| Show LETTER from elder robort robert to thomas bullock MADR hindostan hindustan Hind sept 5 1653 1853 am BROTHER H w I 1 write a few lines that you may know of my welfare and whereabouts through the blessings of our father in Inh heaven eavon president Pre eident ballantyre Baltan Ballant tyne yue and myself arrived here on the bath of july this thia being our appointment the brethren were sick when we left calcutta tho recovering very fast we had a narrow escape in the river hongly a brig bound for rangoon was dropping glown down the river at the same time when she dropped right la in front and seeming to all appearance must have a dangerous collision the captain stepped up to br ballantyne and ma U you promised us as good luck hrek in a very tt rnest tone he replied yes yea and you shall have it the ship came within arms length and steered clear e r to the joy and satisfaction of all on board the he captain was a very rough and bigoted man when we first went on board and extremely prejudiced jud iced so that he be would scarcely hear us an speak of our doctrine after we became associated with him he found we wore men like himself and became interested when we related our principles told of the people of god in zion and began to read our books after reading readi 96 the th voice V oce I 1 of warning be began to see through through tradition and became very zealous reading the book of f mormon 0 0 pratts fruits works and wo we ceased not to labor with him as fast as he be grew to give him each day all he could digest until he became fully convinced that we had the truth both mates waie were fully convinced for we gave them no rest as long as they would investigate il vesti gate for themselves two lady passengers not being disposed to liston listen to us were very much annoyed but crying it ying I 1 why dont these mormons cormons work a miracle mir that we may belleve believe we ceased not to bear testimony of the work of god aud and his prophet joseph and all his servants which made them gnash their teeth and desired to be misling mi saing but they had to bear it for there is no back door at sea during this time the weather was very very rough and aad much need of divine a interference interfere nce but we felt perfectly cool and let the old man blow tho the water came in the cabin washing over our bedding and the ship racking and straining very heavily damaging the ship tearing off copper sa and carrying off sail the sea aft continually washing over the tho side sida washed two men overboard but bui both were ed we did not neglect to call upon the lord but exercised our priesthood prie and exhorted all on board to repent believe and be baptized for the remission of sins which gave conviction to every soul who heard beard us the lord gave pleasant dreams to the captain AmPt aln and he said it was plainly shown unto him without baptism there could bould be no salvation he also vve gave intimations unto us his servants which h strengthened our faith and confirmed the words of his servants the prophets p in zion for verily his arm has been made bare in our deliverance and gave us avor in the eyes of the captain and crew which is nothing but a miracle when we consider cen sider the state they were in when we first came on board but the spirit that is bron brought glit out of if your peaceful city animated every soul and wish j ed they were with you to speak of you fills them with joy to hear of a people that live in peace in one heart and one erne mind tho the they cavil at the law of marr marriage iager when explained to them they can see its beauty at first they thought it awful but testimony day after day at length prevailed the ladies were surprised sur prized that we were men and not boasts beasts as they openly acknowledged they previously entertained and thus hath the lord blessed us its and our words are not dot in vain though it was a rough passage we enjoyed ourselves very well we came to harbor on the and landed on the had bad to go in a boat for about a mile being no harbor captain scott cam br ballantyne Ballau tyne late into the cab cabin ILI and gave him a pair of shoes aud and 50 rupees and sought us no a home but no sooney sooner had we settled than we were requested to leave the house the priests being the chief instigators we attended a meeting of the plymouth brethren and had a long interview with the hon I 1 judge adge strange a very influential man of that sect but entertaining hal erroneous opinions in regard to doctrine we had some dis ns who desired to see mtr miracles acles we have published 2000 copies one of lorenzo snows and the other of f P P pratt eions and have distributed many of ly speaking the people deop we are awgull awfully prejudiced and are perfectly blinded we go from house to house many will not take them at all and consider it an insult to them crying we have got a bible and we want no more inore many shut their doors in our face we have been through most part of the city in this manner aud and was some time before we could obtain any place to preach in we stayed staked two weeks and proceeded proceed od to st thomas mount 7 n ales nales from this and ad distributed tracts and visited from house to house most of the people look upon us ua as an the of toe the carthand eart earth hand and very