19 King St, Borough, London, ^& (2 days later from London)^
My Dear Wife
when I wrote my last under dat of 2^1^9th I though[t]
it would be the last you would recceve from me by the hand of Elder
Turley but having just returned to my room in company with Br's
Kimball & Smith from an Interesting walk of 8 hous walk in visiting
many parts of the city of London & passing through such a scenery
of interest that it would require a volumen to do justice in speaking
of the subject yet I though[t] I would drop a few words to you
upon the subject. After spending several hours in vis^i^ting several
streets of the most splended part of the city of London, we passed
arougd [around] St Pauls church on the out side but did not go in we
shall visit it another day from top to Bottom & give you a descip-
tion of it, it is the Largest church in the world excepting one
at Rome ^The Vatian at Rome dedicated St Peter^ But to close the scenery of the day we visited the Noted
monument standing in the city built in remembereance of the dredful
fire in this city in 1666 we entered at the Base & walked up 345 marble
steps which brought us 200 feet into the air whare we stoped on the out side of
the monument surrouged [surrounded] by an iron railing which gave us a perfect ^view^ of
nearly the whole city at one glance of the ey^i^e & such a sight I never
before witnessed, to stand upon the top of the highest monument
in the world & at one glance of the eye sur[v]ey the largest city &
population upon the face of the whole Earth ever [over] 1 500 000 souls
we had a clear view of the Tower of London, built by the romans
St. Pauls church, West minster Abbey, the house of partiment ^parliament^
& all the towers, steples, spires, & manesions ^mansions^ in the city or nerly
so & 6 tremendious Bridges [ader] ^over^ the River Thames with the
river all [alives] alive with human beings floating in Barges &c
in steem Boates. we had clear view of the mint, & Lord Mayors mansion &
in fine the whole city. A Prussian traveller, citizen of Berlin was with us, & we
had much conversation with him, he had travled over Europe & Asia
& many other parts of the world & he del^c^laired this to be the highest monument
& the grandest & most sublime prospect, that could be found upon the
face of the Earth. As I Before said "this monument was Erected on the ground
whereon stood the parish church of St. Margaret, on the east side of fish street hill, in the ward of
Bridge, in a square open to the street, to perpetuate the rememberance of the dredful fire on London, in
the year 1666. This fine peace of architecture is the design of that great genius Sir Christopher Wren.
it is undoubtedly the finest modern column in the world, & in some respects may vie with the most famous
of Antiquity, being twenty four feet higher than Trajan’s Pillar at Rome." The following is inscribed
upon the monument (“In the year of Christ 1666, the second day of September eastward from hence at
the distance of 200 feet (the highth of this column) about midnight most terrible fire broke out
which driven on by a high wind not ownly wasted the adjacent parts, but also Pa Places vary remote
with incredible noise & fury. It consumed 89 Churches, the City Gates, Guild has^l^l, many public
structures hospitals, schools, libraries, a vast number of stately edifices, 13,200 dwelling-houses, 400
streets, of 26 wards, it utterly destroyed 15 & left 8 others shattered and half burnt. The ruins of
the city were 436 acres from the Tower by the Thames side to the Temple Church & from the
North-east Gate along the city wall to Holborn Bridge. To the estates & fortunes of the citizens it was
merciless, but to their lives vary favorable (ownly eight being lost) that it might in all things resemble
the last conflagation of the world. The destruction was sudden for in a small space of time, the
same city was seen flourishing & reduced to nothing. Three days after, when this fatal fire
had baffled all human councils & endeavors the opinion of all, as it were, by the will of Heaven, it stoped
& on evry side was extinguished.”) Damage done but the fire in all £10,730,500 or $53,652,500 dollars
(the above quotation was written in Latin upon the monument) for further information enquire of John
Lyman Smith who has a Pamphlet sent him by G. A. Smith giving evry particular &c. While
Beholding this indescribable scenery that presents itself from the top of this monument
the thought rested upon my mind with peculiar force, that the day is at hand that
will dissolve all these things, even the rendutions of the last days finished at the
coming of the Mesiah will lay thy splendor in the dust, & give thee O, London a
grave in common will [with] the nations of the gentile world.
22nd Hark!!! this vary moment Elder Kimball has just came into
the room & informed me that he has a package from the post Office for me on opening it I find
one letter from B. Young & (one from Phebe. W. Woodruff Under date of July 2nd 1840) which I
have just perused with the greatest anxiety & Interest I am truly glad to again hear from you
& the children & esspecially to hear that you are enjoying some better health than when you last
rote under date of May 4 & 24 which I received. I have also just been informed that the Saints
led by Elder Turley will not leave Liverpool untill the 7th of Sept this may give me a chance
of sending you another letter still later than this But I don't know but you
^(the above named monument was built from 1661 to 67 being 6 years in building & cost £14,500 or $72 500)^
will get tired of reading so many letters from me at once but perhaps
it may make up the vacancy of five long months in which you have not
herd from me though I have not let that length of time slip without
writing to you. I have never seen any account giving particlulars of
your situation for the first few months after I left you untill the letter
I receved this day. I am well aware you have suffered some of the time
since I left you for the wait of friends or some one to assist you
in your sickness, aflictions, & poverty. these things are painful to my feelings
yet I rejoice at the resignation you have ever manifested to the will of
God in all these things. yea it hath been a source of much gratification
to me in my meditations while seperated from you, that God hath
Blessed me with a companion in this life who hath ever manifested a fixed
principle, & a settled determination, to follow the Lord Jesus Christ &
obtain a celestial glory though it hath thus far led th[page torn]
a path [page torn] sacrafice, affliction; poverty, & trial, But I still [page torn]
us be [page torn] patient as we can under all these circumstances. BYou shall [page torn]
loose [page torn] reward. I will do what is in my Power to make yo ^your^
comfortable henceforth & return home as soon as the Lord will I expe[ct] to
return in the spring. I am well aware we have a great work to do here
& little time to do it in. you will constantly have my prayers for grace
peace & prosperity to rest upon you. give my respects to Brothr [Hay]Clark
& family & all the Saints who inquire. write as soon as you recve
this & tell me all the news with you I ha[v]e peculiar feeling when
I look at the present state of the world we are truly living in an interesting day
these signs you speak of are of interest. May the Lord hasten the time when
we can enter into that rest which remains for the people of God for what
I will ever pray
As ever yours
W. Woodruff
Phebe W. Woodruff
Aug 24th I attended meeting
yesterday at Zions Chapel
watterloo Road & herd [2] ^three^ sermons
for th from the celebrated Robert
Aitken. we were much Edifyed
with some of his preaching, ie he
is looking for things in some degree
as they will take place. he says
the sectarian world will be damned
for they are not of God he says the
judgments of God will spedily fall
upon the whole gentile world. But notw[ith] [page turned down]
standing he sees all these things he has rejected
us in all parts of England like a tiger But we
have taken his flock in all places whare
we have been before. he has churches all
over England, is a reformer, he does not know
us as yet, though he addressed us yesterday in
meeting as strangers, when he knows who we
are I expect he will roar against us he is one
of the greatest preachers of the day in Europe
[upside-down text] we have not yet preched in the^i^s city yet but doors are begining to open for us
that appear favorable give us your prayers constantly the harvest is
truly ripe here. England at present is threatened with war upon evry land
& other calamities
W [end of upside-down text]
[sideways text] Mr's, Phebe W. Woodruff
Montrose, Lee Co
Iowa TerY
North America
In the care of T. Turley [end of sideways text]
[sideways text] Willford Woodroff London Aug 21st 1840 [end of sideways text]