mackinaw--where the wide expanse of water1 and the dark evergreens of the islands1 and the thronging multitudes of wild men1 gave to this point in my journey a novel appearance4 ,i think this would be a most delightful retreat for an invalid who wanted retirement1 a cool1 invigorating atmosphere1 and inducements to active exercise4 ,it would be impossible for a man to be here long without having new trains of thought awakened in his mind1 or without being led to contemplate the human character under several new aspects4 ,mackinaw is an island of about nine miles in circumference4 ,there is a fort occupying the elevated parts of the town1 which is now vacated1 the troops having been withdrawn to be present at the treaty at ,st4 ,peter's4 ,this circumstance1 in connexion with the great number of ,indians now present1 has created some uneasiness in the minds of the inhabitants of this place1 especially as the ,indians are very much dissatisfied with the attempt to palm off on to them goods in part for their annuities1 when money had been promised4 ,already has a council been held among them1 and the hint has been dropped that they can bring a thousand warriors into the field4 ,the first object that met my eye on the low pebbly shore1 as we approached the island1 was the beautiful lodges1 and well made bark canoes of the ,ottawa and ,chippewa tribes4 ,the whole appearance of their encampment in this wild spot is picturesque and imposing4 ,each family had their bark canoe1 which was now drawn up on the beach1 and lay beside their lodge or tent4 ,in this canoe1 made of the outer rind of the birchen tree1 they carry their family1 and furniture1 and all their worldly effects--children1 dogs1 fishing-tackle1 guns1 their tent1 cooking utensils1 and themselves4 ,their tent1 or lodge1 consists first of five or six tapering rods1 which are set up so as to form a cone1 and then around these are placed a coil of matting1 made of reeds or flaggs1 and arranged in such a manner as to form a series of concentric or circular covering1 each lapping upon the other like the scales upon a fish4 ,in the centre of the lodge a fire was kindled1 a hole having been left in the upper part through which the smoke could pass off4 ,around the fire were spread the blankets and bear-skins1 which furnished both beds and seats4 ,we entered several tents and were kindly received4 ,almost the first countenance of a white man upon which ,i looked after reaching the shore1 was the bright sunny face of our beloved brother1 the ,bishop of ,michigan4 ,i never had a more unexpected or joyful meeting with a ,christian brother4 ,we spent two or three hours in the most delightful ,christian intercourse4 ,bishop ,mc,coskry was on his way to visit ,green ,bay1 ,milwaukie1 and other parts of ,wisconsin4 ,it was only a few hours1 before our steamers were again moving forward through the deep green waters1 to their several places of destination4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,michigan4 ,steamboat travelling upon the western ,lakes--,the waters of ,huron--,saginaw ,bay--,the stormy night--,the beautiful ,st4 ,clair--,detroit--,bishop of ,michigan--,ypsilanti--,ann ,arbour--,ore ,creek--,bewildered at night in the woods--,rescue--,meeting of friends--,log cabin4 ,detroit1 ,july #bc;d4 ,we parted with the friend we met at ,mackinaw in the night4 ,the two steamers rode off in two opposite directions4 ,our course1 which from ,chicago had been to the north1 now became southward4 ,there is something exceedingly novel in steamboat travelling upon the great western rivers4 ,but the navigation of the lakes by steam presents scenes to the eye1 and furnishes material for the imagination1 far more grand1 and striking1 and magnificent4 ,these lakes are indeed great inland seas4 ,the wind and the storm have mighty power over them4 ,but the well-directed steamer rides proudly over their agitated surface with all her precious cargo of life1 and holds steadily on her way to the destined port in despite of wind and waves4 ,this1 however1 is not always the case4 ,the wind at times blows so fierce and furious that the vessel is driven back some fifty or ninety miles in her course4 ,when a storm occurs with great and unwonted violence upon these lakes1 especially upon ,huron and ,michigan1 where there are very few safe harbours1 the expedient adopted is to keep the boat at sea1 and let her drive before the gale4 ,we saw1 but in one single instance1 these waters putting on a wrathful appearance4 ,during the greater part of our voyage1 they lay beneath our steamer that swept over them in smooth and placid tranquillity4 ,there is something in the very appearance of the waters of these lakes to wake up poetic conception4 ,they have a sandy or pebbly bottom1 which appears white as chalk1 while every rippling wave as well as the whole mass of waters that roll beneath you1 though so pure and transparent that a silver dollar might be distinctly seen at the depth of thirty feet1 everywhere assumes the colour of deep emerald green4 ,the day after we left ,mackinaw1 while passing ,saginaw ,bay1 every vestige of land faded from our sight1 and we saw nothing around us but one wide world of waters4 ,as the close of the day drew on1 the hitherto bright sunny heavens became covered with dark menacing clouds4 ,a wind sprang up1 and the waters of ,huron1 that had previously slept with the tranquillity and hushed slumbers of an infant1 suddenly woke to the fierceness and fury of an enraged giant4 ,i plainly saw what an aspect that lake could put on in a storm6 ,the sun went down4 ,neither moon nor stars were visible4 ,the curtains of darkness were drawn closely around that whole world of waters that roared and dashed so fiercely4 ,as ,i stood upon the upper deck1 and looked out upon that scene of darkness and wild commotion1 and heard the roar of the wind1 and the dashing of the waves1 and the hoarse rumbling breath of steam from the escapement pipe1 like the suppressed growl of a lion1 that told of mighty power to urge onward and to destroy1 ,i felt1 in a way ,i have seldom done before1 my entire dependence on ,god4 ,as ,i stood there on the deck1 with the wind sweeping by me1 the waves of the troubled lake rolling beneath me1 and the blackness of darkness around me1 interrupted and illumined only by the cloud of ignited sparks that streamed incessantly forth from the dark funnels of the steamer1 ,i felt the force and meaning of the #ic;d ,psalm1 ,the ,lord reigneth1 he is clothed with majesty4 ,he is clothed with strength wherewith he hath girded himself4 ,the floods have lifted up1 ,o ,lord1 the floods have lifted up their voice3 the floods lift up their waves4 ,the ,lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters1 yea1 than the mighty waves of the sea4 ,thy testimonies are very sure4 ,there ,i saw my safety4 ,the testimonies of my covenant ,god were very sure1 who had said1 when thou passest through the waters ,i will be with thee4 ,i slept soundly that night4 ,in the morning the sun shone brightly on us1 and all appearance of a storm had gone by4 ,in a few hours we were gliding over the surface of the beautiful ,st4 ,clair1 and before evening1 ,detroit1 with its neatly built streets1 and its noble stream sweeping proudly by it1 lay before us4 ,it was with a grateful heart that ,i stepped on the shore1 remembering the many mercies ,i had enjoyed1 and anticipating much pleasure in the eight or ten days that ,i had purposed to spend in ,michigan4 ,i was not disappointed4 ,detroit1 is an interesting and beautiful town4 ,the parted stream above the city1 and the island around which it winds1 as well as the view of ,sandwich on the opposite side1 with the improved country that stretches around it1 are all points of interest upon which the eye loves to linger4 ,the houses in ,detroit are generally composed of wood1 which are very neatly painted4 ,several streets running parallel with the river are exceedingly beautiful1 especially ,jefferson ,avenue1 which is the ,broadway or ,chesnut street of ,detroit4 ,the ,episcopal ,church is a very neat gothic building4 ,a second ,episcopal ,church of a larger size is soon to be erected in another part of the town4 ,the churches and other public buildings in ,detroit are certainly highly creditable to the place4 ,i met1 soon after my arrival at ,detroit1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,r----1 who had come to supply the pulpit of ,st4 ,paul's during the first ,sunday of the ,bishop's absence4 ,it has always appeared to me that there was great wisdom in the views expressed some years since by our present presiding bishop--that every diocesan should have a parochial charge4 ,his judgment1 as delivered at the time to which ,i refer1 was1 that all our dioceses should be small1 as they were in primitive times2 that the mitre should have no worldly splendour or peculiar emoluments connected with it2 that each bishop1 like the rest of his clergy1 should have his own parochial charge1 to whom he should look for his maintenance4 ,one reason assigned for this--and that is what ,i particularly refer to--was that as one of the great duties of a bishop is to preach the gospel1 it is infinitely important that his heart should be burning with love for souls2 and that he only who had a particular congregation1 the charge of whose souls was upon his hands1 would ordinarily feel a ceaseless and ever wakeful solicitude for dying sinners2 and if he did not feel this he would not preach with the power and unction that become an ambassador of ,christ1 and the chief pastor of the church4 ,go to that man who1 as a minister of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 has been spending his days and nights in prayer and toilsome labours to promote the spiritual interests of the flock committed to his care1 and then visit him after he has been acting four or five years in the capacity of a professor or president of a college1 and see if he does not recognize the truth of this doctrine1 see if he does not sigh for that spirituality and burning love for souls1 which once bore him on so cheerfully in his labours4 ,however this matter shall be viewed1 the bishops in many of our dioceses must have parochial charges1 and this will constitute an important portion in the field of their labour4 ,in this department of labour the ,bishop of ,michigan has been pre-eminently blessed4 ,one could hardly desire a larger measure of popularity1 either with his parish or in his diocese1 than ,bishop ,mc,coskry enjoys4 ,every where the highest testimony is borne to the loveliness and excellency of his character1 and the faithfulness and evangelical spirit of his ministry4 ,this ,i heard from all quarters--from clergy and laity1 ,episcopalians and ,presbyterians4 ,indeed ,i think the bishop's greatest danger lies in this quarter4 ,may he still have grace as he hath hitherto done1 amid all these praises of men1 to count himself as nothing1 and to sit as a little child at the feet of ,jesus4 ,when all our bishops become distinguished for their meekness and simplicity1 for the fervour of their love1 their spirit of evangelical piety1 and their unquenchable zeal to exalt ,christ1 and rescue dying sinners from the iron grasp of the god of this world1 we shall then indeed see a return of primitive days1 and evidences of a truly apostolic church4 ,i was delighted to learn from the ,bishop of ,michigan1 that in his contemplated visitation through his diocese1 he purposed to hold as far as it was practicable1 continued services for several days in each parish1 like the ,rhode ,island convocations1 or the ,pennsylvania and ,virginia associations4 ,a clergyman speaking of these anticipated services1 remarked1 they will be worth to me in such a place a whole year's labour4 ,in the place to which he referred1 the ,episcopal ,church was just about being organized1 and there1 as every where1 the great obstacle to the establishment of our church was the impression that we were destitute of piety1 and that our object was to establish a particular denomination1 and not to save souls4 ,let the missionary go where he will and preach ,christ crucified1 and the people will rally around him4 ,let him only make the impression on the mind of any community that he has a message from ,god to them--that he stands as between the living and the dead to stay the plague--that in his view all other things dwindle into nothing1 when compared with the salvation of their undying souls--and he will not want hearers1 he will not want materials with which to build up a church4 ,the people are not opposed to an ,episcopal form of government--they are not opposed to our liturgy--they are not opposed to our doctrines--but they are opposed to a dead church4 ,whether these1 their impressions in relation to us are well or ill-founded1 one thing is certain1 these impressions do in ten thousand instances exist1 and in my view1 that minister of our church1 is the best and soundest churchman1 who preaches most faithfully the doctrines of the cross1 and exemplifies most fully the power of ,christianity upon his heart by a holy life4 ,it is not by controversy and argumentation1 but by doing their ,master's work1 by putting forth all their energies to bring men to repentance and the foot of the cross1 that our clergy will remove this impression in relation to our want of piety1 and make our ,zion a praise in all the earth4 ,and this1 ,i believe1 to a very great extent1 the clergy of ,michigan are striving to do4 ,tuesday1 ,july #beth4 ,i was induced to start this morning for ,ypsilanti1 by the kindness and importunity of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,r----1 who offered1 if ,i would return with him to his parish1 to convey me in his own carriage to the several points ,i wished to visit in the interior of the state4 ,the pledge was fully redeemed1 and my comfort and pleasure greatly augmented by my acceptance of his kind offer4 ,the road for the first twenty miles towards ,ypsilanti gave us a fine specimen of the toil and tardiness of travelling in a new country4 ,at one time the formidable slough received us into its cavernous depths1 and as we went down1 vehicle and horses and all1 seemed to threaten to swallow us up in its miry embrace4 ,then1 as we rose from this perilous depth1 our carriage went bounding from log to log which lay side by side transversely across our path1 deeply embedded in mud1 constituting what is expressively called a corduroy road4 ,these were almost the only alternations in our path for the first twenty miles4 ,the land1 after you leave ,detroit1 is1 in almost every direction1 low1 clayey1 and wet4 ,it is also heavily timbered1 and therefore will not be very rapidly settled4 ,the soil of the farms that have been cleared up is said to be productive1 but principally valuable for purposes of grazing4 ,the last ten miles of our course1 as we urged our way on to ,ypsilanti1 lay through a country of a totally different character4 ,i almost felt as though ,i was again travelling through a section of ,illinois1 though there were more signs of cultivation around me than ,i any where saw there4 ,our road now became fine1 and we swept along through the oak openings1 and by the side of successive fields of beautifully tasselled corn1 luxuriant oats1 and yellow bending wheat1 with a speed which soon brought us to the place of our destination4 ,ypsilanti is a neat country village1 built on ,huron river1 and contains a population of nearly two thousand4 ,july #bgth4 ,we started yesterday morning from ,ypsilanti1 directing our course towards ,ann ,arbour4 ,we found the country through which we passed1 rich and beautiful1 and bearing every where incontestible evidence that it was a soil which would remunerate the agriculturalist for every stroke struck upon its bosom4 ,ann ,arbour also stands on ,huron river1 and is a very pleasant village containing nearly three thousand inhabitants4 ,there is here an ,episcopal ,church1 which has been recently erected1 that stands beautifully embosomed in a grove of oaks4 ,immediately adjoining the plot of ground on which the church is built1 an acre of land which cost one thousand dollars1 has been purchased by a gentleman residing1 ,i believe1 in ,monroe1 who purposes to erect upon it a neat and commodious dwelling for the use of the rector1 and to convey it to the parish corporation as a parsonage4 ,to this noble act of munificence he was prompted from his love of the ,redeemer's cause1 and an ardent desire for the success and establishment of our church in ,michigan4 ,he saw that if there was a house provided for the rector1 the parish would soon be able to provide the means for his support1 and that thus the ministrations of the ,gospel would be permanently secured to this people4 ,how many men there are within the bounds of our church1 who could in like manner1 with the utmost ease1 bestow a few thousand dollars1 and secure to feeble churches the certainty of future ministrations of the word1 while at the same time they would be adding unspeakably to the comfort of a body of men who are wearing themselves out in the service of the ,lord1 and by their exhausting labours and toil to rescue sinners from death1 are preparing themselves for a premature grave6 ,sure ,i am1 when these opulent men1 stand at last before ,god and the ,lamb1 and behold the resplendent crown of glory which ,jesus has purchased for them by his toil and tears1 and sweat and blood--when they look down into the depths of that hell from which he has rescued them1 and up to the heights of that heaven to which he is about to exalt them1 and when that same ,jesus points to such an act of munificence1 and says1 ,inasmuch as ye did it for the least of these my ministers1 ye did it unto me1 oh then ,i am sure they will not regret the few thousand dollars they have given to ,christ6 ,would to ,god that many professors of religion1 who have already wealth enough to ruin all their children1 and are still holding back their pecuniary means and hoarding them up1 refusing to consecrate any part of them to ,christ1 would think seriously of this1 would meditate frequently on the scenes of that day4 ,our course from ,ann ,arbour was towards ,ore ,creek4 ,the country through which we passed was somewhat undulating1 and upon the whole a very fine agricultural district4 ,no where in the west have ,i seen better crops4 ,the yellow golden wheat1 the bearded and densely standing barley1 the luxuriant oats1 and stout corn1 as they were spread out before the eye in vast fields rapidly succeeding each other1 and gently waving in the summer breeze1 presented a scene full of interest1 and bore indisputable testimony in relation to the excellence and fertility of the soil4 ,the point to which we were directing our course was ,north ,green ,oak4 ,we had already travelled some thirty miles1 and were now within the limits of this town4 ,night was coming on1 and we were yet some four miles from the place which ,i wished to reach4 ,as it would be dark before our arrival1 and the road was rough1 and it was uncertain whether we could all be accommodated for the night at the place to which ,i was directing my course1 it was decided as a matter of prudence1 that ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,r----1 who had kindly accompanied me in their carriage1 should remain at the log inn which we had already reached1 and whose quaint sign was ,,call ,,and ,c1 while the driver1 mounting one horse1 and myself the other1 should go on to find the house of my friend4 ,i scarcely need say that we had now reached a very new country4 ,it was with difficulty that we could muster a saddle in the neighbourhood2 but at length one was found1 and we set out1 bidding adieu to our friends for the night4 ,during the first two miles our path lay chiefly through the forest3 we however passed in that distance three houses2 at the last house1 which was on the borders of a lake1 we stopped to enquire for the residence of my friend4 ,we were told he lived almost two miles on the other side of the lake1 that there was no road save the track of a wagon1 and that as our path was a blind one1 it was very uncertain whether we should find the way4 ,we tried to get some one to go with us as our guide1 but there was no one at home but women and children4 ,it was already dark1 our path was through the thick woods1 and as the last rays of twilight were fast fading away1 we had no time to lose4 ,we rode rapidly on1 and were soon buried in the dense forest4 ,we had not proceeded more than a mile before we lost every trace of our path1 but after riding around awhile among the bushes we again struck upon the track1 and were able to advance a little further4 ,soon1 however1 in consequence of the increasing darkness1 we were again at fault1 and knew not which way to proceed4 ,we dismounted1 and having searched for awhile on our hands and knees1 succeeded in discovering the track of a wagon wheel1 which we followed till it led us into a small oak opening4 ,we had gone but a few paces1 however1 on our way1 before the path1 which had now become more distinct1 diverged into two branches1 the one leading into the dense forest1 and the other descending into a low marsh4 ,it now became a grave question which path we were to take4 ,we were far away from any human habitation2 it was doubtful whether we could retrace our steps1 even if we attempted to return2 the night was dark1 sultry1 and hot1 the deep forest was around us1 the musquitoes were biting us most unmercifully1 and we had not provided ourselves with the means of striking a light to kindle a fire4 ,the idea of spending the night1 therefore1 unsheltered in the woods under these circumstances1 was not altogether agreeable4 ,what added to our embarrassment was that if we took either path and were able to follow it1 we knew not but we might be going so much farther from the place where we would be4 ,the driver1 who was now my only companion1 proposed to lift up his voice and halloo1 thinking that if any one was within hearing distance1 we should receive an answer4 ,but though the woods rung to the shout1 and echoed back his voice1 no other response was returned4--,all was still and silent around us as though we were in some vast and boundless solitude4 ,at length we determined to advance as far as we could trace the track of a wheel through the marsh1 and if our path did not lead us to the place where we would be1 to return and try the other4 ,we had not proceeded far amid the high grass before we ascended a hill1 and again entered the woods4 ,our road now became more distinct1 but whether it was leading us in the right direction we knew not4 ,at length my eye caught the glimmering of a taper2 at first ,i thought it might be only the phosphorescent light of the fire-fly1 swarms of which had been hovering around our path4 ,a second look1 however1 convinced me that it was indeed the light of a taper we saw4 ,i cannot describe the emotions that then thronged around my heart4 ,i thought at that moment of those words of ,cowper1 and could in some measure understand their meaning1 and conceive of the feelings of a lost sinner1 upon whose benighted path the first glimmering of hope fell4 ,i see1 or think ,i see ,a glimmering from afar1 ,a beam of day that shines for me1 ,to save me from despair4 ,we now rode on with speed1 and were soon by the side of a log cottage4 ,it was the very place which we had been seeking4 ,all anxiety was now at an end1 and the glad welcome so cordially tendered1 and the well-known face glowing with looks of kind recognition1 made all the care and toils of the evening appear as naught4 ,here was a family around me1 consisting in all of some ten or twelve in number1 apparently contented and happy in a log cabin4 ,they had a single room below and a sort of garret above it4 ,the last time that ,i saw them was in an elegant three story house1 in ,east ,broadway1 in ,new ,york4 ,i know not that they appeared more happy then than they did this evening4 ,they expected soon to have a better and more commodious domicil1 which they were erecting but even with their present dwelling place they were contented4 ,truly happiness is in the mind1 and they whose hopes are on ,god1 and who feel that they are in the path of duty can be happy in spite of all external circumstances4 ,the sun was shining brightly the next morning as we retraced our way1 and joined our friends at the log tavern4 ,our course was then towards ,pontiac1 which we reached just at the close of the day4 ,we passed through a beautiful country rendered truly picturesque and romantic by the chain of little lakes that stretch through this section of the state4 ,the banks of these lakes are high and shaded1 affording the most delightful spots for residence4 ,the waters are pure and limpid1 and filled with the finest fish4 ,we must have passed during our journey at least twenty of these lakes4 ,pontiac is as beautiful a village for size as ,i saw in ,michigan4 ,friday1 ,july #bhth4 ,on our way to ,detroit we stopped to-day at ,troy1 to visit our old friend1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,h----1 who is leading a little flock onward in their heavenly journey4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,tour ,,from ,,the ,,west4 ,the ,romanists--,miracles--,indians--,captai n ,m---- ,the unhappy sailor--,toledo--,cleveland--,buffalo--, niagara ,falls4 ,detroit1 ,monday1 ,july #ca4 ,the ,roman ,church has been supposed to be very strong here1 but from inquiries that ,i every where made1 ,i am still more confirmed in the belief that the papists at the west are making very little impression upon the ,protestant population4 ,while they are attempting much1 and with sinuous effort endeavoring to identify themselves with every interest1 they in fact as yet1 with all their marvellous reports to the ,leopold ,society1 have done but very little4 ,that system cannot bear the light4 ,it flourishes best under arbitrary governments1 and amid the thick darkness of ignorance4 ,the experiment is now making in this country1 whether it can live and flourish in ,protestant and republican ,america without losing its essential and most obnoxious features4 ,the remark was made to me by a highly intelligent man in ,detroit1 that the absurdities that were swallowed ten years ago by the ,catholics there would be hooted at now4 ,in illustration of this remark1 he went on to say1 that about eleven years since he was present at the cathedral where the former bishop was preaching1 and endeavoring to prove the doctrine of transubstantiation4 ,among other evidences to which he referred was the following3 ,a few years previous1 said this mitred prelate1 in a certain city in ,europe1 a profane person procured one of the consecrated wafers1 and with carnal curiosity1 after leaving the church1 broke it in two1 when instantly a stream of blood issued forth1 which ran down his clothes1 and stained his apparel4 ,he went home in great affright1 but the stream of blood still flowed1 and ceased not till in haste he returned to the priest1 and confessed his sin2 then the crimson stream was dried up1 and its stain from his person removed4 ,this1 said the bishop1 happened in such a city1 and there is such an individual now present who lived in that city at the time1 to whom you can refer for corroboration4 ,it would be the utter ruin of their prospects1 said my informant1 for a bishop or a ,roman ,catholic priest to make such an assertion at the present time4 ,there is too much light now1 even among the papists1 to listen to such a ridiculous story for a moment4 ,there is one point of view in which it is infinitely important that ,detroit1 and many other towns situated similar with it1 should have pervading it a high sense of religious feeling4 ,i speak with reference to the influence which the tone of its morals must1 and does exert upon the many hundreds of ,indians that annually visit it4 ,these red men of the woods are forming their opinions of ,christianity from what they see at ,detroit1 and ,st4 ,louis1 and many of our western towns4 ,they see among the white population every thing to lead them to turn away with disgust from a religion1 professed to be drawn from the ,bible4 ,their depraved natures readily lead them to lay hold of the vices that abound among us1 and they go back to their tribes1 carrying the impression that these are among the fruits of ,christianity4 ,it is painful to see how degraded many of them become in their intercourse with what is called civilized society4 ,intemperance is the vice which they most readily fall into4 ,under its baneful influence they seem to lose all the natural and noble traits of their character4 ,i saw in ,detroit a stout built ,indian playing the merry ,andrew through the streets1 hawking about a lump of ice1 as though it were a loaf of sugar1 and calling for the highest bidder4 ,as he staggered by ,i could not but think how different he appeared from the native son of the forest2 that manly and noble bearing1 that graceful and elastic step1 that grave1 serious1 and dignified look which sat so well upon the native ,indian's brow1 and marked him as one of nature's true noblemen1 was gone and he had become a poor1 degraded1 drunken outcast and was trying to pick up a few pennies by making himself a laughing stock to a crowd of idle boys6 ,what formidable barriers do the vices that still remain incorporated with ,christian communities present1 to hinder the progress and extension of the ,redeemer's kingdom6 ,while at ,detroit ,i met with two incidents1 which ,i noted down at the time1 and which it may not be improper to record here4 ,the one was an interview with ,captain ,m----1 the popular author of several recent novels who is now making the tour of the lakes4 ,the gentleman whose kind hospitalities ,i was sharing1 had met with him on his way from ,buffalo1 and had also after his arrival at ,detroit1 called to pay him his respects4 ,it was certainly civil in the captain to have returned the call1 but it was shocking to the feelings of ,christian sensibility1 that the time selected for this reciprocation of civility1 was during the sacred hours of the ,sabbath4 ,capt4 ,m---- could not attend the place of public worship1 for the day was to be employed in returning his calls4 ,he appeared to be addressing himself to this in a business-like way4 ,with a friend as his guide1 and a carriage to convey him1 he was proceeding from street to street1 carrying with him his long list of names1 and a bundle of visiting cards4 ,all this was done1 of course1 to show that he appreciated the attentions and civilities he had received4 ,when will men show as much respect to ,god and his institutions1 as they do to the worms of the dust around them8 ,the other incident was of a still more painful character4 ,on the same ,sunday1 just at the close of the day1 there passed my window1 a face that called up the recollection of one whom ,i supposed had long since been numbered with the dead4 ,my first acquaintance with him was at the commencement of my ministry4 ,his father's residence occupied one of the loveliest spots ,i had ever beheld on the bank of ,lake ,ontario4 ,the house and garden1 and court yards1 all indicated ease and opulence4 ,this young man was then a youth1 the only son of his father1 and cherishing large expectations in relation to future wealth4 ,he had been reared up under the eye of a fond mother1 who would not let the winds of heaven blow too roughly upon him4 ,his disposition was naturally amiable and vivacious1 and there were many to admire and caress him4 ,but suddenly his prospects were darkened4 ,it was discovered that his father's estate was covered with mortgages1 and his affairs embarrassed beyond redemption4 ,one piece of property went after another1 till the beautiful family residence was alienated1 and bankruptcy and poverty seemed now staring them in the face4 ,mr4 ---- had reserved a single farm unencumbered1 which he now promised to give his son4 ,the young man1 with a truly noble spirit1 determined to accommodate himself to the circumstances around him1 and entered with hearty zeal upon the cultivation of his farm with his own hands4 ,he had just become acquainted with some of the more common agricultural operations and began to look forward to humble independence1 when the astounding fact was disclosed1 that this farm too was under a heavy mortgage4 ,in the straitened circumstances in which ,mr4 ---- found himself1 he had been led to forget his promise to his son1 and to alienate his last acre of land4 ,the young man's spirit seemed broken4 ,he had unhappily contracted the habit of moderate drinking4 ,on his father's sideboard1 while he was yet a boy1 there always stood a decanter of brandy1 and every visitor who made a morning1 afternoon1 or evening call1 was urged to drink4 ,the father and son1 to encourage their guests always drank with them4 ,thus this young man contracted a love for ardent spirits4 ,it was now the season of darkness and depression with him4 ,the mother who had watched over his childhood1 had gone down to the grave4 ,the riches in which they once rolled1 had taken to themselves wings and flown away4 ,the fond hopes he had cherished of rising by his own industry1 had been crushed4 ,poverty was staring them in the face4 ,this young man was without employment4 ,several years passed by1 and the prospects of this family did not brighten in a single particular4 ,at length the father went abroad4 ,his family were left behind to shift for themselves4 ,he never returned4 ,the son became more and more dissipated1 till in a fit of desperation he went to ,new ,york1 and embarked on board of a ship as a common sailor4 ,many a father and mother who knew this promising young man1 and witnessed his career up to this point1 when they looked around upon their own infant band1 sighed and shook their heads1 painfully feeling that they could not tell what their children would come to4 ,young ---- went to the ,east ,indies1 and1 it was said1 was lost during the voyage4 ,i had never heard of him since4 ,but as ,i sat by the window at this time1 the countenance and form of one that passed by1 so strongly reminded me of him1 that ,i sent out a young lad to overtake him1 and invite him to come in4 ,there soon entered one in complete sailor's dress1 with loose pantaloons1 round-about coat1 and tarpaulin hat1 swaggering along1 evidently under the influence of intoxicating drink4 ,he looked at me for a moment1 and then uttered my name6 ,what was my astonishment and amazement6 ,was this the gifted and talented young ----1 whom ,i had first met in the dwelling of courtly splendor--from whose father's hands ,i had received so many expressions of kindness and acts of hospitality--over whose pleasure-grounds1 amid delightful shade and shrubbery1 ,i had so often roamed8 ,was this that noble1 gifted boy1 in relation to whom such high hopes were formed1 and who had naturally such generous and kind feelings8 ,i had thought the waves of the deep had long since rolled over him6 ,but no1 there he stood1 a perfect wreck of what he once was4 ,his eye was glassy1 and his breath fetid and offensive beyond endurance4 ,he seemed to be conscious of the degradation he had brought upon himself1 and by an evident struggle and effort of will1 did succeed in throwing off the symptoms of present inebriety4 ,i found that he had visited every part of the world1 and had suffered every thing but death4 ,he had been imprisoned in ,chili1 and cast away on the shores of western ,africa4 ,i spoke to him about his soul4 ,he seemed much affected1 and shed tears4 ,after a few moment's pause1 he said1 ,i have been a very wicked fellow1 but ,i have never lost the early impressions ,i had in relation to my responsibility to ,god4 ,the little ,testament my sister gave me1 ,i have kept when stript of every thing else4 ,i have read it when the other sailors around me were asleep4 ,i knew they did'nt understand my feelings1 and they would only laugh at me4 ,i have often prayed1 but then ,i would soon become as wicked as ever4 ,i have thought of you1 sir1 often1 and of the sermons ,i used to hear4 ,when ,i sat naked on the burning sand in ,africa1 ,i thought of many serious things1 which ,i had heard from your lips1 and ,i tried to pray4 ,yes1 that was an awful time6 ,we were cast away--our vessel was lost--three or four of us got ashore and were saved4 ,but we were immediately stript of every rag of covering1 and for three months ,i wandered over the sands of ,africa1 naked as when ,i came into the world1 and living as ,i could snatch a little fruit here and there4 ,i at length found my way to ,liberia1 and was sent to ,america by the ,governor of that colony4 ,he then told me that for several years past1 he had been on the lakes4 ,i asked him if he was happy4 ,he said ,no1 never1 except in a storm1 when every thing around me seems going to destruction4 ,then ,i become excited and feel a sort of mad happiness4 ,i entreated him to bethink himself of his ways1 and turn unto the ,lord4 ,he said he did not think it would do any good2 that he was too far gone1 and that if he prayed ever so much1 or made ever so many resolutions1 in a few days he was as bad as ever4 ,i endeavored to point out where the difficulty lay4 ,he went to church with me that evening1 and seemed solemn and affected4 ,poor fellow1 ,i know not what will be his end6 ,i fear there are many youths of our land going on just in this same path4 ,cleveland1 ,august #b;d4 ,yesterday ,i took leave of ,detroit on board the steamboat ,united ,states for this place1 which we reached this morning4 ,on our way here1 we visited ,toledo1 in ,ohio1 which stands on the ,maumee ,river1 about ten miles from its mouth4 ,this is a place of some notoriety1 but although we stopped there several hours1 ,i found very little to interest me4 ,there were not a few indications that it was a place where iniquity abounded4 ,though a place of considerable size1 the institutions of the gospel have found very little foothold as yet4 ,i was told1 though ,i cannot vouch for the correctness of the account1 that some time ago1 when an effort was about being made to establish some religious society here1 a public meeting was called1 and they voted that they would have no such thing in their town4 ,i hope they have come to a better mind before this4 ,just before we entered the ,maumee ,river1 we passed a light house that had been erected on a bare and barren bank of sand1 of about an acre in extent1 which had risen up in the midst of the surrounding waters4 ,on this barren spot there is a solitary dwelling1 the residence1 ,i presume1 of the keeper of the light-house4 ,there is something very striking in this lonely residence1 pitched in the midst of a wild waste of waters1 and forcibly reminded me of the state of the ,christian in this life1 whose habitation is often in some desolate place1 some lonely spot amid a surrounding moral desert1 but always where he can answer some useful end1 can tend upon some light-house to direct the path of tempest-tost mariners towards the haven of rest4 ,we also touched in our way to ,cleveland at ,sandusky ,city and ,huron4 ,it was my original intention to stop at one of these places1 and make an excursion through the northern part of ,ohio1 taking ,gambier in my circuit4 ,i felt an increased desire to visit that place1 after learning as ,i did in ,michigan1 the important influence the institution there is silently exerting upon the west1 but ,i found it necessary to deny myself this pleasure for the want of time4 ,from what ,i heard of ,kenyon ,college1 ,i should think that the standard of attainment there was very high1 and that they had wisely guarded against the custom too common in the west of hurrying the student through a rapid and superficial course of studies1 and conferring upon him a degree at a time when he ought to be regarded as a sophomore4 ,the course of studies at this institution is very thorough1 and the faculty able and talented4 ,kenyon ,college cannot fail to prove a most powerful auxiliary to the cause of learning and religion in the west1 and its influence for the interests of the ,episcopal ,church will be more extended than any of us of the present generation can compute4 ,with ,cleveland ,i have been decidedly pleased4 ,it is principally built on a high table of land1 that looks boldly off upon the far-stretching and majestic waters of ,erie4 ,it has a population of about eight thousand2 its houses are generally handsome and well built4 ,it is separated from ,ohio ,city by the ,cuyahoga river1 a stream into which the steamboats run up1 which stop at ,cleveland4 ,ohio ,city is a pleasant town1 having between two and three thousand inhabitants4 ,they are here erecting a fine stone edifice for an ,episcopal ,church4 ,this place appears to bear the same relation to ,cleveland that ,brooklyn does to ,new ,york4 ,unhappily there is no small jealousy between the two places1 which it is hoped the experience of a few years will cure4 ,some of the streets in the eastern part of ,cleveland1 looking off upon the lake1 are beautiful beyond the power of description4 ,niagara ,falls1 ,august #c;d4 ,in passing from ,cleveland to ,buffalo over ,erie's green waters1 we touched at several interesting points1 but ,i omit any description of them or of ,buffalo1 which has grown up into a large and beautiful city4 ,i have spent the day most delightfully here1 silently musing on these vast waters that leap with giant stride over this mighty precipice of rock4 ,i had thought that these falls1 when ,i first gazed upon them from ,table ,rock1 some four years since1 possessed all the conceivable elements of sublimity1 but ,i never understood their full grandeur and majesty till ,i looked at them to-day1 and remembered that the water of all those lakes upon which ,i had travelled more than a thousand miles1 was pouring in one gathered column over that precipice6 ,then1 immediately1 ,i felt that the tremendous roar1 that rose deafening around me1 was the voice of ,god6 ,i saw that it was ,his hand that had gathered those waters1 and poured them with such resistless force over that vast precipice1 and the thought then flashed upon my mind1 ,how will he speak to impenitent sinners when he riseth up to judgment8 ,how will they escape from his mighty hand when he poureth out his fury like fire8 ,just then a rainbow met my eye that lay beautifully pencilled on the foaming flood below4 ,i remembered it was the bow of promise2 and new emotions of gratitude were waked up in my heart1 when1 at the very moment ,i was surrounded with such demonstrations of almighty power1 and such vivid proof that ,god could with the breath of his mouth hurl the guilty down to bottomless perdition1 ,i was reminded by the bow that lay on the bosom of the foaming gulf1 that through the mercy of ,god in ,christ there was a way for poor sinners to escape6 ,oh that they might be prevailed upon to lay hold of the hope set before them1 and not rush madly on to the precipice of eternal death6 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,western ,,new ,,york4 ,niagara ,falls--,rochester--,canandaigua--,genev a--,seneca ,lake--,the moonlit heavens--,departed friends--,the clergyman's son--,the candidate for the ministry--,a beloved brother--,my departed mother--,geneva ,college--,the ,sabbath4 ,geneva1 ,aug4 #ith4 ,every man who has visited ,niagara ,falls1 that scene of enchantment1 remembers with what difficulty he tore himself from the spot4 ,to every mind that has any sensibility--any relish for the grand and sublime1 every island and grove1 every stone and tree1 every green bank and shaded nook around that mighty cataract1 is a charmed spot4 ,go to what point you may1 to take your last look at the falls1 whether it be on the ,british or ,american side--whether you stand on ,table ,rock or ,goat ,island--whether you look out from the top of the observatory that has been reared with daring intrepidity on the edge of the foaming current and the brow of the ,falls1 or look up from the foot of the vast cataract1 and see a world of waters plunging in one animated1 leaping mass from the heights above1 you will feel as you gaze there to bestow your last lingering look1 that the hand of some giant power has laid a spell upon all the scene around you1 and chained you to the spot4 ,you may tear yourself from this scene1 but it is with the feeling with which you separate yourself from1 and bid adieu to the loved one of your heart4 ,your eye and your thoughts oft turn back to catch another glimpse of that which you fear is fading from your view for ever4 ,have you not sometimes in your journeyings1 taken your leave with great reluctance from some dear family circle1 who gathered around you at the door1 and followed you while you could yet see them with every demonstration of kindness and interest8 ,at length a turn in the road shut them from your view1 and you went on your way musing on the past1 and thinking perhaps you would never meet them more till you met them with the ransomed on high4 ,while you moved on indulging in a pensive train of reflection1 your path took another turn1 and brought the mansion you left again to view1 and showed you your friends still watching your course1 whose waving hands and handkerchiefs testified that their hearts were with you1 though their voices could no longer reach your ear4 ,it was somewhat so with us1 when on ,friday morning the fourth of ,august1 we started in the railroad cars from the ,falls1 bound to ,lockport4 ,the course of the railroad for some distance lies along on the bank of ,niagara river1 every now and then revealing to us the swift and green waters of the stream as it leaps along its deep-worn channel1 some hundred feet below4 ,we had proceeded thus a mile or two1 when suddenly by a turn of the river1 the entire view of the ,falls was again brought before us4 ,the eye was now able to take in the whole scene at a single glance1 and no view of ,niagara appeared more impressive than this4 ,you could distinctly trace the rapids above the ,falls1 see the foaming current urging its way on like the angry billows of the ocean1 till it reached the dreadful leap1 and then gracefully and majestically sliding off from the edge of the precipice to the vast abyss below in one beautiful and vast column of emerald green4 ,below you saw1 as in one great cauldron1 the whole river boiling up in white and milky appearance1 and