G. S. L. City, Sep. 18 1861.
Cap. Walter Murray Gibson,
Honolulu, Sandwich Islands,
Dear Brother:
I take pleasure in acknowledging your welcome favors numbered 6 and 7, with inclosed extracts, and was much pleased with your report of your feelings, prospects, proceedings, designs, and success thus far on your way to your field of labor.
Since my tour in May and June to our extreme southern settlements, I have visited and held meetings with the brethren in Springville, Lehi, Centerville, Farmington, and Tooele City; and on the 12th inst. I returned from a short trip to Cache Valley, having held meetings in Ogden, Willow Creek settlement, Brigham City, and Logan. As a very general characteristic, the brethren whom I have visited in so many of our settlements are striving for spiritual and temporal improvement, and are certainly very industrious in all matters pertaining to their secular affairs.
Our immigration has been singularly blest this season, the 200 and odd teams sent down in the spring sufficing to bring all the freight sent for and all the people who were at Florence wishing to come through, but unable to provide transportation, to the number of some 1900 persons. The companies have already all arrived, except br. Joseph W. Young's, which is expected about the 25th. inst., and they appear to enjoy excellent spirits, rejoicing in their deliverance from the bondage of wickedness and in the many blessings the Saints are blest with in the mountains.
I presume Judge Smith forwards the "News" to br. Eveleth as you requeested, but a want of paper prevented its being published since the forepart of July until the 7th inst., when it began to be supplied from our new paper mill which is now in successful operation, and will be able to supply all demands so fast as we can furnish it with material.
Among other improvements we are enlarging the Tabernacle, with a view to moving the stand from the side to the North end, altering the arrangements of the seats, &c., and are erecting a theatre 86 X 144 feet, walls 40 feet high above the water table, and of stone, except the last 20 feet which are adobies. The work on both these buildings is being vigorously prosecuted, in hopes of completing the Tabernacle in time for our next Conference on the 6 of October, and of inclosing the theatre before rough weather, that the inside work may be so far forwarded as to permit us to use the building some portion of next winter. The building is so designed as to answer admirably for lecturing to large audiences, and for commodiously convening large assemblies for various useful purposes.
As you have perhaps learned from the News, the relics of the army sold off their effects at Camp Floyd and Bridger for merely nominal prices, entirely vacating Floyd and leaving only a corporal's guard at Bridger, and ingloriously marched out of Utah toward Leavenworth, a fitting finale to so unholy a crusade as they had been sent upon.
By positive orders from the Government to destroy all arms and warlike munitions they could not take with them, they destroyed a large amount of arms and ammunition, thus clearly evidencing the animosity still existing against us in the breasts of the would be "powers that be" at Washington.
By our latest Washington and New York dates, Sep. 6, we learn that more or less skirmishing was going on in Missouri and Virginia, and that the pickets of the two armies were closely confronting each other along the Potomac, in daily expectation of some important movements.
Telegraph Agents are industriously erecting poles east and west from this City, and expect to have the wire stretched across the Continent in readiness for Telegraphing on or before the 1st of December.
Our harvest is abundant, affairs prosperous, and the people healthy and enjoying a quietude not known elsewhere in our nation.
Trusting to hear from you at every feasible opportunity, I remain,
Your Brother in the Gospel,
Brigham Young