Great Salt Lake City, March 31/54
Dear Brother Horace,
Yours of Jany 16th came to hand on the l0th inst, & as usual, I was much gratified to learn of your welfare, faith, & cheerful Spirits while laboring in your allotted duties.
As at my last date to you, health, peace, prosperity & union are poured out upon all the saints in Utah, & since the cold weather has passed, active operations have commenced in plowing, sowing, setting out shade & fruit trees and in all seasonable out door labors.
Brothers Kesler & Halliday will start with this Mail, bound for St. louis to assist you in business matters, & Bros. F. D. Richards, & several others on their way to England, will accompany them.
You may smile at my repeated advices on several points, but you know that I am naturally prudent, & cautious, hence I again wish to remind you to use your best judgement in carefully & properly packing all articles, according to their kinds for safe transportation, avoiding heavy boxes, casks, &c, as far as consistent; & be sure that you & Brother Orson Pratt remain with the train until you meet some one bearing written instructions to releive you.
Once each week, or oftener if you see fit, it will be best to weigh out the proper rations of provisions & Groceries to such masses as you have to furnish, & give them to understand that they are to last the specified time, & if they eat all up in one day, they can get no more until the time is out, for this is the only method to prevent waste, & still insure plenty.
The Draft I gave O. H. Cogswell for $2000, has been returned from Washington & I have paid it here.
Learning that Indian Walker & part of his band had come in friendly, and wished to make peace, I instructed Agent E. A. Bedell, & Interpreter D. B. Huntington, to go to Fillmore City, & have a talk with him, & they left here on the 25th inst for that purpose. From all I can learn from various sources, there is every indication that our fellow red men design to conduct themselves as well as their traditions & habits will permit them.
I wish you to deposit the Bank of Missouri to the credit of Dr. G. R. Thorpe, of Oregon, Holt County, Missouri, obtain the Certificate therfor & forward it to Doctor Thorpe in accordance with the above address.
Martha Given who is in St Louis, is very anxious to come out this season, <with her daughter in Law grandson, Joseph Hale, wife & 3 children also desirous of coming> if consistent with the funds & teams in hand at the time of fitting out, I should be pleased if they can be accommodated, especially sister Given, as she is advanced in years, & will need the help of her daughter in Law on the road.
As I have hitherto advised you, in case funds run short from any unforeseen cause, you will continue to procure the articles more immediately & strictly necessary, until the funds are exhausted, or the bill filled, as the case may be, & if you have more teams & wagons on hand, or engaged then you will need in expending as above named, you will finish your loading with prints, Domestics, Cotton Yarn, Sugar, Dye Stuffs, Leather, & such other staple ready cash articles as your judgment may dictate, in order to fill the empty wagons, even should you be obliged to get time on some purchases, for we can use, or sell such articles to advantage, and shall be able to meet the payments, if the time obtained is that usually granted to Merchants doing business here.
Bro Frederick Kesler will have Duplicate, or rather Triplicate bills of all the articles needed, and is instructed more minutely as to the General order of purchases, in case Bro Halliday Does not succeed in selling the Woollen Machinery, and will also take with him about $11.500.
On the 11th inst at 9 (1/2) A. M. our beloved brother Willard Richards, left his Tabernacle to rest awhile, & went to join the faithful who have gone before, and to continue his labors for Zion in a field where he can operate far more efficiently, than when his spirit was confined to the weaknesses accompanying flesh & blood.
Bro. Franklin D. Richards, the bearer of this letter, may need some assistance to speed him on his way from St Louis, as also Brothers Joseph A. Young, Edmund Ellsworth, & James A. Little, if so, you will please furnish them what they may need.
Praying that God the eternal father may bless you, and guide you by his spirit in the ways of righteousness.
I Remain
Your Brother in the Gospel
Brigham Young