40 Ironmonger Row St^a^int Lukes London
Elder George A. Smith
Dear Brother
I Recieved two letters
from you one Nov 30 & the other Dec 3rd & I should have
written you answers immediately. But Elder Kimball
was writing to you at that time & giving you
all the news so I thought it would be a mere
form if I wrote. But having a few leasure mom-
ents this evening I thought I would say a few
words to you although I have not much
news to write at this time. But what I have got you
shall have freely. We just recieved a letter to day
from Elder Young he said your health was vary poor
which I was sorry to hear. We recied a letter some
days since from Elder Pitt he had Baptized one man &
others Believeing, a Brother in Woolwich wants us to come
down there & prieach. We attended meeting last evening
at the Independant chapel & Preached according to
appointement. We had a good many out to hear
& among the Rest a Wesleyan preacher came & Brought
his whole congregation, & as soon as I got though prea-
ching Before We closed our meeting, the Methodist preacher
got up, & opposed me with all his power; & tore around
like a madman & I think it done more good than my
preaching, for it made us friends & all the [comuity] of
the house were mad at him, & he was forbid comeing there
to preach any more, & in fine it made quite a stir
But what the result of it will be I know not. Mr
Album the preacher that Invited us there thinks he shall
not be alone in coming out & receiving our
doctrin. But with regard to these things they are
all in the hands of God. Doctor Copeland & his wife
has just come in and & wishes us to go to a tea total
Meeting which is expected to be the greatest Ever held
in London As the celebrated James, Silk, Buckingham is to
occupy the chair. So I will lay down my pen & go
to meeting & in the morning I will tell you
what for a time we had. 29th Well Brother Smith
I attended the best tea total meeting last night that
I ever attended in my life it was held in a kind of theater
in Mitton Street & the Building was crouded full. We
had the most Excellent, Edifying, & interesting address from
the Noted J. S. Buckingham he has just returned from the
United States whare he has Been for two years tralg
travling th[r]ough every part of our own country [ach◇◇◇◇]-
ting Temperance, & the acccount he gave of the United
States, was truly Interesting & correct, & I never sag^w^ a
man do Better justize to such a subject than he
did, he gave an account of all his travels for two years
i^d^uring which time he visited New York, Boston, Phili^a^delphia
all the Southern State, the house of Congress, Charleston
Georgia New orleans Lexington KY. Went up the Miss.
River called at St Louis visited Illinois & Iowa extoled
or spoke vary highly of the whole country in that region went
to Galena, Chicago, & the whole length of the Lakes, went
th[r]ough all upper & Lower Canida & held temperance
meetings in all these places, in fine he confirmed our
testimony in evry thing about that country
Elder Kimball & I sat in front of him & he was informed
by the tea totalers in the Borough that we were Americans
& he eyed us closly while speaking, & the man then
followed him spoke of our speaches in the Borough
this Buckingham is the same man that has traveled
so much all over the world, his travels th[r]ough Asia
& India are B^p^ublished in America I read them
many years ago & was much [page cut]
he has Been all over Jerrusalem [page cut]
any information concerning that ca[page cut]
you I will tell you more a[page cut]
much of the American India[n] [page cut]
to all parties he is an aged man [page cut]
of knowledge, talent, & of sound rea[son] [page cut]
evry subject what he speaks upon [page cut]
interesting peace in the London times [page cut]
the German Papers concerning the great exertion, call,
& preperation of all the German Jews to spedily return
to Jerrusalem to once more build there temple there
Greater & more Magnificent than ever before. There
is also just Published a long piece from the Star about
the Latter Day Saints. It is published in the S^P^eny-
Satirist in London. I will send you a coppy with
this, should you get any American News please
inform me of it whatever it may be & I will endev[e]r
to do the same. I found the 11th & 12 Nos of the Times &
Seasons vary interesting. Give my respects to all the
Saints, to Elder Young if he is with you, that peace
health, strength may rest upon you is the prayer of
Willford Woodruff.
It is rather cold weather in London about these days But I
feel well in health. Brother Kimball has had some cold
Phebe says in a letter Oct 19th tell Brother Smith that his Mother &
Sister have Been sick but are now quite smart, & so is your father
& Brothr. Brothr Joseph Received the Letter which we sent unto him
[upside-down text] I enclose in this letter a small bill that was handed me
at the Tea total meeting. We are expecting to Baptize
several this week But I think the work goes harder in Londo[n]
than any place I ever visited. Brother Benjamin Morgan & Sister Morgan send
there love to you & esspecally Harriet, & all the Saints
Please write me again when convenint & give me all
the news. I am looking for American letters evry
day. I want to hear how Elder Turley & the company
got to Nauvoo [end of upside-down text]
[sideways text] Mr G. A[.] [Smith] [page cut]
Care of S. Johnson Brick layer
Upper Pitt Street
Burslem
Staffordshire
[stamp in black ink] L.
DE—29
1840 [end of sideways text]