seldom find a person that can govern his bis passion long enough to have it explained to them to talk about new revelation is called blasphemy for the lord will no longer work miracles or confirm his word we have become so enlightened in this age this is the sentiment of the people generally ge neM I 1 y speaking we obtained a house to preach in from a portuguese priest we had some difficulty in getting elal permission to stay in the cantonment at all and 1 have since been warned not to go to any public school to leave tracts the priests and editors are using all their powers to poison tho the minds of the people p le crying joe smith imposture book of mormon a romance written by solomon iding I 1 a pretended translation by joseph smith mild behind a blanket oh how greedily they swallow the false stories A person has published a pamphlet to destro destroy Y ithe testimony of the witnesses and makes an awful attack upon the character of the smith family and finding great objections which the brethren have refuted over and over ov ar again but those these are circulated amongst their members warning them not to take us iao their houses lost lest tir they y paTta partake kwof of our evil deeds which all 0 the people believe for they will believe a lie he rather than the tra truth it it seems as though the priests and people must share bare the same fate except they repent we have put alwn up cards to notify the public but they are torn down as soon moon as we put them up and the priests warn the people not to come near our oar M meetings betin crying false prophets etc we pad hold meetings twice a week but bat few turn out dr br ballantyne preaches pro aches twice a week in madras but bat the people are afraid to turn out and hear for the priests tell them if they come they will turn them out of office and the people are wholly dependent both and cannot get any employment without the aid of some bishop 0 or r priest so you can see the disadvantages we must mast labor under until we can remove the prejudice pre udice from the people X br balantyne BaHan Ballan tyne tyus has written out several articles for publication if we can get them inserted touching the rod god 1 they worship also a little on marriage and I 1 t the law of god in plainness which will cenname le the pr priests teits for he hath not spared them but it is verily revelation we feel as tho the they cannot do any more so in the name of the lord we feel to declare the will of the lord tho human nature shrinks at the attempt but wo vvo to us if we preach not the gospel lt it is 19 easy saying joseph is a prophet in utah but here it takes the power of god and then the people will not believe it I 1 am laboring at the mount through the week and to a small adjacent cantonment of invalid soldiers eis preaching twice in a week but the people aia are afraid to come and hear bear A parcel of bru brutes tes concocted a scheme to drag me out and beat me during last week but the lord prepared two officers who silena silenced them all I 1 stay in a large house home that we meet maet in and visit round where they wih let mo into their house but the people will wig not believe baptism and laying on of hands much and are am very much clothed with tradition I 1 cannot give conone yon one tenth of our experience but verily it to is a dark and knighted people and a bickly climate ol 01 to and 4 very injurious to travel in he sun W which h we ad are e obliged to do sometimes oar beaten legood zan and nothing but the power of god uta a iOB a us S and d we feel to continue and try to open other houses homes or places to preach la in as fast as the way opens up the harvest Is great but the laborers are few the hie native population to in immense very few of them belong to christian ity they A the malabar tongue reckoned a very mean gibberish we have not devoted any time to attain auy any knowledge of their language yet our time being occupied amongst the europeans some of them seem interested in our works work and come to meeting and inquire diligently I 1 and I 1 think there are some that will embrace wh when they hey are more informed but the priests have them under their thumbs but we will con dinue our efforts and the lord will open the way that all may hear the glad tidings and we pray the lord to strengthen us and make us mighty la in two claiming the truth for this is all I 1 desire to 40 honorm honor and my calling and be acceptable iu in the sight of god and brin bring 9 many to the knowledge of the truth we have great reason to thank the lord for his spirit which attends us iu in bearing testimony of the truth and feel to preach in his bis name though devils may foam and all christendom be mad through the help of god wa we 3 will preach jesus and joseph and brigham Brig bam and the twelve and the people of god in the valleys of the mountains brethren pray without cousin ceasing that we may be mighty representatives for utah and valiant for the testimony of jesus honoring and keeping the priesthood sacred with clean hands and a pure heart may god bless you all presidents goddard staines and piper and all the rest of the quorum with the rich riches es of hip bin grace oh how ow great the contrast how great are the bi blessings essigs you enjoy blessed above all other people brethren I 1 can