then winding off in its deep channel1 till at length it again assumed its native hue of green4 ,the islands and groves1 and wild scenery that environ this wonder of the world1 were all gathered in one rich group distinctly before the eye4 ,who can look on such a scene and not remember its ,creator8 ,what must be the glories which ,god will reveal to his ransomed and sanctified people in the celestial world1 when he allows to linger here amid the defilements and desolations of sin such traces of surpassing beauty and loveliness6 ,we took ,rochester in our way1 and thence directed our course by stage to ,canandaigua1 which1 with its tasteful court-yards1 and beautiful houses1 and elegantly shaded streets1 reminds one of a beauteous1 gemmed1 and highly adorned bride that has retired from the festal scene1 and is seeking repose in some rural bower4 ,the country through which we rode from ,rochester to ,geneva is in a high state of cultivation1 and the rich fields of waving grain around one makes him feel at every step that he is passing through the garden of ,america4 ,we reached ,geneva in the early part of the afternoon4 ,there is not a lovelier spot beneath the far-expanded sky for the site of a village than the banks of the ,seneca4 ,though the business part of the village is situated principally on the northwest corner of the lake1 by far the most beautiful part of the town stretches along on the western bank which rises some fifty or hundred feet above the quiet waters of this beautiful lake4 ,here a street runs along parallel with the lake1 and the most delightful residences are built up on either side4 ,almost every dwelling has before it a fine court-yard filled with shrubbery and ornamented with flowers4 ,and those built on the brow of the lake have gardens terraced down to the water's edge4 ,the lake is here some three miles wide1 stretching off forty miles to the south1 and presenting on the opposite side a beautiful and finely-cultivated country4 ,on this street1 looking off upon this lovely sheet of water1 stands the college4 ,as we recede to the west the land rises by gentle and successive undulations for a mile or two1 furnishing on the summit of these successive ridges the most delightful locations for residences1 from some of which you have brought within the ken of your eye the whole village and lake1 and country beyond4 ,i have already partially described the street that runs along on the western bank of the lake1 which is adorned and shaded with trees1 and on which the college and principal churches are built4 ,farther west and running parallel with this is another street inferior in beauty1 but peculiarly attractive to me1 as at its northern extremity is situated the old burying ground1 where sleeps the dust of many1 many dear friends4 ,memory loves to go back to the past4 ,i well recollect a summer evening of #ahbj4 ,the day had declined1 and the curtains of night were drawn around the green earth4 ,while twilight still lingered in the west1 gently fading into darkness1 the moon rose in full orbed splendour4 ,i was returning1 with a friend from a walk4 ,our course lay along on the margin of the lake4 ,never did ,i see a sweeter or lovelier scene1 than was exhibited on the bosom of that lake1 lit up with a flood of splendour streaming down from the bright orb of night4 ,that beautifully-expanded sheet of water lay in unruffled smoothness4 ,the lake seemed like a sea of glass4 ,if a ripple run over that transparent surface1 it was so gentle1 that it seemed only the rocking of the moon-beams to sleep that played there4 ,the air was bland and balmy1 and full of the fragrance which the verdant and flowery earth gave forth4 ,but with myself and my friend1 life then looked thus bright and fresh and fair4 ,our walk terminated at the threshhold of my own paternal mansion4 ,we went in and sat down4 ,three other persons joined us4 ,we looked out upon the moonlight scene1 and talked of future days4 ,there was not one sad or clouded brow there4 ,i can remember every countenance in that happy group as though it were but yesterday night4 ,but now of the five that sat there and enjoyed the delightful converse of that sweet night1 ,i alone am the only survivor4 ,all the rest have for these nine years slept within the precincts of the burial-ground4 ,one of this little group was the friend of my childhood4 ,his father was the parish priest1 from whose lips my infant ear first drank in the sounds of a preached gospel4--,i well recollect with what a throbbing heart ,i first drew near the chancel in an old time-stained church in ,new ,england1 with a band of children like myself to rehearse to this holy man my catechism4 ,i well recollect the solemn tones of his voice1 and the benignant look with which he pronounced a blessing on our young heads4 ,i can never forget the many kind1 cordial welcomes ,i have received under the roof of the pastor of my childhood4 ,the young man to whom ,i have referred was his eldest son4 ,we were now far from the scene where had past the sports and frolics of childhood4 ,the good hand of the ,lord had shown me that there was something better than the fading vanities of this empty world to occupy and absorb the affections of an immortal being4 ,often had ,i tried to lead my young friend to see things as ,i saw them4 ,when absent ,i had written to him2 but though his affection for me seemed unchanged1 he always evaded any coming to the point1 in relation to his own personal salvation4 ,though amiable and moral1 he was naturally gay and vivacious1 and the world had still an unbroken hold upon his affections4 ,on the evening to which ,i have referred1 he seemed more than ordinarily pensive4 ,in less than a year1 though apparently full of vigour and health1 he was suddenly laid upon a sick bed4 ,the last night of his life ,i was with him1 and did not leave his room till the dawn of morning4 ,at midnight when all was still1 he called me close to his bed-side1 and thanked me for my letters that ,i had formerly written to him1 and all my solemn admonitions1 and assured me that they had not been forgotten1 but had made very deep impressions upon his mind4 ,and then he continued--,i wish to be saved1 ,i wish to give my heart up to ,god1 ,i wish to be pardoned and have a hope in ,christ4 ,oh that ,i had sought the ,lord in health1 and now were at peace with him4 ,then he fervently called on ,god for mercy4 ,his mind soon began to wander4 ,the next morning he was an unbreathing corpse4 ,another of this company1 was one who had been associated with me in study4 ,the home of his childhood was amid the rugged hills of ,new ,england4 ,he had contended with a long train of difficulties to push his way onward to the threshold of the sacred ministry4 ,the last obstacles now seemed giving away4 ,in about a year he would go forth as the accredited ambassador of the ,king of kings4 ,animated with this thought1 and the brightening prospect around him1 his mind on that evening seemed winged with hope1 and his conversation was full of life and sprightliness4 ,just about a year had gone4 ,the day for his ordination was appointed4 ,his friends were anxiously waiting to see him put the sacred armour on4 ,but the hand of disease suddenly seized him1 and on the very day he was to have been ordained1 he died1 and ,i trust went up to the heavenly court to be made there a priest unto ,god4 ,a third in this group1 was a beloved brother1 who had been to me not only a brother1 but my spiritual father4 ,it was his voice that first directed my feet to the cross of ,christ2 and it was from his hands that ,i first received the consecrated memorials of a ,saviour's dying love4 ,the cares and toils and anxieties of his spiritual flock were even then wearing away his life4 ,a few years passed by1 and my friend--my counsellor--my brother1 was borne to that same burial-ground1 where his voice had been so often heard1 committing ,earth to earth1 ashes to ashes1 dust to dust4 ,there are those that remember the pastor's counsel1 who still go to that grave where his ashes sleep1 and water it with their tears4 ,the last in that group which sat and conversed so delightfully together on the evening to which ,i have adverted1 was one who bore to me a dearer and more sacred relation than any or all of these4 ,can ,i ever forget the kindliness of that eye that beamed with such sweet affection on me8 ,can ,i ever forget the soft velvet pressure of that hand1 which when ,i was sick was laid so gently on my burning1 feverish brow8 ,can ,i ever forget that cradle hymn1 that calmed my infant fears1 and hushed all my troubles to repose8 ,can ,i ever forget the tones of that sweet voice that first breathed into my infant ear the name of ,jesus8 ,can ,i ever forget the appearance of that dear form1 the heavenliness of that look1 or even the seat in which she sat1 when ,i was first taught to kneel down by her side1 and say ,our ,father who art in heaven8 ,no6 ,every other image may fade from my memory1 but my mother's will be there for ever6 ,on that evening to which ,i have referred1 no one appeared more cheerful or happy1 and no circumstance added more enjoyment to that hour than the presence and conversation of my dear and beloved mother4 ,but a few years only had elapsed1 and the charm of our home was gone6 ,well do ,i recollect that night when ,i was called from my bed1 and saw the last breath trembling on her quivering lips4 ,well do ,i recollect how that brother of whom ,i have just spoken1 as we stood silent around that bed from which a departing saint was about to go up to glory1 took her dying hand1 and as the last pang was ended1 said in the deep solemn stillness that pervaded the weeping group1 ,the bitterness of death is passed1 and she is at rest6 ,her grave is in the burying ground4 ,of all that company that sat and talked and looked out on that moonlight scene ,i only am left4 ,oh what reason have ,i to praise the ,lord6 ,what reason to die daily6 ,the commencement of ,geneva ,college had occurred a few days previous to my arrival4 ,this institution had been struggling for many years with a series of difficulties1 most of which are now happily overcome4 ,the corporation have recently received an endowment that will enable them to compete with any kindred institutions in the country4 ,they have an able and well-organized faculty1 at the head of which is ,president ,hale1 a man not only of varied and large acquirements1 but of most bland manners and devoted piety4 ,there is an influence now gathered around this institution that must very soon elevate it to a high rank among the institutions of our country4 ,it gives fair promise at present of being what one of its originators toiled and prayed and spent many anxious days and nights to make it4 ,though he has gone to his rest and though he saw gathering over it during his life nothing but clouds and darkness1 he will reap the fruits of his labours in eternity4 ,i spent a ,sunday here that strikingly reminded me of former days4 ,the congregation were already gathered4 ,i went in1 and sat in the same pew ,i used to occupy long before ,i assumed the responsibilities of the sacred office4 ,the place itself was unaltered1 but the worshippers--what a change had come over them6 ,here and there was a well-known countenance1 but how many pews were occupied with those who were strangers to me6 ,and then1 where was that venerable father--that promising young jurist--that physician rising rapidly to eminence--that blooming1 beautiful young bride1 that drew all eyes towards her8 ,where was that mother in ,israel--that much respected and hoary headed man1 whose voice used to give such deep emphasis to the responses8 ,where were a hundred others1 whose images came up fast before me8 ,ah6 the grave1 the grave had swallowed them up6 ,and where too was the pastor whose voice used to echo through this temple8 ,he too was gone6 ,that voice which had so often called upon sinners to turn and flee to calvary1 and urged the heaven-bound pilgrim onward towards the goal1 was now hushed in death6 ,on a tablet near the pulpit ,i saw his name inscribed1 but ,i believe it was written in deeper and more durable characters upon the hearts of some who worshipped with me that morning4 ,the day was bright and sunny4 ,there seemed that morning to rest on the mind of the assembled worshippers a sweet1 holy calm1 the emblem of that rest which remaineth for the people of ,god4 ,the deep1 solemn tones of the service1 came that morning with unwonted power on my ear4 ,every sentence of the liturgy1 fraught as it is with the richest vein of evangelical piety1 seemed particularly on that occasion to give wings to my devotion1 and to bear my soul upward to the very courts of the most high ,god4 ,it was a sacramental season4 ,the sermon was appropriate1 faithful1 solemn1 and affecting4 ,the communion service began4 ,the bread was broken and the wine poured out4 ,as ,i went forward to kneel at that altar1 ,i could not but call to remembrance my feelings eighteen years before1 when ,i first bowed there to vow a vow unto ,god1 and receive a token of the ,saviour's dying love4 ,the thoughts and feelings of that hour ,i will not presume to obtrude upon you4 ,there was a rush of sensibilities and recollections that quite overcame me for the moment4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,a ,,jaunt ,,from ,,philadelphia ,,to ,,albany4 ,a bleak1 dreary morning--,bishop of ,illinois--,sail up the ,delaware--,new ,york ,bay--,sail up the ,hudson--,unexpected meeting--,college friend--,story of his afflictions--,poor ,african servant4 ,the sketches contained in the three following chapters were written in #ahch4 ,fairfield1 ,n4 ,y41 ,sep4 #ba1 #ahch4 ,after having passed a day or two in the country1 or gone along some two or three hundred miles by stages1 steamboats1 and railroad cars1 in looking back upon the scenes through which you have passed1 the company you have met1 and the different individuals with which you have been brought in contact1 one feels almost astonished to reflect how many touching incidents of human woe have been brought to his notice during this short period4 ,sorrow and sadness seem to lie every where on the surface of society4 ,you cannot enter a steamboat1 or walk through the streets of a large town1 or mingle at all in the circles of the living1 without meeting with something to remind you1 and that most painfully1 that man is born to trouble4 ,does not this show that ours is a world full of disorder and sin8 ,does it not show that some great moral convulsion has occurred here1 which has upturned the very foundations upon which human nature was originally built8 ,surely a ,god of order and of benevolence would never have created such a world as ours now is6 ,surely this world is not now what it was when upon its original creation1 the morning stars sang together1 and the sons of ,god shouted aloud for joy6 ,i do not see how any one can prosecute an investigation upon the subject of moral philosophy1 and not come to the conclusion that the ,bible is the only book in the world that gives any satisfactory account of the origin and history of man4 ,it was a bleak and dreary morning upon which we left ,philadelphia4 ,the wind blew fiercely1 and the waters of the ,delaware seemed stirred the very bottom as we entered the steamboat4 ,notwithstanding the earliness of the hour1 and the roughness of the weather1 a great crowd was rushing on board4 ,among the number was the ,bishop of ,illinois4 ,the last time ,i had seen him to have any continued conversation with him1 was more than a year since1 near the banks of the ,mississippi1 in the extreme northwest corner of his extensive diocese4 ,i was sorry to find on the present occasion1 that the bishop seemed a good deal depressed in reference to the prospects of the ,church in his diocese1 though still looking to the ,lord and trusting in his wise government4 ,i could in some measure enter into his feelings1 as ,i had travelled over the vast field of destitution in the midst of which he is placed4 ,being entrusted with the interests of the ,church in the vast and powerful state of ,illinois1 without funds1 without a salary adequate to his own support1 with only here and there a single labourer to co-operate with him1 how can he carry out the designs of his office8 ,though a thousand fair fields lie blooming before him1 all promising a rich and luxuriant harvest1 how1 with his present means1 can he take possession of them8 ,he wants a vast increase of missionary men1 and pecuniary means to sustain them4 ,the discouragements around him are innumerable4 ,what can be done for the ,west8 ,what can be done for ,illinois8 ,i believe if three or four of our eastern clergy1 who have acquired character and standing in the ,church1 were to go into each of the western dioceses1 and there co-operate together1 determined to stand by the ,church1 to sink or swim with it1 determined never to leave the ground till the whole western wild should blossom as the rose1 this would do more for the cause of religion than any other measures that could be adopted4 ,are there not in the length and breadth of our ,church a dozen men of this character1 who will make this sacrifice for ,christ and for undying souls8 ,if we had the spirit1 and the faith1 and the self-sacrifice of ,paul1 is it not probable that we should see1 if not in divine visions1 yet in many of our waking hours1 and perhaps in the dreams of the night1 imploring thousands standing on the banks of the ,wabash1 the ,illinois1 and the ,mississippi1 stretching forth their hands and saying1 ,come over and help us6 ,our sail up the ,delaware was characterized with nothing new or unusual4 ,the cars took us on at their usual rate4 ,and in due time we were safely landed at the battery in ,new ,york4 ,at five o'clock1 ,p4 ,m41 we found ourselves again embarked on board one of the ,north river steamers4 ,as we pushed out from the wharf and gazed over the beautiful bay that stretched around us1 studded with islands and whitened with a hundred sails1 the thought most forcibly pressed itself upon my mind1 that ,americans need not be ashamed to speak of ,new ,york bay1 even in connection with the bay of ,naples1 though the latter in the bold shores of ,capri1 the towering summit of ,vesuvius1 and the vast1 extended1 circling sweep of its waters has1 doubtless1 features of sublimity1 which the former cannot claim4--,as we passed the palisades1 and began to approach the mountain scenery of the highlands1 ,i was more than ever impressed with an idea which ,i embraced while in ,europe1 that1 take it all in all1 there is no river scenery in the world comparable with that of our own ,hudson4 ,while ,i stood upon the deck of our steamboat1 gazing upon the precipitous and rugged sides of the palisades that rise like a wall of masonry above the noble ,hudson1 a gentleman approached me and said1 ,i ought to know you2 ,i think we were class-mates in college4 ,my name is ,w----4 ,when ,i first looked at the speaker1 the remembrance of him as an old college acquaintance1 was like the faded and indistinct recollections of a forgotten dream4 ,but as one and another particular was mentioned1 the picture of the past gathered fresh brightness1 and stood before my mind's eye with all the vividness of an occurrence of yesterday4 ,more than fifteen years had elapsed since we bid adieu to our ,alma mater and to each other4 ,our class at the time we graduated1 consisted of about eighty2 my acquaintance with ,w4 during our college course was slight1 and as his residence was in one of the remote southern states1 ,i had never met with him before since the day of our graduation4 ,we1 however1 immediately upon this unexpected meeting1 felt our hearts strongly drawn towards each other1 by the power of old associations4 ,we sat down and talked over college scenes1 till the shades of evening gathered around us4 ,i was astonished to find how many of our class were already numbered with the dead3 and how many among the most gifted and talented of our old associates had fallen victims to intemperance4 ,during the fifteen years since we last met1 we ourselves had passed through a variety of scenes1 and had each tasted of the cup of sorrow4 ,i became deeply interested in my friend's history1 and though the dark summits and lofty mountain peaks of the highlands were around and above us1 and at this time rendered still more wild and romantic by the partial darkness in which they were enwrapped1 ,i had no eye nor ear for any thing but the touching tale to which ,i listened4 ,the outlines of the story were as follows3-- ,while young ,w4 was still in college1 he had formed an acquaintance with ,mr4 ,y----1 who then resided in a neighbouring city1 and filled one of the highest offices in the state4 ,mr4 ,y's4 family1 for several generations back1 had been regarded among the most respectable in the land4 ,young ,w4 was often invited to share the hospitalities of his house1 and soon became a frequent visiter there4 ,there were in this family three young ladies1 daughters of ,mr4 ,y41 all of them accomplished and interesting4 ,jane1 the youngest1 was particularly beautiful and attractive4 ,to her ,w4 felt his heart drawn with resistless power4 ,himself belonging to a distinguished and wealthy family in ,georgia1 he did not hesitate to aspire to the hand of the lovely ,jane ,y4 ,his suit was successful4 ,after having passed through a course of law studies1 the happy hour arrived in which he was permitted to stand up and claim ,jane as his wedded bride4 ,the evening of the celebration of their nuptials1 witnessed a scene of most brilliant festivity in the old family mansion of ,mr4 ,y4 ,all the gaiety1 and splendour1 and luxury which are found in the brightest paths and most resplendent saloons of fashion1 were that night there4 ,when the next morning dawned1 and the family gathered around the table for breakfast1 there was an occasional cloud of gloom that every now and then came over the mother's countenance3 for that day she was to part with her daughter6 ,jane was now the wife of a planter in ,georgia1 and upon that distant plantation was to be her future home4 ,her young and joyous heart1 though for a moment depressed1 as she gave the parting kiss to each of the family1 soon recovered its wonted buoyancy4 ,her presence flung an immediate sunshine around the habitation to which she was conducted1 and her happy husband thought again and again that he had never before known half her worth4 ,years passed on1 and ,jane had now become the mother of two beautiful children4 ,this couple were as happy as this world could make them4 ,they had health and wealth1 ease1 family distinction1 and promising children1 and yet they lacked one thing absolutely essential to their happiness4 ,they were strangers to the transforming power of divine grace4 ,living remote from any place of divine worship1 they seldom visited the house of ,god1 and were becoming each year more indifferent to divine things4 ,at length the following incident awakened ,mrs4 ,w---- to a consideration of the things of eternity4 ,there was a female slave on the plantation advanced in years1 who was very ill4 ,mrs4 ,w---- had an amiable and tender heart1 and never failed to do all in her power to render the situation of their slaves comfortable4 ,she visited them in sickness and did every thing to minister to their wants and to alleviate their sufferings4 ,hearing of the illness of old ,peggy she hastened to the cabin to see what she could do to relieve her4 ,as she stood on the threshold of the door1 just ready to enter1 she heard the voice of this old negro woman lifted up in prayer4 ,she immediately stopped1 feeling that it would be wrong to interrupt any human creature while communing with ,god4 ,the words which this old female slave uttered were very simple1 but full of pious sentiment4 ,as ,mrs4 ,w---- listened she heard her say1 ,oh ,lord ,god1 me am a poor sinner1 but massa ,christ died for sinners1 therefore1 good ,lord1 do have mercy upon me1 poor dying cretur1 for ,jesus' sake4 ,my sins many1 oh do blot them all out--make me1 poor slave1 holy--make me fit to enter heaven--and oh bring massa and missa and the little babies there4 ,save us all for ,jesus' sake4 ,as ,mrs4 ,w---- listened to these simple words1 her heart was touched--the tear fell upon her cheek4 ,she entered the cabin1 and found old ,peggy stretched on a couch1 and evidently struck with death4 ,in haste and with agitation she asked what she could do for her4 ,the old servant replied1 ,nothing1 nothing--,i am now going home4 ,as ,mrs4 ,w---- appeared distressed and anxious to do something for her1 ,peggy said1 ,dear missa1 don't be troubled about me--you have always been good to we poor blacks4 ,the ,lord bless you4 ,you can do no more for me1 ,i shall be gone soon4 ,but1 said ,mrs4 ,w----1 ,are you not afraid to die8 ,upon this inquiry1 the did woman raised herself up1 and clasping her hands1 looked towards heaven and said in the most plaintive1 touching tone1 ,oh ,jesus1 should me be afraid to come to thee8 ,and then her eye sparkling with joy1 as she turned to ,mrs4 ,w----1 she said1 ,me love ,jesus--me give him my heart2 ,jesus knows me1 and therefore me no fear to go through the dark valley to him3 for he says in the good book1 ',i know my sheep and they follow me1 and ,i give unto them eternal life1 and they shall never perish1 neither shall any pluck them out of my hand4' ,the old woman was exhausted by this effort and fell back upon the bed with her eyes closed1 apparently dying4 ,one or two coloured persons who were in the room1 now gathered around the bed1 expecting every moment to see her breathe her last4 ,after ten or fifteen minutes she again opened her eyes1 and fixing an intense look upon ,mrs4 ,w----1 said1 ,dear missa1 do you not love ,jesus8 99 99 99 ,she would have said more1 but her tongue was already palsied in death--the muscles around her mouth quivered--her eye seemed glazed--her breath was gone3 her soul was in eternity6 ,mrs4 ,w---- went home serious and thoughtful4 ,she retired to her chamber and took down her long neglected ,bible4 ,she perused the sacred page for a long time4 ,she knelt down and tried to pray4 ,she found her heart was cold1 and that there was no love to ,jesus there4 ,she called upon ,god for mercy4 ,the deep fountains of sensibility in her heart were at length broken up1 and she wept in agony of spirit over her impenitence and hardness of heart4 ,when her husband came in1 he found her bathed in tears and instantly demanded the cause4 ,she told him of ,peggy's death1 and of the solemn impression made upon her mind1 adding1 ,i have a presentiment that ,i shall not live long1 and ,i am determined no longer to neglect the salvation of my soul4 ,oh1 said ,w----1 who at that time was rather inclined to be skeptical1 do not indulge in such gloomy and nervous feelings or think about such superstitious matters4 ,mrs4 ,w----1 however1 remained steadfast to her purpose4 ,from this time she daily read the sacred ,scriptures1 and sought divine illumination at the mercy-seat4 ,the ,methodist ministers who had officiated on the plantation among the slaves1 and by whose instruction old ,peggy had been taught the way to heaven1 were invited to visit ,mr4 ,w----'s house4 ,the voice of prayer was now frequently heard in that dwelling4 ,mrs4 ,w---- had already become a decided ,christian1 and was leading her husband on in the same path1 when she was suddenly attacked with a violent fever4 ,from the very commencement she felt that this sickness would be unto death4 ,when it was evident that she was rapidly sinking and could survive but a few hours1 she begged her husband to sit down at her bed-side and the children to stand by their father1 and then calmly addressed him in substance as follows3 ,charles1 ,i told you a year ago ,i had a strong presentiment that ,i should not live long4 ,ever since that time ,i have been looking forward to this hour4 ,i have a hope in ,jesus1 which is 'as an anchor to my soul4'--,though ,i love you and these dear children above all earthly things1 ,i am willing to leave you all in the hands of ,god and to depart and be with ,christ which is far better4 ,but1 dear husband1 will you not join me in yonder heaven8 ,will you not bring these dear1 precious ones with you there8 ,oh6 then seek the salvation of your soul in the atoning blood of ,christ1 and train up these children in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord4 ,these were her last dying words4 ,the green grass has for more that two years waved over her grave4 ,before her death the decease of her father had thrown a vast increase of wealth into her husband's hands4 ,but that bereaved husband with all his vast wealth1 as he looks upon his motherless children1 and upon ,jane's grass-covered grave1 feels that this world is all an empty show1 that we look for happiness in vain beneath the skies4 ,this was the outline of ,w----'s story4 ,the hour had already become late before our conversation drew to a close4 ,we each sought our respective berths in the cabin below4 ,when we awoke in the morning1 we found ourselves in the immediate vicinity of ,albany4 ,we were soon on shore moving up ,state street4 99 99 99 99 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,the ,,irish ,,couple4 ,albany--,the ,irish mother--,incidents that occured five years ago--,the disappointed emigrants--,the ,little ,falls--,rural retirement4 ,fairfield1 ,n4 ,y41 ,sept4 #bb4 ,our stopping place in ,albany was at ,,congress ,,hall1 which we reached some time before the sun sent his resplendent beams abroad3 the morning was damp and hazy1 and upon the whole every thing looked dull and gloomy around us4 ,we were1 however1 occupying one of the most delightful positions in the place--our inn being located on one corner of the beautiful enclosure in front of the capitol or state-house1 whence we could overlook almost the entire city4 ,as ,i sat down by a window which commanded a view of the state-house park1 or square1 my travelling companion directed my attention to a female1 who with tattered vestments and feeble steps1 was pacing backwards and forwards one of the gravelled walks in the verdant enclosure before us4 ,she was carrying in her arms a sickly looking infant1 some nine or ten months old1 and the whole appearance both of the mother and child1 seemed to indicate that they were houseless wanderers1 and had passed the night without a shelter4 ,as in her continued walks up and down the gravelled avenue1 she occasionally approached near the window where we sat1 ,i saw that she was about middle aged1 and had evidently once had a fine and expressive countenance1 though the traces of sorrow and grief were now deeply worn there4 ,we were called to our breakfast3 as soon as it was dispatched we hurried away from our hotel to the grand railroad depot1 whence we were to take our departure westward4 ,on our way we passed directly by the gravelled walk1 where we had seen the poor woman1 who had so much excited our sympathy4 ,she now sat on the ground1 her infant sleeping in her lap1 and herself apparently absorbed in melancholy4 ,she was evidently of ,irish extraction1 and though her appearance bore evidence of extreme poverty1 there were no indications about her of intemperance4 ,i could not but think what a tale of sorrow1 of disappointed hopes1 and perhaps of cruelly blighted innocence1 would that ,irish mother's history1 if recorded1 unfold4 ,my thoughts immediately went back to that beautiful ,emerald ,isle1 over whose green fields ,i had so recently roamed4 ,though ,i had seen some misery there1 ,i had seen much happiness and contentment4 ,i verily believe there is often to be found more real happiness in the mud cottage than in the gilded palace4 ,the ,irish have strong and generous feelings1 and strong family affection4 ,as ,i saw that poor ,irish mother sitting there upon the ground1 so forlorn and desolate1 my imagination pictured to me her early home1 where she passed her childhood beneath the glad eye of her affectionate parents4 ,they saw her grow up1 the pride of their heart1 and thought that she would be the solace of their declining years4 ,but the tempter came--she was lured from her home--she passed over the deep waters1 and found herself in a foreign land4 ,her base husband soon showed himself the degraded victim of intemperance1 and after a few years deserted her--leaving her houseless1 homeless1 in poverty1 and broken-hearted sorrow4 ,perhaps in point of fact there were no lines in the history of that poor ,irish mother in correspondence with this picture1 but ,i believe1 if the real history of many an emigrant from that green isle were known1 we should feel more kindly to that people1 and the heart and hand of ,christian charity would be more frequently open to relieve the destitute among them4 ,i know not where we shall find on earth such noble elements of character as in the ,irish race4 ,i confess ,i have been charmed and filled with admiration with some specimens ,i have met of ,irish ,christian gentlemen4 ,i cannot turn my face away from any poor ,irishman who asks alms at my door1 unless he be manifestly the victim of intemperance1 and begs to procure the means of indulgence in this sin4 ,it is true we are sometimes liable to be deceived4 ,clothes and money are sometimes procured under false pretexts4 ,but even then they may minister to the comfort of the destitute1 and if we have given for ,christ's sake1 we shall not lose our reward4 ,i do not mean by these remarks to intimate that ,i regard it as a ,christian duty to give to all without discrimination who ask alms at our hands--but simply to say1 that ,i think it better to give to twenty undeserving objects than to turn our face away from one who is ,christ's representative here on earth4 7,mat4 xxv4 #ce-df47 ,neither do ,i mean to affirm1 that there is not danger of being deceived by some who make large demands upon us for assistance4 ,in such cases we should undoubtedly proceed with great caution3 and even then1 after all1 we may be beguiled4 ,a case in point now occurs to me4 ,while residing in ,new ,england1 on a dull1 cold1 rainy ,saturday afternoon1 some five years ago1 ,i heard a ring at my door4 ,as the servant did not immediately appear to answer the call1 ,i myself went to the door1 where ,i found two persons in shabby and tattered dress1 standing on the steps1 with their clothes dripping with rain4 ,the female was the first to speak1 inquiring if ,i would not render some assistance to a distressed couple1 who were extremely destitute1 and far from country and home4 ,the tones of her voice were so sweet and gentle1 her manners so modest and unobtrusive1 and the language which she used so well chosen1 and even elegant1 ,i felt convinced that they had indeed seen better days1 and ,i should have done the greatest violence to my feelings1 and every better principle of my nature1 had ,i not opened my door and bid them enter4 ,after they had dried themselves by the fire1 and partaken of some refreshment1 ,i asked them to tell me their history4 ,the outline of it was as follows3--,they were both natives of ,ireland1 where they had always resided till about four years since4 ,mrs4 ,s----1 the name of this female1 and the wife of the man who accompanied her1 was the daughter of a clergyman of the ,established ,church1 who was vicar of a parish in ,ireland1 the name of which ,i do not now recollect4 ,she was brought up in great tenderness and highly educated1 as she was an only daughter4 ,being a novel reader and full of romantic ideas1 she took it into her head to fall in love with a young bricklayer1 who was engaged in working upon a house that was building near the vicarage4 ,she found means of meeting him unknown to her parents1 and they were soon engaged to be married4 ,at the appointed time she stole away secretly from home1 met her lover at a specified spot1 and then they went together to a distant part of the country1 where they were married4 ,she then sent home to her parents1 confessing the whole affair4 ,they were very indignant1 and returned so severe an answer1 that she and her husband concluded to embark at once for ,america4--,they soon put their resolution into execution1 and after a very long voyage found themselves at ,montreal1 without any means of subsistence4 ,her husband succeeded in obtaining some employment1 so that they lived along comfortably for nearly a year4 ,about this time she became the mother of a little daughter2 and accidentally hearing that the ,rev4 ,mr4 ----1 who was a brother of her mother's1 and had been in this country several years1 was residing at ,troy1 she persuaded her husband to go with her in quest of her uncle4 ,when they reached ,troy1 they found that there was no ,rev4 ,mr4 ---- residing there4 ,here they lived for some time1 ,mr4 ,s---- hiring himself out to a builder1 who was carrying on a large business there4 ,after ,s---- had earned about one hundred dollars besides his living1 this builder unexpectedly failed1 and absconded without paying off any of his hands4 ,s---- was again left in poverty1 and without employment4 ,a few months before1 their little babe had sickened and died4 ,they had recently heard that their relative resided in ,boston4 ,they therefore started off with the hope of finding him3 having at length reached ,northampton in great destitution1 they made known their situation to the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,p----1 who relieved them from present distress1 and informed them that the clergyman whom they were seeking lived in ,philadelphia4 ,with a view of going thither they had come to the place where ,i resided4 ,the whole story appeared natural1 and though they told it to a number of different individuals1 they never contradicted themselves4 ,mr4 ,s---- was rough and uncultivated--just such a man as a bricklayer would be4 ,on the other hand ,mrs4 ,s---- was evidently an accomplished lady4 ,she was acquainted with books1 played on the piano forte1 and sung beautifully4 ,a clergyman bearing the name of the one whom she claimed as her uncle1 actually resided in ,philadelphia1 and had not long since visited ,england and ,ireland1 as she said4 ,i could detect no incongruity in any part of the narrative4 ,they remained with us a week--during which time a number of our friends fitted them both out with new apparel1 and procured for them the means of travelling with comfort to ,philadelphia4 ,i have seldom known so much sympathy to be awakened for destitute strangers as there was in their case4 ,several individuals accompanied them to the steamboat when they left1 and wished them ,god speed4 ,i sent by them a letter to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ---- informing him of the facts above related4 ,this was the last ,i ever heard of them6 ,i saw the ,rev4 ,mr4 ---- in a few months2 he informed me he had never received the letter1 that he had no relatives in ,ireland1 and that so far as he was concerned it must have been a sheer fabrication4 ,my friends and myself1 when these facts came to our knowledge1 had a hearty laugh over this affair1 and though we regretted that this ,irish couple had used such deception1 at least in one particular we did not regret that we had fed the hungry1 clothed the naked1 and sent them on their way with solemn admonitions about the salvation of their souls4 ,very little of interest is to be seen on the way between ,albany and ,schenectady across those sandy plains1 save the distant tops of the ,cattskill to the south1 and the misty summits of the ,green mountains to the north4 ,our course from ,schenectady up the valley of the ,mohawk was very delightful4 ,the beautiful sylvan scenery up this valley1 with its broken sheets of water1 and dark rich verdure1 reminded me of some scenes in ,england1 which ,i can never forget4 ,i need not describe the grand and rugged mountain scenery which nature has thrown up in forms of singular wildness around the ,little ,falls1 nor the upland and undulating country through which one has to pass to reach the spot whence ,i write4 ,here then1 ,i am1 far away from the strife of tongues1 the agitations of business1 and the dust and din of the city4 ,the green hills are all around me1 presenting a coat of dark rich verdure1 which shows that they have not this season felt the blight of the withering and far-spread drought4 ,all amid these retired hills appears full of quietness and repose--a fit place in which to study one's own heart and try to get nearer to heaven4 ,i attended the other evening1 what in ,england would be denominated a cottage meeting4 ,the inhabitants of the neighbourhood were gathered together in a private house1 and after suitable devotions conducted by the pastor1 the people were familiarly and solemnly addressed on the subject of their immortal interests4 ,these meetings1 ,i understand1 are held weekly in different parts of the village1 and will1 ,i doubt not1 carry salvation to many a house4 ,what an inexpressible blessing is a faithful pastor1 who cares for the flock1 and uses every means in his power to guide them in the way everlasting6 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,western ,,new ,,york4 ,fairfield1 ,n4 ,y41 ,oct4 #a4 ,within the last week ,i have made an excursion into the central part of ,western ,new ,york4 ,i never fail1 while travelling through this region1 to be impressed with the conviction1 that this is the garden of ,america6 ,the soil itself has in every field you pass1 and upon every hill-side and vale to which you turn your eye1 ten thousand witnesses to attest its astonishing fertility4 ,and then there are treasures beneath the soil more valuable than silver or gold1 in the vast beds of lime and plaster1 and the exhaustless saline springs1 scattered at different points over this region4 ,here1 also1 you have beautiful scenery in ten thousand varied forms3 and if you wish to view nature in one of her more awful moods1 you have only to draw near and listen to the tremendous roar of ,niagara1 and see the collected waters of an hundred lakes1 dashed headlong in one great1 furious tide1 down the vast precipice1 to the deep1 rocky channel below4 ,i am sure the traveller who passes along the old post-road from ,utica to ,buffalo1 and sees the hundred beautiful villages1 the noble forests1 the majestic trees1 the rich foliage1 the luxuriant orchards1 the luscious fruits1 the crops of yellow wheat1 the fields of waving corn1 the vast enclosures of dark1 fertile soil1 the peaceful lakes and silvery streams that everywhere meet the eye1 will exclaim1 ,,the ,,garden ,,of ,,america6 ,and then when he sees all this beautiful region intersected by canals and bound together by turnpikes1 railroads1 and lake and steam navigation1 he will feel that ,western ,new ,york possesses advantages of a most singular and superior character6 99 99 99 99 99 ,last year in some few sketches of a tour to the ,west1 a brief description was given of ,geneva4 ,this sweet village1 take it all in all1 ,i must regard as the gem of ,western ,new ,york4 ,i cannot conceive of a more lovely place for residence than this beautiful village on the banks of ,seneca lake4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it was towards the close of the day that ,i reached this place1 a spot with which so many sweet and sacred recollections were connected in my mind4 ,my destination for the night was a few miles beyond it in the country4 ,the road along which ,i passed lay through a scene full of sylvan beauty1 disclosing every half mile to the eye of the traveller through the opening of the trees a beautiful view of a portion of the lake1 that now slept in the sweet evening calm1 tranquil as a sea of glass4 ,the house of our friends was at length reached--and there were such greetings and gladness of heart1 as they only feel who have been long and far separated from each other1 with but little hope that they should ever again meet this side of eternity4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,a ,,summer ,,tour4 ,retirement--,seneca ,lake--,burlington1 ,n4 ,j4--,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y4 ,the following chapters are made up of letters detailing incidents of travel connected with a tour from ,philadelphia to ,rhode ,island1 and from thence into ,western ,new ,york1 during the summer of #ahdj4 ,seneca1 ,july #bb4 ,although nearly five weeks have elapsed since ,i left ,philadelphia1 ,i have not1 till the present time1 had an opportunity of redeeming my promise in giving you the sketches ,i promised4 ,i am now enjoying what ,i have been sighing for ever since ,i started on my summer excursion1 quietude and seclusion4 ,here ,i am encompassed with delightful rural scenery1 and passing the livelong day undisturbed by the calls of either friends or parishioners making demands upon my time or services4 ,i cannot understand1 how those who reside in the city and who escape for a weeks in summer from the dust1 and din1 and heat1 and ceaseless cares that assail them amid the scenes of their daily occupation1 can from choice fly for recreation to other cities1 or to fashionable watering places1 where they are sure to encounter all the inconveniences they have left behind1 with scarcely any of their home comforts4 ,to me it would seem infinitely more desirable to seek a lodge in some vast wilderness--some boundless contiguity of shade4 ,indeed ,i must say1 ,i very much prefer a wholly rural district1 to the most picturesque country village1 in which to spend the few weeks during which ,i am to seek to recruit my health1 and prepare for the duties and labors that await me on my return to the city4 ,in such a situation one has not to make a constant effort to be agreeable4 ,you can sit down and vegetate for a while1 without being called upon to make any intellectual exertion whatever4 ,here one can sit or walk1 wake or sleep1 lounge or ride1 as he chooses2 he can read or write1 or stroll forth amid the quiet fields1 or sit beneath the shade of some wide-spreading tree4 ,there is much in such a scene to hush all stormy passions to repose--to tranquilize one's existence1 and to lift up the heart in devout aspirations to ,god4 ,my location for a few weeks is in just such a rural district near the banks of ,seneca ,lake1 a beautiful expanse of water1 of which ,i will tell you more hereafter4 ,around me are scattered farm-houses and orchards1 and smiling