London, . BROTHERS ROBINSON & SMITH: As we consider it perfectly consistant with our calling, with rea- son and revelation, that we should form a knowledge of kingdoms and countries, whether it be at home or abroad, whether it be ancient or mod- ern, or whether it be of things past present or to come, whether it be in heaven, earth or hell, air or seas; or whether we obtain this knowledge by being local or travelling, by study or by faith, by dreams or by visions, by revelation or by prophecy, iit mattereth not unto us; if we can but obtain a cor- rect principle and knowledge of things as they are, in their true light, past, present, and to come. It is under such a view of things that we are endeavor- ing to avail ourselves of every oppor- tunity in our travels among the na- tions of the earth, to record an account of things as they pass under our obser- vation; extracts of which we may for- ward to you from time to time, which may not be uninteresting to your rea- ders. We will on this occasion make a few extracts from Elder Woodruff's Journal, concerning certain places which we visited while in the city of London, which is at your disposal. On the 21st of August 1840 we vis- ited the noted monument erected in commemoration of the dreadful fire of London, in the year 1666, built under the inspection of that great architect, Sir Christopher Wren. We entered a door at its base, (paid 1d on entering) and ascended 345 black marble steps, which brought us 200 feet into the air, about 150 feet above the highest dwel- lings; we stepped on the outside of the pillar; surrounded by an iron railing, which at ones presented to our view an indescribable scenery upon every hand. Here we are standing 200 feet in the air, upon the highest and finest modern column in the world, and with the glance of the naked eye, we could overlook, and survey the largest, most noted, populous and splendid commer- cial city upon the face of the whole earth; even a city containing a million and a half of human beings, and such a grand scenery, and sublime prospect our eyes never before beheld. We were situated so as to overlook nearly the whole city. East of us lay the splendid Tower of London and the Mint. North the mansion of the Lord Mayor of London and the Bank of Eng- land. Northwest, St. Pauls Cathe- dral. West, Westminster Abbey, House of Parliament, Buckingham Pal- ace, &c. South lies the river Thames running from west to east with five large arched bridges across it in full view, and another which is not seen from the pillar, making six, five of which are hewn stone, and one is all of solid cast iron, viz: Southwark, while London, Blackfriars, Waterloo, Westminster and Vauxhall bridges, are all stone. On the south of the river lies the Borough &c. In addi- tion to these were hundreds of church- es, chapels, spires and monuments standing in the midst of one universal, dense mass of brick and stone buildings; covering about six miles square of ground. While viewing this scenery in a clear day and beholding the streets and bridges crowded with hu- man beings of every rank and station, and with beasts and vehicles of every kind, and the Thames covered with British Shipping, from the skiff to the man of war, a Prussian traveler, (citi- zen of Berlin) who was standing by our side, exclaims, "I have traveled over Europe and Asia and other parts of the world, but I have never before found a spot upon the face of the earth which hath presented to my view as grand a scenery as the one now lying before us." This monument is 24 feet higher than Trajans Pillar at Rome: it cost $75,500. The follow- ing is inscribed upon one side of the monument in Latin. "In the year of Christ 1666, the second day of Sept., from hence at the distance of two hun- dred and two feet, the height of this column, about midnight a most terrible fire broke out, which, driven on by a high wind, not only wasted the adja- cent part, but also places very remote, with incredible noise and fury: it con- sumed 89 churches, the gates of the city, Guildhall, many public struc-