Still Later From England

We are happy to have the pleasure to present to our readers a very interesting letter from Bro. Hedlock in England. In it will be found matter of great interest,

Liverpool, May 8, 1845,

DEAR BROTHER PRATT:-

I stop from a meeting this afternoon to address a few lines to you in reply to your last favor, which came safe to hand by the last steamer. I am pleased to learn of your wish to correspond with me, and you may expect a letter from me every two weeks. I had almost concluded that my brethren in America had forgotten me, and the saints in England; I have not received a Prophet since they were printed, those that you send to others come safe, and are forwarded immediately to the owners. Bro. Woodruff's family are in Liverpool, and are well; he is now in Carlisle conference; he will return soon, and then go to London, and from there will visit the saints in the midland counties. Elder Milton Holmes presides over the Manchester conference well. Bro. Leonard Hardy presides over Weston conference and is well. Bro. Sheets has been very successful in the Bradford conference; many have been added to it through his labors; he is now going to preside over the Herefordshire conference, where his labors are much needed. Bro. E. H. Davis still presides over the London conference; he has proved himself worthy of all confidence, and the church is prospering under his teaching. Elder J. A Stratton is now in Wales, where there are a few branches of the church associated with the Liverpool conference;-these branches were raised up by Elder Burnham. Elder Henshaw is preaching successfully in South Wales to the native Welch in their own language, Capt. Dan Jones is in Wrexham, North Wales, and is laying a

foundation for a great work among the Welch mountains; he has published a work similar to the Voice of Warning, in the Welch language; by some it is well received, and publicly lectured against by others: an extract of a letter that I received from him the other day, will give you the best idea of Elder Jones' feelings and determination.

He says, in reply to a letter written to him. "that I am a minister plenipotentiary [plenipotentiary] for the King of kings, an envoy extraordinary bearing important despatches fraught with life and peace to the best, the most ancient nation extant, having my credential emanating from the high court of heaven, sealed with the kingly authority of Omnipotence: this is my occupation; is it not a good one? My former occupation was commanding a Mississippi duck (steamboat) not brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, but in the rude school of Neptune, an unvarnished sailor, a tar of the five oceans; my residence will be somewhere in my father's vineyard, I know not where he may send me, but suppose it will be among the mounntains [mountains]."

There has not been much done in Ireland, the people are so bound by poverty, and so dependent upon their landlords, that they dare not admit any one to preach in their neighborhoods or keep them over night if the reader of the parish forbids them; if they disobeyed his order, he would inform the bishops and overseers of the parish, and they the landlord, and the people would forfeit their homes and employment, and this is the great reason why the gospel does not spread more in Ireland. Elder Paul Harrison, a native of Ireland, was appointed by the general conference to go to Ireland and preach among the saints, and do what he could to increase the number of saints in (Hibernia) Ireland. I expect to visit Ireland. I expect to visit Ireland in a few days, for a short time on business.

Elder - who left Scotland as time keeper on a line of railway in France, has baptized two since he has been there, and is still strong in the faith; he further adds, that if the gospel was preached in the language of the country, he thinks that thousands would embrace it, for in general, the people have lost confidence in the priests of the day, and infidelity prevails for want of an understanding of the new principles and order of the kingdom of God.

I received a letter from Elder Andrew Anderson, in Montipeer township, Australia, by the politeness of Elder G. P. Waugh of Edinburgh. Elder Anderson was one of the first that was baptized in modern Athens by Elder Pratt, while on a mission in Scotland. Elder Anderson went out with his family to Sydney with a view to better the condition of his family, and took advantage of a free passage for a year's servitude at moderate wages.