fields1 interspersed here and there with remaining fragments of that once mighty forest1 that in the early history of this country waved in unbroken majesty from the shores of one lake to another4 ,here we see all the beauty of dark1 deep1 ,american foliage1 and all the light1 glowing brightness of ,american verdure1 so strikingly in contrast with the ,english4 ,on every side of me1 ,i see from the window where ,i sit writing1 the busy scenes of the hay harvest--the mowers swinging their scythes or pausing for a moment to whet the shining steel--the young lads1 full of the life and spring of joyous youth1 spreading the new mown grass--the rakers gathering up the hay into winnows1 or rolling it into heaps2 and the loaded wains creaking under the burthen of the fragrant products of the meadow1 slowly moving towards the barn or the rising stack4 ,i look across to another field1 and there waves in silent beauty the newly tasselled corn2 while in a third1 ,i see the golden headed wheat1 gently nodding in the breeze1 or bowing before the keen stroke of the cradler1 or the more slow1 but no less sure onward movement of the reaper4 ,above this rural scene spreads a cloudless canopy1 and upon it the great luminary of day is pouring a flood of brightness4 ,the sky1 however1 is not always cloudless here--the heavens not always serene--nor the day always bright1 as ,i shall have occasion to relate to you before finishing these sketches4 ,having thus informed you something of my present locality1 ,i will return to the commencement of my journey1 and if you and your readers will follow me in a tour along a very common-place track1 ,i will endeavor to furnish them and you with such ,,gleanings ,,by ,,the ,,way as ,i was able to make4 ,our first landing place after turning our backs upon ,philadelphia1 was ,burlington1 ,n4 ,j41 where we spent a week in the most delightful manner4 ,often as ,i had passed that place by steamboat or rail road car1 and much as ,i had admired its location1 a single stroll along the green bank that skirts the ,delaware1 shaded as it is with luxuriant and full grown trees1 convinced me that ,i had never appreciated one half of the beauties of this sweet spot4 ,the country seat of one of my parishioners1 located on ,,green ,,bank1 amid the thickest and tallest cluster of those trees which add so much beauty to the whole extent of the river side1 was the hospitable mansion where we spent our time--and from which we could look out and watch the changing phases of the river1 the passing of the steamers1 the garniture of the fields beyond1 the glowing tints of the evening sky1 and the golden glories of the setting sun4 ,we enjoyed our walks along the verdant bank and over the green lawn--we enjoyed our little excursions across the river in the row-boat--but most of all we enjoyed that sweet ,christian converse we were permitted to have with the kind friends beneath whose hospitable roof we lodged4 ,strangers in passing ,burlington are usually attracted by the singular appearance of one particular mansion that stands near the banks of the river1 surmounted by a small cross4 ,although this is sometimes mistaken for a church1 ,i need not tell you it is the residence of the ,bishop of ,new ,jersey4 ,this structure to an ,american eye1 at first sight1 has rather an uncouth appearance2 but this impression will be corrected in the mind of every one who takes the trouble to visit this ,episcopal palace4 ,the interior arrangements are delightful1 and exhibit great taste4 ,while traversing its spacious apartments1 we were strikingly reminded of some antiquated structures that we saw in ,england4 ,during our stay at ,burlington1 the ,bishop was absent4 ,the institution of ,st4 ,mary's ,hall is1 of course1 one of the things that will be likely to attract the attention of a visitor to this place4 ,i was invited by the superintendant to attend the family worship of the young ladies connected with this institution on ,sunday evening4 ,the evening service of the ,liturgy was read2 after which1 by the request of the superintendent1 ,i addressed a few words of ,christian counsel to the assembled group4 ,i have seldom seen a more interesting or intelligent company of young beings than those who then sat before me2 and the solemn attention and evident sensibility with which they listened1 led me to hope that under the ,christian culture they were receiving1 in connection with their intellectual training1 they would all at last be found among the sheep of ,christ's heavenly fold4 ,our time passed quickly away while we remained at ,burlington1 and the hour we had fixed for our departure1 came by far too soon4 ,but life itself is like a journey1 and to all our bright sunny spots here below1 we have to bid an adieu almost as soon as we have reached them4 ,our next stopping place1 after leaving ,burlington1 was ,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y41 where we were welcomed to the hospitalities of the spacious domicile of a ,christian friend1 to whom our hearts were knit in strong attachment1 when existence with us was fresher than it now is4 ,o1 it is delightful to find1 in this cold1 heartless1 fickle world1 one who remains amid all the fluctuations of this changeful scene1 the same2 one1 who1 after the lapse of years1 and who1 though borne high upon the swelling tide of worldly prosperity1 continues to the end the same simple1 warm-hearted friend and consistent heavenly-minded ,christian that he was at the first starting point of life4 ,such was the friend in the bosom of whose happy family we were permitted to abide during our stay at ,brooklyn4 ,i shall by no means attempt to enter into a detail of the scenes or incidents connected with our visit to ,new ,york1 or ,brooklyn2 but there are two things which ,i am not disposed to pass entirely by4 ,i was present during a portion of the exercises of the commencement of the ,new ,york ,seminary1 and felt particularly interested in the ,address of ,bishop ,ives to the graduating class4 ,it contained exceedingly well-timed counsel1 calculated to produce a most salutary effect upon the minds1 not only of those about to assume the responsibilities of the sacred office1 but of all those engaged in the exercise of its functions4 ,the subject was the indispensable necessity of humility to the clerical character4 ,there was a pathos and force and unction about the ,bishop's remarks1 that we think must have gone home to every heart4 ,had we among us universally that lowliness of mind and gentleness of spirit which the ,bishop so happily pourtrayed and so delightfully enforced1 we should soon learn1 both laity and clergy1 in the great essentials to be all of one mind2 to love as brethren2 to be courteous2 to be patient toward all men1 not rendering evil for evil1 or railing for railing2 but contrarywise blessing4 ,may the ,lord speed the happy day when all the members and ministers of our ,church may be clothed with humility--may have as the controlling principle of their lives1 dwelling in them and pervading all their thoughts and actions1 the meekness and gentleness of ,christ4 ,the other particular to which ,i referred as worthy of some passing notice1 ,i shall have to reserve for my next chapter4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,,green ,,wood ,,cemetery4 ,brooklyn--,improvements--,ride--,approa ch to the ,cemetery--,views--,beautiful scenes4 ,seneca1 ,july #bith4 ,in my last ,i conducted you on my journey as far as ,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y4 ,my temporary stay there was at ,south ,brooklyn1 a portion of that enterprising town which has been but recently built up4 ,scarcely any thing during my tour has more astonished me than the wonderful growth of this place4 ,from a little rural village1 it has grown up1 in a few years1 to a city1 which1 though it cannot pretend to rival the mighty metropolis that lies spread out in gigantic dimensions on the other side of the river1 can still number its thirty or forty thousand inhabitants4 ,one of the causes that have contributed to the rapid growth of this town1 is its vicinity to ,new ,york4 ,gentlemen engaged in business in ,new ,york1 find it pleasant and healthful to have their residences located upon the hills of ,brooklyn1 which look off upon the beautiful bay1 and are daily fanned with fresh breezes from the ocean4 ,while ,brooklyn is thus increasing in population1 ,i was happy to find that a corresponding increase was observable in its religious institutions and houses of public worship4 ,the temporary edifice occupied by the congregation of ,christ ,church1 of which our friend the ,rev4 ,k4 ,g---- is rector1 is soon to be abandoned1 and a new and beautiful ,gothic structure is to be erected for the occupancy of that congregation4 ,i was greatly delighted with what ,i saw of this congregation4 ,the labours of our brother seem to have been peculiarly blessed4 ,he has gathered around him a most interesting people1 and ,god has sent among them already multiplied tokens of his converting grace4 ,whereever the ,gospel is faithfully1 and earnestly preached1 and its holy precepts illustrated in the daily walk and conversation of those who bear the vessels of the ,lord1 religion will prosper1 and the church become like the garden of the ,lord4 ,but ,i commenced this letter with a view of giving you an account of another matter1 referred to in my last--a visit to the ,green ,wood ,cemetery4 ,the friend with whom ,i was staying1 charged me not to think of leaving ,brooklyn without paying a visit to this ,cemetery4 ,i had heard something of these picturesque grounds1 but had formed no adequate conception of their beauty4 ,several racy and graphic notices1 from time to time1 have appeared in the ,new ,york papers1 as ,i since learned1 of this magnificent ground plot1 where is to be constructed a vast subterranean city for the dead4 ,none of these1 however1 had fallen under my eye1 and ,i therefore did not go prepared to witness the magnificent scene of wild and sylvan beauty1 that a ride over these grounds revealed to me4 ,my visit to this spot almost instantly unfolded to me the origin and propriety of its name1 ,,green ,,wood ,,cemetery--a large portion of the grounds being covered with green wood4 ,the great interest of this spot arises from the natural beauty of the grounds in connection with the association of the purpose to which it has been devoted3 for as yet not a grave has been dug here1 nor a monument reared4 ,it was a bright sunny morning1 while a bland balmy sea breeze refreshed the air1 in which we started to visit the ,green ,wood ,cemetery4 ,we rode from ,south ,brooklyn along on the margin of the bay1 some two miles or more1 till we had passed the little village of ,gowanus1 before we ascertained the exact locality of this future city of the dead4 ,a short distance beyond the village just named1 at a spot signalized in the ,revolutionary war as the scene of a bloody engagement1 we left the road1 and entered a lane leading to the grounds of this ,cemetery4 ,this lane1 from the gate onward1 had all the appearance of wild and uncultivated rusticity1 being shut in on either side with a sort of rude hedge1 and shaded by forest trees and brushwood4 ,for a while it conducted us through cultivated grounds1 and we saw on each side of us1 rich fields of grain1 and corn growing in all the luxuriance of summer4 ,soon1 however1 this lane in its winding and upward course brought us into a scene perfectly sylvan1 and woodland in its character4 ,there was a stillness and seclusion around us that impressed us with the idea that we were in the depths of a vast forest1--such as we might expect to find a thousand miles from the great metropolis1 whose steeples1 and shipping1 and scenes of vast activity were visible a few rods from the spot we now occupied4 ,we had already entered upon the grounds of the ,cemetery4 ,they consist of about two hundred acres4 ,i never before saw the same extent of territory combining such vast variety of scenery4 ,there is here forest and field1 hill and dale1 streamlet and lake in such variety1 and singular juxtaposition1 that in following the circuitous avenue that conducts you over these grounds in a ride of four miles1 one is impressed with the idea that he has been travelling over a very extended district of country4 ,it was not only the grounds themselves1 but the views we caught of distant objects1 from different points of the winding avenue1 that helped to give effect to this whole scene4 ,as we proceeded1 every turn of the carriage wheel1 either brought to view some new developement of striking sylvan beauty1 or opened upon us some new feature of loveliness1 or grandeur in the surrounding prospect4 ,at one point we were completely embosomed in trees1 where all was stillness and deep repose as though we were shut up in some remote dell1 amid the lofty and rugged ,alleghanies4 ,then again we emerged into smiling plains1 and sunny fields1 and smooth lawns of deepest green4 ,again our path conducted us into a dense forest1 and we directly found ourselves upon the wooded brow of a steep declivity1 sweeping off down to the margin of a little silent lake1 whose dark shaded waters gave back with more than pictorial beauty1 every tree and limb1 and leaf whose shadow fell upon their surface3 and then soon we again emerged from this forest scene1 and found grassy fields1 and an extended open country lie stretching around us4 ,the winding avenue which we traced1 every few rods brought us to a point of observation1 where the surrounding scenery1 made up of bays and islands1 rivers and mountains1 cities and villages1 farms and country houses1 and forests1 put on a new phase1 and1 like the turn of a kaleidoscope1 presented a new and still more beautiful picture to the eye4 ,the highest elevation of land in these grounds1 is near their centre1 and is said to be the highest point of land upon ,long ,island1--it manifestly is the highest point in this part of the ,island4 ,it is called ,mount ,washington1 from a determination already formed on the part of the proprietors of this ground1 to erect upon its summit a lofty and magnificent monument to the ,father of his country4 ,from this elevated point1 a panoramic view of surpassing beauty1 in almost illimitable perspective1 opens upon the eye4 ,in one direction you see the blue waves of the outstretched ocean1 upon which are visible all along the margin of the horizon1 the whitened canvass of a hundred receding or approaching vessels2 while in the intervening space1 are seen the plains of ,flatland and ,flatbush1 covered with grain1 and verdure1 and orchards1 and forests1 villages1 hamlets1 and farm-houses4 ,turning directly around1 the whole bay of ,new ,york1 with its beauteous islands1 and the two magnificent rivers1 whose mingled waters form the bay1 together with the great metropolis itself1 burst upon the view4 ,or to trace the prospect more leisurely3--at one point1 you see in the distance1 ,sandy ,hook1 and the ,lighthouse2 and a little further to the right1 ,staten ,island1 the ,lazaretto1 ,brighton1 and the ,jersey shore3 still farther to the right appears ,jersey ,city1--the waters of the broad ,hudson1 and along its banks1 the palisades1 and1 still higher up1 the highlands fading away in the dim distance4 ,at a point in the landscape much nearer us rises to view the city of ,new ,york with its canopy of perpetual haze1--its hundred spires1 and encircling forests of masts1 while in still closer vicinage we can trace the ,east ,river1 with all its busy show of commerce1 and see ,brooklyn sitting like a bridal queen upon this shore of the island4 ,we have often followed the remains of some friend1 or parishioner1 to the picturesque grounds of our own ,,laurel ,,hill--we have traced each winding walk among the groves and tombs of ,,mount ,,vernon1 and gazed upon the various monuments1 the sculptured tombs1 the dark shrubbery1 and encircling scenery of ,pere la ,chaise2 but we have no where seen such combined beauties1 and natural advantages for a rural cemetery1 as in the grounds which we have here attempted to describe4 ,and what will these grounds be some hundred years hence1 when art shall have reared up in every vale1 around the margin of every lake1 and upon every hill-side a thousand marble monuments1 and when a larger population shall be ensepulchred here1 than the living mass of beings that now inhabit ,new ,york and ,brooklyn8 ,what multitudes and myriads will those two cities within the next hundred years send to be entombed here6 ,how will the population of this subterranean city go on increasing1 till all these acres are covered over with piles of human dust6 ,and what a scene will be exhibited here1 when the last trumpet sounds6 ,what myriads will start up here at that call6 ,for all that are in their graves shall hear his voice and come forth6 ,and how solemn the truth which the ,saviour subjoins1--they that have done good unto the resurrection of life1 and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation6 ,i have lingered so long about the grounds of ,green ,wood ,cemetery1 that ,i can tell you nothing in my present letter about our excursion to ,rhode ,island4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,,rhode ,,island4 ,sail up the ,sound--,burning of the ,lexington--,providence--,meeting of old friends--,mr4 ,emerson--,transcendentalism--,westerly4 ,seneca1 ,august #a4 ,in my last ,i was principally occupied in giving you some account of the picturesque grounds of ,green ,wood ,cemetery4 ,it was on ,tuesday afternoon1 the thirtieth of ,june1 at five o'clock1 that we started in the well-built and beautiful steamer ,,massachusetts1 on our way upon an excursion to ,rhode ,island4 ,the scenery along the ,east ,river and up the ,sound presents evidences of higher cultivation1 but possesses features of less native picturesque wildness and rural beauty1 than that which opens to view along the pathway of the ,hudson4 ,the atmosphere we encountered on our way to the steamboat issuing from every street of the great metropolis we had just left1 was like the heat from a burning furnace4 ,in delightful contrast with this1 was the cool refreshing breeze that played around the bow of our advancing steamer1 as we tracked our way up the river and along through the whirlpools and breakers of ,hurlgate1 a pass far more formidable1 and requiring vastly more nautical skill than the famous ,straits of ,pelorus with ,scylla on one side and ,charybdis on the other4 ,the evening was beautiful1 and our sail up the ,sound proved truly delightful4 ,the last rays of twilight were beginning to fade away1 and the countless stars studding the arched firmament1 to twinkle with unwonted brightness1 when we reached the spot where we were told the ill-fated ,,lexington met her disastrous end4 ,i could not but contrast the scene around me at the moment with the events of that awful night4 ,we were sailing along over the tranquil and starlit bosom of the ,sound1 with the balmy breath of a summer evening fanning us3 with no alarms within1--no raging tempest without4 ,but on that fearful night1 and aboard that ill-fated vessel1 what a scene was exhibited6 ,what amazement and terror and dismay must have seized every heart when the conflagration broke forth in all its fury6 ,what added exceedingly to the excitement1 and no doubt tended greatly to bereave many of all self-possession and presence of mind1 was that the fire burst out in the central part of the steamer1 cutting off all communication between those occupying the forward and the hinder part of the boat4 ,thus1 in this moment of awful peril1 husbands and wives1--parents and children1 brothers and sisters were suddenly separated from each other by a wall of fire1 and deprived of each other's counsel when most they needed it3 and thus they were filled with increased alarm1 not only for themselves1 but for each other4 ,alas6 this was an hour when no man could help his brother1--when the parent could neither save himself nor his children4 ,if they remained on board the burning vessel1 they must be consumed4 ,if they plunged into the roaring waves they would sink into the depths beneath1 and find there a watery grave3 or if they should escape the fury of the waves by clinging to a bale of cotton1 or some floating part of the wreck1 the chill winds of winter1 and the icy waters that dashed over them1 would soon stagnate and freeze to the very fountain the warm current of life4 ,thus all the elements of nature were armed against them1 flame1 and flood1 and frost1 and they could not escape4 ,no imagination can conceive the horror or agony of the scene6 ,i leaned over the side of our steamer1 as we passed the spot where this awful scene occurred1 and tried to picture to myself some of its outlines4 ,even the picture which rose before me was too awful to contemplate4 ,what a lesson that disaster ought to teach us of our entire dependence upon ,god for safety while travelling by land or by sea6 ,what an admonition ought it to sound in our ears to be always ready for death6 ,we know not the day nor the hour in which the ,son of ,man cometh6 ,our death may be as sudden1 and as unexpected1 as that of any of those on board the ,lexington1 though it occur in our own dwelling1 and in the bosom of our family4 ,if we are truly the ,lord's people1 and our names are in the ,lamb's book of life1 it matters little when1 or where death meets us3 for then the grizly king becomes the friendly porter that opens to us the golden gates of paradise4 ,the more usual course that passengers now pursue to ,providence and ,boston is to stop at ,stonington1 and take the railroad cars from that point4 ,by this means they reach ,providence and ,boston several hours earlier than they were accustomed to by the old route4 ,but as the steamboat arrives at ,stonington long before morning1 we were not disposed to leave our quiet berths for the sake of reaching ,providence some three or four hours earlier than we otherwise should1 and therefore kept on in the old course around ,point ,judith touching at ,newport4 ,the time that we spent at ,providence in the midst of our old friends1 ,i need not tell you1 was passed most delightfully4 ,the church where ,i once preached the reconciling word1 the lecture-room where ,i saw countenances that called up with thrilling emotions the memory of days and scenes that will be fresh in my recollection through all eternity1--the private circle where cordial greetings1 and more than ,highland welcomes met us1 all these and the countless associations they awakened1 seemed to throw around us such a circle of enchantment1 that1 when the time had elapsed which we had designed to spend there1 we still lingered from day to day1 as though unable to pass that circle4 ,if there be one draught of enjoyment more delicious than another which a ,christian minister is permitted to drink this side of heaven1 it is1 when after years of absence1 he returns to visit the flock from whom in the providence of ,god he was removed1 and with whom his labours were once greatly blessed1 and finds those for whose salvation he laboured1 and whom he was instrumental in introducing into the fold of the ,redeemer1 standing fast in the ,lord1 and exhibiting the fruits of the ,spirit2 or learns that those who are gone1 and are numbered with the dead1 departed in the triumphs of ,christian faith4 ,st4 ,john could say1 ,i have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth4 ,and ,st4 ,paul1 ,for now we live if ye stand fast in the ,lord4 ,the highest zest of the pleasure ,i enjoyed in this visit to the scene of my former labours1 arose from what ,i saw and heard of the stability1 and increased spirituality of a people with whom ,i hope to sit down one day1 in company with ,abraham1 and ,isaac1 and ,jacob in the kingdom of ,god4 ,you are familiar with the whole topography of ,rhode ,island1 and therefore ,i need say nothing of the interblending of rural scenery and retirement1 with city embellishment and comfort1 which so eminently distinguish not a few of the neat and elegant residences in ,providence4 ,there is one feature in the moral character of this city1 which distinguishes it from most other ,new ,england towns4 ,in almost all ,new ,england the great mass of mind is educated1 and the people upon all subjects think for themselves4 ,generally1 however1 especially in the interior1 the descendants of the ,puritans1 cleave in religious matters to the faith of their forefathers1 and are opposed to all change4 ,but in ,rhode ,island1 there has always been a more liberal1 and free-thinking spirit on the subject of religion than in any of the other ,new ,england states4--,it was here that ,roger ,williams fled when his ,puritan brethren would not tolerate him in the ,bay state4 ,it was through his influence that a more enlightened feeling in reference to religious toleration was made to pervade the community settling at ,providence1 than was found at that period in any other ,new ,england town4 ,and probably there is no place in our country1 where1 at this time1 a more kind and catholic spirit1 or a greater freedom from the influence of narrow1 sectarian feeling prevails1 than here4 ,this tolerant spirit1 however1 in some minds1 manifests a strong tendency to latitudinarianism4 ,hence1 perhaps1 there is no community in the world where a new religious sect would so soon gather intelligent adherents as at ,providence1 and no where1 where more sound and able1 and fearless advocates would rise up to defend the faith once delivered to the saints4 ,i have been led into this train of reflection1 from encountering a greater prevalence of the transcendental spirit1 at ,providence1 than ,i have anywhere before met in our country4 ,this offshoot of ,german neology1 issuing from the same parent stock with ,socinianism1 finds a congenial soil in a ,unitarian community4 ,you are aware that the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,emerson1 formerly a ,unitarian minister at ,boston1 has embraced transcendentalism in all its heights and depths4 ,whether he be actually deranged1 as some suppose1 or not1 matters very little1 since multitudes1 and some who desire to be classed among the elite of the land1 are ready to gather around him and receive the law of their belief from his mouth4 ,he has recently made a visit to ,providence1 and developed by means of lectures and conversations1 his peculiar views4 ,he is spoken of as a man of genius1 and wonderfully attractive4 ,he is a thorough pantheist4 ,he believes that every thing in nature is a part of ,god--that good men are incarnations of ,deity1 and that it was in this sense alone1 that ,god is said to be made flesh in the person of ,jesus ,christ4 ,he places ,socrates1 and ,zoroaster and ,jesus in the same category1 and considers that they differed from each other only in the degree of inspiration which they had4 ,he thinks that the writings of ,socrates and ,plato1 and ,zoroaster should be bound up in the same volume with the ,bible1 and that they are entitled to more confidence1 and marked with deeper wisdom than some portions of our present canon of ,scripture4 ,during ,mr4 ,emerson's stay at ,providence1 having advanced some crude idea1 he was referred to a saying of the ,saviour1 which contradicted his position3 when he very deliberately replied1 ,jesus was mistaken4 ,on another occasion speaking of the ,saviour1 he said3 ,jesus was a very good man1 ,i wish he had been better3 he had no fun1 no humour in his character1 in this respect he was imperfect4 ,such are some of the specimens of gross infidelity1 which the abettors of transcendentalism in ,new ,england1 openly put forth4 ,the charm of this transcendental scheme consists partly in the metaphysical mystification1 the sentimental namby-pambyism1--the crazed poetic inspiration1 with which the masters of this school speak and write4 ,then there is much to soothe and flatter the pride of the human heart1 in the idea which they would have every man take up that he is a pure emanation of ,deity1--a bright scintillation from the divine mind1 and that all he has to do1 is to follow the lofty inspirations of his own mind1 and then he will sparkle forth along the track of being1 an incarnate ,god4 ,one very truly remarked in relation to transcendentalism1 that it was no new doctrine1--that it was taught as long ago as when man was in the garden of ,eden3 even then1 the father of lies1 said to our first ancestors1 eat the forbidden fruit1 and ye shall be as gods4 ,in the midst of abounding iniquity and multiplying error1 it behoves the friends of truth to stand on the watch tower and give the people timely warning4 ,i felt greatly refreshed and truly delighted in various interviews with the clergy whom ,i met in ,rhode ,island4 ,my mind naturally reverted to the scenes of former days1 when ,i was so pleasantly associated with them1 and when we used to meet at the monthly ,convocations as a band of brothers1 having one heart and one mind1 and labouring together for one simple object1 the upbuilding of the ,saviour's kingdom and the glory of ,god4 ,great changes since that period have taken place4 ,some of these brethren have gone to the north1 and some to the south--some to the east1 and some to the west2 and yet the character of the ,rhode ,island clergy continues the same4 ,take them all in all1 ,i know of no set of men more thoroughly evangelical or more truly devoted to the best interests of the ,church of ,christ2 or occupying a more elevated stand for piety and learning and talents1 than the clergy of ,rhode ,island4 ,i passed a few days at ,westerly1 and could not but remember with gratitude my first visit to this place some six years ago4 ,as ,i saw the beautiful church--the neat parsonage house--the respectable congregation1 and the multiplied tokens of true piety around me1 ,i could not but say1 ,what hath ,god wrought6 ,never can ,i doubt that the power of ,god is connected with ,revivals of religion1 while ,i remember the scenes of ,westerly--while so many fruits of the ,spirit remain1 of consistent1 devoted1 exemplary followers of ,christ1 brought to a knowledge of the truth in a revival4 ,because men get up imitations of the work of the ,lord1 as the magicians did of the miracles of ,moses1 it does not invalidate the ,lord's work any more than those magical attempts did the truth of his miracles4 ,i have room only to add1 if the ,lord permits1 you will soon hear from me again4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,the ,,sudden ,,storm4 ,rapid travelling--,auburn--,stage coach--,seneca ,lake--,summer's sultry heat--,sudden change--,fierce tempest--,imminent peril4 ,seneca1 ,august #fth4 ,in our journey to this place1 we had a practical illustration of the increased facilities and greatly accelerated movements of modern travelling4 ,having left ,new ,york on ,wednesday evening1 the fifteenth of ,july1 at five o'clock1 we found ourselves the next evening1 before nine o'clock1 at ,auburn--a distance but little short of three hundred and fifty miles1 which was passed over1 omitting1 in our reckoning1 the time spent at ,albany1 ,utica1 and ,syracuse1 in about twenty-one hours4 ,i cannot now stop to notice the refreshing influence of the broad-swelling tide of the noble ,hudson as we sailed up this stream--nor the picturesque aspect of the palisades--nor the more sublime features of the rugged and sombre highlands1 throwing their dark shadows upon the moonlit waters below2 neither can ,i now stay to tell you any thing of the improvements in the capital of the great empire state1 nor of the improving aspect of the interior city1 which stands1 as it were1 on the dividing line between ,eastern and ,western ,new ,york--nor yet of the peculiarities of the rising town1 which is the centre and the great emporium of the salt trade1 and which has appropriated to itself the dignified name of the renowned city where the great ,archimides met his fate4 ,passing by all these1 with railroad speed1 and all the varied beauties of a magnificent agricultural region1 ,i hasten to give you some account of an adventure in which we found ourselves involved just before arriving at this place4 ,the railroad is completed no farther than ,auburn1 from which place we were obliged to come on in a common stage coach4 ,the morning was very hot and dusty1 and our ride1 although only about twenty miles1 seemed long and tedious4 ,the driver of our coach1 in order to avoid the deep sand between ,waterloo and ,geneva1 took the lake-road1 which brought us on to the beach of the lake1 about three miles from ,geneva4 ,from this point1 on quite to the village1 we keep along upon the circling margin of the lake1 with the waters of the broad ,seneca dashing up over the pebbly shore1 almost laving with every returning surge the carriage wheels4 ,here too we see the whole expanse of the lake1 which is about three miles wide1 together with the beautiful farms that sweep away from the shores back into the country2 and are also able to follow the long track of these far stretching waters many miles towards their head4 ,upon a noble and finely-elevated bluff of land which forms the shore and northwestern corner of this beautiful lake1 the village of ,geneva1 with its colleges and churches1 and stores and elegant residences1 surrounded with gardens and embowered in shade1 lies spread out in one noble panoramic view4 ,we had reached the point where all this scene of beauty opened upon us4 ,we thought we never saw the lake more placid--nor all nature more quiet4 ,every thing seemed to be oppressed with the weight of the sultry and heated atmosphere4 ,immediately around us was a rural district1 from the living features of which ,thomson might have drawn all the pictures that make up one scene of his ,,summer4 ,a various group of herds and flocks were scattered around us4 ,some lay ruminating on the grassy bank2 while others stood half in the flood1 and often bent to sip the circling surface4 ,deeper in the lake drooped the strong laborious ox of honest front1 which incomposed he shook2 and lashed from his sides the troublous insects with his tail4 ,not a breath of air seemed to shake a bough of the leafy elm1 or spread a ripple over the glassy waters4 ,but as we rode leisurely along the sandy beach1 a little cloud seemed gathering over the lake1 and now and then a faint gleam of lightning played with fitful and flickering blaze over its darkening fold4 ,we had nearly reached the place of our destination1 and were congratulating ourselves that we should be in the midst of our friends and under safe shelter before the shower reached us4 ,but scarcely had we thought this1 before the heavens began to gather blackness and the wind to rise and roar as though a tempest were coming4 ,and indeed a tempest was coming2 for scarcely five minutes had elapsed after the first visible indications of the coming storm before a perfect gale struck us4 ,the waters of the lake were dashed into the wildest scene of agitation--the trunks1 and band-boxes1 and baggage began to be blown from the top of our coach1 and chased along on the ground1 like a rolling thing before the whirlwind4 ,and then the rain began to descend1 and to rush into our carriage as though the water had been scooped up from the lake and poured upon us in a torrent4 ,we had no time to fasten down the uprolled curtains of our coach2 we had no time to protect ourselves in any way--our baggage was flying--our horses were frightened--our driver could hardly keep in his seat4 ,and still the storm increased3 the wind swept down in a narrow column from the head of the lake with all the fury of a tornado1 and blew our horses and coach quite up against the fence1 where the rain continued to come in upon us as though a water spout had broken directly over our heads4 ,but this was not our greatest difficulty4 ,our carriage was now in a position in which it seemed impossible that it should not be upset4 ,the wheels had already become entangled in the fence4 ,one of the huge stakes of the fence was thrust into the window of our carriage which we could not remove1 while the carriage itself was rocking1 and nearly on its side4 ,the horses all this time were floundering and jumping1 and exceedingly restive2 but the wind was so strong that they could not move forward4 ,there were three ladies in the coach1 of whom ,i had the care1 besides my wife and children1 and nurse4 ,never before did ,i so fully realize that ,i was held in the hollow of ,god's hand1 as at this perilous moment4 ,for at least five minutes there seemed to be but a hair's breadth between us and death4 ,but we looked unto the ,lord1 and he delivered us4 ,in a few moments the storm abated--the rain ceased--the dark clouds rolled away1 and the sun came forth as bright and as lustrous as though no mist or dark thunder cloud had ever obscured his disk4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,reminiscences ,,of ,,the ,,past4 ,sunday--,sacred worship--,the sanctuary recalling youthful scenes--,early plighted vows at the table of the ,lord--,retrospect--,mournful reflections--,change in the congregation--,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,n---- ,the ,c----family--,col4 ,t---- ,village burial ground--,c----,the buried pastor--,my mother--,palmyra--,early ministerial labours--,lyons4 ,fairfield1 ,aug4 #aeth4 ,in these ,,gleanings ,,by ,,the ,,way1 ,i have very little plan or method1 but send you just what happens to interest me most at the time4 ,perhaps there are no two places that we visit1 after long years of absence1 with so much interest as the sanctuary where we first plighted our vows of allegiance at the sacramental table to ,jehovah1 and the old1 shaded burial place where repose the ashes of many whom we knew and loved in early life4 ,in my late excursion through ,western ,new ,york1 ,i was permitted to enjoy this pleasing1 yet melancholy satisfaction4 ,upon the first ,sunday of the present month1 ,i was permitted to worship in the sanctuary where twenty-two years before ,i first knelt at the communion table to receive the consecrated symbols of my ,saviour's dying love4 ,as ,i stood within the rail of the altar and looked around that sanctuary1 a tide of thought rushed upon me1 awakening in my mind varied and conflicting emotions4 ,the sacred place with its history called up some pleasing reflections4 ,i could not but rejoice that the truth as it is in ,jesus1 continued to be proclaimed there1 and that the cross of ,christ was perpetually held up as the sinner's only hope4 ,i could not but rejoice to see the increase and prosperity of ,christ's spiritual flock2 the number of communicants having swelled from fifty to nearly two hundred4 ,i could not but be thankful to remember how mercifully and kindly the ,lord had led me through the wilderness for more than twenty years1 and how unerringly he had fulfilled all his covenant promises6 ,but there were also painful reflections called up by what ,i saw before me4 ,remembering as ,i did that here1 in this spot my covenant vows were pledged before high heaven1 ,i could not but recollect how far ,i had fallen short of that entire consecration to ,god--that separation from the world1 and supreme love for ,christ1 implied in those vows--,i could not but recollect what poor returns ,i had rendered to that ,saviour who had laid down his life for my redemption1 to that merciful ,god 99 99 99 99 99 99 that sought me ,wretched wanderer1 far astray2 ,found me lost1 and kindly brought me ,from the paths of death away4 ,since the hour ,i had first knelt at that altar to consecrate myself to the service of ,jehovah1 his covenant promises had been all verified4 ,not one thing had failed of all the good things which the ,lord my ,god had spoken concerning me4 ,during all this period1 his loving kindness he had not taken away1 nor suffered his faithfulness to fail4 ,but amid all these unwearied displays of divine faithfulness1 alluring me with the sweetness of spiritual joys1 and rousing my dullness1 as well as rebuking my waywardness with the chastenings of a father's rod1 how often had ,i1 like ,israel of old1 by spiritual declension1 and worldly conformity forsaken the ,lord--provoked the holy one of ,israel unto anger1 and gone away backward6 ,most overwhelming1 indeed1 would have been the review of the past1 but for that voice of redeeming love which breathed from the altar on which lay the symbols of ,christ's great sacrifice1 saying--the blood of ,jesus ,christ cleanseth from all sin4 ,come now1 and let us reason together1 saith the ,lord2 though your sins be as scarlet1 they shall be as white as snow2 though they be red like crimson1 they shall be as wool4 ,if any man sin1 we have an advocate with the ,father1 ,jesus ,christ1 the righteous2 and he is the propitiation for our sins4 ,the scene within that sanctuary also awakened other mournful reflections4 ,a large congregation sat before me1 but where were the individuals and families that twenty years before filled those pews8 ,only here and there amid the assembled congregation could be traced a familiar countenance4 ,the great mass had gone6 ,some had undoubtedly left the place and removed to other parts of the country2 but the majority of the senior members of the former congregation1 had finished their probation and gone to the ,spirit land6 ,how solemn did the place seem as ,i stood and looked upon the mere handful now remaining of that large congregation that once filled this temple4 ,there were four pews to which my eye was particularly directed4 ,i recollected distinctly how they were occupied twenty years ago4 ,each of the families that sat in those pews were among the most respectable and influential people in the place4 ,regular as the ,sabbath morn came1 was ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,n---- with their large and interesting family seen moving up the aisle in a dignified train and with looks of deepest seriousness towards their pew4 ,he was for a long time one of the wardens of the church4 ,he had filled some most important posts of civil duty1 and enjoyed the esteem and respect of all4 ,mrs4 ,n---- afforded in her whole life a most lovely specimen of consistent1 dignified1 matronly piety4 ,so extensive were the charities of this family1 that it might almost literally be said of them1 that they were eyes to the blind1 and feet to the lame4 ,they delivered the poor that cried1 and the fatherless1 and him that had none to help him1--so that in truth wherever they went in the neighbourhood of their own home1 the blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon them2 and they caused the widow's heart to sing for joy4 ,but those venerable forms1 those worthy characters1 were no longer to be seen in that pew4 ,long since they had been borne to the place of the dead1 and several of those children that used to sit by them1 had also been laid by their side in the grave4 ,adjoining this pew1 was another occupied by a family of great respectability and worth4 ,the head of this family was one who filled a large space in the public mind1 and for many years held a seat in the highest legislative council of the nation4 ,i looked for him in that pew1 but he was not there6 he was numbered with the dead6 ,i was wont to see amid that family group1 a young beautiful blooming girl--the pride of her parents' hearts1 but now she was not there6 ,she had been married1 and had every thing around her that earth could afford to make one happy4 ,but in the midst of all that was bright and lovely1 consumption had fixed its deadly blight upon her1 and nothing could rescue her from the grave4 ,i looked across the church to two other pews1 their former occupants1 though they were families that had been long residents in the place1 and possessed great wealth and respectability1 were gone4 ,not a single representative of either family remained in the congregation or the place4 ,mr4 ,c----1 the head of one of these families1 was also long a warden of the church4 ,they had a lovely daughter1 who was an only child4 ,i well recollect her appearance in the house of ,god4 ,she was a delicate flower1 and most tenderly was she nurtured by her affectionate parents4 ,all their earthly hopes seemed to centre in her4 ,no expense was spared in her education4 ,every advantage that was supposed calculated to refine her taste1 cultivate and expand her intellect1 embellish her manners1 and fit her to shine in the world1 was placed within her reach4 ,she was indeed a lovely young being4 ,she had already interested the affections of one every way worthy of her4 ,he was highly educated--of an excellent moral character1 and belonged to a family of great wealth1 influence and respectability--the very family who occupied the other pew of which ,i am soon to speak4 ,but strong parental affection1 high personal accomplishments--the brightest prospects in life1 and the warm attachment of a devoted lover1 could not shield ,susan from the power of disease1 or the cold iron grasp of death4 ,the long grass now waves over her grave1 and her broken-hearted father lies by her side4 ,their large estate has been scattered to the winds--and her mother resides in a distant part of the land a lonely widow4 ,i have already alluded to a fourth pew in this sanctuary1 whose occupants ,i had some twenty years before so often seen in this place of worship4 ,col4 ,t---- held a proud place among the distinguished and influential men in ,western ,new-,york4 ,he possessed all which wealth and high standing and extensive influence can impart to secure to himself and family the most unalloyed earthly enjoyment4 ,and ,i trust that he had something better than this1 even that hope1 which sheds light over the gloom and darkness of the grave4 ,he and his family were regular attendants upon the service of the sanctuary4 ,he had two sons whom he expected would inherit a portion of his property and perpetuate his name in the world4 ,but the youngest to whom we have before alluded1 did not long linger upon the shores of time1 after he saw the object of his young affections torn from him and swallowed up in the grave4 ,his only surviving brother1 in the very midst of life1 shortly followed him4 ,and soon his father and his mother were laid by his side4 ,this is a picture--a miniature picture of life6 ,thus doth the fashion of this world pass away6 ,what solemn testimony was before me1 that all flesh is grass1 and all the goodliness