My dear Brother William: Your welcome favor of the 1st inst came duly
to hand. I am much gratified with your kind expressions towards me, in memory of
my 82nd birthday anniversary and the many pleasant and agreeable personal asso-
ciations of the past. I appreciate the warm feelings of friendship you express on
your own behalf and on that of your family, Brother and Sister Cottam, Brothers
Samuel & Jos. Hardy, their wives, and also Brothers Pymm, Randall, McArthur and Atkin, and all my friends and the saints in the sunny and sandy south; and I
reciprocate their love and friendship and from my heart I bless them and pray God
my heavenly Father to pour out upon the in rich abundance every blessing, both
temporal and spiritual, that they can desire or ask for in righteousness, as a
reward for their integrity and faithfulness to the cause of Zion.
I should be greatly pleased to have an opportunity of visiting the saints
in the south again with the liberty I now have, according to my strength, of
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attending to all the duties of my calling openly and freely. But I am not as young
as I was ten, twenty or thirty years ago, and I find that the cares and labors of
the Priesthood have not diminished but increased upon me. The Kingdom grows and
responsibilities increase, notwithstanding the efforts of the wicked one and
all his agencies on earth to prevent it; and although my desire is strong to
visit, counsel and exhort the saints, as in years gone by, the duties of my
position and the increased labors which have fallen upon me seem to make it
necessary for me to shift a large portion of this labor, for the present and fu-
ture, upon those who are younger and stronger than I am.
In my visit through Utah County recently I attended twelve meetings,
speaking at all of them, and enjoying much of the good spirit. But I contracted
a severe cold which forced me to desist and return home, and from which I am
still suffering. I hope, however, soon to be fully recovered from it. Having
been so long measurably confined to limited quarters, and so little accustomed to
public exercises, Brother Cannon and I felt, perhaps, too much like boys when
we started out and, so far as I am concerned at least, may have overdone a little.
Brother Cannon enjoys his restored liberty exceedingly, although it is far from
being complete. I trust the Lord will soon remove the yoke of the enemy, so that
our liberty, and that of our families also, may be perfect. We are in the hands of
God. He has preserved us thus far and developed His purposes in His own way and
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by His [[illegible]] and methods, and He is abundantly able to continue His work to
His final glorious consummation. That we may prove equal to our responsibilities
and faithful to the end is my prayer.
With love to all and constant prayer for the welfare of the saints,
I am your Brother, & c.