Show I 1 prom lh stair ij jt malta 1 I i i V 55 strada ata i malta 1 aug 20 fla t S dear brother F D richards most gladly I 1 V do I 1 welcome x your wr arri arrival val to the eastern h half a if of this klis degraded sphere our hearty praises ra s eo are oad due to thel the father of mercies ph wholes v 0 hii 0 th thus far preserved you may kay the like mercy be extended to our well beloved brother samuuel Sa wuel juuel an op his hia way to zion this I 1 1 fa D oa 1 49 h more than two tao years yeara Q ld id I 1 has g up up to t t the h e i af pf present sent i oate date baptized fifty e nehf mcf pe persons esons and r 40 a i kv e d og eighteen lit e on 2 all 11 british except four this ha haa aa a graep to foar iia branches I 1 one oni ihie geee ws a second coq of sevah ip members embers from the irth ath r regiment g i lupolt went to nova nov a scotia I 1 ti ia and d is now broken up owing to so somer me going to zion and nd others apostatizing a third ih floating branch in we the N 1 ap and I 1 d a fourth I 1 ahel IJ elpe For ceBran ch ip mujey ey i th 1 J hb h B pa ir formerly in in V alleta b but f if now 1 in floridana Flori aana numbers at the present I 1 very tery few owing to to the detachment cant of the above three branches and the removal of aay si members to fo ingland england I 1 some samp of them ahem I 1 beun for zion and the 6 off I 1 11 C of some pome others our lofcan is thirlee n of this number two are one of them I 1 never 8 aw to my knowledge and three of if I 1 ifie I 1 regiment e D feht from ireland are e i in n bad ding an and chave have been ever since set foot on the soil of maltar the rema remainder ofus us re boic e I 1 4 the truth troth ni ar e d in ined ed to hold it fast and with the help of the holy Spi ritto abide bithe bi the love and obedience of it I 1 have lately baptized aed daie one person a and re baptized two bae backsliders back sliders I 1 adfor As for our condition temporally we have nothing to b boast of in that respects respect except the abe wonderful overruling providence of god who has bas e enabled i us somehow miraculous nir ap ulous to ameto get along our rent is verv very high our pocket very low our numbers as I 1 told jold you above very abi thin and almost every kind of eatable has been for a long time very high in price it is by a continual str strain aln i of endurance and contrivance and economy on our pa part rt and openhanded openhanded benevolence on the part of two or three of our soldier brethren and elder burridge and occasionally a little sewing by sister bell that the lord has sought I 1 to develop in all of usa va variety rieta of good attributes suela such as s patience brotherly kindness aa I 1 our oui prospect sI have always considered good and li naive ve with my brethren labored to improve them and we intend leaving i n no 0 stone unturned but whit we will thoroughly warn the people I 1 I 1 remain yours ac I 1 J F BELL |