thereof as the flower of the field4 ,how emphatic then did the words of the prophet seem--,the grass withereth1 the flower fadeth2 because the ,spirit of the ,lord bloweth upon it3 surely the people is grass4 ,not only had the flock changed--but the pastor was also gone6 ,he who had instructed my youth--who had led me to the ,saviour--who had first broken to me the sacramental bread1 and given some of the first impulses to my preparation for the ministry--no longer stood before that altar--his voice was no longer heard in that sanctuary6 ,a simple marble slab placed in the recess behind the pulpit1 told the melancholy tale that he too had gone to the spirit land4 ,the account ,i have given you of my visit to this sanctuary1 is so full of death ,i need scarcely take you to the village burial ground4 ,it was a place1 however1 consecrated by the dust of too many dear friends for me to abstain from treading among its grass-covered and heaped hillocks of earth4 ,this burial place1 consisting of several acres of ground1 enclosed by a neat pale1 and shaded by shrubbery and trees1 was located in the outskirts of the town1 and at present1 is seldom used for interments4 ,a solitary walk amid its graves brought up a long train of recollections of the past4 ,how mournful1 yet how sacred did ,i find the satisfaction of brushing away the long grass that had grown over the spot where reposed the mouldered ashes of one who gamboled with me amid the sports of childhood's careless hour1 and rushed onward at my side in life's joyous course till youth was ripening into manhood1 and then the barbed arrow of death met him1 and he fell like a young1 vigorous1 foliage-clad tree1 struck by heaven's bolt1 in all the freshness of his existence6 ,how mysterious and inscrutable did the ways of ,providence appear to me as ,i trod down the tall weeds that had grown up around the grave of one who had been associated with me during a portion of my academical life1 and who looked forward to the same profession with myself6 ,c---- had one of the warmest and most amiable hearts that ever beat within the human bosom4 ,he had faults of character1 but they were all counterbalanced and lost amid the many excellencies that distinguished him4 ,he had long contended with poverty and discouragements of various kinds1 in order to press his way towards the sacred ministry4 ,after years of toil1 and sacrifices of every kind1 when he had just reached the goal1 and was to be invested with the ministry of reconciliation1 disease fastened upon his earthly tabernacle1 and he sank down in death4 ,no tender mother1 nor kind sister was near to close his dying eyes4 ,no family friends were present to follow his remains to the tomb4 ,there he lies in a lone spot1 far from the home of his childhood1 with the weeds grown up all around his grave1 and few that pass by understand the full import of the simple inscription of the marble slab that marks the spot where his ashes repose6 ,and there too1 amid the gathered crowd of the dead1 was all that remained of the mortal part of one whose voice had been heard a hundred times amid those grounds repeating the solemn burial service of our ,church4 ,but years have passed away since that service was repeated over him4 ,well do ,i recollect the melancholy occasion1 when the cold icy clod of winter fell upon his coffin1 as the affecting words were pronounced--,we commit his body to the ground3 earth to earth--ashes to ashes1 dust to dust4 ,i could not pass through those grounds without paying a visit to the grave of the buried minister1 for he had not only shed spiritual light upon my path1 but was united to me by the strong ties of kindred and blood4 ,he was my own brother6 ,the grass was green over his grave2 for it had flourished there undisturbed for more than twelve years4 ,but no spot in all that ground seemed so sacred1 or so pregnant with power to awaken deep emotions and melt my soul into tenderness1 as my mother's grave6 ,what a volume of past recollections does every visit to that grave call up6 ,what hallowed thoughts and sacred remembrances stand associated with the dust that slumbers in that narrow house8 ,can ,i ever forget a sainted mother's love6 ,can ,i ever forget the hour she took my tiny hand into hers and led me to a secret place there to pray for me and to teach me how to lift up my infant voice to the ,creator of the skies8 ,can ,i ever forget how each night and morning in childhood's happy days ,i knelt at her side to repeat ,,our ,,father8 ,can ,i ever forget how in my childish sorrows her voice soothed my distress1 and her bright beaming smile spread a sunshine around my path8 ,can ,i ever forget how1 when sickness came upon me1 and the scorchings of fever sent the blood boiling through my veins1 she hung over me like a guardian angel--laid her soft hand upon my burning brow1 and night after night sat and watched by my pillow8 ,can ,i ever forget that look of holy rapture and unutterable gratitude that lit up her countenance when the constraining love of ,christ first led her unworthy child to go forward and take hold of the horns of the altar8 ,and above all1 can ,i ever forget her prayers and solemn counsel1 her holy trust in ,christ and upward looking towards the summit of the everlasting hills1 when the icy hand of death was upon her1 and her hold upon life was breaking away8 ,and could ,i stand by her grave1 and not have these recollections come thronging upon me8 ,but ,i must stop4 ,i had almost forgotten that ,i was writing for the eye of others4 ,did ,i not know that many into whose hands these remarks will fall1 have also stood by a mother's grave1 and thought and felt unutterable things1 and will therefore appreciate the source and sacredness of these feelings to which ,i have been almost involuntarily led to give expression1 ,i would immediately erase them from this sheet4 ,but ,i have lingered over these scenes much longer than ,i intended4 ,i had purposed to give you some account of an excursion ,i made to ,palmyra and ,lyons1 two rising and beautiful villages located within sixteen miles of each other1 at different points on the line of the great ,erie ,canal4 ,the whole range of country from ,geneva onward to these villages1 and still farther north till we reach the shores washed by the waves of the broad ,ontario1 which expands before the eye like a great inland sea1 is one of the richest and most beautiful farming districts found in our country4 ,this region1 fourteen years ago1 was the scene of my early missionary labours4 ,it was then comparatively a new country4 ,a change has come over the whole aspect of this agricultural district1 and that within so limited a period1 that it would almost seem to have been effected by the wand of enchantment4 ,edifices too for public worship have been raised1 and the sound of the church-going bell is now heard in many places where a few years since all seemed like spiritual desolation4 ,the ,episcopal ,church had neither existence nor local habitation in the county of ,wayne fourteen years ago4 ,an effort had been previously made at ,palmyra to establish the ,episcopal ,church1 but it proved abortive4 ,palmyra1 ,lyons1 and ,sodus1 were the principal points where my early ministerial labours were bestowed4 ,here we organized churches1 and in two places commenced rearing up houses of public worship4 ,in each of these three places they now have a settled pastor4 ,i spent a ,sabbath most delightfully at ,palmyra1 preaching in the neat and tasteful church edifice erected there4 ,most deeply affecting was it to see among the serious and exemplary communicants of this church some who during my residence in that place were among the giddiest youth of the village4 ,at ,lyons they are building a beautiful stone ,gothic ,church--which will be an ornament to the village1 and highly creditable to those engaged in this enterprise4 ,i have met with but few men1 to whom upon so short an acquaintance1 ,i have felt my heart more drawn than to the worthy young pastor placed over this congregation4 ,his ministerial fidelity1 attractive pulpit powers1 and lovely ,christian character seem to have attracted all hearts towards him4 ,here too1 was ,i delighted to find among the communicants some whom ,i had baptized in infancy4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,mormon ,,delusion4 ,the golden ,bible--,moral1 political1 and numercial importance of the ,mormon sect--,views of ,revelation--,causes that have contributed to spread ,mormonism--,martin ,harris--,interview with the author--,transcripts from the golden ,bible--,jo ,smith1 the ,mormon prophet--,his early history--,first pretended revelation--,his marriage--,chest containing the golden ,bible--,attempts to disinter it--,consequence--,delusion of ,harris--,translation and publication of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,the sketch that follows1 detailing some facts connected with the rise and origin of ,mormonism1 is made up partly of a series of letters written by the author in #ahdj for the columns of the ,,episcopal ,,recorder1 a religious periodical published in ,philadelphia1 of which he is one of the editors1 and partly of facts and documents that have since come into his hands4 ,the present chapter contains the substance of the first letter of the series referred to4 ,palmyra1 ,aug4 #bdth4 ,i proceed to give some account of the rise and origin of the ,mormon delusion1 as ,i am now in the region where this imposture first sprung up4 ,in the town of ,manchester1 about six miles from this place1 may still be seen an excavation in the side of a hill1 from whence1 according to the assertion of the ,mormon prophet1 the metallic plates1 sometimes called ,,the ,,golden ,,bible1 were disinterred4 ,a writer in the ,,new ,,york ,,evening ,,express1 who has been recently travelling in the ,west1 remarks that the ,mormons have assumed a moral and political importance which is but very imperfectly understood4 ,he then proceeds to add in relation to them that1 associated on the religious principle1 under a prophet and leader1 whose mysterious and awful claims to divine inspiration make his voice to believers like the voice of ,god2 trained to sacrifice their individuality2 to utter one cry2 to think and act in crowds2 with minds that seem to have been struck from the sphere of reason on one subject2 and left to wander like lost stars1 amid the dark mazes and winding ways of religious error2 these remarkable sectaries must necessarily hold in their hands a fearful balance of political power4 ,in the midst of contending parties1 a single hand might turn their influence1 with tremendous effect1 to which ever side presented the most potent attraction1 and should they ever become disposed to exert their influence for evil1 which may ,heaven prevent1 they would surround our institutions with an element of danger1 more to be dreaded than an armed and hundred-eyed police4 ,it is not1 however1 in reference to their political1 but to their religious influence1 that we entertain a degree of apprehension4 ,this sect has been organized only about ten years1 and yet they profess to number1 in their society1 one hundred thousand souls4 ,this undoubtedly is an exaggeration1 but it has been stated from a source upon which reliance can be placed1 that there are probably not less than sixty thousand persons now professing the ,mormon faith4 ,it is said also that they are putting forth the most indefatigable efforts by itinerant missionaries1 both in this country and in ,europe1 to make proselytes to their creed4 ,these facts show the importance of spreading upon the columns of our religious journals from time to time statements that tend to unveil the trickery and artifice by which this system of imposture was got up and continues to be perpetuated4 ,there are two or three reasons why the ,mormon delusion has spread so rapidly1 and which will probably continue to give it more or less currency4 ,one cause is1 that it fully and cordially admits the truth of the sacred ,scriptures4 ,did it discard all previous revelation1--pour contempt upon the ,saviour of the world1 and set up an independent claim for a revelation wholly new1 it would have gained comparatively few adherents4 ,but recognizing the truth and credibility of the sacred ,scriptures1 and retaining as it does1 many doctrines which are held in common by different denominations of ,christians1 and covering its own absurdities with imposing forms and lofty pretensions1 it opens a winning asylum for all the disaffected and dissatisfied of other persuasions1 and contains much that is congenial to almost every shade of radicalism1 or erratic religious character4 ,another cause which has contributed to the rapid spread of this imposture1 is1 that it appeals strongly to the love of the marvellous1--to that thirst and anxiety1 so rife with a certain class of mind1 to know more than ,god would have us know1--to find some discovery that will carry us farther than revelation1--to get some one to come back from the grave1 and tell us what is in eternity1--to see with our own eyes a miracle1 and obtain some new glimpse of the invisible world4 ,there is manifestly existing in a certain order of men1 in every part of the world1 and in every period of time1 a strong propensity of this sort4 ,what but this propensity would have given such potent and almost irresistible influence to ,joan d' ,arc1 who1 from an ostler maid in an obscure country inn in ,france1 by claiming heavenly inspirations1 and pretending to see visions1 and to hear divine voices calling her to re-establish the throne of ,france1 and to expel the foreign invaders1 rose to such surprising eminence and power1 as to be the very pivot upon which the destinies of the whole nation turned6--as to be invested with the military conduct of the ,french army1--directing and raising sieges1--inspiring the troops with invincible courage1 and spreading disaster and defeat through all the ranks of the ,british army1 so that the ,duke of ,bedford1 after all the previous success and triumph of the ,english arms at ,verneuil and ,orleans1 and with all his tact and ability1 could scarcely keep any footing in ,france8 ,what but this deep-rooted propensity could have prepared men to have received the dreams1 and reveries1 and pretended revelation of ,emanuel ,swedenborg1 or of ,ann ,lee2 or to have yielded up their reason to a belief in the clairvoyance of animal magnetism8 ,and not to multiply instances abroad1 what but such a propensity as the one to which we have now referred1 attracted the ,new ,jerusalemites around ,jemima ,wilkinson1 and gave her so much power over a large community of men and women8 ,what but this1 opened the way for the monstrous claims set up by the execrable ,mathias1 who drew after him1 as by the power of enchantment1 and subjected to his dictum1 whole families1--persons of education and refinement1 and among the number1 several men of intelligence1 respectability and fortune8 ,it is to this same principle1 this anxious desire to look deeper into the hidden mysteries of the invisible world1 than any mortal has hitherto been privileged to do1 that the originators of this cunningly devised fable of ,mormonism have appealed4 ,while they admit the truth and credibility of the sacred ,scriptures1 they profess to have obtained an additional revelation1 by which new illumination is shed over every page of the sacred word1--all controversies settled1 and the obscurity that hitherto hung over many religious subjects dispelled4 ,they profess to bring to light a historical and religious record1 written in ancient times1 by a branch of the house of ,israel that peopled ,america1 from whom the ,indians are descended4 ,this record1 which1 engraven upon metallic plates1 lay deposited in the earth for many centuries1 not only corroborates and confirms the truth of holy writ1 but also opens the events of ancient ,america1 as far back at least as the flood4 ,they pretend that this record pours the light of noon-day upon the history of a nation whose mounds and cities1 and fortifications1 still repose in grand but melancholy ruins1 upon the bosom of the western prairies4 ,the ,mormons not only claim this new revelation1 but profess to have still among them the gift of prophecy and miracles4 ,they contend that miracles and revelations from heaven1 are as necessary now1 and as important to the salvation of the present generation1 as they were in any former period1 and that they alone possess this privilege of immediate and constant intercourse with heaven4 ,but that which has given vastly the greatest strength to ,mormonism is the violent persecution which its disciples have suffered in the ,west1 and especially in ,missouri4 ,nothing can be more impolitic1 or unjust1 or farther removed from the spirit of the gospel1 than to oppress and persecute any set of men on account of their religious tenets2 and certainly nothing can give them more strength or rapid growth than such a procedure4 ,the ,mormons first located themselves1 as a body1 in ,kirtland1 ,geanga ,co41 ,ohio4 ,some difference arose among their leaders on account of certain banking operations which they attempted1 and they separated1 and a portion of them went to ,independence1 ,jackson ,co41 ,mo4 ,the people in the neighbourhood of that location became unfriendly to them1 and drove them away by force1 subjecting them to great sufferings and loss of property4 ,they were at last entirely and forcibly expelled from the state of ,missouri4 ,they afterward purchased the town of ,commerce1 said to be a situation of surpassing beauty1 at the head of the lower rapids on the ,illinois shore of the ,mississippi river4 ,the writer to whom ,i have already referred1 and who has revisited these western ,mormons this present summer1 remarks3--,the name of the place where they now reside1 they have recently changed to ,nauvoo1 the ,hebrew term for fair or beautiful4 ,around this place1 as their centre1 they are daily gathering from almost every quarter3 and several hundred new houses1 erected within the last few months1 attest to the passing traveller the energy1 industry1 and self-denial with which the community is imbued4 ,they have also obtained possession of extensive lands on the opposite side of the river1 in that charming portion of ,iowa ,territory1 known as the ',half ,breed ,reservation2' and there upon the rolling and fertile prairies they are rapidly selecting their homes and opening their farms4 ,as the traveller now passes through those natural parks and fields of flowers which the hand of the ,creator seems to have originally planted there for the inspection of his own eye1 he beholds their cabins1 dotted down in most enchanting perspective1 either on the borders of the timbers1 or beside the springs and streams of living water which are interspersed on every hand4 ,the other portion that remain in ,ohio1 have erected a stone temple in ,kirtland1 of splendid appearance and singular construction4 ,the first floor is a place of worship1 with four pulpits at each end2 each pulpit calculated to hold three persons4 ,these pulpits rise behind and above one another1 and are designed for different grades of ministers according to their rank in office4 ,these are the two principal settlements of these people1 although there are small societies of them found in almost every part of the ,united ,states4 ,in some instances not only members but ministers of orthodox churches have been led to leave their own churches1 and identify themselves with the ,mormons4 ,it is time that ,i should acquaint you with some facts that came to my personal knowledge full thirteen years ago1 connected with the rise of this imposture4 ,it was early in the autumn of #ahbg that ,martin ,harris called at my house in ,palmyra1 one morning about sunrise4 ,his whole appearance indicated more than usual excitement1 and he had scarcely passed the threshold of my dwelling1 before he inquired whether he could see me alone1 remarking that he had a matter to communicate that he wished to be strictly confidential4 ,previous to this1 ,i had but very slight acquaintance with ,mr4 ,harris4 ,he had occasionally attended divine service in our church4 ,i had heard him spoken of as a farmer in comfortable circumstances1 residing in the country a short distance from the village1 and distinguished by certain peculiarities of character4 ,he had been1 if ,i mistake not1 at one period1 a member of the ,methodist ,church1 and subsequently had identified himself with the ,universalists4 ,at this time1 however1 in his religious views he seemed to be floating upon the sea of uncertainty4 ,he had evidently quite an extensive knowledge of the ,scriptures1 and possessed a manifest disputatious turn of mind4 ,as ,i subsequently learned1 ,mr4 ,harris had always been a firm believer in dreams1 and visions1 and supernatural appearances1 such as apparitions and ghosts1 and therefore was a fit subject for such men as ,smith and his colleagues to operate upon4 ,on the occasion just referred to1 ,i invited him to accompany me to my study1 where1 after having closed the door1 he began to draw a package out of his pocket with great and manifest caution4 ,suddenly1 however1 he stopped1 and wished to know if there was any possibility of our being interrupted or overheard8 ,when answered in the negative1 he proceeded to remark1 that he reposed great confidence in me as a minister of ,jesus ,christ1 and that what he had now to communicate he wished me to regard as strictly confidential4 ,he said he verily believed that an important epoch had arrived--that a great flood of light was about to burst upon the world1 and that the scene of divine manifestation was to be immediately around us4 ,in explanation of what he meant1 he then proceeded to remark that a ,,golden ,,bible had recently been dug from the earth1 where it had been deposited for thousands of years1 and that this would be found to contain such disclosures as would settle all religious controversies and speedily bring on the glorious millennium4 ,that this mysterious book1 which no human eye of the present generation had yet seen1 was in the possession of ,joseph ,smith1 jr41 ordinarily known in the neighbourhood under the more familiar designation of ,jo ,smith2 that there had been a revelation made to him by which he had discovered this sacred deposit1 and two transparent stones1 through which1 as a sort of spectacles1 he could read the ,bible1 although the box or ark that contained it1 had not yet been opened2 and that by looking through those mysterious stones1 he had transcribed from one of the leaves of this book1 the characters which ,harris had so carefully wrapped in the package which he was drawing from his pocket4 ,the whole thing appeared to me so ludicrous and puerile1 that ,i could not refrain from telling ,mr4 ,harris1 that ,i believed it a mere hoax got up to practice upon his credulity1 or an artifice to extort from him money2 for ,i had already1 in the course of the conversation1 learned that he had advanced some twenty-five dollars to ,jo ,smith as a sort of premium for sharing with him in the glories and profits of this new revelation4 ,for at this time1 his mind seemed to be quite as intent upon the pecuniary advantage that would arise from the possession of the plates of solid gold of which this book was composed1 as upon the spiritual light it would diffuse over the world4 ,my intimations to him1 in reference to the possible imposition that was being practiced upon him1 however1 were indignantly repelled4 ,he then went on to relate the particulars in regard to the discovery and possession of this marvellous book4 ,as far as ,i can now recollect1 the following was an outline of the narrative which he then communicated to me1 and subsequently to scores of people in the village1 from some of whom in my late visit to ,palmyra1 ,i have been able to recall several particulars that had quite glided from my memory4 ,before ,i proceed to ,martin's narrative1 however1 ,i would remark in passing1 that ,jo ,smith1 who has since been the chief prophet of the ,mormons1 and was one of the most prominent ostensible actors in the first scenes of this drama1 belonged to a very shiftless family near ,palmyra4 ,they lived a sort of vagrant life1 and were principally known as money-diggers4 ,jo from a boy appeared dull and utterly destitute of genius2 but his father claimed for him a sort of second sight1 a power to look into the depths of the earth1 and discover where its precious treasures were hid4 ,consequently long before the idea of a ,,golden ,,bible entered their minds1 in their excursions for money-digging1 which ,i believe usually occurred in the night1 that they might conceal from others the knowledge of the place where they struck upon treasures1 ,jo used to be usually their guide1 putting into a hat a peculiar stone he had through which he looked to decide where they should begin to dig4 ,according to ,martin ,harris1 it was after one of these night excursions1 that ,jo1 while he lay upon his bed1 had a remarkable dream4 ,an angel of ,god seemed to approach him1 clad in celestial splendor4 ,this divine messenger assured him1 that he1 ,joseph ,smith1 was chosen of the ,lord to be a prophet of the ,most ,high ,god1 and to bring to light hidden things1 that would prove of unspeakable benefit to the world4 ,he then disclosed to him the existence of this golden ,bible1 and the place where it was deposited--but at the same time told him that he must follow implicitly the divine direction1 or he would draw down upon him the wrath of heaven4 ,this book1 which was contained in a chest1 or ark1 and which consisted of metallic plates covered with characters embossed in gold1 he must not presume to look into1 under three years4 ,he must first go on a journey into ,pennsylvania--and there among the mountains1 he would meet with a very lovely woman1 belonging to a highly respectable and pious family1 whom he was to take for his wife4 ,as a proof that he was sent on this mission by ,jehovah1 as soon as he saw this designated person1 he would be smitten with her beauty1 and though he was a stranger to her1 as she was far above him in the walks of life1 she would at once be willing to marry him and go with him to the ends of the earth4 ,after their marriage he was to return to his former home1 and remain quietly there until the birth of his first child4 ,when this child had completed his second year1 he might then proceed to the hill beneath which the mysterious chest was deposited1 and draw it thence1 and publish the truths it contained to the world4 ,smith awoke from his dream1 and1 according to ,harris1 started off towards ,pennsylvania1 not knowing to what point he should go4 ,but the ,lord directed him1 and gained him favour in the eyes of just such a person as was described to him4 ,he was married and had returned4 ,his first child had been born1 and was now about six months old4 ,but ,jo had not been altogether obedient to the heavenly vision4 ,after his marriage and return from ,pennsylvania1 he became so awfully impressed with the high destiny that awaited him1 that he communicated the secret to his father and family4 ,the money-digging propensity of the old man operated so powerfully1 that he insisted upon it that they should go and dig and see if the chest was there--not with any view to remove it till the appointed time1 but merely to satisfy themselves4 ,accordingly they went forth in the stillness of the night with their spades and mattocks to the spot where slumbered this sacred deposit4 ,they had proceeded but a little while in the work of excavation1 before the mysterious chest appeared2 but lo6 instantly it moved and glided along out of their sight4 ,directed1 however1 by the clairvoyance of ,jo1 they again penetrated to the spot where it stood1 and succeeded in gaining a partial view of its dimensions4 ,but while they were pressing forward to gaze at it1 the thunder of the ,almighty shook the spot1 and made the earth to tremble--a sheet of vivid lightning swept along over the side of the hill1 and burnt terribly around the place where the excavation was going on1 and again1 with a rumbling noise1 the chest moved off out of their sight4 ,they were all terrified and fled towards their home4 ,jo took his course silently along by himself4 ,on his way homeward1 being alone and in the woods1 the angel of the ,lord met him1 clad in terror and wrath4 ,he spoke in a voice of thunder3 forked lightnings shot through the trees1 and ran along upon the ground4 ,the terror which the appearance of the divine messenger awakened1 instantly struck ,smith to the earth1 and he felt his whole frame convulsed with agony1 as though he were stamped upon by the iron hoofs of death himself4 ,in language most terrific did the angel upbraid him for his disobedience1 and then disappeared4 ,smith went home trembling and full of terror4 ,soon1 however1 his mind became more composed4 ,another divine communication was made to him1 authorizing him to go alone by himself and bring the chest and deposit it secretly under the hearth of his dwelling1 but by no means to attempt to look into it4 ,the reason assigned by the angel for this removal1 was that some report in relation to the place where this sacred book was deposited had gone forth1 and there was danger of its being disturbed4 ,according to ,harris1 ,smith now scrupulously followed the divine directions4 ,he was already in possession of the two transparent stones laid up with the ,,golden ,,bible1 by looking through which he was enabled to read the golden letters on the plates in the box4 ,how he obtained these spectacles without opening the chest1 ,harris could not tell4 ,but still he had them2 and by means of them he could read all the book contained4 ,the book itself was not to be disclosed until ,smith's child had attained a certain age4 ,then it might be published to the world4 ,in the interim ,smith was to prepare the way for the conversion of the world to a new system of faith1 by transcribing the characters from the plates and giving translations of the same4 ,this was the substance of ,martin ,harris' communication to me upon our first interview4 ,he then carefully unfolded a slip of paper1 which contained three or four lines of characters1 as unlike letters or hieroglyphics of any sort1 as well could be produced were one to shut up his eyes and play off the most antic movements with his pen upon paper4 ,the only thing that bore the slightest resemblance to the letter of any language that ,i had ever seen1 was two upright marks joined by a horizontal line1 that might have been taken for the ,hebrew character ,he4 ,my ignorance of the characters in which this pretended ancient record was written1 was to ,martin ,harris new proof that ,smith's whole account of the divine revelation made to him was entirely to be relied on4 ,one thing is here to be noticed1 that the statements of the originators of this imposture varied1 and were modified from time to time according as their plans became more matured4 ,at first it was a gold ,bible--then golden plates engraved--then metallic plates stereotyped or embossed with golden letters4 ,at one time ,harris was to be enriched by the solid gold of these plates1 at another they were to be religiously kept to convince the world of the truth of the revelation--and1 then these plates could not be seen by any but three witnesses whom the ,lord should choose4 ,how easy it would be1 were there any such plates in existence1 to produce them1 and to show that ,mormonism is not a cunningly devised fable4 ,how far ,harris was duped by this imposture1 or how far he entered into it as a matter of speculation1 ,i am unable to say4 ,several gentlemen in ,palmyra1 who saw and conversed with him frequently1 think he was labouring under a sort of monomania1 and that he thoroughly believed all that ,jo ,smith chose to tell him on this subject4 ,he was so much in earnest on this subject1 that he immediately started off with some of the manuscripts that ,smith furnished him on a journey to ,new ,york and ,washington to consult some learned men to ascertain the nature of the language in which this record was engraven4 ,after his return he came to see me again1 and told me that1 among others1 he had consulted ,professor ,anthon1#b who thought the characters in which the book was written very remarkable1 but he could not decide exactly what language they belonged to4 ,martin had now become a perfect believer4 ,he said he had no more doubt of ,smith's commission1 than of the divine commission of the apostles4 ,the very fact that ,smith was an obscure and illiterate man1 showed that he must be acting under divine impulses3--,god had chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise1 and the weak things to confound the mighty2 and base things of the world1 and things which are despised--yea1 and things that are not to bring to nought--things that are--that no flesh should glory in his presence3 that he was willing to take of the spoiling of his goods to sustain ,smith in carrying on this work of the ,lord2 and that he was determined that the book should be published1 though it consumed all his worldly substance4 ,it was in vain ,i endeavoured to expostulate4 ,i was an unbeliever1 and could not see afar off4 ,as for him1 he must follow the light which the ,lord had given him4 ,whether at this time ,smith had those colleagues that unquestionably afterwards moved1 unseen1 the wheels of this machinery1 ,i am unable to say4 ,even after ,cowdery and ,rigdon were lending the whole force of their minds to the carrying out of this imposture1 ,jo ,smith continued to be the ostensible prominent actor in the drama4 ,the way that ,smith made his transcripts and translations for ,harris was the following4 ,although in the same room1 a thick curtain or blanket was suspended between them1 and ,smith concealed behind the blanket1 pretended to look through his spectacles1 or transparent stones1 and would then write down or repeat what he saw1 which1 when repeated aloud1 was written down by ,harris1 who sat on the other side of the suspended blanket4 ,harris was told that it would arouse the most terrible divine displeasure1 if he should attempt to draw near the sacred chest1 or look at ,smith while engaged in the work of decyphering the mysterious characters4 ,this was ,harris's own account of the matter to me4 ,what other measures they afterwards took to transcribe or translate from these metallic plates1 ,i cannot say1 as ,i very soon after this removed to another field of labour where ,i heard no more of this matter till ,i learned the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon was about being published4 ,it was not till after the discovery of the manuscript of ,mr4 ,spaulding1 of which ,i shall subsequently give some account1 that the actors in this imposture thought of calling this pretended revelation the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon4 ,this book1 which professed to be a translation of the golden ,bible brought to light by ,joseph ,smith1 was published in #ahcj--to accomplish which ,martin ,harris actually mortgaged his farm4 ,in addition to the facts with which ,i myself was conversant in #ahbg and #ahbh1 connected with the rise of ,mormonism1 ,i have been able to lay hold of one or two valuable documents1 and to obtain several items of intelligence1 by which ,i shall be enabled to continue this sketch of the rise and origin of this singular imposture4 ,to my mind there never was a grosser piece of deception undertaken to be practised than this4 ,,footnotes3 #b ,in the following chapter the reader will find an account of this interview4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,a ,,letter ,,written ,,by ,,professor ,,anthon4 ,the circumstances that led to this letter--,martin ,harris--,his visit to ,new ,york--,interview with ,dr4 ,mitchell--,professor ,anthon4 ,a few months subsequent to the publishing of the foregoing letter1 the author saw in the columns of the ,church ,record a letter from ,professor ,anthon which singularly corroborated the statement that ,martin ,harris made to him in relation to his having had an interview with that gentleman1 when on his first mission to ,new ,york in quest of some interpreter who should be able to decipher the mysterious characters of the golden ,bible4 ,the cause which drew forth the letter from the learned professor is thus stated4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,coit1 ,rector of ,trinity ,church1 ,new ,rochelle1 ,west ,chester county1 ,n4 ,y41 hearing that the ,mormons in that place--for there is scarcely a town or village where some of them are not found1 were claiming the patronage of ,professor ,anthon's name1 in behalf of their notions1 took the liberty to state the fact to him1 and ask in what possible way they had contrived to associate him with themselves4 ,in reply to this inquiry1 ,professor ,anthon wrote the letter above referred to--which we here insert3 ,new ,york1 ,april #c;d1 #ahda4 ,,rev4 ,,and ,,dear ,,sir3 ,i have often heard that the ,mormons claimed me for an auxiliary1 but1 as no one1 until the present time1 has ever requested from me a statement in writing1 ,i have not deemed it worth while to say any thing publicly on the subject4 ,what ,i do know of the sect relates to some of their early movements2 and as the facts may amuse you1 while they will furnish a satisfactory answer to the charge of my being a ,mormon proselyte1 ,i proceed to lay them before you in detail4 ,many years ago1 the precise date ,i do not now recollect1 a plain looking countryman called upon me with a letter from ,dr4 ,samuel ,l4 ,mitchell requesting me to examine1 and give my opinion upon1 a certain paper1 marked with various characters which the ,doctor confessed he could not decypher1 and which the bearer of the note was very anxious to have explained4 ,a very brief examination of the paper convinced me that it was a mere hoax1 and a very clumsy one too4 ,the characters were arranged in columns1 like the ,chinese mode of writing1 and presented the most singular medley that ,i ever beheld4 ,greek1 ,hebrew1 and all sorts of letters1 more or less distorted1 either through unskilfulness1 or from actual design1 were intermingled with sundry delineations of half moons1 stars1 and other natural objects1 and the whole ended in a rude representation of the ,mexican zodiac4 ,the conclusion was irresistible1 that some cunning fellow had prepared the paper in question1 for the purpose of imposing upon the countryman who brought it1 and ,i told the man so without any hesitation4 ,he then proceeded to give me a history of the whole affair1 which convinced me that he had fallen into the hands of some sharper1 while it left me in great astonishment at his own simplicity4 ,the countryman told me that a gold book had been recently dug up in the western or northern part 7,i forget which71 of our state1 and he described this book as consisting of many gold plates1 like leaves1 secured by a gold wire passing through the edge of each1 just as the leaves of a book are sewed together1 and presented in this way the appearance of a volume4 ,each plate1 according to him1 was inscribed with unknown characters1 and the paper which he handed me1 a transcript of one of these pages4 ,on my asking him by whom the copy was made1 he gravely stated1 that along with the golden book there had been dug up a very large pair of spectacles6 so large in fact that if a man were to hold them in front of his face1 his two eyes would merely look through one of the glasses1 and the remaining part of the spectacles would project a considerable distance sideways6 ,these spectacles possessed1 it seems a very valuable property1 of enabling any one who looked through them1 7or rather through one of the lenses17 not only to decypher the characters on the plates1 but also to comprehend their exact meaning1 and be able to translate them66 ,my informant assured me that this curious property of the spectacles had been actually tested1 and found to be true4 ,a young man1 it seems1 had been placed in the garret of a farm-house1 with a curtain before him1 and having fastened the spectacles to his head1 had read several pages in the golden book1 and communicated their contents in writing to certain persons stationed on the outside of the curtain4 ,he had also copied off one page of the book in the original character1 which he had in like manner handed over to those who were separated from him by the curtain1 and this copy was the paper which the countryman had brought with him4 ,as the golden book was said to contain very great truths1 and most important revelations of a religious nature1 a strong desire had been expressed by several persons in the countryman's neighbourhood1 to have the whole work translated and published4 ,a proposition had accordingly been made to my informant1 to sell his farm1 and apply the proceeds to the printing of the golden book1 and the golden plates were to be left with him as security until he should be reimbursed by the sale of the work4 ,to convince him more clearly that there was no risk whatever in the matter1 and that the work was actually what it claimed to be1 he was told to take the paper1 which purported to be a copy of one of the pages of the book1 to the city of ,new ,york1 and submit it to the learned in that quarter1 who would soon dispel all his doubts1 and satisfy him as to the perfect safety of the investment4 ,as ,dr4 ,mitchell was our ,magnus ,apollo in those days1 the man called first upon him2 but the ,doctor1 evidently suspecting some trick1 declined giving any opinion about the matter1 and sent the countryman down to the college1 to see1 in all probability1 what the learned pundits in that place would make of the affair4 ,on my telling the bearer of the paper that an attempt had been made to impose on him1 and defraud him of his property1 he requested me to give him my opinion in writing about the paper which he had shown to me4 ,i did so without any hesitation1 partly for the man's sake1 and partly to let the individual behind the curtain see that his trick was discovered4 ,the import of what ,i wrote was1 as far as ,i can now recollect1 simply this1 that the marks in the paper appeared to be merely an imitation of various alphabetical characters1 and had1 in my opinion1 no meaning at all connected with them4 ,the countryman then took his leave1 with many thanks1 and with the express declaration that he would in no shape part with his farm or embark in the speculation of printing the golden book4 ,the matter rested here for a considerable time1 until one day1 when ,i had ceased entirely to think of the countryman and his paper1 this same individual1 to my great surprise1 paid me a second visit4 ,he now brought with him a duodecimo volume1 which he said was a translation into ,english of the ,golden ,bible4 ,he also stated1 that notwithstanding his original determination not to sell his farm1 he had been induced eventually to do so1 and apply the money to the publication of the book1 and had received the golden plates as a security for repayment4 ,he begged my acceptance of the volume1 assuring me that it would be found extremely interesting1 and that it was already making a great noise in the upper part of the state4 ,suspecting now that some serious trick was on foot1 and that my plain looking visitor might be in fact a very cunning fellow ,i declined his present1 and merely contented myself with a slight examination of the volume while he stood by4 ,the more ,i declined receiving it however1 the more urgent the man became in offering the book1 until at last ,i told him plainly1 that if he left the volume1 as he said he intended to do1 ,i should most assuredly throw it after him as he departed4 ,i then asked him how he could be so foolish as to sell his farm and engage in this affair2 and requested him to tell me if the plates were really of gold4 ,in answer to this latter inquiry1 he said that he had never seen the plates themselves1 which were carefully locked up in a trunk1 but that he had the trunk in his possession4 ,i advised him by all means to open the trunk and examine the contents1 and if the plates proved to be of gold1 which ,i did not believe at all1 to sell them immediately4 ,his reply was1 that if he opened the trunk the curse of heaven would descend upon him and his children4 ,however1 added he1 ,i will agree to open it1 provided you will take the 'curse of ,heaven' upon yourself for having advised me to the step4 ,i told him ,i was perfectly willing to do so1 and begged he would hasten home and examine the trunk1 for he would find he had been cheated4 ,he promised to do as ,i recommended1 and left me1 taking his book with him4 ,i have never seen him since4 ,such is a plain statement of all that ,i know respecting the ,mormons4 ,my impression now is1 that the plain looking countryman was none other than the prophet ,smith himself1 who assumed an appearance of great simplicity in order to entrap me1 if possible1 into some recommendation of his book4 ,that the prophet aided me by his inspiration1 in interpreting the volume1 is only one of the many amusing falsehoods which the ,mormonites utter relative to my participation in their doctrines4 ,of these doctrines ,i know nothing whatever1 nor have ,i ever heard a single discourse from any one of their preachers1 although ,i have often felt a strong curiosity to become an auditor1 since my friends tell me that they frequently name me in their sermons1 and even go so far as to say that ,i am alluded to in the prophecies of ,scripture6 ,if what ,i have here written shall prove of any service in opening the eyes of some of their deluded followers to the real designs of those who profess to be the apostles of ,mormonism1 it will afford me a satisfaction1 equalled1 ,i have no doubt only by that which you yourself will feel on this subject4 ,i remain very respectfully and truly1 your friend1 ,,chas4 ,,anthon4 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,coit1 ,new ,rochelle1 ,n4 ,y4 ,it will be seen that in the main this tallies exceedingly well with what ,harris told the author1 in relation to the fact of his interview with ,professor ,anthon4 ,he kept back in his account of the interview all allusion to the discouragements which the ,professor threw upon his enterprise4 ,there can be no doubt but that the person who waited