Historian's office
G. S. L. City
Ed. of the Western Standard
Dear Sir,
The california mail arrived on the 29th Ulto.
by which we are in receipt of a full file of the Standard for August.
We are now in the midst of emigration. Elder Bank's
company from St. Louis, and Elder Bunker's hand cart companies
have arrived this week.
On the 26th Ulto. the hand cart company's of Elders Edmund
Ellsworth and D. D. McArthur arrived with about 100 hand carts and 486
souls. The kindly welcome and benevolent reception these Pioneer hand cart
companies received exceeded greatly that of any other company since our ar-
rival in the mountains.
On 20th Sep. Ulto Elder Peterson's company of Danes arrived.
Elder Preston Thomas arrived from Texas on the evening of
12th inst. in advance of his company which arrived on the 16th
The health of the people generally is firstrate.
The Weather has been very fine this last month, which has been
very favorable for public improvements.
The Deseret State Fair closes to day. This has been a
display of talent genius and industry which does honor to our citizens,
indeed we feel proud of our associations with a people, who altho' hem-
med in by mountains living on desert plains, accounted unworthy the
abode of civilization, have made mother earth team luxuriantly with
the comforts—the bounties—yea the luxuries of life, and we can indorse
the sentiment of the Prophet, when he declared the desert should
blossom as the rose [Isaiah 35:1], and the barren waste should be converted into
a fruitful field [Isaiah 32:15].
On the 10th Ulto we moved into the new Historian office
opposite Prest. Young's buildings.
On the 29th Ulto we had a general muster and inspection
of the Nauvoo Legion. Lieut. Gen. Wells and his staff received the
troops, after which a hollow square was formed and the Lieut. Gen.
delivered an animating address to the troops, which was well sustained
by the officers of his staff and chaplain.
We have had much excellent preaching lately by the First
Presidency and others. Prest. Young has come out boldly and told this
people in the name of the Lord, they must repent and be baptized
for the remission of their sins. Several Wards have gone forward
en masse been baptized and renewed their covenants before the Lord,
and I believe the fire of a universal reformation in this Territory
has been lit and will continue to burn, until a permanent
foundation for good works has been laid in our midst. We must
say since the organization of this church our ears have never been
saluted with more pointed Godlike sermons, than have flowed lately
from Prest. Young and his counsellors.
We are happy to announce the arrival of Elders F. D.
Richards, Daniel Spencer, Jos. A. Young W. H. Kimball Geo. D.
Grant, James Ferguson, John Van Cott, C. H. Wheelock, N. H. Felt,
Wm. C. Dunbar, J. T. D. McAlister & James McGaw.
yours truly
W Woodruff