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President's Office
G. S. L. City Dec. 29 1864. Elders F. A.
Hammond and Geo. Nebeker,
Honolulu, Sandwich Islands.
Dear Brethren:
Your favor of Dec 7th, containing an account of your trip to and arrival at San Francisco and your movements there, came safely to hand in due course. I was pleased to receive it, and to learn by it of your continued faith in the feasibility of your mission. You can form an idea, by the treatment you have experienced in San Francisco, and which you describe in your letter, of what the conduct of the world will be toward the servants and people of God when Zion achieves that position and importance in the midst of the nations which the prophets beheld in vision and concerning which they have uttered so many predictions. Truly, the sons of them that afflicted Zion shall yet come bending unto her; and they that despised her shall bow themselves down to the soles of her feet. At the present time, our trade is of sufficient importance to make the cultivation of our favor an object with some; but there is a feeling in their breasts, mingled with the desire to obtain commercial advantages, which they themselves do not fully understand. The whole world partakes of this feeling, and it prompts the people in their conduct towards us, yet they cannot define or fully understand it. The whole heavenly world is interested in the great work of the last days, and, hence, there is an influence which sensibly affects the inhabitants of the earth, and causes them to entertain peculiar feelings towards us who are engaged in this work. They have always attached more importance to us than our numbers and strength would seem to justify, and have entertained feelings respecting us which have never been warranted by external circumstances. They do not feel towards any other people, however numerous, as they do towards us, and this is not a new feeling, but it has been one which they have always entertained from the beginning towards this people. It is doubtless right that it should be so, in order that the purposes of the Almighty may be fulfilled. The interest which is felt in Utah and in the people of Utah in California has its origin principally in selfinterest.
Affairs here are moving along about as they were when you left. The Army on the Bench attracts no notice; in fact, it seems to become more insifnificant every day. The Vedette fulminates its denunciations daily; but it receives no attention, and its writers will soon exhaust themselves. They have a motive in writing in they do at present; they hope by their virule, attacts to induce some person to buy them out for the purpose of silencing them. I think, however, they will have to wait some time for purchaser.
The winter so far is a mild one; we have had considerable rain and snow which has given the earth a thorough soaking. There is more snow in the mountains now than there has all last winter.
Steps have been taken to organize a Company to dig a Canal for irrigation and navigation purposes from near the point of the mountain, at a place not from the dividing line between Great Salt Lake and Utah Counties, to the City. The company has not yet been organized by the Legislature; but the digging has been commenced, and the prospect is that it will be completed between the Cottonwoods and the City this winter.
Elders Joseph F Smith and Wm W. Cluff arrived from California about the 12th day of December. We have not heard anything later from Bro. John R. Young than the news furnished by you.
I think that it will be a very good idea for you to look around and ascertain what good tracts of land can be secured on the different Islands by purchase that will be suitable for raising cotton and sugar cane upon. It would be a very good thing if we could raise our cotton and sugar there. You may be able to buy out Gibson and compromise the matter if he wishes to go to the Malay Islands. If you should purchase of him, you will have to look very closely into the titles and see that they are properly signed by the King.
Accept my love, in which President Kimball joins me to you and to the Elders and Saints who may be with you
Your families and friends are well, so far as I know.
That the Lord may bless you in all your labors and give you prosperity and success, and preserve you in health and purity is the prayr of
Your Brother in the Lord,
Brigham Young