Voyage of Ship “Brooklyn”, II

VOYAGE OF THE SHIP "BROOKLYN." BY HON. JOHN M. HORNER.

II.

I have stated the object for which the ship Brooklyn Saints sailed from New York, so far as now and then we understood it; and briefly some of the incidents of the voyage, and as far as my memory serves me, after a lapse of nearly sixty years. We come now to the question, ''What has been some of the results?" We claim that the ship Brooklyn Saints were the first to introduce civilized agriculture into California. They were the first to introduce and use the modern mould-board plow; the first cradle for cutting grain; the first mowing machine, and the first reaping and thrashing machines ever used in California. Although we did not share the pleasure of feeding the Church pioneers who remained at Salt Lake, we did feed scores and thousands of gold hunters who flocked to California by sea and land from all countries, in 1849, and in after years — with potatoes, cabbages, tomatoes, onions, beets, turnips, and other vegetables, which were not within their reach, for love or money, only from the Brooklyn passengers, during the four years following 1848. There were no others in the farming business to effect anything, until after those dates. It may also be claimed that the Brooklyn Saints proved to be in the van of the Pacific missionaries, and they did for a time slightly assist them in going and returning. Of course, we claim also that their coming to California had something to do with the discovery of gold, and with starting up the settlement of the territory of California to be the noted state it

now is. Only for the discovery of gold, there is no assurance that California would be now more than a territory.

VO YA GE OF THE SHIP "BROOKL YN." 891

The discovery of gold in California in 1848 was without a doubt work directed of the Great Father, and he used so many instruments to effect it that no one person can claim to be the whole cause. Even the ''Mormon" Church can scarcely claim it; since, if

the Church had not been driven out of civilization, a long time must have slipped away before it could have reached Utah. No ship Brooklyn emigrants would have been sent to farm in California, then a Mexican territory, and it is doubtful if the "Mormon" Battalion would have been enlisted. These are only the fruits of my fertile imagination. The facts are, the Church was driven out. The Battalion boys were enlisted. The Brooklyn emigrants were sent to California to farm, gold was discovered, California was raised to a prosperous state by agriculture, and mine production, from various discoveries in its territory. Surely the people of the Church were chosen and made the honored instruments by the Great I Am to discover gold in California and to commence the greater blessing to man that came by reclaiming the deserts and making them fruitful and habitable. President Brigham Young and his counselors were the principal instruments chosen by the Great One to council, guide and lead his Church. Brigham began by sending the Brooklyn Saints to California. He counseled, encouraged, and assisted in the enlisting of the "Mormon" Battalion boys, who were sent to California, where they arrived in good time. Brigham gave direction to Mr. Samuel Brannan, the leader of the Brooklyn Saints, before he left New York, to go east from California, in the spring of 1847, on the overland trail, until he should meet the Church pioneers. He did so, and met them near Salt Lake, with Brigham Young at their head. Brannan reported that he had filled the mission given him by President Young in New York. He had taken the Brooklyn emigrants to California* and came overland and met the Church pioneers as directed, with President Young leading. The President gave him a message to deliver to the Battalion boys, when he should meet them on his return to California, to the effect that none must come to headquarters if he did not have enough provisions to last a certain number of

months, or words to that effect. The message was delivered.

892 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

The boys halted. A part went on, and a part returned to recruit their larders. This obedience to the President's direction led to the first discovery of gold in California, and to promptly advancing its territory to the great state we now behold it. President Young, leading the Church into the wilderness, as he was guided and directed by the Great One, proved to be the first Church leader of any sect who ever led or taught the people to redeem the desert and make it blossom as the rose, and to yield wealth for sustaining both man and beast. Truth points to the fact that the "Mormon" Church, with Brigham Young at its head, was the instrument used by the Great One to discover gold to the world in California in 1848. This led to others; in fact, the whole world has awakened to a hunt for gold, silver, and other metals, and much has been discovered. President Young sent out the "Mormon" emigrants around Cape Horn, and the Battalion boys across the country to California, in 1846, and gave them directions what to do after their arrival. It was the obeying of those directions that caused discovery of gold in 1848. - President Young led the Church pioneers to eastern California — now Utah — in 1847. He led and directed it many years, as he was guided by the Great Father, and succeeded in convincing the people of our country and their government that the great American desert could be reclaimed and made a suitable country for man to dwell in, and the government has now enacted the irrigation law to assist in its redemption. President Roosevelt, while speaking upon the subject in the "Mormon" Tabernacle, in Salt Lake City, said, "But for you, the irrigation law could not have been enacted." This no doubt referred to the 'Mormon" people, as it was well '

known they had built the dams, dug the ditches, done the irrigating; planted, cultivated, gathered the crops, made improvements, and made the country prosperous for years, without assistance or sympathy from the outside. So it seems that the people of these states should thank the Great Father for sending the "Mormons" to discover the gold, and to redeem the deserts, which has made this country so much more prosperous than : was possible without these discoveries and improvements; and for these great blessings