It appears from the tenor of his letter, that he has organized a branch of the church there consisting of nine members, and is strong in the faith, and is preaching the gospel and baptizing. He has written for a parcel of books and the Millennial Star, which I shall forward to him. I will give you a short extract from Anderson's letter, that you may judge better of the situation of things in that country.-"The only answer that I have received from Europe, was in answer to a letter this day three years, Dec. 25, 1844; and I am glad to state to you that I am much better situated than I was then, as it regards having peace and quietness to discharge our several duties the best way we can. The work of the Lord is moving slowly on here. Since I began this letter I have been called the distance of eighteen miles to baptize a man and his wife; they had written a letter to me, but I did not receive it, so the man came to see what was the reason why I did not come; when he found I had not received his letter, he made known what he wanted, and said one of your brethren came to live with me and my wife in our hut, and has been the means of bringing us out of darkness into the marvellous [marvelous] light, he further said that he would gladly obey the gospel but his wife was desirous that we should make no delay in coming, as she was desirous of receiving and obeying the gospel likewise: we travelled [traveled] all night and got there at sunrise, and was rejoiced to find the wife of him who had come for me, ready to receive the ordinances of the gospel; as soon as I conveniently could I attended to the duties, and we experienced much of the goodness of God. The love that burns in their hearts towards you and all the saints is great; the names of the members of the church as far as I know, are, Andrew Anderson, elder, Charles Gale, elder, William Jones, priest, and Bishop Noble, Currin, teachers, Henry Gale, Henry Sullivan, Robert Fisher, Ann Fisher and Mrs. Anderson. I have endeavored to spread the glorious dispensation to the children of men, to deliver them from the wrath to come, and bring them into the new and everlasting covenant, in which I rejoice in the midst of tribulation in this my exile. I have gone many miles to preach the gospel, and by so doing pulled down censure upon my own head, for I was told that one of the magistrates of the district of Wellington was to banish me out of this, however, they

have never tried as yet. The last two winters I put out hand bills the same as put up in Edinburgh at the first announcing by O. Pratt in that city. I preached on the subject therein contained every Sunday evening; the last winter I preached in the town of Montpelier, where the first night the room was full and some standing out, and most of them Catholics." I have given the above extract at some length because it is the first particular information of the spread of the gospel in New South Wales. I have made arrangements to open a communication with Brother Anderson, and to reeive [receive] and forward packages of goods to him, which may in future be a channel through which communications for the spread of the gospel may be more beneficial. Elder D. H. Sutherland from Stirling, Scotland, is accompanying his father to Canada, and will no doubt lift the warning voice again in that country, and it may be said that the work of the Lord is increasing with a firm and steady pace; the returns at last Grand conference shows an increase in one year (besides about four hundred that have emigrated during that period to Nauvoo,) and the prospect is, that the increase will be more numerous the present year than last, and from present appearances there will many more emigrate this season than last; the Saints in England receive the Joint Stock Company with delight because it holds out the prospect and is the sole object of the society to establish manufactories [factories] in Nauvoo, and to open a trade between this country and America, and give employment to the poor when they arrive in Zion, and furnish food for the poor saints in this country and create business for the whole church more or less.

We have taken every lawful step in the organizing of the British American Commercial Joint Stock Company; we have got a provisional register which enables us to form the company according to act of Parliament. We shall be fully registered in about three months, the saints in Britain are very spirited about it, and according to prospects we shall be enabled to raise about fifteen or twenty thousand pounds by next New-year's day to be then conveyed to Nauvoo by a committee, to be invested in erecting and supplying manufactories [factories] for the best interest of all the church; and it is the intention of the Company to open a trade between England and America. We have commenced the business of commission and forwarding agency to all parts, and are intending to extend business as fast as circumstances will permit; we want in order to facilitate business, agencies formed in Boston, New-York, Philadelphia, and New Orleans, and in Quebec and Montreal, and should it meet your mind to co-operate with us in New-York and also to assist in forming agencies in Philadelphia and Boston. There should be spread in all those places at once, commission and forwarding agencies, and as the elders or others would travel procure orders for British manufactories [factories], and having made arrangements, I should be able to supply orders and forward them, and according to business principles the more they performed the more pay they would have. I should be glad to receive a line from you stating your mind on the subject at your earliest convenience.

Please remember me to all the saints.

I remain your fellow laborer

In the gospel of Christ.

REUBEN HEDLOCK.