Show IN FAR OFF TASMANIA I 1 in I 1 I 1 MURRAY STREET hobart tasmania tuesday july 1896 in perusing your valuable paper and i bading over the remarks made by such noble men as we have lor for our leaders leaden my heart swells with gratitude to god and I 1 find a solace there also the great amount of information that is gathered from the four corners ot of the earth is good for digestion and proves such to me on this lonely island ten thousand miles from my grand mountain home the reason for or my terming it lonely is because of my being so lar far away from home the island of tasmania vs is farther away than others of the australian group I 1 left my home in salt lake city august ixta 1895 arrived at my field of labor the day of the following month when our boat was fastened to the wharf I 1 had the privilege of ot looking over the town of hobart I 1 saw many faces but they all seemed strange to me and while in this condition many thoughts passed through my mind among the most important was if I 1 was not able to find my companion whom I 1 was to travel with I 1 would get on some of the street corners and make myself known after about half an hours thought though ti I 1 went to the chief steward and asked him to recommend me to an hotel he told me I 1 could stop at his place as he ran the ship hotel I 1 then repaired to the place had dinner and three gentlemen who came on the boat with me took wae me around town and out to the botanical gardens two miles from my stopping place I 1 had scarcely returned when ein mr hughes the proprietor of the hotel of which I 1 was a guest called mr smith yes sir was the be response here is another mormon from utah he would like to see you my heart was then made glad I 1 mr hughes being the chief steward at that time did business with mr joh john turner the people I 1 have been staying with ever since the first evening alter after my arrival and having occasion loA to call at the above named place met one of mr turners daughters who asked atea how he liked the little mormont mormon boy she then beldin held in her arms id mormon says pays mr hughes we have a mormon stopping with us who came with us from sydney then the secret was out and in almost less time than it takes to tell it 1 was comfortably seated at the table with elder pond his wife and babies partaking of a supper prepared by a mormon missionary woman there was I 1 nothing of importance happened to interfere with our peace and quiet until october aist when my companion and I 1 took a trip to a place called bismark we swe were permitted to hold meeting in the wesleyan church there was a good turn out and a good spirit prevailed after a hearty shaking of hands and the leaving ot of some of our literature with them namely morgans tracts to such as would have them after thanking the people who had been so kind in entertaining us as also those who bad taken the trouble to come to our meetings we wended bended our way ba back k to hobart a distance ot oi twelve miles s we were gone two days we got home about i a in we were two happy boys that night one of the most beautiful I 1 ever saw in my life the stars seemed to dance and sparkle in exquisite splendor and acknowledge that which had been done we continued tr acting from house to house until the irth ot of november when we took another trip up through the island visiting bagdad kempton apsley bothwell outlands oatlands Oat Oad lands ands Parr attah A cam pain paim iob richmond and back to ho hobart bart making a round trip tramp of miles in six days although we were unsuccessful in obtaining places to speak in yet those we stopped with and were so kind as to give us tood food and shelter were much enlightened upon the question of mormonism we allayed much prejudice during our visit to these towns and were able to lay a firm foundation for something better the next time we wend our way in that direction my companion elder pond and family left for their home in zion march ath and elder R A fenton and I 1 labored together until may and when two missionaries sion aries irom zion arrived namely elders C A orine and william harvey and after two weeks longer stay elders fenton and orine took their departure for launceston Launce ston elder jentons fentons Fen tons ps former place of labor william harvey remained with your humble servant there have been two baptisms performed since my arrival here and considering si our being so far away from cur rent news prejudice is being allayed most wonderfully wonder lully the only opportunity it we had bid for a long time in getting the dospel gospel before the people successfully was by holding meeting on the public domain on sunday afternoons but lor about three months back we have had bad the privilege of meeting at the houses ot of several families and explaining to them the principles ot of the gospel we have loaned them many of the church publications cat ions and expect to do some good work shortly the people with whom we have the pleasure of meeting have a treat as well as we for they get some ot of the songs of zion sung to them which they enjoy ver very Y much and they anxiously loo look k for the evenings appointed as we have separate evenings for each family we are busy every evening of the week explaining in our weak way the gospel principles I 1 would advise the young men in zion to prepare their voices in singing for it has a wonderful effect upon the people ANDREW SMITH JR |