upon ,professor ,anthon in the manner above stated1 was ,martin ,harris4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,the ,,mormon1 ,,or ,,golden ,,bible4 ,the origin of the ,book of ,mormon--,the statement of ,mr4 ,isaac ,hall1 father in law of the ,mormon ,prophet--,rev4 ,mr4 ,spaulding's ,historical ,romance--,mrs4 ,davison's statement--,the blindness of ,martin ,harris--,testimony of the three witnesses--,the eight witnesses4 ,the communication which follows is the second in the series of letters referred to in a former chapter4 ,fairfield1 ,august #ca1 #ahdj4 ,according to the intimation given in my last1 ,i proceed to furnish you with some further facts in relation to the origin and history of ,mormonism4 ,in developing the history of this imposture1 and showing the several steps by which it has won its way to the regard1 and gained the confidence of thousands1 it may seem desirable to furnish some account of what is denominated ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon--a volume containing #ehh duodecimo pages1 consisting of fifteen different books1 purporting to be written at different times1 and by different authors1 whose names they respectively bear4 ,the period of time which these historical records profess to cover1 is about a thousand years--commencing with the time of ,zedekiah1 king of ,judah1 and terminating with the year of our ,lord #dbj4 ,this volume1 as ,i have already intimated1 has exerted a most important influence in giving some plausibility to the claims set up by the originators of the ,mormon imposture4 ,i am quite confident there never would have been any permanent converts to ,mormonism1 had not this volume been ushered into existence4 ,the story of the ,,golden ,,bible1 like a thousand previous and no less marvellous tales told by ,jo ,smith1 would have long since sunk into oblivion but for the publication of this book4 ,the origin of this volume--how it came into being--is a grave question4 ,the general impression is that neither ,jo ,smith nor ,martin ,harris had intelligence or literary qualification adequate to the production of a work of this sort4 ,of the correctness of this impression1 however1 ,i am not quite confident4 ,the subsequent career of ,smith has shown that he possesses great tact1 and cunning4 ,the authorship of this volume is a question of some interest4 ,the ,mormons say that it is a revelation from ,god4 ,they claim for it a divine character4 ,they say that the successive narratives spread upon the pages of this volume1 are the identical records engraven upon the metallic plates to which we have already referred1 and which1 like the leaves of a book1 were deposited in a box and hid in the earth2 that the writing on these plates was in the ,reformed ,egyptian language3 that ,joseph ,smith was directed by an angel to the spot where this sacred deposit lay2 and subsequently inspired to interpret the writing1 by putting two smooth flat stones1 which he found in the box1 into a hat1 and then putting his face therein4 ,this is the claim set up for the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon1 and which has seduced many unstable souls4 ,had the originator of this fabulous history1 called the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon1 kept entirely behind the scenes up to the present period1 and had there been no clue by which the authorship of this figment of the imagination could be traced1 it would still have been abundantly evident to every intelligent person1 that it was the product of some shrewd and designing mind1 who calculated to find his advantage in gulling the credulous and superstitious4 ,the people of ,palmyra1 at the commencement of the printing of this book1 only laughed at the ridiculousness of the thing1 and wondered at the credulity of ,harris4 ,as the publication progressed1 and the contents of the book began to be known1 the conviction became general that there was an actor behind the scene1 moving the machinery1 of far higher intellectual qualifications than ,smith or ,harris4 ,suspicion in some degree rested upon a man by the name of ,cowdery1 who had formerly been a school teacher1 if ,i mistake not1 and was now known to be in some way connected with ,smith in preparing this volume for the press4 ,i will here insert a document which ,i have in my hands1 and which may tend to throw some light upon the origin and authorship of the ,book of ,mormon1 which ,i found in a little work1 entitled ,,religious ,,creeds ,,and ,,statistics4 ,the author gives a brief sketch of ,mormonism1 and among other things inserts a letter or statement written by ,isaac ,hale1 the father-in-law of ,jo ,smith1 giving some account of his first acquaintance with ,smith4 ,i had1 previously to meeting with this letter1 felt anxious to obtain some facts in relation to ,smith's marriage1 in order to ascertain how those facts would agree with the statements made by him to ,martin ,harris1 which ,i noticed in my last letter4 ,while at ,palmyra1 ,i met with a respectable clergyman of the ,episcopal ,church1 who had formerly belonged to the ,methodist connection1 that was acquainted with ,mr4 ,hale4 ,he represented him to be a distinguished hunter1 living near the ,great ,bend in ,pennsylvania4 ,he was professedly a religious man and a very zealous member of the ,methodist ,church4 ,the letter to which ,i have referred1 is accompanied with a statement1 declaring that ,mr4 ,hale resides in ,harmony1 ,penn43 appended to the letter also is ,mr4 ,hale's affirmation or affidavit of the truth of the statement there made1 taken before ,charles ,dimon1 ,justice of the ,peace2 and there is also subjoined the certificate of ,william ,thompson and ,davis ,dimock1 ,associate ,judges of the ,court of ,common ,pleas in the ,county of ,susquehanna1 declaring that they have for many years been personally acquainted with ,isaac ,hale of ,harmony ,township1 who has attested the foregoing statement1 or letter1 and that he is a man of excellent moral character1 and of undoubted veracity4 ,the letter or statement above referred to1 is as follows3 ,i first became acquainted with ,joseph ,smith1 ,jr41 in ,nov4 #ahbe4 ,he was at that time in the employ of a set of men who were called money-diggers2 and his occupation was that of seeing1 or pretending to see1 by means of a stone placed in his hat1 and his hat closed over his face4 ,in this way he pretended to discover minerals and hidden treasure4 ,his appearance at this time1 was that of a careless young man1 not very well educated1 and very saucy and insolent to his father4 ,smith and his father1 with several other money-diggers1 boarded at my house while they were employed in digging for a mine that they supposed had been opened and worked by the ,spaniards1 many years since4 ,young ,smith gave the money-diggers great encouragement at first1 but when they had arrived in digging to near the place where he had stated an immense treasure would be found1 he said the enchantment was so powerful that he could not see4 ,they then became discouraged1 and soon after dispersed4 ,after these occurrences1 young ,smith made several visits at my house1 and at length asked my consent to marry my daughter ,emma4 ,this ,i refused1 and gave him my reasons for so doing2 some of which were1 that he was a stranger1 and followed a business that ,i could not approve4 ,he then left the place4 ,not long after this1 he returned3 and while ,i was absent from home1 carried off my daughter into the ,state of ,new ,york1 where they were married without my approbation1 or consent4 ,after they had arrived at ,palmyra1 ,n4 ,y41 ,emma wrote to me1 inquiring whether she could have her property1 consisting of clothing1 c4 ,i replied that her property was safe1 and1 at her disposal4 ,in a short time they returned1 bringing with them a ,peter ,ingersol1 and subsequently came to the conclusion that they would move out1 and reside upon a place near my residence4 ,smith stated to me that he had given up what he called glass-looking1 and that he expected to work hard for a living1 and was willing to do so4 ,soon after this1 ,i was informed they had brought a wonderful book of plates down with them4 ,i was shown a box1 in which it is said they were contained1 which had1 to all appearance1 been used as a glass box1 of the common sized window glass4 ,i was allowed to feel the weight of the box1 and they gave me to understand1 that the book of plates was then in the box3 into which1 however1 ,i was not allowed to look4 ,i inquired of ,joseph ,smith1 ,jr41 who was to be the first that would be allowed to see the book of plates8 ,he said1 it was a young child4 ,after this1 ,i became dissatisfied1 and informed him1 that if there was any thing in my house of that description1 which ,i could not be allowed to see1 he must take it away2 if he did not1 ,i was determined to see it4 ,after that1 the plates were said to be hid in the woods4 ,about this time1 ,martin ,harris made his appearance upon the stage3 and ,smith began to interpret the characters or hieroglyphics1 which he said were engraven upon the plates1 while ,harris wrote down the interpretation4 ,it was said that ,harris wrote down one hundred and sixteen pages1 and lost them4 ,soon after this happened1 ,martin ,harris informed me that he must have a greater witness1 and said that he had talked with ,joseph about it2 ,joseph informed him that he could not or durst not show him the plates1 but that he1 7,joseph17 would go into the woods where the book of plates was1 and that after he came back1 ,harris should follow his track in the snow1 and find the book1 and examine it for himself4 ,harris informed me afterwards1 that he followed ,smith's directions1 and could not find the plates1 and was still dissatisfied4 ,the next day after this happened1 ,i went to the house where ,joseph ,smith1 jr41 lived1 and where he and ,harris were engaged in their translation of the book4 ,each of them had a written piece of paper which they were comparing2 and some of the words were--,my servant seeketh a greater witness1 but no greater witness can be given to him4 ,there was also something said about three that were to see the thing2 meaning1 ,i supposed1 the book of plates2 and that if the three did not go exactly according to orders1 the thing would be taken from them4 ,i inquired whose words they were1 and was informed by ,joseph or ,emma1 7,i rather think it was the former17 that they were the words of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i told them then1 that ,i considered the whole of it a delusion1 and advised them to abandon it4 ,the manner in which he pretended to read and interpret1 was the same as when he looked for the money-diggers1 with the stone in his hat1 and his hat over his face1 while the book of plates was at the same time hid in the woods6 ,after this1 ,martin ,harris went away1 and ,oliver ,cowdery came and wrote for ,smith1 while he interpreted1 as above described4 ,this is the same ,oliver ,cowdery whose name may be found in the book of ,mormon4 ,cowdery continued a scribe for ,smith1 until the book of ,mormon was completed1 as ,i supposed1 and understood4 ,joseph ,smith1 jr41 resided near me for some time after this1 and ,i had a good opportunity of becoming acquainted with him1 and somewhat acquainted with his associates2 and ,i conscientiously believe1 from the facts ,i have detailed1 and from many other circumstances1 which ,i do not deem it necessary to relate1 that the whole ,book of ,mormon1 7so called17 is a silly fabrication of falsehood and wickedness1 got up for speculation1 and with a design to dupe the credulous and unwary1 and in order that its fabricators might live upon the spoils of those who swallowed the deception4 ,,isaac ,,hale4 ,i shall have occasion hereafter to refer to the loss of the one hundred and sixteen pages mentioned in the preceding letter1 and to the manner in which they were lost2 as this fact will not only tend to illustrate ,harris' character1 but to throw some farther light upon the sinuous track which was pursued to palm off the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon as a divine revelation4 ,whether ,smith and ,cowdery were acting alone at the time referred to by ,mr4 ,hale1 or were then deriving their illumination from ,rigdon1 ,i have no means of determining4 ,it is highly probable1 however1 that they then had access to a copy of the manuscript written by ,mr4 ,spaulding1 of which we shall soon speak1 and this copy was undoubtedly obtained through the agency of ,rigdon4 ,the true authorship of what constitutes the basis of the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon1 unquestionably belongs to ,mr4 ,spaulding4 ,i cannot think1 however1 that the ,book of ,mormon is an exact copy of ,mr4 ,spaulding's ,historical ,romance1 as ,mrs4 ,davison very properly denominates it4 ,no intelligent or well educated man would have been guilty of so many anachronisms and gross grammatical errors as characterise every part of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,while ,mr4 ,spaulding's ,historical ,romance is unquestionably the ground-work of this volume1 the christianized character of the work--the hortatory clauses about salvation through the blood of ,christ--and the adaptation of the whole to meet the peculiar religious views of ,martin ,harris1 and to tally with the pretended discovery of ,jo ,smith1 are evidently parts of the work added to ,mr4 ,spaulding's manuscript4 ,in farther corroboration of this idea1 ,i will just advert to two facts4 ,first1 in this record1 some portions of which were professedly written six hundred years before the appearance of our ,saviour1 the various dramatis personae seem as familiar with the events of the ,new ,testament and all the doctrines of the gospel1 as any preacher of the present day4 ,now no intelligent and well educated man would be guilty of such a solecism as that of putting into the mouth of a ,jew who lived four hundred years before the birth of ,christ1 a flippant discourse about things as though they were then familiarly known1 when they did not occur till some five hundred years afterwards4 ,hence ,i infer that these parts were added to the original document of ,mr4 ,spaulding by ,jo ,smith1 ,cowdery1 ,rigdon1 or some of the fraternity4--,another reason1 leading me to the opinion that considerable alterations were made in the document referred to1 stands in connection with the fact to which ,i have already adverted--the loss of the one hundred and sixteen pages1 which were never replaced4 ,these pages were lost in the following way4 ,harris brought home the manuscript pages and locked them up in his house thinking them quite safe4 ,but his wife1 who was not then1 nor ever afterwards became a convert to ,mormonism1 took the opportunity1 when he was out1 to seize the manuscript and put it into the hands of one of her neighbours for safer keeping4 ,when the manuscript was discovered to be missing1 suspicion immediately fastened upon ,mrs4 ,harris4 ,she1 however1 refused to give any information in relation to the matter1 but simply replied3 ,if this be a divine communication1 the same being who revealed it to you can easily replace it4 ,mrs4 ,h4 believed the whole thing to be a gross deception1 and she had formed a plan to expose the deception in the following manner4 ,taking it for granted that they would attempt to re-produce the part she had concealed1 and that they could not possibly do it verbatim1 she intended to keep the manuscript until the book was published1 and then put these one hundred and sixteen pages into the hands of some one who would publish them1 and show how they varied from those published in the ,book of ,mormon4 ,but she had to deal with persons standing behind the scene1 and moving the machinery that were too wily thus to be caught4 ,harris was indignant at his wife beyond measure--he raved most violently1 and it is said actually beat ,mrs4 ,h4 with a rod--but she remained firm1 and would not give up the manuscript4 ,the authors of this imposture did not dare to attempt to re-produce this part of the work2 but ,jo ,smith immediately had a revelation about it which is inserted in the preface of the ,book of ,mormon as follows3 ,as many false reports have been circulated respecting the following work1 and also many unlawful measures taken by evil designing persons to destroy me1 and also the work2 ,i would inform you that ,i translated1 by the gift and power of ,god1 and caused to be written one hundred and sixteen pages1 the which ,i took from the book of ,lehi1 which was an account abridged from the plates of ,lehi1 by the hand of ,mormon2 which said account1 some person1 or persons1 have stolen and kept from me1 notwithstanding my utmost exertions to recover it again3 ,and being commanded of the ,lord that ,i should not translate the same over again1 for ,satan had put it into their hearts to tempt the ,lord their ,god1 by altering the words1 that they did read contrary from that which ,i translated and caused to be written1 and if ,i should bring forth the same words again1 or1 in other words1 if ,i should translate the same over again they would publish that which they had stolen1 and ,satan would stir up the hearts of this generation that they might not receive this work3 but behold1 the ,lord said unto me1 ,i will not suffer that ,satan shall accomplish his evil design in this thing3 therefore thou shalt translate from the plates of ,nephi1 until ye come to that which ye have translated1 which ye have retained2 and behold ye shall publish it as the record of ,nephi3 and thus ,i will confound those who have altered my words4 ,i will not suffer that they shall destroy my work3 yea ,i will shew unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil4 ,this was the expedient to which they resorted in order to avoid replacing the lost pages4 ,had those pages1 however1 been transcribed verbatim from ,mr4 ,spaulding's manuscript1 they would undoubtedly have re-produced them1 and urged the fact of their being able to do so as a still further proof of their divine inspiration4 ,but on the supposition that there was considerable new matter mingled up with ,mr4 ,spaulding's sketches1 it would be impossible for them to produce the one hundred and sixteen pages just as they were before1 and they would therefore naturally devise some expedient to relieve themselves from the necessity of re-producing those pages4 ,in all probability ,cowdery1 and ,smith1 and ,rigdon1 had all more or less to do in combining these additional parts with ,mr4 ,spaulding's work4 ,the origin of this work of ,mr4 ,spaulding1 to which ,i refer1 and which unquestionably forms the entire ground-work of the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon1 is thus described by ,mrs4 ,davison1 formerly the wife of ,mr4 ,spaulding4 ,this statement of ,mrs4 ,davison was published some time last winter in the ,boston ,recorder1 to the editors of which it was sent by the ,rev4 ,john ,storrs1 the ,congregational minister in ,hollistown1 accompanied with a certificate from two highly respectable clergymen1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,austin and the ,rev4 ,a4 ,ely1 ,d4 ,d41 residing in ,monson1 ,mass41 the present place of residence of ,mrs4 ,davison1--stating that ,mrs4 ,davison1 the narrator of the following history1 was formerly the wife of ,rev4 ,solomon ,spaulding1 and that since his decease she had been married to a second husband by the name of ,davison1 and that she was a woman of irreproachable character1 and a humble ,christian1 and that her testimony was worthy of implicit confidence4 ,as the ',,book ,,of ,,mormon' or ',,golden ,,bible' has excited much attention1 and has been put by a certain new sect in the place of the ,sacred ,scriptures1 ,i deem it a duty which ,i owe to the public1 to state what ,i know touching its origin4 ,that its claims to a divine origin are wholly unfounded1 needs no proof to a mind unperverted by the grossest delusions4 ,that any sane person should rank it higher than any other merely human composition1 is a matter of the greatest astonishment2 yet it is received as divine by some who dwell in enlightened ,new ,england1 and by those who have sustained the character of devoted ,christians4 ,learning recently that ,mormonism had found its way into a church in ,massachusetts1 and has impregnated some with its gross delusions1 so that excommunication has been necessary1 ,i am determined to delay no longer in doing what ,i can to strip the mask from this mother of sin1 and to lay open this pit of abominations4 ,rev4 ,solomon ,spaulding1 to whom ,i was united in marriage in early life1 was a graduate of ,dartmouth ,college1 and was distinguished for a lively imagination and a great fondness for history4 ,at the time of our marriage he resided in ,cherry ,valley1 ,n4 ,y4 ,from this place we removed to ,new ,salem1 ,ashtabula county1 ,ohio2 sometimes called ,conneaut1 as it is situated on ,conneaut creek4 ,shortly after our removal to this place his health sunk1 and he was laid aside from active labors4 ,in the town of ,new ,salem there are numerous mounds and forts1 supposed by many to be the dilapidated dwellings and fortifications of a race now extinct4 ,these ancient relics arrest the attention of the new settlers and become objects of research for the curious4 ,numerous implements were found1 and other articles evincing great skill in the arts4 ,mr4 ,spaulding being an educated man and passionately fond of history1 took a lively interest in these developments of antiquity2 and in order to beguile the hours of retirement1 and furnish employment for his lively imagination1 he conceived the idea of giving a historical sketch of this long lost race4 ,their extreme antiquity of course would lead him to write in the most ancient style1 and as the ,old ,testament is the most ancient book in the world1 he imitated its style as nearly as possible4 ,his sole object in writing this historical romance was to amuse himself and his neighbours4 ,this was about the year #ahab4 ,hull's surrender at ,detroit occurred near the same time1 and ,i recollect the date well from that circumstance4 ,as he progressed in his narrative the neighbours would come in from time to time to hear portions read1 and a great interest in the work was excited amongst them4 ,it claimed to have been written by one of the lost nation1 and to have been recovered from the earth1 and assumed the title of ,manuscript ,found4 ,the neighbours would often enquire how ,mr4 ,spaulding progressed in deciphering the manuscript1 and when he had a sufficient portion prepared he would inform them1 and they would assemble to hear it read4 ,he was enabled from his acquaintance with the classics and ancient history1 to introduce many singular names1 which were particularly noticed by the people1 and could be easily recognised by them4 ,mr4 ,solomon ,spaulding had a brother1 ,mr4 ,john ,spaulding1 residing in the place at the time1 who was perfectly familiar with the work1 and repeatedly heard the whole of it read4 ,from ,new ,salem we removed to ,pittsburgh1 ,pa4 ,here ,mr4 ,spaulding found a friend and acquaintance1 in the person of ,mr4 ,patterson1 an editor of a newspaper4 ,he exhibited his manuscript to ,mr4 ,patterson1 who was very much pleased with it1 and borrowed it for perusal4 ,he retained it for a long time1 and informed ,mr4 ,spaulding that if he would make out a title page and preface1 he would publish it1 and it might be a source of profit4 ,this ,mr4 ,spaulding refused to do1 for reasons which ,i cannot now state4 ,sidney ,rigdon1 who has figured so largely in the history of the ,mormons1 was at that time connected with the printing office of ,mr4 ,patterson1 as is well known in that region1 and as ,rigdon himself has frequently stated4 ,here he had ample opportunity to become acquainted with ,mr4 ,spaulding's manuscript1 and copy it if he chose4 ,it was a matter of notoriety and interest to all connected with the printing establishment4 ,at length the manuscript was returned to its author1 and soon after we removed to ,amity1 ,washington county1 ,pa41 where ,mr4 ,spaulding deceased in #ahaf4 ,the manuscript then fell into my hands and was carefully preserved4 ,it has frequently been examined by my daughter1 ,mrs4 ,mc,kenstry1 of ,monson1 ,mass41 with whom ,i now reside1 and by other friends4 ,after the ,book of ,mormon came out1 a copy of it was taken to ,new ,salem1 the place of ,mr4 ,spaulding's former residence1 and the very place where the ,manuscript ,found was written4 ,a ,mormon preacher appointed a meeting there1 and in the meeting read and repeated copious extracts from the ,book of ,mormon4 ,the historical part was immediately recognised by all the older inhabitants1 as the identical work of ,mr4 ,spaulding1 in which they had all been so deeply interested years before4 ,mr4 ,john ,spaulding was present1 who is an eminently pious man1 and recognised perfectly the work of his brother4 ,he was amazed and afflicted that it should have been perverted to so wicked a purpose4 ,his grief found vent in a flood of tears1 and he arose on the spot1 and expressed in the meeting his sorrow and regret that the writings of his sainted brother should be used for a purpose so vile and shocking4 ,the excitement in ,new ,salem became so great that the inhabitants had a meeting1 and deputed ,dr4 ,philastus ,hurlbut1 one of their number1 to repair to this place1 and to obtain from me the original manuscript of ,mr4 ,spaulding1 for the purpose of comparing it with the ,mormon ,bible1 to satisfy their own minds1 and to prevent their friends from embracing an error so delusive4 ,this was in the year #ahcd4 ,dr4 ,hurlbut brought with him an introduction1 and request for the manuscript1 which was signed by ,messrs4 ,henry ,lake1 ,aaron ,wright1 and others1 with all whom ,i was acquainted1 as they were my neighbours when ,i resided at ,new ,salem4 ,i am sure that nothing would grieve my husband more1 were he living1 than the use which has been made of his work4 ,the air of antiquity which was thrown about the composition1 doubtless suggested the idea of converting it to purposes of delusion4 ,thus an historical romance1 with the addition of a few pious expressions and extracts from the sacred ,scriptures1 has been construed into a new ,bible1 and palmed off upon a company of poor1 deluded fanatics as divine4 ,i have given the previous brief narration1 that this work of deep deception and wickedness may be searched to the foundation1 and the author exposed to the contempt and execration he so justly deserves4 ,,matilda ,,davison4 ,the whole mystery of the origin of this book seems to be cleared up by this statement1 and ,i have seen no attempt made to gainsay or deny its truth4 ,the farther1 however1 ,martin ,harris went into this delusion1 the more he seemed to become infatuated4 ,he had already embarked a large portion of his property in bringing out the publication of the book of ,mormon1 and though many things had occurred that we should think would have convinced any rational man that he had been made the subject of a deep laid scheme of deception1 he still seems to have shut his eyes1 and gone on in the dark4 ,as ,i have already mentioned1 at first1 ,martin ,harris was assured that the golden plates1 on which this record was engraven1 would be his1 and that it would be perfectly lawful to subject them to public inspection1--but as the managers of this imposture proceeded they found it necessary to advance with more caution1 lest they should put into the hands of others the very elements which would contribute to their own utter explosion4 ,hence it was revealed to ,jo ,smith1 that he would be authorized to show them only to three individuals who should assist in bringing forward this work1 this was a lure to secure the continued co-operation of ,harris4 ,to convince ,harris that he would be highly privileged1 it was foretold in the book of ,ether1 written by ,moroni1#c that he that should find the plates should have the privilege of showing them to three persons4 ,the passage referred to is as follows1 ,behold ye may be privileged that ye may shew the plates unto those who shall assist to bring forth this work2 and unto three shall they be shewn by the power of ,god2 wherefore they shall know of a surety that these things are true4 ,and in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established2 and the testimony of three and this work1 in the which shall be shewn forth the power of ,god1 and also his word1 of which the ,father and the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost beareth record2 and all this shall stand as a testimony against the world1 at the last day4 ,in order to satisfy ,harris1 and those whom they hoped to delude1 it became necessary that three witnesses should see the plates4 ,and accordingly we find appended to the book of ,mormon the following certificate1 headed with this caption3-- ,,the ,,testimony ,,of ,,three ,,witnesses4 ,be it known unto all nations1 kindreds1 tongues1 and people1 unto whom this work shall come1 that we1 through the grace of ,god the ,father1 and our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 have seen the plates which contain the record which is a record of the people of ,nephi1 and also of the ,lamanites1 his brethren1 and also of the people of ,jared1 which came from the tower1 of which hath been spoken2 and we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of ,god1 for his voice has declared it unto us2 wherefore we know of a surety1 that the work is true4 ,and we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates1 and they have been shown unto us by the power of ,god1 and not of man4 ,and we declare with words of soberness that an angel of ,god came down from heaven1 and he brought and laid before our eyes1 that we beheld and saw the plates1 and the engravings thereon2 and we know that it is by the grace of ,god the ,father1 and our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that we beheld1 and bear record that these things are true2 and it is marvellous in our eyes3 nevertheless the voice of the ,lord commanded us that we should bear record of it2 wherefore to be obedient unto the commandments of ,god1 we bear testimony of these things4 ,and we know that if we are faithful in ,christ1 we shall rid our garments of the blood of all men1 and be found spotless before the ,judgment seat of ,christ1 and shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens4 ,and the honor be to the ,father1 and to the ,son1 and to the ,holy ,ghost1 which is one ,god4--,amen4 ,,oliver ,,cowdery1 ,,david ,,whitmer1 ,,martin ,,harris4 ,to know how much this testimony is worth ,i will state one fact4 ,a gentleman in ,palmyra1 bred to the law1 a professor of religion1 and of undoubted veracity1 told me that on one occasion1 he appealed to ,harris and asked him directly1--,did you see those plates8 ,harris replied1 he did4 ,did you see the plates1 and the engravings on them with your bodily eyes8 ,harris replied1 ,yes1 ,i saw them with my eyes1--they were shown unto me by the power of ,god and not of man4 ,but did you see them with your natural1--your bodily eyes1 just as you see this pencil-case in my hand8 ,now say no or yes to this4 ,harris replied1--,why ,i did not see them as ,i do that pencil-case1 yet ,i saw them with the eye of faith2 ,i saw them just as distinctly as ,i see any thing around me1--though at the time they were covered over with a cloth4 ,this was the way that ,harris saw the plates1 ,cowdery1 another of the witnesses1 was one of the prime actors in getting up this cunningly devised fable4 ,whether ,whitmer1 the third witness1 was a deceiver1 or one of the deceived1 ,i am unable to say1 but he and four of his brothers were among the earliest avowed converts to ,mormonism4 ,and as he was thus privileged because he assisted to bring forth the work1 there can be but little doubt that he bore the same relation to it that ,cowdery did4 ,the declaration in the testimony that an angel of ,god came down from heaven1 and he brought and laid before our eyes1 that we beheld and saw the plates1 and the engravings thereon1 show but too well what sort of jugglery to blind people's eyes1 this certificate is4 ,they seem themselves not to have been satisfied with the testimony2 and therefore1 although it was expressly revealed that only three should see the plates1 and that it should be established by the witness of three1#d yet they immediately subjoin the testimony of eight additional witnesses in the following words3 ,be it known unto all nations1 kindreds and tongues1 and people1 unto whom this work shall come1 that ,joseph ,smith ,jr41 the author and proprietor of this work has shewn unto us the plates of which hath been spoken1 which have the appearance of gold2 and as many of the leaves as the said ,smith has translated1 we did handle with our hands2 and we also saw the engraving thereon1 all of which has the appearance of ancient work and of curious workmanship4 ,and thus we bear record1 with words of soberness1 that the said ,smith have shown unto us1 for we have seen and hefted1 and know of a surety1 that the said ,smith has got the plates of which we have spoken4 ,and we give our names unto the world1 to witness unto the world that which we have seen3 and we lie not1 ,god bearing witness of it4 ,this is signed by ,hiram ,page1 ,jo ,smith's father1--two of his brothers1 and four of the ,whitmers1 brothers of the ,whitmer1 who was one of the three witnesses4 ,they were all persons deeply interested in the success of this imposture1 and expecting to make their fortunes by it4 ,as ,i have before taken occasion to remark1 ,harris was ready to be duped by any thing which these jugglers were disposed to tell him4 ,he seemed to think at length that he himself was inspired1 and that revelations from heaven were made to him in reference to the most minute affairs in life4 ,after the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon was published it was revealed to him that he should sell it for one dollar and fifty cents per copy4 ,but as it did not sell very briskly at that price1 he declared that another revelation was made to him from heaven1 and that he was ordered to sell the book for one dollar per copy4 ,no matter where he went1 he saw visions and supernatural appearances all around him4 ,he told a gentleman in ,palmyra1 after one of his excursions to ,pennsylvania1 while the translation of the ,book of ,mormon was going on1 that on the way he met the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who walked along by the side of him in the shape of a deer for two or three miles1 talking with him as familiarly as one man talks with another4 ,with a knowledge of the facts that have now been stated1 the existence of the ,book of ,mormon can well be accounted for1 and also the success of this imposture4 ,,footnotes3 #c ,see ,book of ,mormon1 page #edh4 #d ,see ,book of ,mormon1 page #edh4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,mormon ,,jesuitism4 ,denial of ,mrs4 ,davison's statement in reference to the origin of the ,mormon's ,bible--,the truth of her statement corroborated by a letter from the ,rev4 ,john ,storrs--,by another from the ,rev4 ,d4 ,r4 ,austin4 ,up to the period1 in which the preceding sketch was published in the columns of the ,episcopal ,recorder1 no attempt was made1 as far as our information extends1 to contradict the statement of ,mrs4 ,davison1 or in any way to invalidate her testimony4 ,shortly after the appearance of the sketch above referred to1 a small pamphlet was issued by one of the ,mormon ministers1 who1 we understand1 bears the relation of ,pastor to one of the societies of that people1 established in ,philadelphia1 who call themselves ,the church of the latter day saints4 ,although we do not think1 that the truth1 or falsehood of ,mormonism1 in any degree turns upon the correctness1 or incorrectness of the foregoing statement of ,mrs4 ,davison1 for deceit and imposture are enstamped upon every feature of this monster1 evoked by a money digger and a juggler from the shades of darkness--still if her statement be correct and is to be relied upon1 the facts brought out by ,mrs4 ,davison would seem to be one of those singular developments of divine ,providence1 by which impostors are confounded1 and their devices brought to nought2 and therefore it may be well to look for a moment at the arguments that are offered to disprove1 what the writer of the pamphlet just referred to denominates ,,the ,,spaulding ,,story4 ,the pamphlet itself abounds with low and scurrilous remark--just such as we should think would be likely to emanate from a ,mormon leader4 ,the principal points upon which the writer rests his argument1 are1 ,first4 ,the worthless character of ,dr4 ,p4 ,hurlbut--who was deputed by a meeting called at ,new ,salem to visit ,mrs4 ,davison and obtain from her the manuscript written by her husband1 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,spaulding4 ,secondly4 ,that ,mrs4 ,davison neither wrote nor signed the letter published in the ,boston ,recorder1 but that it was the production of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,storrs4 ,thirdly4 ,that ,sidney ,rigdon did not join the ,mormons nor have any connection with them1 till after the ,book of ,mormon was published3 and did not reside at ,pittsburgh at the time he was supposed to have done so by ,mrs4 ,davison4 #a4 ,in reference to the first point3 this writer depicts the character of ,dr4 ,hurlbut1 as made up of dissoluteness1 depravity1 and crime4 ,he was for a considerable period a zealous ,mormon1 was ordained an elder1 became a distinguished preacher among them1 and continued so1 until they could endure his vices no longer and cast him out--then he turned against them1 and endeavoured to expose their deception and imposture4 ,whether this be a slander or true testimony1 we have no means of ascertaining4 ,but we do not see1 that in either case it makes any thing for ,mormonism1 or in the least affects the truth of ,mrs4 ,davison's statement4 ,we can readily believe that a system of imposture like that of ,mormonism1 would have charms for just such a man as ,hurlbut is described4 #b4 ,the assertion that ,mrs4 ,davison did not write nor subscribe the letter published in the ,boston ,recorder1 furnishes a fair specimen of the ,jesuitical tricks resorted to1 to keep up this imposture4 ,a letter is inserted in the pamphlet above referred to1 written by ,mr4 ,john ,haven1 in which a conversation is related1 said to have taken place between ,mrs4 ,davison and the brother of the writer1 and which is calculated and evidently designed to carry the impression that ,mrs4 ,davison utterly disavowed the authorship of the letter1 published in her name in relation to the ,spaulding manuscript4 ,to satisfy myself on the truth of this point1 ,i addressed a letter to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,storrs1 an extract from which ,i will subjoin3 ,hollistown1 ,june #bhth1 #ahda4 ,the results of my inquiries from ,dr4 ,ely and from ,mr4 ,austin confirm me in the opinion the ,spaulding manuscript was the foundation of the foolish affair called the ,mormon ,bible4 ,this is my opinion though we may not be able to prove it directly4 ,i have never supposed1 ,i have never said that they were one and the same thing4 ,only that it was the foundation of the ,mormon ,bible3 supposing that its story1 its incidents1 and names1 gave the ,mormon leaders the idea of their own book1 and supposing that from it they manufactured the book about which so much has been said4 ,so then in using the word 'identical' in relation to the manuscript and ,smith's book1 it must be understood in a modified sense4 ,we may never be able to prove by direct testimony that such was the foundation of the ,mormon ,bible4 ,but we have circumstantial evidence enough4 ,the communication made to the world by ,mrs4 ,davison1 it seems to me settles the question4 ,and then this testimony is not at all invalidated by the letter written from this town by ,mr4 ,john ,haven1 and published in the pamphlet you sent me1 entitled the ,origin of the ,spaulding ,story concerning the manuscript found4 ,and here observe the sophistry of this communication4 ,the questions and answers from the letter are as follows3 ',did you1 ,mrs4 ,davison1 write a letter to ,john ,storrs1 giving an account of the origin of the ,book of ,mormon8 ,ans4 ,i did not4 ,ques4 ,did you sign your name to it8 ,ans4 ,i did not2 neither did ,i see the letter till ,i saw it in the ,boston ,recorder3 the letter was never brought to me to sign4 ,ques4 ,what agency had you in having this letter sent to ,mr4 ,storrs8 ,ans4 ,d4 ,r4 ,austin came to my house and asked me some questions1 took some minutes on paper1 and from these wrote the letter4 ,ques4 ,is what is written in the letter true8 ,ans4 ,in the main it is4' ,the quibbling here is palpable4 ,it is very true ,mrs4 ,davison did not write a letter to me1 and what is more1 of course she did not sign it4 ,but this she did do1 and just what ,i wrote you in my former letter ,i supposed she did3 she did sign her name to the original copy as prepared from her statement by ,mr4 ,austin4 ,this original copy is now in the hands of ,mr4 ,austin4 ,this he told me last week4 ,but again1 mark another and important thing in this catechism4 ,it is the distinct avowal after all1 and published by the ,mormons themselves that what she had said was true4 ,is what is written in the letter true8 ,ans4 ,in the main it is4 ,it is just as you or any other honest man under similar circumstances would affirm such a production to be the truth4 ,in fact she does not as ,i understand from the questions and answers disavow a single statement made in the communication to which her name was affixed4 ,but she affirms it all as a verity4 ,i must confess my wonder that the ,mormons should ever have published the above quotations4 ,it must be that they thought their quibble about ,mrs4 ,d4 not signing the identical piece of paper sent to me1 would cover up the great and important fact that1 she affirmed that all that was sent to me was the truth4 ,so then the circumstantial evidence contained in the communication published in the ,recorder some few years ago that the ,spaulding manuscript was the origin of the golden ,bible remains sound4 ,but another thing3 ,i expect we shall never be able to lay our hands on the identical manuscript1 and thus prove by comparison in the sight of all that one was the foundation or origin of the other4 ,but be this as it may1 the very fact that it is lost1 is evidence in my mind that the manuscript was the foundation of the ,mormon book4 ,dr4 ,hurlbut took the manuscript4 ,it is reported in ,missouri1 that he sold it for four hundred dollars2 that the manuscript is not to be found4 ,i must confess that my suspicions are1 that a deep laid plot has been consummated to obtain possession of the manuscript1 and thus preclude all possibility of its ever being compared by competent men with the ,book of ,mormon4 ,at least my suspicions will not be removed until the manuscript--and the whole manuscript--is returned to the hands of its owner4 ,i am suspicious that a deep and long game has been played by the ,mormons to obtain and destroy the manuscript4 ,some one has got that manuscript and has got it secreted from the public eye4 ,and if that manuscript cannot be found1 in my mind will be proved that the ,mormons have conveyed it away4 ,the burden of proof is on the ,mormons4 ,to them it belongs to produce the manuscript4 ,if they have got the manuscript and will not produce it1 it is plain they fear its publication to the world will destroy their pretended revelation4 ,your brother in the ,lord1 ,,john ,,storrs4 ,i also wrote to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,austin for information1 who returned me an answer from which ,i make the following extracts4 ,sturbridge1 ,mass41 ,june #bhth1 #ahda4 ,the circumstances which called forth the letter published in the ,boston ,recorder in ,april #ahci1 were stated by ,mr4 ,storrs in the introduction to that article4 ,at his request ,i obtained from ,mrs4 ,davison a statement of the facts contained in that letter1 and wrote them out precisely as she related them to me4 ,she then signed the paper with her own hand which ,i have now in my possession4 ,every fact as stated in that letter was related to me by her in the order they are set down4 7,there is one word mis-printed in the published letter--instead of woman preacher1 on the second column1 it should be ,mormon preacher47 ,that the pamphlet published to refute the letter should contain false statements is not surprising4 ,a scheme got up in falsehood must be sustained by lies4 ,but the truth of the statements contained in that letter of ,mrs4 ,d4 will remain unshaken1 notwithstanding all the ,mormons can do4 ,it gives a very clear1 consistent and rational account of the origin of that abominable piece of deception and fraud4 ,mrs4 ,davison is now living about twelve miles from this place2 is an aged woman and very infirm4 ,dr4 ,hurlbut was an entire stranger to her1 and obtained her confidence by means of the letters of introduction which he brought from gentlemen in ,new-,salem4 ,he promised to return the manuscript in a short time4 ,mrs4 ,d4 would only consent to lend it to him4 ,he stated some time after he had received the manuscript that he had made #djj out of it4 ,mrs4 ,d4 has not the least doubt now but that he obtained it in order to sell it to the ,mormons4 ,if ,dr4 ,h4 can be found1 ,i have no doubt but that the manuscript may be traced into the hands of the ,mormons--which would be about as satisfactory as to find it4 ,if they purchased it of him1 7of which there is no doubt7 and refuse to present it1 the reason is obvious4 ,i can give no information with respect to the present residence of ,dr4 ,h4 ,i suppose light on this point may be obtained at ,new ,salem4 ,it is really wonderful how this most palpable delusion has spread4 ,the foundation of it is the most weak and absurd of any delusion ever palmed upon the world4 ,it is remarkable how these manias all tend to one point4 ,perfectionism1 ,unionism1 and ,mormonism1 as they have been developed in this region1 have all aimed directly at licentiousness4 ,they feed and fatten upon one base passion4 ,mormonism will doubtless have its day and then die4 ,something quite as absurd will