realize the burden upon the twelve who have borne the burden in the heat of the day may god bless them forever and may the hand that is is raised a against them wither and god bless his servants brinham brigham 9 nham aud and heber and willard and all they have and oil all his people and all t their h air eff efforts bits in the name of jesus letter front from elder richard ballan ballantyne to thomas baom taom bullock MY DEAR BR ba BOLLOCK BuLLo cr As br skelton has kindly reserved a corner for me I 1 gladly fill it up may the god of joseph bless you and d fa family nil r and all the Sd saints ats and priesthood fuyu of god iotov enjoy your privileges for they truly are great if a man or woman will murmur in zion let them go to hell a short time lime and they will learn leara to be de thankful the spirit of zion rests upon us even here and our hearts continually rejoice in god but awful is the pro prejudice jadice and mighty the opposition to the truth I 1 I 1 have been obliged to give the truth in great boldness and we 4 design i evermore to sustain we the servants and salons oan of god who practise it it we know their virtue and holiness ss and power before fore the lord and the holy spirit that rests mats upon them and we will declare it the lord always being our helper we have been able to do so hitherto there was as a great interest here among very many before we openly a the principle in re regard rd to this work we have sown much seed both by visiting from house bouse to house by tracts by reaching preaching and publishing in the newspapers there there is still an interest among some but the doses we have given seem to nauseate the stomachs of many and in some instances they have cast us out ont of their houses but we still hope they will either digest or vomit up if we are only patient Pat lerit sad and dil diligent ut we only i the first except when we are obliged to declare that the lord has commanded I 1 polygamy my paper is full give this letter to my wife vwe may the lord bless her and all my family my love to them and you kou all we are well all A U the brethren of this mission were well when alien we heard a few days ago I 1 am going to write to my family by ft this mail I 1 had ad a letter from br jones in calcutta a few days daya ago well I 1 had a letter from br west a few days day ago he had a hard time he and hf br dewey were rejected in ceylon he is now in bombay with better prospects and br dewey to is in poona br carter was obliged to leave on account of his health he has gone t to boston my love to the first presidency and twelve not fo forgetting atin my y other dear friends and my rath bishop WI with his counsel asel and lesser priesthood iu in the ward remember me to 0 o by sprague bra appleby and blair with much love and ana esteem if I 1 durst indulge such a feeling I 1 would say I 1 long to be in the midst of you yon all again but here is 13 my labor and I 1 rejoice LETTER from elder lew levi savage jr to ira eldredge RANGOON RANo aug 27 1853 DEAR AND it is with peculiar feelings and also with thanks to my heavenly father that I 1 am permitted agrain again in good health and under favorable circumstances to write you a few lines I 1 have written only one letter to you since my arr rival in this part of the world that I 1 think was dated calcutta may ath which if you received announced in short our safe oaf e and pleasant passage across the water and healthy arrival in calcutta april 26 1853 on our arrival in this place we found only six or eight members in this branch and they much shaken in the faith in consequence of the plurality of wives being practised practiced among the saints which news reached here before us br wm win willis willie had gono gone eight hundred miles into the country to start the w work ork abere br james P melk meik was the only firm member I 1 think in the place his house is a home for all those engaged in the great work of the last days he is a man of good education temperate habits aud and i mild disposition and much esteemed este omed by all who know him even those who are am enemies to the cause of god esteem him highly in short he is a wholehearted whole hearted saint and all he hm has is on the altar I 1 can also speak as highly of his wife I 1 am a in happy to say the saints all revived and came to their former standing gp soon after our arrival and others joined 4 N V jones is the president of the calcutta mission AUs sion and C W west of the slam siam mission on our arrival in calcutta to our disappointment we found no BO vessel bound to siam br test proposed two to go to the island of ceylon and the other two to remain in calcutta enill the way should open for us to do otherwise for we had bad not money enough for all to go to ceylon and the saints were not able to assist us much bro west and dewey were proposed to go to ceylon carried ars ludington and myself to follow if the way op opened opined med soon if not to as proceed proceed to rangoon in surin burin ill b and then to siam as soon as wisdom would dictate so we with our small means 35 secured a dock deck passage on an english war steamer the fire queen for rangoon the english are at war with the burmese and took rangoon one of their principal bides in 15 52 we sailed june jane the third day out there arose a |
