Kings Arms, King Street, Borough, London
My Dear Phebe,
After a spedey journey of 100 ^110^ miles which we travled
in 7 hours I have arived (with my Brethren viz Kimball & GA Smith)
in the city of London, & feeling disposed to improve evry opportunity of
communicating any intelligence to you in my power I improve the
present moment of droping a few lines to you which I shall put in a
wrapper & send to Liverpool to Elder Turley hopeing he will get it before he will
leave. My last letter which you will receeve by the hand of Elder
Turley was Dated Aug 10th 8 days since. I will inform you in few words
what I have been about since. We took the parting hand with Eldr Turley
on the 11th for the last time untill we meet him in America. We
also spent several days in passing through the Herefordshire & Glostershire churches
& taking the parting hand with them which was truly an affecting scene
to see hundreds of friends or Saints which we had baptzed into the kingdom
flock around us & take us by the hand & weep as though they would break
their hearts, appear as though they were taking their leave of their father to
see him no more, the many sensations of this kind which I have passed
through since I have been in England have been peculiar, to my feelings
& clearly show me the Effect that the Everlasting gospel has upon the honest
in heart & the meek of the Earth. We held a camp meeting on Sunday
the 16th at the Leigh Gloucestershire which is the last meeting we have had with
the Saints, we Baptized 15 while there & ordained one Elder & two Priests. the
two that we ordained and to Priests came 12 miles to hear us & they went
forward & was Baptized the first sermon & we confirmed & Ordained them
at the same time, the work is progressing rapidly in that region, those churches
which I built up there now number about 900 all of which have embra[c]ed
the work in little more than 5 months they will No 1000 at the end of
6 months from the time that I first preached to the people in that region.
17th we parted with the Saints at the Leigh & travled 5 miles to Cheltenham &
spent the night at a Temperance Hotel pop 40,000 (following is a short extract from
my Journal) Aug 18th 1840 I took coach at Cheltenham at 9 oclock P.M. in
company with Eldrr Kimball & G. A. Smith it was an exceding chilly day
we rode 40 miles through a level country having quite the appearance of
the Illinois & Mo prairies occupied altogethr for farming, we past three small villages
& many thousands of acres of wheat & Barley fields in the midst of harvest part of which
was cut & part standing. We passed through Oxfordshire & in about 8 miles
of Oxford University the largest & most Noted university in the world
which consists of 20 endowed collages & 5 halls not endowed at which place
all Europeans finish their studies before they consider themselves perfect schollars
We saw vast herds of cattle, sheep, & deer. we passed in Light of Stow, & the
wychwood forest containing 7,500 acres of timber in which thousands of cattle feed
& it is also a Noted place of resort for sportsman to hunt deer, hares, & pheasants, &c
we arived at the farington road station & took cars for London at 1 oclock P.M.
passed through Relicks & had a plain view of old ruins & as we passed we also had a
fair view of Winser Castle as we passed within about one miles of it, which is the reside[n]ce
of her Majesty the Queen Victoria when she is not in London. After traveling 70 miles
on the rail road we were landed at the London depo we then took coach & rode 3 miles into
the centre of the city of London at which place we arived at 4 oclock PM. making 110 miles
in 7 hours, & we did not stop more than 2 minutes at a time during the whole journey
we left the coach about the centre of the city for it had great difficulty in getting along in
consequence of the solid jam of coaches & human beings which stormed the streets full
& we walked across London Bridge over the River Thames which was also crouded with human
Beings, & we called upon (Mr's, W. Allgood 19 King Street, Borough, London,) which is Mr W Allgoods
Address. Mis Allgood is our sister to Eldr Theadore Turley wife, she treated us kindly &
gave us some refreshment which we much needed as we had eat nothing since morning
she then directed us to a publick house near by where I am now sitting in company
with Eldrs Kimball & G A Smith for the purpose of writing a letter to my dear
wife, while the Brethren are writing to their famili^e^s, & this after having been in the city
city one hour, I can hardly realize that I am now in the great city of London
but so it is, even in the Largest, most Noted, & populous commercial city in the world containing
a population of about (1,500,000) one million five hundred thousand human beings, I am in
company with Elders H. C. Kimball & G. A. Smith we are the first Elders of the Church of Jesus