spring up in its place4 ,there is an appetite in the community which craves such food4 ,if it can be garnished with the name of religion1 it will go into more extensive use4 ,this is one of the deepest plots of the devil4 ,he has placed his golden hook under the name of a golden book in the nose of these miserable fanatics1 and is leading them in the direct way to destruction4 ,yours in the bonds of christian fellowship1 ,d4 ,r4 ,,austin4 #c4 ,in relation to the assertion1 that ,sidney ,rigdon did not embrace ,mormonism till after the publication of the ,book of ,mormon2 and that he did not reside in ,pittsburgh at the time stated by ,mrs4 ,davison1 we have some remarks to offer in a subsequent chapter4 ,if ,rigdon did not reside there at the time1 still in accordance with ,mrs4 ,d's suggestion1 a copy might have been made of ,mr4 ,spaulding's manuscript1 which subsequently came into his hands4 ,this copy1 even if ,rigdon had no hand in preparing the ,book of ,mormon1 and was wholly ignorant of the existence of ,mr4 ,spaulding's manuscript1 might have reached ,smith in some other way4 ,it is enough to know that the one was the foundation of the other1 no matter who the agents in the imposture are4 ,even if it could be proved that ,rigdon had no knowledge of the manuscript1 and no hand whatever in preparing the ,book of ,mormon1 this would in no respect invalidate ,mrs4 ,davison's testimony1 or show that ,mr4 ,spaulding's historical romance was not the foundation of that book4 ,mrs4 ,davison merely conjectures that ,rigdon must have been the agent--and that from circumstantial evidence--but she knows that the outline of her husband's historical romance is actually the basis--the manifest substratum of the ,mormon ,bible4 ,this point is made very clear by her testimony1 that1 in some way or other1 ,smith and his coadjutors obtained a copy of ,mr4 ,spaulding's manuscript1 which evidently forms the basis of this pretended bible1 and fastens upon it the undoubted mark of imposture4 ,but were not this the case--had ,smith and those associated with him no such basis1 on which to build the scheme developed in the ,book of ,mormon1 this would in no way strengthen the claims which this volume sets up for a divine origin4 ,the book itself is full of internal evidence of imposture and fraud4 ,if the reader can have patience to follow us we will endeavour in the two subsequent chapters to furnish him with an outline of the principal topics contained in the ,book of ,mormon4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,,analysis ,,of ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon4 ,according to the intimation given in the last chapter1 we proceed to furnish our readers with a brief outline of the contents of that mysterious volume whose origin and history we have already given1 and which1 as we have seen1 has exerted no small influence in imparting a degree of plausibility to the claims set up by this sect1 and in gaining for them among the superstitious and the credulous1 hosts of converts4 ,i have before me a copy of the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon1 which ,i have read through in order to furnish the following analysis4 ,since reading this volume of nearly six hundred pages1 ,i am more than ever convinced that there were several hands employed in its preparation4 ,there are certainly striking marks of genius and literary skill displayed in the management of the main story--while in some of the details and hortatory parts there are no less unequivocal marks of bungling and botch work4 ,as ,i have already stated1 this volume consists of fifteen separate books1 which profess to have been written at different periods1 and by different authors1 whose names they respectively bear3 all these authors1 however1 belonged to the same people1 and were successively raised up by ,jehovah1 and by him inspired to carry on the progress of the narrative1 and deposit the record when made upon metallic plates in the same ark of testimony which contained the plates handed down by their predecessors4 ,the first book in the volume is called the ,book of ,nephi3 it contains seven distinct chapters1 and opens with an account of ,lehi1 the father of ,nephi4 ,nephi1 the writer of this first book1 appears to be the grand hero of this epic4 ,his father1 ,lehi1 resided in ,jerusalem--was a devout man1 and one that feared ,god4 ,his mother's name was ,sariah--and the names of his three brothers were ,laman1 ,lemuel1 and ,sam4 ,the narrative commences with the first year of the reign of ,zedekiah1 king of ,judah4 ,during this year the prophets of the most high ,god came and uttered such fearful predictions in relation to the destruction of ,jerusalem1 that ,lehi became greatly alarmed for the city and for his people4 ,he was so impressed with the messages which the ,hebrew seers proclaimed1 that he was led to go and pray with great fervency before the ,lord4 ,while in this solemn act of prayer1 there came down a pillar of fire and rested upon a rock before him1 blazing forth in awful majesty1 and speaking to him out of the flames4 ,awed and terrified by this divine manifestation1 he went home and cast himself upon his bed overwhelmed with anxious thoughts and fearful forebodings4 ,while he lay there thus meditating upon what he had seen1 he was suddenly carried away in a vision1 and saw the heavens opened1 and ,god sitting upon his throne1 surrounded by numberless concourses of angels4 ,and it came to pass1 ,i here use the language of ,nephi1 7page #f17 that he saw one descending out of the midst of heaven4 ,and he beheld that his lustre was above that of the sun at noon day2 and he saw twelve others following him1 and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament2 and they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth2 and the first came and stood before my father1 and gave unto him a book1 and bade him that he should read4 ,and it came to pass as he read1 he was filled with the ,spirit of the ,lord1 and he read1 saying1 ,wo1 wo unto ,jerusalem6 for ,i have seen thine abominations2 yea and many things did my father read concerning ,jerusalem--that it should be destroyed1 and the inhabitants thereof1 many should perish by the sword1 and many should be carried away captive into ,babylon4 ,lehi1 after this vision1 became himself a prophet1 and predicted the overthrow of the ,holy ,city2 on account of which he was persecuted by the ,jews4 ,while they were plotting to destroy him1 he had another vision1 by which he was instructed to take his family and depart into the wilderness4 ,he immediately obeyed1 leaving his house and land and gold and silver and precious things behind4 ,in his journeyings he came near the shore of the ,red ,sea1 and at length pitched his tent in a valley beside a river of water4 ,his two eldest sons were quite unbelieving1 and thought it absurd that their father should leave all his comforts behind1 and come to dwell in a tent in the wilderness4 ,but ,nephi who was the third son1 was piously disposed1 and being led to seek the face of the ,lord in prayer1 had a revelation from ,god--that he should be led to a land of promise1 and become a teacher and ruler over his brethren4 ,after this1 ,lehi also had another vision1 in which he was commanded to send ,nephi and his brethren back to ,jerusalem to obtain the record of the ,jews1 and also a genealogy of his forefathers1 engraven upon plates of brass4 ,this was a mission attended with great danger1 and replete with sundry adventures of a marvellous character4 ,after the three brethren had reached ,jerusalem1 they cast lots to decide which should go to ,laban1 who seems to have been the keeper of these sacred deposites1 and ask for the records4 ,the lot fell upon ,laman4 ,he was received very roughly by ,laban1 and had to flee from his presence for his life1 without attaining the object of his wishes4 ,the two elder brothers now determined to abandon the object of their mission and go back to their father2 but ,nephi1 full of faith1 wished still to persevere1 and therefore proposed that they should go to their former residence and collect together the gold and silver and precious things belonging to their father1 and endeavour to make an impression upon ,laban's mind by the offer of all these1 if he would give them the plates of brass4 ,laban was pleased with the exhibition of their treasures1 and determined to slay them1 in order to possess their wealth4 ,they fled1 however1 into the wilderness1 and hid themselves in the cavity of a rock4 ,the two elder brothers now became utterly indignant with ,nephi1 and smote him with a rod1 because he had led them into such an adventure4 ,an angel of ,god1 however1 appeared1 and rebuked them--enjoining it upon them to go up to ,jerusalem again1 and not to give over the enterprise upon which they had embarked--assuring them that the ,lord would deliver ,laban into their hands4 ,notwithstanding this divine reproof1 the two elder brothers felt rather sorely towards ,nephi1 and went up again towards ,jerusalem quite reluctantly4 ,when they reached the walls of the city1 they positively refused to go any farther4 ,nephi1 however1 offered to go again to the house of ,laban4 ,he proposed that they should hide without the walls1 and wait till his return4 ,it was night2 and ,nephi stole carefully into the city1 directing his steps towards the house of ,laban4 ,as he drew near his residence1 however1 he found a man stretched out on the ground1 drunk with wine4 ,upon examination1 he found it was ,laban himself4 ,he was armed with a sword1 the hilt of which was of pure gold1 and the workmanship exceeding fine4 ,nephi drew the sword from its scabbard1 and as he held it up1 he felt constrained by the ,spirit to kill ,laban4 ,he had to struggle some time with the natural tenderness of his feelings1 but his desire to obey ,god prevailed1 and he therefore took ,laban by the hair of the head1 and smote off his head with his own sword4 ,he then stript off the garments of ,laban1 and put them on himself1 and girded himself with his armour1 and went forth towards the treasury of ,laban1 and as he went1 he saw the servant of ,laban that had the keys of the treasury4 ,this servant mistook ,nephi1 who tried to imitate the voice of ,laban1 for his own master1 and readily took out the engravings which were upon the plates of brass and carried them without the walls4 ,when the servant discovered the mistake1 he was very much frightened--but at length was prevailed upon to accompany these adventurers into the wilderness3 therefore having obtained the object of their wishes1 they returned to the tent of their father4 ,lehi now examined1 at his leisure1 the records engraven upon the plates of brass1 and found that they contained the five books of ,moses1 and also a record of the ,jews from the beginning even down to the commencement of the reign of ,zedekiah1 and also many prophecies spoken by the mouth of ,jeremiah4 ,he also found a genealogy of his fathers1 from which he learned that he was a descendant of ,joseph4 ,here ,i cannot but remark that it is astonishing that he had not found out before this to what tribe he belonged2 and it is not a little remarkable that as the sons of ,joseph1 ,ephraim1 and ,manassah1 were appointed to represent two tribes1 in the place of ,joseph and ,levi1 he had not told us from which of these descendants he sprang4 ,we were all along at a loss to know what sort of officer ,laban was1 but here we are told at this stage of the narrative3 ,thus my father ,lehi did discover the genealogy of his fathers4 ,and ,laban also was a descendant of ,joseph1 wherefore he and his fathers kept the records4 ,this seems to us quite a non sequitur4 ,but to proceed4 ,upon obtaining these plates of brass1 ,lehi began to be filled with the spirit1 and to prophecy concerning his seed2 that these plates of brass should go forth unto all nations1 kindreds1 tongues1 and people1 which were of his seed4 ,wherefore1 he said that these plates of brass should never perish2 neither should they be dimmed any more by time4 ,soon after this ,nephi had a very wonderful vision1 which he told to his two sons1 by way of warning the two elder1 ,laman and ,lemuel1 of whom he had great fears--as they were disposed to be unbelieving and rebellious4 ,this vision presented an allegorical representation4 ,lehi declared that he saw a man dressed in a white robe1 who came and stood before him1 and then bade him follow him4 ,he did so4 ,the white robed guide led him through a long1 dark1 and dreary waste4 ,after travelling on for many hours in darkness he began to pray unto the ,lord2 and the ,lord then led him into a large1 spacious field1 in the midst of which he saw a tree whose fruit was desirable to make one happy4 ,he partook of this fruit1 which was intensely white1 exceeding all the whiteness he had ever seen4 ,as soon as he had partaken of the fruit1 his soul was filled with exceeding great joy4 ,this led him to wish that his family should come and partake of the same4 ,while looking around to see if he could discover his family1 he beheld a river of water1 which ran along near the tree of whose fruit he had been partaking4 ,at a short distance he beheld the head of this stream1 and near it his wife and two younger sons1 and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go3 and he called out unto them with a loud voice to approach the tree and partake the fruit thereof1 and they came4 ,and then his anxieties were awake for his two elder sons1 whom at length he discovered in the distance1 near the head of the stream1 but he could not induce them to come to him or approach the tree4 ,and then he beheld a rod of iron extending along the bank of the river1 leading to the tree by which he stood3 and also a straight and narrow path1 which came along by the rod of iron to the tree4 ,and it also led by the head of the fountain1 unto a large and spacious field1 as if it had been a world1 and he saw numberless concourses of people3 many of whom were pressing forwards1 that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by which he stood4 ,as soon as those who were advancing entered this narrow path they encountered an exceeding great mist of darkness1 so that many lost their way1 while others caught hold of the end of the rod of iron1 and pressed forward through the mist1 clinging to the rod1 and following it until they came into the light amid which the tree stood1 and partook of its fruit4 ,the persons who thus approached the tree1 after they had partaken of the fruit1 looked around and some of them seemed ashamed4 ,lehi also cast his eyes round about1 and beheld on the other side of the river of water1 a great and spacious building3 and it stood as it were in the air3 and it was filled with people both old and young1 both male and female2 and their manner of dress was exceeding fine2 and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those which had come at1 and were partaking of the fruit4 ,this was what caused some who had come to the tree to be filled with shame1 and to fall away4 ,he saw continual multitudes pressing forward towards the tree1 and others towards the great1 and spacious building4 ,with all his persuasion ,lehi could not induce his two eldest sons to come and partake of the fruit of the tree1 therefore he had great fears in relation to them4 ,after relating this vision1 ,lehi began to prophecy in relation to the ,saviour1 and told very distinctly what is related in the ,new ,testament about him4 ,nephi1 however1 became very anxious to see the tree of which his father had told1 and at length he was gratified4 ,the same vision was repeated to him1 and he obtained also from the spirit of the ,lord the interpretation thereof4 ,the spirit commanded him to look4 ,he did so1 and first he beheld ,jerusalem--then ,nazareth--and in the city of ,nazareth1 a virgin exceeding fair and white4 ,and then he saw the heavens open1 and an angel came down1 and stood before him1 and said1 the virgin which thou seest1 is the mother of ,god1 after the manner of the flesh4 ,she was carried away in the spirit1 and after awhile she returned bearing a child in her arms1 and the angel said to him1 ,behold the ,lamb of ,god1 yea even the eternal ,father6 ,knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw8 ,and ,i answered him1 saying3 ,yea1 it is the love of ,god4 ,afterwards he looked and saw the son of ,god going forth among the children of men4 ,he then saw in succession all the miracles of ,christ--all the events of his life--the scenes that followed his crucifixion--and the whole history of the ,christian ,church up to the present time--beyond which the deponent ,nephi sayeth not4 ,the tree was the love of ,god in ,christ--the rod of iron leading to it was the word of ,god--the mist and darkness1 that blinded the eyes of those going to the tree1 were the temptations of the devil--the large and spacious building was the pride and vain imaginations of the children of men4 ,after this protracted vision1 ,nephi returned to the tent of his father1 and found his brethren disputing about the allegorical sense of the vision of their father ,lehi4 ,he of course was now prepared to enlighten them4 ,they asked him what meaneth the river of water which our father saw8 and he replied1 ,the water was filthiness4 ,so much was my father's mind swallowed up in other things1 that he beheld not the filthiness of the water1 and ,i said unto them1 that it was an awful gulf which separateth the wicked from the tree of life1 and also from the saints of ,god--a representation of hell4 ,i have neglected to mention that previous to ,lehi's vision1 ,nephi and his brethren were commissioned to go up to ,jerusalem the second time1 to persuade ,ishmael and his five daughters to join his father in the wilderness4 ,the fifth chapter opens with a tender scene1 in which ,nephi and his brethren are married to the daughters of ,ishmael4 ,immediately after1 ,lehi received a command to strike his tent and journey on into the wilderness4 ,and when he arose the next morning and went forth to the tent door1 to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship1 and it was of fine brass4 ,and within the ball were two spindles2 and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness4 ,they travelled on for the space of four days nearly a south east direction4 ,various trials occurred in their journey4 ,the elder brothers uniformly murmured1 and ,nephi was uniformly submissive4 ,when in extremity the brass ball was their guide1 pointing out the way1 and exhibiting1 inscribed on its sides1 the various intelligence they needed visible at proper times4 ,ishmael died in the wilderness1 where they sojourned for the space of eight years4 ,at length they pitched their tents by the sea shore4 ,here ,nephi was called to ascend a high mountain4 ,there the ,lord met him1 and commanded him to construct a ship to carry his people across the waters to the promised land4 ,he commenced the construction of this ship in the face of much opposition1 and of many difficulties1 being quite ignorant of the art of ship-building1 and his brethren at the same time ridiculing and opposing him4 ,but the ,lord helped him1 so that ultimately his brethren not only desisted from their opposition1 but united in assisting him to complete it2 and then they embarked with all their stock of seeds1 animals1 and provisions4 ,during the voyage ,nephi's elder brothers began again to be rebellious4 ,they bound him with cords1 and treated him with great cruelty4 ,they1 however1 soon encountered a terrible gale1 and were driven back from their course4 ,the brazen ball which had miraculously guided them through the wilderness1 and which was now a compass to steer by1 ceased to work1 and they were in the most awful peril4 ,for a long time their fate seemed suspended1 and their destiny doubtful2 but the power of ,god at length softened the hearts of ,laman and ,lemuel1 who released ,nephi from his confinement1 and then again every thing went on smoothly1 and they soon reached the land of promise1 which of course was ,america1 where they found beasts of every kind in the forest1 both the cow1 and the ox1 and the ass1 and the horse1 and the goat1 and the wild goat1 and all manner of wild animals for the use of men4 ,and all manner of ore1 both of gold and silver1 and copper4 ,nephi by the command of the ,lord made metallic plates soon after his arrival in ,america of this ore1 on which he recorded their peregrinations1 adventures1 and all the prophecies which ,god gave him concerning the future destinies of his people and the human race4 ,these plates were to be kept for the instruction of the people of the land1 and for other purposes known to the ,lord4 ,the second book of ,nephi consists of fifteen chapters4 ,it opens with an account of ,lehi's death1 who1 previous to his decease1 calls all his children around him and their descendants1 and reminds them of ,god's goodness in having brought them to the promised land1 and gives each a patriarchal blessing1 uttering sundry predictions in reference to their future destinies4 ,after the death of ,lehi1 ,laman and ,lemuel undertook to destroy ,nephi1 who thereupon fled into the wilderness1 taking along with him his own family1 his brother ,sam1 and his younger brothers1 ,jacob and ,joseph1 who were born after his father went out from ,jerusalem1 and their families4 ,he also took along with him the plates of brass1 and the ball that guided them in their former wanderings in the wilderness by the ,red ,sea1 and was their compass to steer by across the ocean4 ,being thus separated they became the heads of separate tribes4 ,the ,nephites soon grew into a numerous people1 and built a temple like unto ,solomon's4 ,they1 like their father ,nephite1 for many generations were good christians1 hundreds of years before ,christ was born1 practising baptism and other christian usages4 ,nephi here accounts for the color of the aborigines4 ,it was the curse of ,god upon the descendants of his elder brothers on account of their disobedience4 ,wherefore as they were white1 and exceeding fair and delightsome1 that they might not be enticing unto my people1 therefore the ,lord ,god did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them4 ,a curse was also pronounced upon intermarriages with them4 ,nephi also declares that on account of the curse of ,god upon them they did become an idle people1 full of mischief and subtlety1 and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey4 ,in this book is also introduced the words of ,jacob1 the brother of ,nephi1 which he spake unto the people of ,nephi4 ,he predicts the coming of ,christ1 and the return of the ,jews from dispersion upon embracing the gospel4 ,nephi then takes up the subject1 and transcribes several chapters from ,isaiah by way of corroboration4 ,this is followed by a long harangue1 setting forth all the peculiar theology of the ,new ,testament4 ,he then predicts the appearance of a great prophet1 and a marvellous book which he shall bring to light4 ,the book of course is the golden ,bible1 and the prophet ,jo ,smith4 ,wherefore1 continues he1 at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom ,i have spoken1 the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world1 that the eyes of none shall behold it1 save it be that three witnesses shall behold it by the power of ,god1 besides him to whom the book shall be delivered3 and they shall testify to the truth of the book1 and the things therein4 ,this would seem to be directly in the teeth of what actually happened1 for as we have seen in a former number there were eight other witnesses besides the three1 who declared that they saw these mysterious plates4 ,to elude this difficulty a saving clause is thrown into this chapter to this effect4 ,and there is none other which shall view it1 save it be a few1 according to the will of ,god1 to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men4 ,the reason is also here assigned why the plates are not spread before the learned--it is to teach them humility6 ,an unlearned man is chosen to transcribe the hieroglyphics1 or words of the book1 that the learned may read them4 ,the learned refuse to read the hieroglyphics1 unless they can see the plates whence they are taken4 ,this ,god will not permit4 ,he has no need of learned men4 ,he is able to do his own work4 ,he will therefore make use of the unlearned to bring these hidden things to light4 ,the prophet1 though an unlearned man1 will be competent through the power of ,god1 not only to transcribe but to translate the book4 ,nephi discards altogether the idea that our present revelation is complete1 or that our sacred books contain the whole canon of ,scripture4 ,he predicts that the ,book of ,mormon will meet with opposition1--that many of the ,gentiles would say upon its appearance1--,a ,bible1 a ,bible1 we have got a ,bible1 and there cannot be any more ,bible4 ,thou fool1 that shall say1 a ,bible1 we have got a ,bible1 and we need no more ,bible4 ,have ye obtained a ,bible save it were by the ,jews8 ,know ye not that there are more nations than one8 ,know ye not that ,i1 the ,lord your ,god have created all men1 and that ,i remember they which are upon the isles of the sea2 and that ,i rule in the heavens above1 and in the earth beneath2 and ,i bring forth my word unto the children of men1 yea even upon all the nations of the earth8 ,wherefore murmur ye1 because that ye shall receive more of my word8 ,know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that ,i am ,god1 that ,i remember one nation like unto another8 ,wherefore ,i speak the same words unto one nation like unto another4 ,and when the two nations shall run together1 the testimony of the two nations shall run together also4 ,and ,i do this that ,i may prove unto many that ,i am the same yesterday to-day and forever1 and that ,i speak forth my words according to my own pleasure4 ,and because that ,i have spoken one word1 ye need not suppose that ,i cannot speak another2 for my work is not yet finished1 neither shall it be until the end of man2 neither from that time henceforth and forever4 ,wherefore because ye have a ,bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words2 neither need ye to suppose that ,i have not caused more to be written2 for ,i command all men both in the east and in the west1 and in the north and in the south1 and in the ,islands of the sea1 that they shall write those words ,i speak unto them4 ,behold ,i shall speak unto the ,jews and they shall write it1--unto the ,nephites1 and they shall write it1--unto the other tribes of the house of ,israel which ,i have led away1 and they shall write it2 and unto all the nations of the earth and they shall write it4 ,and the ,jews shall have the words of the ,nephites1 and the ,nephites the words of the ,jews4 ,and the ,nephites and the ,jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of ,israel1 c4 ,this we consider one of the most pernicious features of this ,,historical ,,romance1--that it claims for itself an entire equality in point of divine authority with the sacred canon4 ,it is not only calculated to deceive and delude the credulous1 and marvel loving1 but to strengthen the cause of infidelity4 ,the only remaining thing worthy of note in this second ,book of ,nephi1 is the prediction of the ultimate conversion of the ,indians1 who are a part of the lost tribes of ,israel1 or descendants of ,nephi1 to ,christianity1 through the influence of ,mormonism1 and that soon after this event they would change their colour1 and become a white and delightsome people4 ,the period occupied by the events related in this ,book of ,nephi1 is fifty five years4 ,the next book in course is the ,book of ,jacob1 one of the younger brothers of ,nephi2 which contains five chapters4 ,this book gives an account of the ordaining of ,jacob by ,nephi1 to be priest over the people1 and the particulars of ,nephi's death4 ,it also relates the circumstance of ,jacob's confounding a man who rose up among them and sought to overthrow the doctrine of ,christ2 and contains a specimen of ,jacob's preaching4 ,one of the arguments by which he endeavoured to reclaim the ,nephites from certain prevailing sins1 was that if they did not repent1 the curse of ,god would light upon them and they would become as dark coloured as the ,lamanites4 ,sundry efforts were made by the benevolent ,nephites to reclaim and restore the ,lamanites to the knowledge of the truth4 ,but it was all to no purpose4 ,they continued to delight in wars and bloodshed1 and cherished an eternal hatred against their brethren4 ,to ward off their incursions1 the people of ,nephi had to fortify and protect their land with a strong military force4 ,jacob1 who had brought up his son ,enos in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord1 when he saw his own decease approaching1 gave him the plates and left him successor in office over the people of ,nephi4 ,the ,book of ,enos is short1 as is also the two following books of ,jarom and ,omni1 containing little except an account of the transmission of the plates from one generation to another till the time of king ,benjamin1 about #cbj years after the flight of ,lehi from ,jerusalem4 ,during the latter part of this period1 many wars took place between the people of ,nephi and the ,lamanites2 so that ,mosiah1 then king1 was warned to emigrate into a new region1 or district of the wilderness--into a land called ,zarahemla4 ,after reaching there they discovered that the people of ,zarahemla were also ,jews who came from ,jerusalem at the time that ,zedekiah1 king of ,judah1 was carried away captive into ,babylon1 and that they were also brought by the hand of the ,lord across the great waters4 ,the ,lamanites at this period are described as a wild1 ferocious1 and blood-thirsty people1 wandering about in the wilderness with a short skin girded about their loins1 and their heads shaven1 and their skill was in the bow and the scimitar and the axe4 ,and many of them did eat nothing save it was raw meat4 ,but ,i must stop4 ,i fear the reader is already wearied with these foolish vagaries of the imagination1 which the ,mormon prophet palms off upon his followers as the revelation of the ,most ,high4 ,to redeem our pledge in giving an analysis of the ,book of ,mormon1 we shall be obliged to occupy another chapter with these details4 ,if the reader cannot make up his mind to follow us1 he can skip over the next chapter4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,,analysis ,,of ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon ,,continued4 ,the question has been frequently asked1 why the sect whose history we have been attempting to sketch1 are called ,mormons8 ,the answer to this question will be readily suggested to any one who has patience to wade through ,mr4 ,spaulding's historical romance4 ,from the account that we have already given of the ,book of ,mormon we are led to see the mode by which it is pretended that the records of one generation of the ,nephites were transmitted to another1 and how the history of each preceding age was preserved4 ,these records were engraven upon plates1 and the plates1 handed down from one prophet to another1 or from one king to another1 or from one judge to another--the ,lord always having raised up some one to receive these plates1 when the person in whose hands they had been previously placed was about to die4 ,mormon1 who lived about four hundred years after the coming of ,christ1 while yet a child received a command in relation to these sacred deposites4 ,the metallic plates which contained the record of all the generations of his fathers1 from the flight of ,lehi from ,jerusalem to his own time1 ultimately came into his hands4 ,from these plates he made an abriged record1 which1 taken together1 in connection with the record of his own times1 constitutes the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon4 ,thus we see why the book bears this title4 ,for ,mormon was a sort of ,ezra1 who compiled the entire sacred canon contained in this volume4 ,he lived at a very eventful period1 when almost all his people had fallen into a fearful apostacy1 and he lived to see them all destroyed1 except twenty-four persons4 ,himself and these sole survivors of his race were afterwards cut off with a single exception4 ,his son ,moroni1 one of the survivors1 lived to tell the mournful tale1 and deposite the plates under the hill where ,jo ,smith found them4 ,mormon took his name from a place where the first ,american church was founded1 of which we shall hear directly1 and where the first candidates for admission into the church were baptized1 some two hundred years before the commencement of the ,christian era4 ,he was very distinguished in his way1 and quite worthy to be the founder of this new sect1 who have brought to light his records1 and rescued from oblivion such a bundle of marvels1 as no one ever heard the like before4 ,i am sorry to say ,i must ask you to follow me through a labyrinth of history1 if ,i carry out the plan of furnishing an analysis of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,we have already traced the history of the ,lamanites and ,nephites down to the period of ,king ,benjamin1 between three and four hundred years from the period of ,lehi's flight from ,jerusalem4 ,the father of ,benjamin was ,mosiah1 who was warned of the ,lord to migrate to ,zarahemla with all his people1 that he and they might not be destroyed by the ,lamanites4 ,zarahemla was subsequently the scene of much that is interesting in this history4 ,it now became the dwelling place of the ,nephites4 ,benjamin was the king of the land4 ,he was a sort of ,david4 ,he not only fought nobly1 but took great pains to establish true religion among the people4 ,he assembled them together1 and addressed to them powerful exhortations1 preaching to them repentance and faith on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,the people were so much affected that they fell to the earth--were converted1 and became firm believers in ,christ4 ,benjamin then thoroughly instructed them in the doctrines of ,christianity1 and finally died about four hundred and seventy six years after ,lehi's flight4 ,his son1 ,mosiah1 reigned in his stead1 who was no less eminent in kingly power and righteousness than his father4 ,all these facts are given us in what is termed the ,book of ,mosiah1 which contains thirteen chapters4 ,in the fifth chapter we have quite an episode introduced4 ,as we have before noticed1 the ,nephites had left their first residence and gone to dwell in the land of ,zarahemla4--,some of their number1 however1 desired to go back to the land where they formerly dwelt4 ,the first party that went out for this purpose were unsuccessful1 having had much dissension among themselves4 ,the second attempt1 made under a leader by the name of ,zeniff1 resulted in their making a settlement in that land1 and building a city called ,lehi-,nephi4 ,no intercourse1 however1 having been kept up by this colony with their parent country1 the result of their enterprise remained unknown in ,zarahemla4 ,in the reign of ,mosiah1 however1 a number of individuals determined to go out on an exploring excursion1 and to ascertain what had been the fate of their brethren1 who had thus gone up to the land of ,nephi4 ,the leader of this exploring party was ,ammon1 a man that afterwards became famous among the ,nephites4 ,this party travelled a long way through the wilderness4 ,i suppose the wilderness1 as the term is used in the book of ,mormon in reference to ,america1 means woods or forests4 ,at length they approached the land of ,shilom and ,nephi4 ,they had not proceeded far before an armed band fell upon them1 and having taken them prisoners1 bound them and brought them before the king of the land4 ,his name was ,limhi1 and1 as it appeared in the sequel1 he was a descendant of ,zeniff4 ,as soon as ,limhi learned ,ammon's origin and the errand on which he came1 he released him and his company from their bands1 treated them with great hospitality1 and invoked his and his country's aid to assist them in extricating themselves from the oppressive power of the ,lamanites4 ,limhi also assembled his people together1 and announced to them the character of these visiters4 ,he then brought out the records of his people1 and exhibited them to ,ammon and his company4 ,ammon read the engravings upon the plates1 which in substance were as follows3--,zeniff1 the founder of this people1 after leaving ,zarahemla1 travelled a long way through the wilderness1 where he encountered various trials1 and at length came to the land of ,lehi-,nephi and ,shilom4 ,they found this country in possession of the ,lamanites4 ,from the king of ,laman1 however1 he obtained by treaty the privilege of occupying this land4 ,the ,lamanites1 the old enemies of his nation1 allowed his people to go on and build cities1 and make improvements for many years1 and then rose up and sought to bring them under their dominion1 that they might bear the relation of serfs or vassals to them4 ,this attempt was rigorously resisted by ,zeniff and the colony he had established4 ,during the whole life of ,zeniff1 who now became their king1 the ,lamanites were invariably repulsed1 and driven off4 ,after his death the kingdom was conferred upon his son ,noah1 who proved to be a very bad and depraved man4 ,iniquity soon began to abound every where in the land1 and vice to stalk shamelessly abroad with brazen front4 ,just at this time the ,lord raised up among them a prophet by the name of ,abinadi4 ,he was very valiant for the truth4 ,he reproved the people for their sins1 and denounced the judgments of ,god openly against them4 ,this fearless denunciation on the part of the prophet awaked the displeasure of the people1 who determined and sought to slay the man of ,god4 ,but ,abinadi fled and escaped out of their hands4 ,after about two years1 however1 he returned in disguise1 so that they did not know that it was ,abinadi4 ,but as he continued to reprove them1 and denounce heaven's wrath against them they determined to kill him4 ,he however was not at all intimidated1 but enforced his bold reproofs by repeating to them each one of the commands contained in the decalogue4 ,this exasperated them the more1 and they sought to destroy him at once2 but he defied their efforts1 declaring to them they could have no power over him till he had finished his message4 ,accordingly he went on1 and preached unto them the coming of ,christ1 exhibiting the whole plan of salvation as laid down in the gospel4 ,his preaching seemed to make some impression upon the mind of the king1 but the priests of the land1 who were wicked and who derided the idea of the coming of ,christ--succeeded in getting him put to death4 ,he was accordingly led forth and burned at the stake4 ,among those who were present1 and heard ,abinadi testify in reference to the coming and power of ,christ1 was a young man by the name of ,alma1 whose heart was touched by the words of the prophet4 ,though ,abinadi perished in the flames1 his spirit lived in ,alma1 who now became not only a firm believer1 but a preacher of the doctrines which ,abinadi taught4 ,he1 of course1 became obnoxious both to the king and priests of ,lehi-,nephi4--,he1 however1 persevered in preaching1 though he was obliged to do it in a private way4 ,his preaching was attended with great effect4 ,and now it was1 that those who believed on him resorted to a place called ,,mormon for baptism4 ,the record thus states the matter4 ,as many as did believe him1 did go forth to a place which was called ,mormon1 having received its name from the king1 being in the borders of the land1 having been infested1 by times1 or at seasons1 by wild beasts4 ,now there was in ,mormon a fountain of pure water1 and ,alma resorted thither1 there being near the water a thicket of small trees1 where he did hide himself in the day-time from the searches of the king4 ,here the people came secretly to hear him4 ,and ,alma instructed them in the doctrines of ,christ1 and baptized them by immersion in the waters of ,mormon4 ,about two hundred and four souls were thus baptized4 ,the record having recounted these facts1 proceeds to say1 ,this was done in ,mormon3 yea1 by the waters of ,mormon2 yea1 the place of ,mormon1 the waters of ,mormon1 how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their ,redeemer2 yea1 how blessed are they1 for they shall sing to his praise for ever4 ,it was from this place1 and these waters1 that the individual took his name1 from whom the sect of the ,mormons derives their appellation4 ,alma and his operations at ,mormon1 however1 soon became known1 and created a great sensation4 ,he and his followers were denounced as rebels1 and a military force was sent out to cut them off4 ,they had now increased to nearly five hundred souls4 ,apprized of the designs of ,king ,noah1 they immediately fled into the wilderness4 ,the ,lord did not allow the wickedness of the people of ,lehi-,nephi to go unpunished4 ,the ,lamanites soon came upon them1 and reduced them to a state of vassalage4--,they were still allowed1 however1 to keep up the shadow of a government1 and ,limhi succeeded ,noah in the kingdom4 ,they were not only made tributary to the ,lamanites1 but repeated efforts were made on the part of the ,lamanites to cut them off1 and this led them to be always in a warlike posture4 ,they were also exposed to assaults continually from a banditti that at times came up from the wilderness1 and fell upon them4 ,when ,ammon and his party were seized by the armed forces of ,limhi they were supposed to be one of these marauding bands4 ,this explains the cause of the treatment which they at first received4 ,limhi1 having thus explained matters to ,ammon1 proceeded to tell him that a short time before1 a small party1 having been sent out by him to search for the land of ,zarahemla1 missed the object of their search1 but stumbled upon a country1 filled with the ruins of ancient buildings1 the remains of decayed and rust-cankered armour1 and the bones of men and beasts4 ,here1 also1 were found the records of this extinct race1 engraven upon plates of ore4 ,these plates1 which were twenty-four in number1 and of pure gold1 they brought away with them1 but the writing was in a language which neither ,limhi nor any of his people understood4 ,they applied therefore1 to ,ammon to see if he could translate it1 but he could not4 ,ammon1 however1 told them that he knew one who could interpret these engravings1 even the king of the people which is in the land of ,zarahemla4 ,he remarked1 he hath wherewith he can look and translate all records that are of ancient date1 and it is a gift from ,god4 ,and the things are called interpreters2 and no man can look in them except he be commanded1 lest he should look for that he had not ought1 and he should perish4 ,i suppose these must have been the spectacles handed down with the plates through which ,joseph ,smith looked to read and translate the book of ,mormon4 ,ammon1 in his discourse to ,limhi1 greatly magnified the office of such a looker3 whosoever is commanded to look in them1 the same is called seer4 ,a seer is a revelator1 and a prophet also4 ,a seer can know of things which has past1 and also of things which is to come3 and a gift which is greater can no man have4 ,the preceding quotation will give an idea of the grammatical correctness and style of this book4 ,limhi of course was very happy at the idea of having the historic facts veiled under these mysterious characters1 constituting the written language of an extinct race1 brought to light4 ,in this he was gratified1 as we shall subsequently see4 ,but the great matter1 which just at this time weighed most upon ,limhi's mind1 was1 how he could extricate himself from the iron meshes of the net which the ,lamanites had cast over his people4 ,ammon1 however1 devised an expedient1 by which the whole people could flee secretly from ,lehi-,nephi4 ,they watched the opportunity and took their flight and found a secure asylum in ,zarahemla1 where they were received by ,mosiah with joy1 who also received their records1 and the record which they had found in the country of the extinct people before noticed4 ,here this episode should end4 ,but appended to this is a sub-episode in relation to the people1 which were driven into the wilderness by the people of king ,noah4--,the followers of ,alma1 who were organized into a church at ,mormon1 and fled for their lives1 travelled eight days through the dense forests1 till at length they came to a very beautiful and pleasant country4 ,here they pitched their tents1 and began to till the ground and erect buildings4 ,they offered to make ,alma their king1 but he declined the honour1 and dissuaded them from the idea of having a kingly government4 ,he was already the founder of their ,church1 and filled among them the office of high priest4 ,no irregularities were allowed in ecclesiastical discipline1 as we are expressly informed that none received authority to preach1 or to teach except it were by him from ,god4 ,therefore he consecrated all their priests and all their teachers4 ,the deep secluded glen which they inhabited was at length discovered by the roving tribes of the ,lamanites1 who immediately subjected them to a bondage that was peculiarly oppressive4 ,they soon contrived1 however1 to escape from their hands1 and fled to the land of ,zarahemla1 which was now becoming a refuge for the oppressed4 ,they were there kindly received by ,mosiah1 shortly after the arrival of ,limhi and his people4 ,thus ends this episode4 ,all the people of ,nephi were now assembled together1 and also the people of ,limhi and ,alma1 and in their hearing ,mosiah read the records both of ,zeniff and of ,alma2 and the ,nephites were filled with amazement and joy4--,alma was called out to address the mighty concourse of these gathered tribes4 ,king ,limhi and all his people at once became converts to the doctrines of ,alma1 and desired baptism4 ,and we are told3 ,that ,alma did go forth into the water1 and did baptize them2 yea1 he did baptize them after the manner he did his brethren in the waters of ,mormon2 yea1 and as many as he did baptize1 did belong to the church of ,god2 and this because of their belief on the words of ,alma4 ,and it came to pass that king ,mosiah granted unto ,alma that he might establish churches