Show people in peace in iu the valleys of the mountains mountain S fills our bosoms we are happy and we alry in the commee r itin of this eventful day weave we love the god of heaven we believe that he led his ancient a I 1 israel out of the land of egypt and we know that he has led his chosen people of the last days out brorn fr fijn the midst af pf the gentiles pd and 4 saija 11 71 7 L a i 47 cau cause and we reverence his name we behold around us and in our midst the wretched degraded descendants of lehi I 1 we consider them a portion of the house of israel and it is natural for us to enquire what has made us to differ A alas as their ancestors transgressed gres sed and they inherit the curse our parents have embraced the faith once delivered to the saints and we are inheriting its it blessings we feel grateful to 0 god for our high and noble parentage we feel our hearts swell with gratitude to those who have thus far maintained their inte integrity gri 1 and in spite of evera every difficulty have marked ma aked ut the path of salvation bedoe e us we know that the toil has been painful I 1 and the way rugged but the circumstances of this dy testify that the fruits of their labors are peace jy gl ry and honor can we express express our gratitude no not in ards but bat it shall be the business of our future lives to express it by our works in following examples in righteousness in assisting to carry on the work that yu you have commenced and when the time arrives for us t step forward forward into the responsibilities of liter lit e when these our y young brothers and friends shall occupy the stations an and relations which our noble fathers now fill as rulers EXTRACTS from a letter to president brigham young HONOLULU OAHU sandwich Is 1 march 1854 I the work of the lord is progressing steadily on all the islands numbers being added to the branches arthe the gifts being made manifest more particularly the gift of healing and a general increase of faith and comprehension of the nature af the work which has been comm commenced need amo among them by the officers and saints generally ift it sometimes seems dikea like a slow and tedious business to arouse this people from tile the stupor and lethargy into which they have fallen in consequence of the long night of darkness which they hive h ve passed and if we did not know that the promises 0 of f the lord are sure we might be tempted to be discouraged but in the midst of all our little trials and troubles that we have had bad from time to time in witnessing their lack of appreciation we have been cheered and consoled by the voice of the lord his spirit whispering peace to our souls and encouraging us to perseverance manifesting fest ing to us that if we would do our duty and walk uprightly before him he would bear us an off victorious over every opposing ob obstacle stanle they are like little children in many respects and it seems as thol tho we ought to feel to them as we would to little children for judging from the way the lord pours out his spirit upon us in teaching und re teaching it g and pleading with them this is the course he wishes us to take for they are not only like children but they have traditions and superstitions that children have not on the island of hawaii where ars karren keeler snider and lawson from the valley and br lynn one baptized here are laboring persecution rages to a considerable extent two native built meeting houses torn down one of them by a mob ob set on by a catholic priest a frenchman children who with their parents have joined the church have been fined and imprisoned until the fine was paid because they refused to pack lime and sand for a calvinistic Calvani Calva meeting house the priest whose name is bond being the active instigator sti gator of all this trouble pretending that there is a law compelling school eh children il d ren to perform this 4 the brethren ara are endeavoring to obtain rights by appealing to the administrators of the law with what success we have not heard justice is tardy in this country and it is quite a cornmon common saying that there is plenty of law but very little justice on maui where airs hammond R N and R A allred reside the word is being spread zealously and the branches are increasing on molokai where ars woodbury and green reside the work wears quite a favorable aspect according to the last accounts there was a conference hold held on sunday and yesterday on the other side of the island from which we returned this evening by the authorities and saints of this island we had an excellent time the spirit of the lord filling out our hearts with joy and with matter to teach unto the people who also alse felt to rejoice and be happy A spirit to seek after principle and understand it seems to begin begia to rest upon the officers and saints more powerfully and generally than heretofore which causes us to rejoice on kauai where br farrar is laboring the little island of nielma also being under his bis i jurisdiction uris the work is promising when 1 left there about three weeks ago the prospects were good that br F and his native assistants would do a the laws here are very badly calculated for a people like this th is the machinery of government e rn in 0 n t is iov not at all suit suited ed to their wants they ey have endeavored deavo red to a very great extent to imitate the laws of the new england states and many of them favor very much the famous connecticut blue laws adopting laws fitted for a civilized people to a people just emerging out of barbar aiom it looks very much like putting a suit of mans clothes clot lies on a boy their laws on marriage adultery ac are pernicious ni and