Christ of latter Day Saints that have ever walked the streets of London in. O London as I
walk thy streets & Behold the mass of human beings passing through thee, & view thy mighty
Pallaces, thy splended mansions, thy spires towering to the clouds, thy costly merchantdize whare with
thou art adorned, ever as the capital of great Babylon, I am ready to In whose midsts stands
the Throne of Earthly crowns, Kings, Queens, Princes, Lords, Dukes, & Nobleman at whose command
strong flleets go forth & rule as king of the waters & whose septre is more fully swayed ore the world
than any othr Nation. I am ready to ask what hath brout brought me with my Brethren
to stand in they midst & as the spirit answers to warn thee of thine abominations
& cry repentance unto thee that thou mayest be left without excuse in the day
of thy visitation thy calamity thy lamentation & thy wo. I am again ready to
cry out O Lord who is sufficient for these things. O Mighty God of Jacob cloth[e] us
with thy power. Let the power of the Priesthood res upon us the spirit of our
[sideways text] I feel very thankful to Brother George W Robinson for his kindness he can write a little in you letters & send them to me
& I will direct mine to him [end of sideways text]
ministry & mission & of humility & meekness overshadow us that our
garments may be clear of the Blood of this people, & that we may labor
dilligently to seek out the honest in heart & the meek of the Earth, that a work may
spedily be done to the honour & glory of God in the midst of this mighty city
19th I arive this morning after having a broaken nights rest in consequence of the
passing of horses, & doges, talking, & singing, in the streets at all hours of the
night, & I set down to finish my letter. This probably will be the last
letter that you will get from me by Eldr Turley. I have endeavored to spare
no pains to communi[c]ate any intelligence to you that I thought would be of
interest. It is dark & raining this morning but is clearing of. We shall spedily
begin to look aroung around & see what we can do in the city we are going up
into the centre of the city in the middle of the day to see her Excellent Majesty the
Queen Victoria & His Royal Highness Prince Albert who rides though the city in the middle of the
day in an open carriage freequently drawn by 4 ponies they are vary familiar
with the people by Bowing to them as the they pass along &c. The signs of the times
are beginning to be big with Events in Europe. Most all of the Easter[n]e world is
engaged in war more or less, & evry prospect of an immediate war with
betwee[n] [page torn] France & England. France is preparing her mighty fleet for [wax seal]
work wh[page torn]at the same time England bo[a]sts of her 200,000 seamen ready [wax seal]
action this mornings paper talks loud upon the subject, there appears [wax seal]
be much boasting & the [threatening] upon both sides which creates much
excitement. In fact wars & rumours of wars are universal at the present
time Brother Smith Just receved a letter from his father & Brothr Kimball
from his wife. I saw your hand in Brothr Smith letter which I was glad
to see & hear from you. I have receved two letters from you since I have
been in England. I fear all letters that were sent to Preston are lost but
one which I got. the signs that were seen riding across the river were of interest
There was a sign seen in the Moon in this country a few evenings since
which created some excitement. I will extract it from my Journal. On the 9th Aug 1840
there was a sign in the moon the people at great Marlvern Hills in Herefordshire Engnd took a view of it
through their glasses. The appearance of the Moon was as though it was painted red & while looking at
it one part of it fell in peaces & the appearance of a soldier was seen in it, with a white feather in his
cap the No that was on his cap was seen vary plain & a figure 8 on his sholdier they saw his fire lock &
gun ready for battle & his dress was clearly seen. Thus signs are appearing in the heavens & Earth.
Please write me as soon as you obtain the letters which I send you by Eldr Turley
I pray the Lord to give you & the children health & strength & food & ranent [raiment], the present
prospect is that I shall tarry in some part of Europe untill spring at which time the Lord willing
I expect to return to my family give me your prayer you shall have mine Adieu
remember me to all who enquire
I ever remain yours
W. Woodruff
(I enclose half a sheet in this letter)
[sideways text] I dont know as you will be able to read my scribling what you cannot make out I will read to you when I come home [end of sideways text]
[upside-down text] Mr's Phebe W. Woodruff
Montrose Lee County
Iowa Teritory
North America
sent in the care of Mr Theadore Turley
[sideways text] Ship Via
Liverpool & New York [end of sideways text] [end of upside-down text]
Willford Woodruff
London Aug 18th 1840
Answered [page torn]