throughout all the land of ,zarahemla2 and gave him power to ordain priests and teachers over every church4 ,now this was done because there was so many people that they could not all be governed by one teacher2 neither could they all hear the word of ,god in one assembly2 therefore they did assemble themselves together in different bodies1 being called churches1 every church having their priests and their teachers1 and every priest preaching the word according as it was delivered to him by the mouth of ,alma2 and thus notwithstanding their being many churches they were all one church2 yea1 even ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,god66 ,the people had generally1 especially those who had lived in the land of king ,benjamin1 become very pious ,christians4 ,but many of the children1 who were now growing up to man's estate1 being still unregenerate1 were full of unbelief2 and some of them became awfully depraved4 ,among the number were the sons of the king1 and also a son of ,alma1 who bore the name of his father4 ,they were not only profligate in their lives1 but bitter and scoffing infidels4 ,while this young ,alma1 like ,saul of ,tarsus was laying waste the church of ,god1 an angel of ,god appeared to him by the way1 and descending in a cloud spoke to him in a voice of thunder which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood4 ,he instantly fell to the earth1 being struck dumb and entirely senseless4 ,he continued in this state for two days and two nights and then rose up a perfectly changed and converted man1 and became a most zealous preacher of righteousness4 ,four of the sons of ,mosiah were also converted1 and became preachers4 ,these sons of the king were so zealous1 that they embraced the idea of going on a mission to see if they could not convert the ,lamanites4 ,the plan having been approved by their father1 they set off4 ,we shall in due time hear what was the result of their efforts4 ,but years passed away without any intelligence being received of them4 ,their father was growing old1 and he had no one on whom to confer the kingdom4 ,he therefore committed the records of his people for transmission to young ,alma1 who had now become so pious4 ,he did not do this however1 till he had translated the records of the extinct nation found by the people of ,limhi1 engraven upon twenty-four plates of gold4 ,these records form what is called the book of ,ether1 in the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon1 which is placed by ,mormon nearly at the end of this volume4 ,the substance of this record is as follows3 ,the people who inhabited these regions1 were descendants of ,jared and his brother1 who were among those that were engaged in building the tower of ,babel4 ,when ,jared and his brother saw that ,god was confounding the language of all the builders1 they cried unto him that he would have compassion on them and not confound their language4 ,he did so4 ,they also besought him to show them into what part of the earth he would have them go4 ,he gave them a satisfactory response1 guided them a long way through the wilderness1 and instructed them to build barges to cross the sea4 ,these were made air tight4 ,a breathing hole was made in the top4 ,to dissipate the darkness1 they were instructed to obtain sixteen molten stones1 which were touched by the finger of ,god1 and thus these molten stones became in the dark barges like so many stars to enlighten the passengers4 ,they embarked in these barges and were miraculously conducted over mountain waves to the promised land--which was ,america4 ,here they became mighty nations--built cities--cultivated the arts--and finally on account of their wickedness became exterminated by dreadful wars between themselves4 ,the following description is the account given of ,mosiah's mode of translating these records3 ,he translated them by the means of those two stones which was fastened into two rims of a bow4 ,now these things was prepared from the beginning1 and was handed down from generation to generation for the purpose of interpreting languages2 and they have been kept and preserved by the hand of the ,lord2 and whosoever has these things is called seer4--,the same spectacles1 as we have seen1 came down as an heir loom to ,jo ,smith4 ,we have now reached the five hundred and ninth year after the flight of ,lehi4 ,here the book of ,mosiah ends giving an account of the termination of the reign of the kings1 and the commencement of a sort of republican government1 or what is called the reign of the judges4--,this change was brought about because none of the sons of ,mosiah would accept the kingdom4 ,alma was made the first chief judge4 ,the book of ,alma here follows1 which contains twenty-nine chapters1 and occupies nearly two hundred pages of the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon4 ,it is principally filled with details of the events that happened under the reign of the early judges of the wars and contentions among the people1 of the efforts of ,alma and others to establish the church1 and an account of a war between the ,nephites and the ,lamanites4 ,one of the first cases brought before ,alma after he sat upon the judgment-seat1 was that of ,nehor1 a very large man1 and noted for his great strength4 ,he preached strange doctrine to the people1 declaring that every priest and teacher had ought to become popular2 and they ought not to labour with their own hands1 but that they had ought to be supported by the people4 ,this was one of his heresies4 ,the other was the doctrine of the universalists1 he testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day and that they need not fear nor tremble1 but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice2 for the ,lord had created all men1 and had also redeemed all men2 and in the end all men should have eternal life4 ,gideon opposed him1 and thereupon ,nehor became wroth and slew him4 ,he was accordingly brought before the judgment seat and doomed to die4 ,after about five years ,amilici1 a cunning shrewd man1 of similar sentiments with ,nehor1 rose up1 and tried to lead away the people4 ,he at length was so successful that he proposed himself as the king of the nation4 ,the question whether he should be king1 was decided by popular vote1 and he was defeated4 ,his adherents however still clave to him1 and anointed him king1 and immediately hereupon there commenced a civil war4 ,the insurgents were defeated in battle1 and fled to the ,lamanists1 who now came in like an inundation upon ,zarahemla4 ,but the people of ,zarahemla cried unto the ,lord1 and went forth in his strength and utterly defeated them4 ,the grotesque appearance of the ,lamanites at this time is thus described4 ,the heads of the ,lamanites were shorn2 and they were naked1 save it were a skin which was girded about their loins1 and also their armor1 which was girded about them1 and their bows and their armour1 and their stones and their slings4 ,and the skins of the ,lamanites were dark1 according to the mark which was set upon their fathers1 which was a curse upon them because of their transgression1 and their rebellion against their brethren4 ,a season of universal prosperity to the church followed this expulsion of the ,lamanites1 three hundred and fifty persons having been baptized by ,alma during the seventh year of the reign of the judge4 ,at the end of the eighth year there was a sensible decline in spiritual things4 ,so alarming was the state of things1 that ,alma1 who had hitherto held the office of chief judge and high priest1 laid down altogether the ermine1 and took up the crozier1 devoting himself wholly to the business of preaching1 with a view to revive and establish the churches4 ,we have sundry specimens of his sermons1 which show that he was a perfect ,boanerges1 a real son of thunder1 with which few modern preachers1 however versed in the doctrines of ,christianity1 or skilled in the tactics of ,arminian theology1 would venture to compete4 ,great effects attended his preaching generally in the various cities he visited1 but when he reached the city of ,ammonihah he could make no impression upon the minds of the people4 ,he therefore gave them up in despair2 but as he was departing an angel of ,god met him and told him to go back1 and make another effort4 ,he did so1 and ,amulek1 a young man of some distinction1 was converted1 who laboured with him in the ministry4 ,but the lawyers opposed them1 and tried to stir up the people against them4 ,alma1 however1 waxed mighty in spirit1 and confounded1 and perfectly silenced ,zeezrom1 the most distinguished of the lawyers4 ,zeezrom himself was ultimately converted1 and suffered much persecution for his new faith4 ,alma and ,amulek were imprisoned1 abused and every way insulted1 but their prison doors were broken open1 and they delivered in the sight of all the people4 ,among the most prominent topics of ,alma's preaching was the speedy coming of ,christ4 ,he declared he would appear in this land in ,america after his resurrection4 ,before dismissing the subject of ,alma and his preaching1 who is one of the most distinguished characters in the book1 ,i cannot refrain from transcribing a passage from his address to the people of ,ammonihah4 ,and now1 my beloved brethren1 for ye are my brethren1 and ye had ought to be beloved1 and ye had ought to bring forth works which is mete for repentance1 seeing that your hearts have been grossly hardened against the word of ,god1 and seeing that ye are a lost and a fallen people4 ,we have next an episode1 giving an account of the missionary adventures of the sons of ,mosiah1 in their attempts to evangelize the ,lamanites4 ,these four sons most unexpectedly made their appearance in the land of ,zarahemla after an absence of fourteen years4 ,after they first reached the land of the ,lamanites1 they were seized and made slaves in the service of several princes that reigned there4 ,ammon1 whose adventures are related with the most minuteness1 was a perfect ,guy of ,warwick4 ,he could encounter and overcome by his single arm1 hundreds of men1 all trying at the same time to overpower him4 ,he gave a specimen of his prowess in this way1 in protecting the king's flock1 which he was leading to water1 against the efforts of a band of hostile shepherds who tried to scatter and disperse the flock4 ,the fame thereof came to the king4 ,he was called into his presence4 ,this opened the way for him to preach the ,gospel to him4 ,while he was speaking the power of the ,holy ,spirit was displayed in such a way that the king fell to the ground1 and his wife and servants4 ,they were1 of course1 all converted4 ,ammon now became a great man1 and though he encountered much opposition1 and many trials1 he and his brethren succeeded in converting all the ,kings and ,queens1 and most of the people of the ,lamanites4 ,they seem1 generally1 previous to their conversion1 to have had1 what in modern times is called the power4 ,they were most generally struck down under the word1 and after remaining insensible awhile1 they rose up and began to shout praises to the ,most ,high1 being perfectly transformed4 ,these converted people were called ,anti-,nephi-,lehies4 ,soon the more fierce tribes of the ,lamanites who still remained unconverted1 made war upon these2 and as they seem with these new views to have adopted the doctrine of non-resistance1 they were in danger of being exterminated4 ,hence by the suggestion of the four missionaries1 they determined to emigrate to ,zarahemla4 ,they had already reached the border of the land1 and when the king's sons met ,alma1 their principal errand was to ask permission for this people to dwell in the land of the ,nephites4 ,this request was of course granted4 ,alma gave very long lectures or charges to his sons1 and especially to ,helaman1 to whom he committed all the sacred plates1 the interpreters1 and the director which guided ,lehi through the wilderness4 ,to him he also uttered this prediction1 ,behold ,i perceive that this very people1 the ,nephites1 according to the spirit which is in me1 in four hundred years from the time that ,jesus ,christ shall manifest himself unto them1 shall dwindle in unbelief2 yea1 and then shall they see wars1 and pestilences1 yea1 famines and bloodshed1 even until the people of ,nephi shall become extinct4 ,alma1 after uttering this prophecy1 disappeared in the same mysterious way that ,moses did1 and no man knoweth his grave unto this day4 ,at this period all who believed in ,christ took upon them the name of ,christians4 ,various wars now raged between the ,lamanites and ,nephites4 ,the people of ,nephi erected many forts and high mounds to secure themselves from the invasion of their enemies4 ,the ,book of ,helaman1 which consists of five chapters1 opens with the fortieth year of the reign of the ,judges4 ,it details sad accounts of dissensions and war1 and strange alternations of prosperity and adversity to the church4 ,a man by the name of ,nephi1 who was now chief judge1 imitated ,alma1 and laying down his civil office1 became a great preacher and prophet1 performing miracles and mighty wonders4 ,he went even to the ,lamanites1 and was so successful in converting them1 that he arrested the tide of war and restored peace to the land4 ,the earth shook1 the heavens were opened1 and angels came down at his voice4 ,after ,nephi1 rose up ,samuel1 a ,lamanite1 who predicted that ,christ would come in five years1 and that on the day he was born1 though the sun would go down as usual1 there would be no night1 it would continue as light as day4 ,this was to be the sign4 ,another sign to attend his death1 which was to take place in the thirty-fourth year after his birth1 was three whole days of darkness1 in which there were to be thunderings and lightnings1 and earthquakes1 and the rending of rocks and cleaving of hills4 ,according to the testimony in the next book1 at the end of five years the sign of his birth occurred1 two days succeeding each other without any intervening night4 ,the ,nephites1 therefore1 knew that ,christ had come4 ,they accordingly reckoned their time from this period1 regarding it as the commencement of a new era4 ,the ,lamanites that were converted now became white as the ,nephites4 ,at the end of thirty-three years1 the signs that were foretold would accompany the death of ,christ1 appeared4 ,there was a great tempest1 and terrible thunder2 the earth shook1 as though about to divide asunder4 ,vivid lightning ran along on the ground1 cities were overturned and buried in the midst of the sea--a terrible darkness came over the land for three days--and a great mourning and howling and weeping among the people4 ,the voice of ,christ was heard1 amid the awful tempest1 denouncing woes upon sinners1 and offering grace and salvation to all who would repent and believe4 ,after this ,christ made his personal appearance on the earth1 coming down from heaven with great glory4 ,there were several occasions on which he appeared1 at which times he delivered to the assembled thousands all the instruction1 and performed nearly all the miracles recorded in the ,new ,testament1 and then he was again taken up out of their sight4 ,he ordained twelve apostles and gave them singular gifts4 ,he instituted baptism and the ,lord's supper1 blessed the children and healed the sick1 but ,i am obliged to pass over all the details of these1 as this chapter is already so long4 ,now all were baptized in the name of the ,trinity4 ,all the ,nephites1 and nearly all the ,lamanites1 became converted4 ,for about fifty years the earth was almost a perfect paradise4 ,but then the love of many began to wax cold1 and iniquity to abound4 ,terrible wars ensued4 ,the ,nephites apostatized more and more from the faith1 till at the end of four hundred years after ,christ they became entirely destroyed1 and ,mormon1 as we have said1 was one of the last of his race1 who committed the records of this people to his son1 ,moroni1 who deposited them in the hill1 where ,joseph ,smith found them4 ,this is an outline of this historical romance1 which the deluded ,mormons now regard as a revelation from ,god4 ,in this brief sketch we have been obliged to omit many things that attracted our attention2 but ,i suppose that our readers are exceedingly glad we have reached the end1 as the writer certainly is4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,,farther ,,developments ,,in ,,relation ,,to ,,the ,,mormon ,,imposture4 ,since preparing the preceding chapters for the press1 there have come into the author's hands several documents1 that seem to throw additional light upon the origin and authorship of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,these documents consist of statements made by ,mr4 ,john ,spalding1 now residing in ,crawford county1 ,pa41 the brother of ,rev4 ,mr4 ,spalding--by ,mrs4 ,martha ,spalding1 the wife of ,mr4 ,john ,spalding--by four gentlemen1 residing in ,conneaut1 ,ashtabula county1 ,ohio1 the very spot where ,mr4 ,spalding's historical romance was originally written1 and by several others acquainted with the facts in reference to ,mr4 ,spalding's manuscript4 ,from these statements we make the following extracts3 ,mr4 ,john ,spalding1 having given an account of the education of his brother1 his preparation for the ministry1 his subsequent relinquishment of its duties1 and his engagement in mercantile business1 says1 ,in a few years he failed in business1 and1 in the year #ahji1 removed to ,conneaut1 in ,ohio4 ,the year following1 ,i removed to ,ohio1 and found him engaged in building a forge4 ,i made him a visit in about three years after2 and found that he had failed1 and become considerably involved in debt4 ,he then told me he had been writing a book1 which he intended to have printed1 the avails of which he thought would enable him to pay all his debts4 ,the book was entitled the ',manuscript ,found1' of which he read to me many passages4 ,it was an historical romance of the first settlers of ,america1 endeavouring to show that the ,american ,indians are the descendants of the ,jews1 or the lost tribes4 ,it gave a detailed account of their journey from ,jerusalem1 by land and sea1 till they arrived in ,america1 under the command of ,nephi and ,lehi4 ,they afterwards had quarrels and contentions1 and separated into two distinct nations1 one of which he denominated ,nephites and the other ,lamanites4 ,cruel and bloody wars ensued1 in which great multitudes were slain4 ,they buried their dead in large heaps1 which caused the mounds so common in this country4 ,their arts1 sciences and civilization were brought into view1 in order to account for all the curious antiquities1 found in various parts of ,north and ,south ,america4 ,i have recently read the ,book of ,mormon1 and to my great surprise ,i find nearly the same historical matter1 names1 c4 as they were in my brother's writings4 ,i well remember that he wrote in the old style1 and commenced about every sentence with 'and it came to pass1' or 'now it came to pass1' the same as in the ,book of ,mormon1 and according to the best of my recollection and belief1 it is the same as my brother ,solomon wrote1 with the exception of the religious matter4 ,by what means it has fallen into the hands of ,joseph ,smith ,jr41 ,i am unable to determine4 ,mrs4 ,martha ,spalding's testimony is very similar4 ,she says1 ,i was personally acquainted with ,solomon ,spalding1 about twenty years ago4 ,i was at his house a short time before he left ,conneaut2 he was then writing a historical novel founded upon the first settlers of ,america4 ,he represented them as an enlightened and warlike people4 ,he had for many years contended that the aborigines of ,america were the descendants of some of the lost tribes of ,israel1 and this idea he carried out in the book in question4 ,the lapse of time which has intervened1 prevents my recollecting but few of the leading incidents of his writings2 but the names of ,nephi and ,lehi are yet fresh in my memory1 as being the principal heroes of his tale4 ,they were officers of the company which first came off from ,jerusalem4 ,he gave a particular account of their journey by land and sea1 till they arrived in ,america1 after which1 disputes arose between the chiefs1 which caused them to separate into different lands1 one of which was called ,lamanites and the other ,nephites4 ,between these were recounted tremendous battles1 which frequently covered the ground with the slain2 and their being buried in large heaps was the cause of the numerous mounds in the country4 ,some of these people he represented as being very large4 ,i have read the ,book of ,mormon1 which has brought fresh to my recollection the writings of ,solomon ,spalding2 and ,i have no manner of doubt that the historical part of it1 is the same that ,i read and heard read1 more than twenty years ago4 ,mr4 ,henry ,lake1 residing at ,conneaut1 gives the following statement3 ,i left the state of ,new ,york1 late in the year #ahaj1 and arrived at this place1 about the #ast of ,january following4 ,soon after my arrival1 ,i formed a co-partnership with ,solomon ,spalding1 for the purpose of rebuilding a forge which he had commenced a year or two before4 ,he very frequently read to me from a manuscript which he was writing1 which he entitled the ',manuscript ,found1' and which he represented as being found in this town4 ,i spent many hours in hearing him read said writing1 and became well acquainted with its contents4 ,he wished me to assist him in getting his production printed1 alleging that a book of that kind would meet with a rapid sale4 ,i designed doing so1 but the forge not meeting our anticipations1 we failed in business1 when ,i declined having any thing to do with the publication of the book4 ,this book represented the ,american ,indians as the descendants of the lost tribes1 gave an account of their leaving ,jerusalem1 their contentions and wars1 which were many and great4 ,one time1 when he was reading to me the tragic account of ,laban1 ,i pointed out to him what ,i considered an inconsistency1 which he promised to correct2 but by referring to the ,book of ,mormon1 ,i find to my surprise that it stands there just as he read it to me then4 ,some months ago ,i borrowed the ,golden ,bible1 put it into my pocket1 carried it home1 and thought no more of it4 ,about a week after1 my wife found the book in my coat pocket1 as it hung up1 and commenced reading it aloud as ,i lay upon the bed4 ,she had not read twenty minutes till ,i was astonished to find the same passages in it that ,spalding had read to me more than twenty years before1 from his ',manuscript ,found4' ,since that1 ,i have more fully examined the said ,golden ,bible1 and have no hesitation in saying that the historical part of it is principally1 if not wholly taken from the ',manuscript ,found4' ,mr4 ,john ,n4 ,miller1 residing in ,springfield1 ,pa41 who was then in the employ of ,mr4 ,lake1 and boarded in the family of ,mr4 ,spalding1 corroborates the preceding statement4 ,after having mentioned being introduced to the manuscript of ,mr4 ,spalding1 he says1 ,it purported to be the history of the first settlement of ,america1 before discovered by ,columbus4 ,he brought them off from ,jerusalem1 under their leaders2 detailing their travels by land and water1 their manners1 customs1 laws1 wars1 c4 ,i have recently examined the ,book of ,mormon1 and find in it the writings of ,solomon ,spalding1 from beginning to end1 but mixed up with ,scripture and other religious matter1 which ,i did not meet with in the ',manuscript ,found4' ,many of the passages in the ,mormon ,book are verbatim from ,spalding1 and others in part4 ,the names of ,nephi1 ,lehi1 ,moroni1 and in fact all the principal names1 are brought fresh to my recollection1 by the ,golden ,bible4 ,mr4 ,aaron ,wright1 of ,conneaut1 remarks1 ,i first became acquainted with ,solomon ,spalding in #ahjh or #i1 when he commenced building a forge on ,conneaut creek4 ,when at his house1 one day1 he showed and read to me a history he was writing1 of the lost tribes of ,israel1 purporting that they were the first settlers of ,america1 and that the ,indians were their descendants4 ,upon this subject we had frequent conversations4 ,he traced their journey from ,jerusalem to ,america1 as it is given in the ,book of ,mormon1 excepting the religious matter4 ,the historical part of the ,book of ,mormon1 ,i know to be the same as ,i read and heard read from the writings of ,spalding1 more than twenty years ago2 the names more especially are the same without any alteration4 ,he told me his object was to account for all the fortifications1 c4 to be found in this country4 ,mr4 ,oliver ,smith1 of ,conneaut1 gives the following statement3 ,when ,solomon ,spalding first came to this place1 he purchased a tract of land1 surveyed it out and commenced selling it4 ,while engaged in this business1 he boarded at my house1 in all nearly six months4 ,all his leisure hours were occupied in writing a historical novel1 founded upon the first settlers of this country4 ,he said he intended to trace their journey from ,jerusalem1 by land and sea1 till their arrival in ,america1 give an account of their arts1 sciences1 civilization1 wars and contentions4 ,in this way1 he would give a satisfactory account of all of the old mounds1 so common to this country4 ,during the time he was at my house1 ,i read and heard read one hundred pages or more4 ,nephi and ,lehi were by him represented as leading characters1 when they first started for ,america4 ,their main object was to escape the judgments which they supposed were coming upon the old world4 ,but no religious matter was introduced1 as ,i now recollect4 ,when ,i heard the historical part of the ,book of ,mormon related1 ,i at once said it was the writings of old ,solomon ,spalding4 ,soon after1 ,i obtained the book1 and on reading it1 found much of it the same as ,spalding had written1 more than twenty years before4 ,mr4 ,nahum ,howard1 of the same place1 gives a similar statement4 ,we will detain the reader only by a single additional statement4 ,mr4 ,artemas ,cunningham1 of ,perry1 ,geauga county1 relates the following facts3 ,in the month of ,october1 #ahaa1 ,i went from the township of ,madison to ,conneaut1 for the purpose of securing a debt due me from ,solomon ,spalding4 ,i tarried with him nearly two days1 for the purpose of accomplishing my object1 which ,i was finally unable to do4 ,i found him destitute of the means of paying his debts4 ,his only hope of ever paying his debts1 appeared to be upon the sale of a book1 which he had been writing4 ,he endeavoured to convince me from the nature and character of the work1 that it would meet with a ready sale4 ,before showing me his manuscripts1 he went into a verbal relation of its outlines1 saying that it was a fabulous or romantic history of the first settlement of this country1 and as it purported to have been a record found buried in the earth1 or in a cave1 he had adopted the ancient or ,scripture style of writing4 ,he then presented his manuscripts1 when we sat down and spent a good share of the night1 in reading them1 and conversing upon them4 ,i well remember the name of ,nephi1 which appeared to be the principal hero of the story4 ,the frequent repetition of the phrase1 ',i ,nephi1' ,i recollect as distinctly as though it was but yesterday1 although the general features of the story have passed from my memory4 ,the ,mormon ,bible ,i have partially examined1 and am fully of the opinion that ,solomon ,spalding had written its outlines before he left ,conneaut4 ,with such a cloud of witnesses1 commentary seems quite unnecessary4 ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,,organization ,,of ,,the ,,mormons1 ,,and ,,their ,,removal ,,to ,,ohio4 ,steps leading to the ,mormon emigration to the ,west--,conversion of ,parley ,p4 ,pratt--,mission to the ,lamanites--,sidney ,rigdon--,his avowed conversion--,fanatic scenes at ,kirtland--,dr4 ,rosa's letter--,mr4 ,howe's statement--,smith's removal4 ,jo ,smith1 who aspired to the high character of a prophet of ,god1 was far more successful in gathering early disciples than ,mahomet4 ,his own family1 and numerous coadjutors1 being in the secret with himself1 and hoping to build up their fortunes by this scheme1 became very zealous converts to the ,mormon imposture4 ,there was not much ground for ,smith to hope to make converts in the neighbourhood where this fabrication was got up4 ,in addition to his own family1 ,harris1 ,cowdery1 ,whitmer1 and those whom they could personally influence1 a few converts were obtained in the neighbouring towns1 by the marvellous pretensions which the prophet set up4 ,these1 however1 were either mere adventurers1 or the firm believers in ghosts and hobgoblins4 ,soon after the ,book of ,mormon was issued from the press1 a person by the name of ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 passed through ,palmyra1 and hearing of the golden ,bible1 sought an interview with the prophet1 and immediately became a convert4 ,this individual resided in ,lorrain co41 ,ohio1 and was very intimate with ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,rigdon was professedly a ,campbellite ,baptist preacher4 ,he resided in the county of ,geauga1 and but a few miles from ,kirtland1 which afterwards became the head-quarters of the ,mormons4 ,about the time that ,pratt visited the prophet1 and gave in his adhesion to the ,mormons1 an expedition was fitted out for the ,western ,country1 under the command of ,cowdery1 to convert the ,lamanites1 as the western ,indians were called by them4 ,the persons sent on this mission were ,cowdery1 ,pratt1 ,peterson1 and ,whitmer4 ,under the guidance of ,pratt1 they reached the residence of ,rigdon in ,mentor1 ,ohio1 the last of ,october1 #ahcj4--,rigdon at first received them apparently with suspicion1 and objected to the ,mormon scheme1 and the authority of the prophet1 but in the course of two days1 his objections gave way1 and he avowed his conversion to the ,mormon faith4 ,he very soon started off in order to have a personal interview with the prophet4 ,smith of course was prepared to receive him1 and declared there had just been made to him a revelation from the ,lord in relation to this new convert4 ,this pretended heavenly communication uses such language as the following--,behold1 verily1 verily1 ,i say unto my servant ,sidney1 ,i have looked upon thee and thy works2 ,i have heard thy prayers1 and prepared thee for a greater work--thou art blessed for thou shall do great things4 ,behold thou wast sent forth even as ,john to prepare the way before me1 and ,elijah which should come1 and thou knewest it not--thou didst baptize by water unto repentance1 but they received not the ,holy ,ghost2 but now ,i give unto you a commandment1 that thou shalt baptize by water1 and fire of the ,holy ,ghost1 by laying on of hands1 even as the ,apostles of old4 ,there is great reason to believe that this meeting of ,smith and ,rigdon was preconcerted--and that the pretended mission to the ,indians was devised to form a plausible pretext for ,rigdon1 to come out openly in favour of the ,mormons--and thus to conceal more effectually the hand which he might previously have had in concocting this scheme of imposture4 ,certain it is their plans of deception appear to have been more fully matured and developed after the meeting of ,smith and ,rigdon4 ,the latter being found very intimate with the ,scriptures1 a close reasoner1 and as fully competent to make white appear black1 and black white1 as any other man2 and at all times prepared to establish1 to the satisfaction of great numbers of people1 the negative or affirmative1 of any and every question1 from ,scripture1 he was forthwith appointed to promulgate all the absurdities and ridiculous pretensions of ,mormonism1 'and call on the ,holy ,prophets to prove' all the words of ,smith4 ,a revelation was soon received1 that ,kirtland1 the residence of ,rigdon and his brethren1 was to be the eastern border of the 'promised land1' 'and from thence to the ,pacific ,ocean4' ,on this land the ',new ,jerusalem1 the city of ,refuge1' was to be built4 ,upon it1 all true ,mormons were to assemble1 to escape the destruction of the world1 which was soon to take place4 ,those sent on the mission to the ,lamanites having spent some time at ,kirtland1 succeeded in making a number of converts4 ,after ,cowdery and his associates1 began to develope the peculiarities of their system1 we are told that scenes of the most wild1 frantic and horrible fanaticism ensued4 ,they pretended that the power of miracles was about to be given to all those who embraced the new faith1 and commenced communicating the ,holy ,spirit1 by laying their hands upon the heads of the converts1 which operation1 at first1 produced an instantaneous prostration of body and mind4 ,many would fall upon the floor1 where they would lie for a long time1 apparently lifeless4 ,they thus continued these enthusiastic exhibitions for several weeks4 ,the fits usually came on1 during or after their prayer-meetings1 which were held nearly every evening4 ,the young men and women were more particularly subject to this delirium4 ,they would exhibit all the apish acts imaginable1 making the most ridiculous grimaces1 creeping upon their hands and feet1 rolling upon the frozen ground1 go through with all the ,indian modes of warfare1 such as knocking down1 scalping1 c4 ,at other times1 they would run through the fields1 get upon stumps1 preach to imaginary congregations1 enter the water1 and perform all the ceremony of baptizing4 ,many would have fits of speaking all the different ,indian dialects1 which none could understand4 ,again1 at the dead hour of night1 the young men might be seen running over the fields and hills in pursuit1 as they said1 of the balls of fire1 lights1 c41 which they saw moving through the atmosphere4 ,three of the young converts pretended to have received commissions to preach from the skies1 after having first jumpt into the air as high as they could4 ,all these transactions were believed to be from the ,spirit of ,god4 ,they very soon numbered in this region a hundred converts4 ,to these converts ,rigdon1 soon after joining ,smith at ,manchester1 wrote a letter1 disclosing among other things that ,kirtland was to be the seat of empire--and that they were dwelling on their eternal inheritance1 and that the land of promise extended from that place to the ,pacific ocean4 ,the facts above stated are principally taken from a volume entitled ,,mormonism ,,unveiled1 sent the author by a most estimable clergyman of the ,episcopal ,church1 residing at ,ashtabula1 ,ohio1 with the information that this volume is regarded by all candid and respectable people in the neighbourhood of the ,mormon settlement1 as a correct and fair statement of facts4 ,it may tend to throw some new light upon some of the actors in this grand drama of deception to insert a portion of the correspondence that led the clergyman just referred to1 to forward this volume to the author4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,quinan1 who now resides in ,philadelphia1 having formerly lived in the neighbourhood of ,kirtland1 was requested by the author to open a correspondence with some intelligent person in that neighbourhood1 who would be able to give some account of the first emigration of the ,mormons to ,kirtland1 and the line of operations which they had there pursued4 ,mr4 ,quinan's letter was addressed to ,dr4 ,a4 ,hawley4 ,dr4 ,h---- put this letter into the hands of the clergyman above alluded to1 who having obtained the following communication from ,dr4 ,rosa1 forwarded it to the author1 with a postscript of his own appended1 as will be seen in the insertion below4 ,dr4 ,rosa's letter is dated ,painesville1 ,ohio1 ,june #c;d1 #ahda1 from which we make the following extract4 99 99 99 ,i think the history of ,mormonism as published by ,e4 ,d4 ,howe--a copy of which can be obtained in our place--contains all the material truths connected with the rise and progress of that miserable deception4 ,there are occasionally new doctrines introduced and incorporated with their faith1 such as being baptized for the dead4 ,this is a common custom here4 ,when a member is satisfied that his father1 mother1 or brother1 or any other friend is in hell1 he steps forward and offers himself to the church in baptism for that individual1 and when properly baptised the tormented individual will instantaneously emerge from his misery into perfect happiness4 ,there are many such follies which the simple hearted are ready and willing to believe4 ,there is no permanent separation in the society4 ,there were a few seceders a few years since1 some of whom left them entirely1 and became infidels1 and others held to the original purity of the doctrines as they termed it4 ,as to ,martin ,harris--of late ,i have heard but little of him4 ,my acquaintance with him induces me to believe him a monomaniac2 he is a man of great loquacity and very unmeaning1 ready at all times to dispute the ground of his doctrines with any one4 ,he was one of the seceders1 and for a time threatened the ,mormons with exposure1 as ,i have been informed2 but where he is now ,i cannot say4 ,jo ,smith is regarded as an inspired man by all the ,mormons4 ,sidney ,rigdon is at the western settlement2 he embraced the ,mormon religion in the latter part of ,october1 #ahcj4 ,see page #ajb of the book as published by ,e4 ,d4 ,howe1 above referred to4 ,in the early part of the year--either in ,may or ,june--,i was in company with ,sidney ,rigdon1 and rode with him on horseback a few miles4 ,our conversation was principally upon the subject of religion1 as he was at that time a very popular preacher of the denomination calling themselves 'disciples' or ,campbellites4 ,he remarked to me1 that it was time for a new religion to spring up2 that mankind were all rife and ready for it4 ,i thought he alluded to the ,campbellite doctrine--he said it would not be long before something would make its appearance--he also said that he thought of leaving for ,pennsylvania1 and should be absent for some months4 ,i asked him how long--he said it would depend upon circumstances4 ,i began to think a little strange of his remarks1 as he was a minister of the ,gospel4 ,i left ,ohio that fall1 and went to the state of ,new ,york1 to visit my friends1 who lived in ,waterloo--not far from the mine of golden ,bibles4 ,in ,november ,i was informed that my old neighbour1 ,e4 ,partridge1 and the ,rev4 ,sidney ,rigdon were in ,waterloo1 and that they both had become the dupes of ,jo ,smith's necromancies3 it then occurred to me that ,rigdon's new religion had made its appearance1 and when ,i became informed of the ,spalding manuscript ,i was confirmed in the opinion that ,rigdon was at least accessary if not the principal in getting up this farce4 ,any information that ,i can give shall be done cheerfully4 ,respectfully1 your obedient servant1 ,s4 ,,rosa44 ,,rev4 ,,mr4 ,,hall4 ,june #eth1 #ahda4 ,,rev4 ,,john ,a4 ,,clark1 ,d4 ,d4 ,,dear ,,sir3 ,the above letter ,i have obtained in answer to several questions respecting ,mormons and ,mormonism1 transmitted by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,quinan to ,dr4 ,a4 ,hawley1 of this county1 from you4 ,this letter of ,dr4 ,rosa's1 together with the book1 ,mormonism ,unveiled which accompanies it1 ,i send as the best answers to your questions1 and the best expositions of ,mormonism which can be obtained4 ,it is believed by candid and respectable people in the vicinity of the ,mormon ,temple1 that ,mr4 ,howe's book--,mormonism ,unveiled--is very correct4 ,as to the deponents in reference to ,spalding manuscript1 at ,new ,salem 7now ,conneaut71 ,i have been acquainted with them for thirty years 7excepting ,miller71 and believe them to be credible and respectable persons4 ,it is indeed astonishing that so low an imposture should ever have been countenanced at all2 much more so that hundreds of ,english converts should recently have come over to it1 and that four hundred more should now be daily expected to take shipping at ,buffalo1 in order to pass up our ,lakes to join the ,western ,mormons6 ,,john ,,hall1 ,rector of ,st4 ,peter's1 ,ashtabula1 ,ohio4 ,in the conclusion of ,mr4 ,howe's book--referred to in the preceding letter--we were particularly struck with the following statement1 which seems to account perfectly for ,rigdon's easy faith1 and to identify him with this scheme of imposture from its very origin4 ,the reader will recollect that ,mrs4 ,davison states that the manuscript was lent to ,mr4 ,patterson1 the publisher of a newspaper in ,pittsburg1 with whose office ,rigdon was connected4 ,the author of the volume above referred to1 says3--,it was inferred at once that some light might be shed upon this subject1 and the mystery revealed1 by applying to ,patterson ,lambdin1 in ,pittsburg4 ,but here again death had interposed a barrier4 ,that establishment was dissolved and broken up many years since1 and ,lambdin died about eight years ago4 ,mr4 ,patterson says he has no recollection of any such manuscript being brought there for publication1 neither would he have been likely to have seen it1 as the business of printing was conducted wholly by ,lambdin at that time4 ,he says1 however1 that many manuscript books and pamphlets were brought to the office about that time1 which remained upon their shelves for years1 without being printed or even examined4 ,now1 there is the strongest presumption that ,spalding's manuscript1 7or a copy of it7 remained there in seclusion1 till about the year #ahbc or '#bd1 at which time ,sidney ,rigdon located himself in that city4 ,we have been credibly informed that he was on terms of intimacy with ,lambdin1 being seen frequently in his shop4 ,rigdon resided in ,pittsburg about three years1 and during the whole of that time1 as he has since frequently asserted1 abandoned preaching and all other employment1 for the purpose of studying the ,bible4 ,he left there1 and came into the county where he now resides1 about the time ,lambdin died1 and commenced preaching some new points of doctrine1 which were afterwards found to be inculcated in the ,mormon ,bible4 ,he resided in this vicinity about four years previous to the appearance of the book1 during which time he made several long visits to ,pittsburg1 and perhaps to the ,susquehanna1 where ,smith was then digging for money1 or pretending to be translating plates4 ,it may be observed also1 that about the time ,rigdon left ,pittsburg1 the ,smith family began to tell about finding a book that would contain a history of the first inhabitants of ,america1 and that two years had elapsed before they finally got possession of it4 ,we are1 then1 irresistibly led to this conclusion2--that ,lambdin1 after having failed in business1 had recourse to the old manuscripts then in his possession1 in order to raise the wind1 by a book speculation1 and placed the ,manuscript ,found1 of ,spalding1 in the hands of ,rigdon1 to be embellished1 altered1 and added to1 as he might think expedient2 and three years' study of the ,bible we should deem little time enough to garble it1 as it is transferred to the ,mormon book4 ,the former dying1 left the latter the sole proprietor1 who was obliged to resort to his wits1 and in a miraculous way to bring it before the world2 for in no other manner could such a book be published without great sacrifice4 ,and where could a more suitable character be found than ,jo ,smith1 whose necromantic fame and arts of deception1 had already extended to a considerable distance8 ,that ,lambdin was a person every way qualified and fitted for such an enterprise1 we have the testimony of his partner in business1 and others of his acquaintance4 ,add to all these circumstances1 the facts1 that ,rigdon had prepared the minds in a great measure1 of nearly a hundred of those who attended his ministration1 to be in readiness to embrace the first mysterious ism that should be presented--the appearance of ,cowdery at his residence as soon as the ,book was printed--his sudden conversion1 after many pretensions to disbelieve it--his immediately repairing to the residence of ,smith1 three hundred miles distant1 where he was forthwith appointed an elder1 high-priest1 and a scribe to the prophet--the pretended vision that his residence in ,ohio was the promised land1--the immediate removal of the whole ,smith family thither1 where they were soon raised from a state of poverty to comparative affluence4 ,we1 therefore1 must hold out ,sidney ,rigdon to the world as being the original 'author and proprietor' of the whole ,mormon conspiracy1 until further light is elicited upon the lost writings of ,solomon ,spalding4 ,we proceed1 however1 with our narrative4 ,rigdon tarried with ,smith in ,manchester about two months1 receiving revelations1 preaching in that vicinity1 and trying to establish the truth of ,mormonism4 ,but meeting with little success1 he returned to ,kirtland1 being followed in a few days by the prophet and his connections4 ,this happened early in #ahca4 ,from this point in the history of this delusion1 it began to spread with considerable rapidity4 ,nearly all of their male converts1 however ignorant and worthless1 were forthwith transformed into ',elders1' and sent forth to proclaim1 with all their wild enthusiasm1 the wonders and mysteries of ,mormonism4 ,all those having a taste for the marvellous1 and delighting in novelties1 flocked to hear them4 ,many travelled fifty and an hundred miles to the throne of the prophet1 in ,kirtland1 to hear from his own mouth the certainty of his excavating a bible and spectacles4 ,many1 even in the ,new ,england ,states1 after hearing the frantic story of some of these 'elders1' would forthwith place their all into a wagon1 and wend their way to the 'promised land1' in order1 as they supposed1 to escape the judgments of ,heaven1 which were soon to be poured out upon the land4 ,the ,state of ,new ,york1 they were privately told1 would most probably be sunk1 unless the people thereof believed in the pretensions of ,smith4 ,on the arrival of ,smith in ,kirtland1 he appeared astonished at the wild enthusiasm and scalping performances1 of his proselytes there1 as heretofore related4 ,he told them that he had enquired of the ,lord concerning the matter1 and had been informed that it was all the work of the ,devil4 ,the