[in red ink] Ezra T Benson March 31 1857 Anwd June 1st 1857 [end of red ink] 56 Welcomb St. Hulme, Manchester, England. March 31st 1857. Elder Woodruff My dear Brother I received your kind and welcome letter dated December 7th 1856 yester day and was very glad to hear from you altho we have had most of the same news that was contained in your letter some 4 weeks ago. We were truly much surprised and greatly shocked to hear of the death of our beloved ...

for the building up of His Kingdom and the salvation of souls, and all that I can say is, the will of my Father in Heaven be done in all things and I pray that we may be prepared to receive the things that the Lord has for us in the future for I know that great things are required at the hands of His Servants at the pre- sant time moreso than ever has been since the Church was organ- ized. I have felt the spirit of reformation on me ever since I landed on ...

the Almighty is not in them and that we must trim off the dead branches that the tree may thrive and expand and he makes the same observation about the Elders We have commenced the reformation at the office according to his direc- tions, for his instructions are great and glorious, we have made a clean sweep in the office of every thing that is forbidden in the word of God thus we have cleansed ourselves and purified the office from top to bottom and we feel renewed both soul and body. Bro Pratt ...

we ^have^ a good and holy man to lead us who is continually clothed with the Spirit of revalation and whose instructions to us are as the voice of the Lord and whose admonitions may we ever regard as true and faithful and worthy of the confidence of all who profess the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have been with him in prosperity and adversity in sickness and in health in public and private and in various situations in life where men may reasonably associate with each other ...

the Elders and Saints their duties I am at the same time learning myself. I am contin- ually travelling from conference to conference attending meetings most every day and I feel greatly blessed in standing before the people preaching reformation and I can say truly that I have never had such steady promtings of the Holy Spirit since I have been in the Church as I have since I have been on this mission. We are determined to make a thorough work in the reformation in this land spiritually and temporally and we know that it ...

means are collected ^of the poor saints^ shall go for the building up on the Church and Kingdom of our God and we are expecting to see the work roll forth faster than it has done for the last few years. I received a letter from you last September when I was in Copenhagen and answered the same from that place giving you a brief sketch of my travels in these lands up to that date. I also wrote one last November to President Young and another last week giving him such items ...

James P. Park was appointed President of the Company and Jesse B Martin & C. R. Dana his counsellors. Enclosed is a letter to bro Robt. Skelton you can read it and then please hand it to him, he is residing with my family. I am informed by letters from my wife that you drop in occasionally to see them for it is my earnest prayer that they may live to be worthy of the blessings of my brethren in whom ...

of Members of Parliament. Many of the old fogies are thrown out of office and new ones elected in their place. Brother Heny Lunt wishes to be remembered to you who is now pening these lines for me. Bro Miles Rom- ney is also with me and feels well and so do the brethren generally as far as I know With kind love to yourself & family and all enquiring friends I remain as ever Your Brother in the E. Covnt E T Benson P.S. - Bro