have tended very much to depopulate the nation and produce and promote the very evils they were intended to stop it itis is my intention the lord willing to sail sai I 1 tomorrow to lahaina and from there to the island of molokai to meet with the saints there th e re in 10 conference from there I 1 expect if nothing intervenes to return to maui and meet with them on that island in their conference and from thore there probably to hawaii I 1 desire to do what I 1 can towards performing I 1 1 l t gj g J 4 f r aft hull tile necessity of the book of mormon Mor trion aud and other works being printed and also in doing what 1 can in in conjunction with my brethren towards teaching them doctrine and principle and in bearing my testimony unto them of the truth and importance of the die work in which they are engaged and which is being told among them GEO CANNON j EXTRACTS from a letter to prest brigham young you q ON THE MUDDY miles from carowan parowan Pa rowau rowan sunday may I 1 am well a and nd feel well the company are well and cheerful and well agreed I 1 have been six miles up the creek to an indian village I 1 gave the old chief a new shirt and br white the interpreter and myself went with him without arms or guard we saw about indians men women and children at their ups mere shades of poles and straw our camp was full at the same time and we could see them among the meadows and hills in every direction we saw about 40 acres of wheat mostly in one body much of it was ripe and some of it was cut and stood in shocks it was as as my shoulders and some of it measured to my nose I 1 saw also handsome gardens of beans mellons corn broom corn etc arranged in beautiful rows with little ditches for water between each row and large ditches at roper proper distances the land was good weeds weeds and thistles whistles es grow in the uncultivated part as high as my head on a horse there are hundreds if not thousands of acres the meadows are extensive for mowing and pasturage wire grass red top canes k weeds thistles whistles es willows ac are the prevailing vegetation the water is extremely haudy handy for irrigation and it never is higher or lower being fed wholly by springs the water is clear and pure and of a temperature for bathing there is any desirable amount of water P power ower and stone atone quarries all AD around this eden is one vast dreary desert the indians indiana tell of other lands in other valleys 4 and wheat I 1 suppose 2000 souls could be centered here if a settlement min mill and t trading ra di i post t could be established P P PRATT EXTRACTS from a letter to president young SYDNEY dec 1853 I 1 returned two days since from a tour of some weeks up hunters river district after visiting the j different branches of that section it being the field in which ars william hyde and john mc 1 carthy have been laboring at present br hyde is attending to it by himself they have been much blest bleat in their labors br hydes zeal for tho the cause of christ is more than his bodily strength he does not spare himself in the least and the th extent of his field is in so great he be is continually on e tile the move the work is progressing quite fast and many good men anti and women are being added to the church his labors the lord has abundantly blest him with his spirit altho his bodily health is not suc such h as I 1 could wish it might be the labors are very hard in this country there is so much traveling to do and the weather lier is so very warm the only way of traveling is on foot i yet the brethren are all as active as then men can be the work is spreading overa over a great extent of con country n and the elders are traveling both on the fro frontiers and in the interior and the gospel is being preached many miles out from sydney i the field is divided into three different conferences first sydney conference second mel bourne third adelaide which are all prospering as well as I 1 could expect considering the strona strong current of opposition which we have to stem 1 a am in in in hopes it will stir the people to come on out t and listen to the truth that they may understand for themselves and not be so much bound down by qi hn fl th Zi fiorta orta watchman has made its appearance pe aranco arance the whole ecclesiastical club is up in arms and find no place of refuge where the little fellow is not with them the elders are so much scattered over the colony that it has got a wide circulation for they pass it into every persons hand who will read it and pass it to his neighbor if the gospel spreads according to the present prospect there will be a good work done in this colony in the course of a few years the field is extensive and has many more inhabitants than I 1 at first imagined mank we have ave an increase of seven organized branches since the arrival of this mission and all were in a good and prosperous condition at the last reports it is contemplated to send a company of saints over this season composed of the two branches of hunters river district they will number in all when the company is is i made up not far from one hundred according to the present calculation I 1 intend to clear the ground if possible taking the poor first for foi the rich can come when they please it is expected the company will start from sydney as early as possible in the month of april whether we shall ship to san francisco to san diego or san fedro is not yet decided it is expected the company will be u under rider the charge of elder william hyde whose health compels liis return it is probable he may regain health before he arrives in the midst of his friends and family remember us to all the saints AUGUSTUS FARNHAM |