disturbances1 therefore1 ceased4 ,thus we see that the ,devil1 for the time being1 held full sway in making converts to ,mormonism4#e ,we have already stated that ,sidney ,rigdon1 previous to his conversion to the ,mormons1 was a preacher among the ,campbellite ,baptists1 and enjoyed considerable popularity4 ,after his return to ,kirtland1 with his new companions and new faith1 ,elder ,campbell1 the founder of the sect to which he had previously belonged1 sent him a challenge for a public debate1 in which he would undertake to show the foolish absurdities1 shameless pretensions1 and manifest imposture of the whole ,mormon scheme4 ,this challenge1 however1 ,rigdon very prudently declined accepting4 ,,footnotes3 #e ,mormonism ,unveiled4 ,,chapter ,,xxx4 ,,mormon ,,emigration ,,to ,,missouri4 ,mission to ,missouri--,cause that led to emigration--,settlement at ,independence--,change in operations--,gift of tongues--,rule for speaking and interpreting4 ,cowdery and those connected with his mission1 after having made the converts we have noticed at ,kirtland in the autumn of #ahcj1 proceeded on still farther to the west1 in order to convert the ,indians4 ,they at length set down in the western part of ,missouri4 ,the following extract from the volume already referred to1 will explain the cause that led the ,mormons to think of emigrating to ,missouri4 ,the ,mormons soon began to assemble in considerable numbers at and about ,kirtland1 the supposed 'eternal inheritance1' and those who were able1 bought land2 but the greater part of their dupes had thus far been the poor and needy1 and came there with a view of enjoying all things 'in common1' as such doctrine had gone forth4 ,many1 however1 found out their mistake after their arrival2 and the revelation appeared to be only that the prophet and some of his relations should be supported by the church4 ,in consequence of their inability to purchase lands adjoining head-quarters1 they were scattered about in several townships1 much exposed to 'wild beasts1' and subject to have their faith shaken by the influence of reason4 ,several renounced it4 ,they were daily running to the prophet with queries and doubts which were constantly arising upon their minds4 ,he generally satisfied them by explaining2 nevertheless1 they annoyed him much and the necessity of withdrawing them from the influences which surrounded them became apparent2 hence1 their removal to ,missouri1 where they could1 in time1 purchase all the land which they should need at a low rate1 and become a 'distinct people4' ,as before noticed1 ,cowdery and his companions1 proceeded on to the west1 with the avowed intention of converting the ,indians1 under a command of the ,lord4 ,on their way they tried their skill on several tribes1 but made no proselytes1 although their deluded brethren at home could daily see them1 in visions1 baptising whole tribes4 ,they finally arrived at the western line of the ,state of ,missouri1 late in the fall of #ahcj1 with the intention of proceeding into the ,indian country1 but were stopped by the agents of the general government1 under an act of ,congress1 to prevent the white people from trading or settling among them4 ,they then took up their winter quarters in the village of ,independence1 about twelve miles from the ,state line4 ,here they obtained employment during the winter4 ,in the following spring1 one of them returned to ,kirtland1 with a flattering account of the country about ,independence4 ,about the first of ,june1 the prophet assembled all his followers1 for the purpose of a great meeting1 at which time it was given out that marvellous events were to take place4 ,here many new attempts were made by ,smith to perform miracles and otherwise to deceive his followers4 ,previous to this time1 it should be remarked1 nearly all the ,mormonites had arrived from the ,state of ,new ,york1 under a revelation1 of course1 to take possession of the 'promised land4' ,there were in all about fifty families4 ,at the above mentioned meeting a long revelation was manufactured1 commanding all the leading men and ,elders to depart forthwith for the western part of ,missouri1 naming each one separately1 informing them that only two should go together1 and that every two should take separate roads1 preaching by the way4 ,only about two weeks were allowed them to make preparations for the journey1 and most of them left what business they had to be closed by others4 ,some left large families1 with their crops upon the ground1 and embarked for a distant land1 from which they have not yet returned4 ,on arriving at the village of ,independence1 they proceeded to purchase a lot of land1 upon which the prophet directed ,rigdon and ,cowdery to perform the mock ceremony of laying the corner stone of a city1 which he called ,zion4 ,of the future prosperity and magnificence of this city1 many marvellous revelations were had by the prophet and many more marvellous conjectures formed by his disciples4 ,among others1 it was said that it would in a few years exceed in splendor every thing known in ancient times4 ,its streets were to be paved with gold2 all that escaped the general destruction which was soon to take place1 would there assemble with all their wealth2 the ten lost tribes of ,israel had been discovered in their retreat1 in the vicinity of the ,north ,pole1 where they had for ages been secluded by immense barriers of ice1 and became vastly rich3 the ice in a few years was to be melted away1 when those tribes1 with ,st4 ,john and some of the ,nephites1 which the ,book of ,mormon had immortalized1 would be seen making their appearance in the new city1 loaded with immense quantities of gold and silver4 ,the prophet and his life-guard of ,elders1 stayed in their city about two weeks4 ,revelations were had for a part of them to return to ,ohio1 a part to stay and take charge of the city1 and a part to commence preaching 'in the region round about4' ,much dissatisfaction was manifested by some as to the selection of the site1 and the general appearance of the country4 ,smith1 ,rigdon and ,cowdery returned to the old head-quarters in ,kirtland4 ,their followers immediately commenced selling their lands1 mostly at a great sacrifice1 and made preparations for emigrating up the ,missouri4 ,all were now anxious to sell1 instead of buying more land in ,ohio4 ,a special command was given to seventeen families1 who had settled in one township1 some three months previous1 to depart forthwith to the promised land1 who obeyed orders1 leaving their crop to those who owned the land4 ,besides a great variety of special revelations relating to individuals1 and other matters1 a general one was given to the proselytes to sell their lands and other property and repair to ,missouri as fast as possible1 but not in haste4 ,accordingly1 many went during the year1 making sacrifices of property1 7those few of them who had any17 in proportion to their faith and their anxiety to be upon their 'eternal inheritance4' ,in the mean time1 thirty or forty ',elders1' were sent off in various directions in pursuit of proselytes4 ,this year passed off with a gradual increase1 and considerable wealth was drawn in1 so that they began to boast of a capital stock of ten or fifteen thousand dollars4 ,their common stock principles appear to be somewhat similar to those of the ,shakers4 ,each one1 however is allowed to 'manage his own affairs in his own way1' until he arrives in ,missouri4 ,there the ,bishop resides2 he has supreme command in all pecuniary matters1 according to the revelations given by the prophet4 ,the next year commenced with something like a change of operations4 ,instead of selling their possessions in ,ohio1 they again began to buy up improved land1 mills and water privileges4 ,it would seem that the ,missouri country began to look rather dreary to the prophet and his head men1 supposing that they could not enjoy their power there as well as in ,ohio4 ,they could not think of undergoing the hardships and privations incident to a new country4 ,besides1 the people there were not much disposed to encourage the emigration of such an army of fanatics--and their ,lamanite brethren1 under ,gen4 ,black ,hawk1 were about that time commencing a war upon the whites4 ,they therefore1 continued to extend their impositions by sending abroad every thing that could walk1 no matter how ignorant1 if they had learnt the tales and vagaries of their leaders4 ,all that were so sent1 were dubbed ,elders or ,high ,priests1 and furnished with a commission1 purporting to have been dictated by the ,lord to the prophet4 ,these requisites being added to their credulity1 they were of course inspired with all necessary self-sufficiency1 zeal and impudence4 ,they were thus prepared to declare that every thing which they stated or imagined1 was absolutely true--for the ,spirit had so informed them4 ,during the year #ahcb1 considerable progress was made in writing out1 and revising the ,old and ,new ,testaments1 which the prophet pretended to do by inspiration1 or by the guidance of the ,spirit4 ,in this business1 most of his leisure hours were occupied1 ,rigdon acting as scribe4 ,they say that the ,scriptures in their present form1 retain but little of their original purity and beauty1 having been so often copied and translated by unskilful hands4 ,the whole of the old ,bible is now said to be ready for the press1 in its amended form1 and will be forthcoming1 as soon as the state of their finances will permit4 ,on the opening of the year #ahcc1 the 'gift of tongues' again made its appearance at head-quarters1 and from thence extended to all their branches in different parts4 ,whether the language now introduced differed materially from those practised two or three years previous1 7and pronounced to be of the ,devil17 we have not been informed4 ,it appears that this last device1 was all that was then lacking to make the system perfect4 ,they had long before professed to be fully endowed with the power of healing all manner of diseases1 discerning spirits1 and casting out devils4 ,but a succession of failures had rendered them rather stale1 and given distrust to many of the faithful4 ,a new expedient was therefore indispensably necessary1 in order to revive the drooping spirits of the deluded1 and at the same time1 insure a new crop of converts4 ,the scheme proved eminently successful4 ,hundreds were soon convinced of the truth of the whole1 by hearing of and seeing the manner in which the 'tongues' were performed1 although the trick would seem more susceptible of discovery than any previous one4 ,this gift was not confined to the elders and high priests1 who1 in other respects1 were supposed to have a superabundant share of 'the spirit2' but nearly all the proselytes1 both old and young1 could show their faith by speaking with 'tongues4' ,one would think from the following account that the ,mormons had been taking some hints from the school of ,edward ,irving4 ,mr4 ,kilby1 who was an elder among the ,mormons1 but afterwards came to his senses and renounced the delusion1 relates some very curious facts in relation to their pretended gift of tongues4 ,two distinguished ,mormon preachers1 ,mr4 ,cahoon and ,patton1 gave a rule for speaking in unknown tongues1 and also for interpreting what was spoken by others4 ,this rule1 they said1 was perfect--that as long as we followed it we could not err4 ,and so ,i believe2 it was a perfect rule to lead men astray4 ,the rule1 as given by ,cahoon1 is this3 rise upon your feet and look and lean on ,christ2 speak or make some sound2 continue to make sounds of some kind1 and the ,lord will make a correct tongue or language of it4 ,the interpretation was to be given in the same way4 ,subsequent to this there was a still greater emigration to ,missouri4 ,soon disturbances of various kinds arose4 ,we had prepared two chapters containing such facts as we were able to collect1 to exhibit the history of the ,mormons in their residence in ,missouri1 and the two wars in which they were engaged4 ,but upon looking over the pages which we had prepared we cannot make up our mind to tax the reader with the details of these belligerent operations4 ,the result of their last resort to arms was their expulsion or emigration from ,missouri into ,illinois1 and the founding of their new city at ,nauvoo where at present is the principal ,mormon settlement4 ,there are some few remaining facts to which we shall call the attention of the reader1 in order to illustrate still further the folly1 and depraved character of some of the prominent actors in this grand imposture4 ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,,mormon ,,banking4 ,the prophet's attempt at financiering--,mr4 ,smalling's letter4 ,allusion has been made to the attempts at financiering in which the ,mormon prophet and his coadjutors embarked1 before leaving ,kirtland4 ,the facts connected with this are presented in a clear light by ,mr4 ,smalling1 of ,kirtland1 in a letter addressed to ,mr4 ,lee1 of ,frankford1 ,pa4 ,an effort having been made at that village to establish a ,mormon society1 the ,mormon preacher at the close of his lecture invited any one1 who chose1 to ask questions1 or offer remarks4 ,mr4 ,lee being present arose1 gave his views of the new sect1 which were not very complimentary1 and among other facts presented before the audience a ten dollar bank note issued by ,smith and ,rigdon1 which he declared was a gross fraud1 as they had never obtained a charter for a bank1 and did not pretend to redeem their notes4 ,mr4 ,lee was quite brow-beaten by the ,mormon preacher4 ,to satisfy himself and the public1 ,mr4 ,lee wrote to ,kirtland1 and obtained a letter in reply from ,mr4 ,smalling1 from which we make the following extracts3 ,kirtland1 ,ohio1 ,march #ajth1 ,a4 ,d4 #ahda4 ,,dear ,,sir3 ,by request1 and the duty ,i owe to my fellow-man1 ,i consent to answer your letter1 and your request as to ,joseph ,smith1 ,jr41 and the ,safety ,society ,bank of the ,latter ,day ,saints1 as they call themselves at the present1 or ,mormons4 ,the followers of ,smith believe him to be a prophet1 and he had a revelation that the church must move to the ,ohio1 which they did1 selling their possessions and helping each other as a band of brothers1 and they settled in this place4 ,the ,smith family were then all poor and the most of the church4 ,i visited them in #ahcc1 they were then building a temple to the ,most ,high ,god1 who1 ,smith said1 would appear and make his will known to his servants1 and endow them with power in their last days that they might go and preach his gospel to all nations1 kindred tongues1 and people4 ,for this purpose they wrought almost night and day1 and scoured the branches in the east for money to enable them to build4 ,the people consecrated freely1 as they supposed for that purpose1 for they supposed they were to be one in the church of ,christ1 for so ,smith had told them by his revelations1 and that they must consecrate all for the poor in ,zion4 ,thus many did until they finished the temple1 and in the meantime the building committee built each of them a house1 ,sidney ,rigdon and ,joseph ,smith1 ,jr4 ,by this time the leaders of the church1 ,smith1 ,rigdon1 ,carter and ,cahoon1 ,i may say1 all the heads of the church1 got lifted up in pride1 and they imagined that ,god was about to make them rich1 and that they were to suck the milk of the ,gentiles1 as they call those that do not belong to the church1 or do not go hand in hand with them4 ,from this you can see they have a great desire for riches1 and to obtain them without earning them4 ,about this time they said that ,god had told them1 ,sidney and ,joseph1 that they had suffered enough and that they should be rich2 and they informed me1 that ,god told them to buy goods and so they did1 to some thirty thousand dollars1 on a credit of six months1 at ,cleveland and ,buffalo4 ,in the spring of #ahcf this firm was1 ,i believe1 ,smith1 ,rigdon ,co4 ,it included the heads of the church4 ,in the fall1 they formed other companies of their brethren1 and sent to ,new ,york as agents for them1 ,hiram ,smith and ,o4 ,cowdery1 and they purchased some sixty or seventy thousand dollars worth1 all for the church1 and the most of them not worth a penny1 and no financiers4 ,at this time the first debt became due and not any thing to pay it with1 for they had sold to their poor brethren1 who were strutting about the streets in the finest broadcloth1 and imagining themselves rich1 but could pay nothing3 and poverty is the mother of invention4 ,they then fixed upon a plan to pay the debt4 ,it was1 to have a bank of their own1 as none of the then existing banks would loan to them what they wanted and the most refused them entirely4 ,they sent to ,philadelphia and got the plates made for their ,safety ,society ,bank1 and got a large quantity of bills ready for filling and signing2 and in the meantime1 ,smith and others1 collected what specie they could1 which amounted to some six thousand dollars4 ,the paper came about the first of ,january1 #ahcg1 and they immediately began to issue their paper and to no small amount3 but their creditors refused to take it4 ,then ,smith invented another plan1 that was to exchange their notes for other notes that would pay their debts1 and for that purpose he sent the elders out with it to exchange1 and not only the elders1 but gave large quantities of it to others1 giving them one half to exchange it1 as ,i am informed by those that peddled for him4 ,thus ,smith was instrumental in sending the worthless stuff abroad1 and it soon came in again4 ,there was nothing to redeem it with1 as ,smith had used the greater part of their precious metals4 ,the inhabitants holding their bills came to inquire into the ,safety ,society precious metals3 the way that ,smith contrived to deceive them was this3 he had some one or two hundred boxes made1 and gathered all the lead and shot that the village had or that part of it that he controlled1 and filled the boxes with lead1 shot1 c41 and marked them1 one thousand dollars1 each4 ,then1 when they went to examine the vault1 he had one box on a table partly filled for them to see1 and when they proceeded to the vault1 ,smith told them that the church had two hundred thousand dollars in specie1 and he opened one box and they saw that it was silver1 and they hefted a number and ,smith told them that they contained specie4 ,they were seemingly satisfied and went away for a few days1 until the elders were sent off in every direction to pass their paper off3 among the elders were ,brigam ,young1 that went last1 with forty thousand dollars2 ,john ,f4 ,boynton1 with some twenty thousand dollars2 ,luke ,johnson1 south and east1 with an unknown quantity4 ,i suppose if the money you have was taken of those1 it was to ,smith's and their profit2 and thus they continued to pass and sell the worthless stuff until they sold it at twelve and a half cents on the dollar1 and so eager to put it off at that1 that they could not attend meeting on the ,sabbath1--but they signed enough at that price to buy one section of land in the ,illinois4 ,there was some signed with ,s4 ,rigdon1 cashier1 and ,j4 ,smith1 ,jr4 president1 for the purpose1 as it was then said1 that if they should be called upon when they could not well redeem1 that they would call them counterfeit1 but they had no occasion to call any counterfeit1 for they never redeemed but a very few thousand dollars1 and there must be now a great many thousands of their bills out4 ,there was some which others signed pro4 tem4 that were genuine too1 the name of ,f4 ,g4 ,williams1 ,n4 ,k4 ,whitney1 and one ,kingsbury1 all those are genuine4 ,the church have not now nor never had any common stock1#f all that has been consecrated1 ,smith and the heads of the church have got1 and what they get now they keep1 for to show this ,i send you a revelation which is as follows3--,revelation given ,july #ith1 #ahcg1 in far west1 ,caldwell county1 ,missouri1--,o ,lord1 show unto us1 thy servants1 how much thou requirest of the properties of thy people for a tything8 ,answer3 ,verily1 thus saith the ,lord1 ,i require all their surplus properties to be put into the hands of the bishop of my church of ,zion1 for the building of mine house1 and for the laying the foundation of ,zion1 and for the priesthood1 and for the debts of the presidency of my church1 and this shall be the beginning of the tything of my people1 and after that1 those who have been tythed1 shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually1 and this shall be a standing law unto them forever1 for my holy priesthood saith the ,lord3 ,verily1 ,i say unto you1 it shall come to pass1 that all those who gather unto the land of ,zion1 shall be tythed of their surplus properties1 and shall observe this law1 or they shall not be found worthy to abide among you2 and behold1 ,i say unto you1 if my people observe not this law to keep it holy1 and by this law sanctify the land of ,zion unto me that my statutes and my judgments may be kept thereon1 that it may be most holy2 behold3 ,verily ,i say unto you1 it shall not be a land of ,zion unto you1 and this shall be one example unto all the states of ,zion1 even so4 ,amen4 ,they left here in a great hurry1 as there was many debts against them1 for the principal part that ,smith had was borrowed1 as also the heads of the church in general1 and they had to keep the poor brethren lugging their boxes of silks and fine clothes from place to place1 so that they should not be taken to pay their just debts1 and mostly borrowed money1 until they succeeded in getting them off in the night4 ,they were pursued1 but to no effect1 they had a train too numerous1 so the people could not get their pay1 and thus they have brought destruction and misery on a great many respectable families1 that are reduced to distress1 while they live in splendour and all kinds of extravagance4 ,these statements are well known here1 and ,i presume will not be contradicted there1 unless by some fanatic that has no knowledge of things as they do exist1 or those deeply interested in the frauds of the saints themselves4 ,i am yours1 c41 ,,cyrus ,,smalling1 of ,kirtland1 ,ohio4 ,,footnotes3 #f ,instead of the stock being common1 it appears the intention of the ringleaders is to monopolize it1 and leave their poor dupes at last to shift for themselves4 ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 ,,the ,,mormon ,,prophet ,,and ,,his ,,three ,,witnesses4 ,an interesting public document--,the ,danite band--,testimony of ,dr4 ,avard--,paper drafted by ,rigdon4 ,we insert the following communications1 published in a most highly respectable religious journal4 ,from the ,new ,york ,baptist ,advocate4 ,,mormonism4 ,,mr4 ,,editor3 ,a rare public document of a most interesting character having fallen into my hands1 ,i propose to furnish you several communications in reference to it1 and likewise in relation to the people to whom it relates4 ,the ,mormons have been generally regarded as a harmless sect of deluded fanatics1 unworthy of any particular notice2 and the common impression seems to be1 that they have been wronged and persecuted by the state of ,missouri4 ,for my own part1 having had occasion to become better acquainted with their principles and history than many others1 ,i have for a long time been endeavouring1 as opportunity offered1 to open the eyes of the community to their character1 and to show that mischief lurks beneath this cover of apparent insignificance1 and that there are two sides to the story of the ,mormon war in ,missouri4 ,near the close of the recent session of ,congress1 a pamphlet was printed by order of the ,united ,states' ,senate1 for the use of the members of ,congress1 entitled a ,document showing the testimony given before the judge of the fifth judicial circuit of the state of ,missouri1 at the court-house in ,richmond1 in a criminal court of inquiry1 begun ,november #abth1 #ahch4 ,a list of fifty-three individuals is given1 as being charged with the crimes of high treason against the state1 murder1 burglary1 arson1 robbery1 and larceny4 ,among the number are ,joseph ,smith1 jr41 ,hiram ,smith1 ,sidney ,rigdon1 and ,parley ,p4 ,pratt4 ,a copy of this document ,i succeeded in obtaining1 after considerable difficulty1 it not having been printed for general distribution4 ,the first witness produced on behalf of the state was ,dr4 ,sampson ,avard1 who had been a special teacher among the ,mormons4 ,he testifies that a band at first denominated the ,daughters of ,zion1 but afterwards the ,danite band1 was formed by the members of the ,mormon church1 the original object of which was1 to drive from the county of ,caldwell all who dissented from the ,mormon church4 ,joseph ,smith1 jr41 blessed them1 and prophesied over them1 declaring that they should be the means1 in the hands of ,god1 of bringing forth the millenial kingdom4 ,the covenant taken by this band was as follows1 7holding up the right hand37 ,in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 ,i do solemnly obligate myself ever to conceal1 and never to reveal the secret purposes of this ,society1 called the ,daughters of ,zion4 ,should ,i ever do the same1 ,i hold my life as the forfeiture4 ,this band felt themselves as much bound to obey ,joseph ,smith1 jr41 and his two counsellers1 ,hiram ,smith and ,sidney ,rigdon1 as to obey the supreme ,god4 ,joseph ,smith1 jr41 in a public address1 told them that they should stand by each other1 right or wrong4 ,he declared on another occasion1 that all who did not take up arms in defence of the ,mormons of ,daviess1 should be considered as tories1 and should take their exit from the county4 ,in reference to taking the property of others1 in their expeditions to ,daviess county1 he told them that the children of ,god did not go to war at their own expense4 ,he said it was high time they should be up1 as the saints of the most high ,god1 and protect themselves1 and take the kingdom4 ,on some occasions1 he said1 that one should chase a thousand1 and two put ten thousand to flight2 that he considered the ,united ,states rotten2 that the ,mormon church was the little stone spoken of by the prophet ,daniel2 and that the dissenters first1 and the state next1 was part of the image that should be destroyed by the little stone4 ,in an address to the forces at ,far ,west1 about the time that ,gen4 ,lucas appeared in that quarter with the militia1 ,smith told them1 that for every one they lacked in number of those that came out against them1 the ,lord would send angels1 who would fight for them1 and that they should be victorious4 ,this witness 7,dr4 ,avard7 received orders from ,smith and his counsellors to destroy the paper containing the constitution of the ,danite ,society1 inasmuch as if it should be discovered1 it would be considered treasonable4 ,this order he did not obey1 but kept the paper in his possession2 and after he was made prisoner by ,general ,clark1 he delivered it up to him4 ,the ,mormon preachers and apostles were directed to instruct their followers to come up to the state called ,far ,west1 and to possess the kingdom1 and that the ,lord would give it to them4 ,a paper was draughted by ,sidney ,rigdon against the dissenters from ,mormonism1 and signed by eighty-four ,mormons4 ,it was addressed to ,oliver ,cowdery1 ,david ,whitmer1 ,william ,w4 ,phelps and ,lyman ,e4 ,johnson4 ,of these1 ,oliver ,cowdery and ,david ,whitmer were two of the three witnesses that testified to the truth of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,this will therefore serve to show how much credit is to be attached to their testimony4 ,these eighty-four ,mormons1 in the letter1 say to the dissenters1 7,cowdery1 ,whitmer1 c47 that they had violated their promise1 and disregarded their covenant2 that ,oliver ,cowdery had been taken by a state warrant for stealing1 and the stolen property was found in the house of ,william ,w4 ,phelps1 ,oliver ,cowdery having stolen and conveyed it2 that these dissenters had endeavoured to destroy the characters of ,smith and ,rigdon by every artifice they could invent1 not even excepting the basest lying2 that they had disturbed the ,mormon meetings of worship2 that ,cowdery and ,whitmer had united with a gang of counterfeiters1 thieves1 liars and blacklegs of the deepest dye1 to deceive1 cheat and defraud the ,mormons out of their property1 by every art and stratagem which wickedness could invent1 stealing not excepted2 that they had attempted to raise mobs against the ,mormons2 that ,cowdery attempted to pass notes on which he had received pay2 that ,cowdery1 ,whitmer and others1 were guilty of perjury1 cheating1 selling bogus money1 7base coin17 and even stones and sand for bogus6 that they had opened1 read and destroyed letters in the post-office3 and that they were engaged with a gang of counterfeiters1 coiners1 and blacklegs4 ,there1 ,mr4 ,editor1 is the character of two of the three witnesses who testified that they had seen the plates of the ,book of ,mormon2 that ,god's voice declared to them that they had been translated by his gift and power2 that an angel of ,god laid the plates and engravings before their eyes2 and that the voice of the ,lord commanded them that they should bear record of it4 ,this is the character of two of the three witnesses1 according to the testimony of eighty-four ,mormons1 and not opposers of ,mormonism4 ,to how much credit these two witnesses are entitled1 you can judge for yourself4 ,in the course of my communications on this subject1 ,i shall exhibit the character of the other witness1 7,martin ,harris17 and likewise of ,prophet ,smith himself4 ,from the ,baptist ,advocate4 ,,from ,,our ,,late ,,washington ,,correspondent4 ,,mr4 ,,editor3 ,in my first communication on the subject of the ,mormon war in ,missouri1 ,i showed1 by ,mormon evidence itself1 that two of the three witnesses that testified to the truth of the ,book of ,mormon1 viz3 ,oliver ,cowdery and ,david ,whitmer1 are utterly unworthy of any credit whatever4 ,in pursuance of my proposal in the same letter1 ,i now proceed to exhibit the character of the remaining witness1 ,martin ,harris2 and likewise the character of ,smith himself1 over and above what has already been shown in relation to him4 ,,statement ,,of ,,lucy ,,harris1 ,,wife ,,of ,,martin ,,harris4 ,palmyra1 ,nov4 #bi1 #ahcc4 ,martin ,harris is naturally quick in his temper4 ,at different times while ,i lived with him1 he has whipped1 kicked1 and turned me out of the house4 ,in one of his fits of rage1 he struck me with the butt end of a whip1 which ,i think had been used for driving oxen1 and was about the size of my thumb4 ,he beat me on the head four or five times1 and the next day turned me out of doors twice1 and beat me in a shameful manner4 ,his main complaint against me was1 that ,i was always trying to hinder his making money4 ,one day1 while at ,peter ,harris's house1 ,i told him he had better leave the company of the ,smith's1 as their religion was false2 to which he replied3 ,if you would let me alone1 ,i could make money by it4 ,there is the character of the third witness of the trio1 on whose testimony the ,book of ,mormon depends for support4 ,let us now look a little further at the character of ,prophet ,smith himself4 ,fifty-one of ,smith's old acquaintances in ,palmyra1 declare him destitute of that moral character which ought to entitle him to the confidence of any community1 spending much of his time in money digging1 and being addicted to vicious habits4 ,peter ,ingersol1 of ,palmyra1 testifies1 that ,smith acknowledged that he could not see in a stone1 as he had pretended4 ,william ,chace1 of ,manchester1 ,ontario county1 ,n4 ,y41 testifies1 that ,smith acknowledged he had no ,book of ,mormon1 and never had any4 ,parley ,chace1 of ,manchester1 states1 that ,smith was entitled to no credit whatever2 that he was lazy1 intemperate1 worthless1 and very much addicted to lying1 boasting of his skill in it1 digging for money1 and scarcely ever telling two stories alike in relation to the ,golden ,bible matter4 ,david ,stafford1 of ,wayne county1 testifies1 that ,smith used to get intoxicated1 on which occasions he would quarrel and fight4 ,barton ,stafford1 of ,manchester1 testifies1 that ,smith was very much addicted to intemperance1 even after he professed to be a prophet2 and when intoxicated1 he frequently made his religion his theme4 ,henry ,harris1 of ,cuyahoga county1 ,ohio1 testifies1 that such was ,smith's character for lying1 that the jury did not believe him when under oath4 ,rev4 ,nathaniel ,c4 ,lewis1 of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 and a relative of ,smith's wife1 testifies1 that ,smith's general character was that of an impostor1 hypocrite1 and liar4 ,alva ,hale1 brother-in-law of ,smith1 testifies1 that ,smith told him1 that his gift in seeing with a stone and a hat1 was a gift from ,god2 but at another time he told him1 that this peeping was all nonsense4 ,he further testifies1 that he knows ,smith to be an impostor and liar4 ,levi ,lewis testifies1 that he has heard ,smith and ,harris both say1 that adultery was no crime4 ,lewis further testifies1 that he knows ,smith to be a liar2 that he saw him intoxicated at three different times1 while composing the ,book of ,mormon2 that he has heard him use the most profane language2 that he has heard him say he was as good as ,jesus ,christ2 that it was as bad to injure him as it was to injure ,jesus ,christ2 and that ,god had deceived him with regard to the plates1 which was the reason he did not show them4 ,let this suffice on this point4 ,and now we have before us the character of this false prophet1 and of his three supporters1 on whose credibility the fate of the ,book of ,mormon depends4 ,not one word of commentary is necessary1 after such an exhibition of their worthlessness and vileness2 and ,i shall1 therefore1 leave it as it is to speak for itself4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4 ,,concluding ,,sketch ,,in ,,relation ,,to ,,mormonism4 ,the following letter is the last in the series1 originally written for the columns of the ,episcopal ,recorder4 ,although ,i have occupied your attention so long with the history of the origin and rise of ,mormonism1 ,i have a few words more to add before closing the subject4 ,several facts which have come to my knowledge1 since commencing these sketches1 lead me to apprehend1 that the developments we have been attempting to make are not ill-timed4 ,is there any one who would have formed so low an estimate of the ,christian intelligence of this land1 as to have concluded a priori that a deception so barefaced1 and1 withal1 so ridiculous1 as the pretended disinterment of the ,mormon ,bible from one of the hills of ,western ,new ,york1 and this--set on foot by an illiterate vagrant hanging on the skirts of society1 and of exceedingly doubtful moral character1 and backed by the pecuniary means of a man of the most credulous and superstitious cast of character1 whose sanity of mind was greatly questioned by all his acquaintance1 should have gained in a period of ten years such dominion over human belief1 as to be received as the undoubted truth of ,god by more than sixty thousand persons4 ,we are surprised to hear of the success of this imposture in the ,great ,valley of the ,west1 although there is material there for almost every erratic conception of the human mind to act upon4 ,but what shall we say of the success of ,mormonism in the ,atlantic states1--gathering its converts from orthodox and evangelical churches8 ,will it not fill intelligent ,christians with surprise to learn that the ,mormons are establishing themselves not only in many parts of ,new ,england1 but that they are spreading through ,pennsylvania1 and that they already have two churches formed in ,philadelphia1 and that a portion of the members of these churches1 have been regular communicants in the ,methodist and ,presbyterian ,churches8 ,such1 however1 is the fact4 ,and we shall not be greatly surprised1 if this mystery of iniquity continues to work1 and that those who have dared to add to the words of ,god's finished revelation1 shall receive the threatened curse4 ,we shall not be surprised if ,god shall send upon such1 strong delusion1 that they should believe a lie1 and that they wax worse and worse1 deceiving and being deceived4 ,one thing however is distinctly to be noted in the history of this imposture4 ,there are no ,mormons in ,manchester1 or ,palmyra1 the place where this ,book of ,mormon was pretended to be found4 ,you might as well go down into the ,crater of ,vesuvius and attempt to build an ice house amid its molten and boiling lava1 as to convince any inhabitant in either of these towns1 that ,jo ,smith's pretensions are not the most gross and egregious falsehood4 ,it was indeed a wise stroke of policy1 for those who got up this imposture1 and who calculated to make their fortune by it1 to emigrate to a place where they were wholly unknown4 ,as soon as they had arranged their apparatus for deceiving weak1 and unstable souls--as soon as the ,book of ,mormon was printed and their plans formed1 the actors in this scene went off en masse to a part of the country where their former character and standing were unknown1 and where their claim to divine inspiration could be set up with a little more show of plausibility than it could have been any where in the state of ,new ,york4 ,mormonism had to grow a number of years in a western soil1 and there acquire a sort of rank and luxuriant growth1 before it could be transplanted with any success to a point near its birth-place4 ,and even now it keeps very much in the background its grand pecularities4 ,the ,mormon preachers1 ,i am told1 in this region1 generally dwell upon the common topics of ,christianity1 rather than upon the peculiarities of their system4 ,the object of this is manifest4 ,they wish to strengthen themselves by a large accession of converts1 before they stand on the peculiarities of their system4 ,but all ,christians should beware of their devices4 ,their whole system is built upon imposture4 ,they believe ,joseph ,smith to be a prophet of ,god1 when there is not a man in our ,penitentiary1 that might not with just as much plausibility lay claim to that character4 ,they believe the ,,book ,,of ,,mormon to be a divine revelation1 when it can be proved1 that the whole ground-work of it was written by ,mr4 ,spalding as a ,religious and ,historical ,romance4 ,they believe that they have the power among them to work miracles1 when even ,satan with all his power and signs and lying wonders1 and with all his deceivableness1 has not been able to sustain their claim to in a single instance4 ,martin ,harris1 after he went to ,kirtland1 ,ohio1 where1 as we have seen1 the first ,mormon settlement was formed1 used occasionally to return to ,palmyra4 ,as one of the three witnesses1 he claimed divine inspiration1 and is1 ,i believe1 to the present day regarded by the ,mormons1 as one of the greatest and best among the latter-day saints4 ,in these visits to the place of his former residence he not only endeavoured to proselyte his old acquaintances to his new faith1 but used sometimes to edify them with very solemn prophecies of future events4 ,i was informed by ,judge ,s---- of ,palmyra1 that he came to his office so much and uttered his prophecies so frequently that he at length told him1 that he would not consent to his uttering his predictions any more orally1 but that he must write them down and subscribe his name to them1 or else seek some other place for the exercise of his prophetic gift4 ,harris instantly wrote down two predictions1 attaching his signature to each4 ,the one was a declaration that ,palmyra would be destroyed1 and left utterly without inhabitants1 before the year #ahcf4 ,the other prediction was that before #ahch the ,mormon faith would so extensively prevail1 that it would modify our national government1 and there would at that period be no longer any occupant of the presidential chair of the ,united ,states4 ,to these predictions he subjoined the declaration that if they were not literally fulfiled1 any one might have full permission to cut off his head and roll it around the streets as a foot-ball4 ,bear in mind that this was one of the pretended chosen witnesses of ,god1 to testify to the truth of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,i need not say that both these prophecies in their entire failure of fulfilment1 convicted him of falsehood1 and show how little is the value of his testimony4 ,another fact worthy of note in this connection is1 that as ,harris1 ,smith1 ,rigdon1 c41 all expected to make their fortune out of this scheme4 ,the banking enterprise in which they engaged1 as we have seen1 liked to have proved a ruinous operation to them all4 ,ultimately this speculation contributed to sever ,harris from ,smith and ,rigdon1 who went farther west1 and commenced operations in ,missouri4 ,harris1 in one of his late visits to ,palmyra1 remarked to a friend of mine1 that ,jo ,smith had now become a complete wretch1 and that he had no confidence either in him or ,rigdon4 ,recollect that this is the testimony of one of the three chosen witnesses by which the truth of the ,book of ,mormon is to be established4 ,one fact more4 ,you recollect that it was mentioned in a former ,no4 of these sketches1 that ,martin ,harris' wife could not be induced to come over to the ,mormon faith4 ,he consequently abandoned her1 visiting her only once or twice a year4 ,she at length declined in health1 and was evidently sinking down to the grave4 ,a gentleman of undoubted veracity in ,palmyra told me that a few days before her death1 ,harris returned1 and on one occasion while sitting in the room with her1 appeared to be very much occupied in writing4 ,she inquired what he was writing8 ,he replied that he was writing a letter to a female to whom he was going to be married when she was dead6 ,and according to his words he was married to her in a very few weeks after his wife's death4 ,what are we to think of ,mormonism1 when we remember that a man of such feelings and such morality was one of the chosen witnesses to attest its truth4 ,i have already said1 that the ,mormons in this region cautiously keep out of sight the peculiarities of their system1 and principally dwell upon the common topics of ,christian faith and practice4 ,one proof of this is1 the very few copies of the ,book of ,mormon1 that are found among them4 ,i am told that among all the members of the two ,churches established in ,philadelphia1 there are not more than twenty copies of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,this book ,i suppose is only for the initiated--for those whose faith is well established4 ,another fact in proof of the foregoing position is the effort they use to drop the name of ,mormons1 and to assume the more taking one of ,latter day ,saints--and when called upon to state their creed1 instead of declaring boldly that ,joseph ,smith is the prophet of ,god1 and that the ,book of ,mormon is his word1 they rather dwell upon those points of faith which all ,christians hold in common4 ,in illustration of this last remark1 ,i will here insert a written statement given by ,joseph ,young1 of ,kirtland1 ,ohio1 an elder of the ,mormon ,church1 while on a visit to ,boston to establish his faith in that city4 ,the principal articles of the ,latter-day ,saints1 vulgarly called ,mormons1 are #a4 ,a belief in one true and living ,god1 the creator of the heavens and the earth1 and in his ,son ,jesus ,christ1 who came into this world #ahjj years since1 at ,jerusalem2 was slain1 rose from the dead1 ascended on high1 and now sits on the right hand of the ,majesty in the heavens2 that through the atonement thus wrought out1 all men may come to ,god and find acceptance2 all of which they believe is revealed in the holy ,scriptures4 #b4 ,that ,god requires all men1 wherever his gospel is proclaimed1 or his law known1 to repent of all sins1 forsake evil1 and follow righteousness2 that his word also requires men to be baptized1 as well as to repent2 and that the direct way pointed out by the ,scriptures for baptism1 is immersion4 ,after which1 the individual has the promise of the gift of the ,holy ,spirit2 that this divine communication is absolutely promised unto all men1 upon whom the ,lord our ,god shall call1 if they are obedient unto his commandments4 ,this gift of the ,holy ,spirit1 was anciently bestowed by the laying on the apostle's hands3 so this church believes that those who have authority to administer in the ordinances of the gospel1 have this right and authority1 through prayer2 and without this authority1 and this gift1 the church is not now what it anciently was2 consequently1 cannot be recognised as the true ,church of ,christ4 #c4 ,that ,god will1 in the last days1 gather the literal descendants of ,jacob to the lands1 anciently possessed by their fathers2 that he will lead them as at the first1 and build them as at the beginning4 ,that he will cause his arm to be made bare in their behalf2 his glory to attend them by night and by day4 ,that this is necessary to the fulfilment of his word1 when his knowledge is to cover the earth as the waters cover the seas4 ,and that1 as men anciently saw visions1 dreamed dreams1 held communion with angels1 and converse with the heavens1 so it will be in the last days to prepare the way for all nations1 languages and tongues1 to serve him in truth4 #d4 ,that the time will come when the ,lord ,jesus will descend from heaven1 accompanied with ten thousand of his saints2 that a mighty angel will lay hold on the dragon1 bind him1 cast him into the pit1 where he will be kept from deceiving the nations for a thousand years2 during which time1 one continued round of peace will pervade every heart4 ,and1 #e4 ,they believe in the resurrection of the body3 that all men will stand in the presence of ,god and be judged according to the deeds1 or works1 done in this life2 that the righteous will enter into eternal rest1 in the presence of ,god1 but the wicked be cast off1 to receive a just recompense of reward2 and that1 to ensure eternal life1 a strict obedience to all the commandments of ,god1 must be observed1 to the end4 ,you see there is not even a remote allusion to what constitutes the gist of their whole system4 ,but ,i will here leave the subject for the present4 ,,the ,,end4