Extract of a Letter From the Island of Tooboui, Society Group, Dated

September 17th, 1844.

My Dear Wife:

I doubt not but you will say "now my husband has got the desire of his heart," when I tell you the six first persons I have adopted into the kingdom by baptism are sailors, and perhaps you will ask, did you hammer the rust off them any? I will answer, could you see them on their knees, and hear their humble petitions, and the sincerity with which they thank the Lord for so ordering events, that I have been so casually thrown on

this Island, and have been instrumental in his hands of showing them the way of life and salvation, I doubt not but you would say, "there has been a great change wrought some how."

I told you in my last, dated July 6th, I had baptized one; on the 22nd July I baptized nine more, four Americans, one Scotchman, four Natives; two of them are the man and wife with whom I live. On the 29th July, I proceeded to organize a branch of the church, which we call the Tooboui branch of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-Saints; (take particular notice) consisting of eleven members, all in good standing.

On the 5th of August, I administered the sacrament: for wine I substituted cocoa nut milk, that was a pure beverage, which never had come to the open air, till we broke the nut for that purpose. On the 8th of August, I baptized another. The inhabitants have recently held a meeting to regulate Government affairs, among other things, they resolved to build me a house; they seem determined on my staying here, notwithstanding I say much about the gathering.

Were I to take up my residence any where out of the body of the church, I could not find I believe, a more delightful spot than this;-the climate is beautiful: never so cold as to have frost though in July and August it is as cold as it can be, and not freeze-January and February are the warmest months, though the heat is never so scorching as some days we have at home.

There are only two objections to the Island; in summer the mosquitos [mosquitoes] are innumerable;-in winter the fleas are equally plenty: but we have means to guard against them.

Before I came here King Tommatooah, buried his wife; on the 14th July I married him, to Toupah, his Queen; he has been very friendly with me ever since I came here. Perhaps you will ask, how do you enjoy yourself so far from former friends and home? I answer, sometimes when I get to thinking about home I feel that I could leave all and return as quick as possible: a few evenings since I fell into such a train of thoughts, and told my brethren I went to bed, fell asleep and dreamed, I had deserted my post and got to Nauvoo; the people all knew I had left without counsel, and they treated me with coolness and neglect;-this mortified my feelings so much that I never thought of my family; I saw Br. Young, he was busily employed in sending a company of elders to Europe; I felt an anxiety to go with them; but I had deserted one station, and they never intended to send me to another. I then thought I would go back to the one I had left, but I had no means to get back, or to help myself with; I thought my shame was greater than I could bear, and with these reflections I awoke.

I was sometime before I could make out where I was; at length I found myself in bed on Tooboui, and felt quite happy, I have been perfectly contented since. I have lived at Mattaoora since I came here, till the 23d of August. I then removed to this place called Mahoo; this is the place where we first landed.

The second Sabbath after I came, the church came over to visit me, and I baptized seven more, all natives and heads of families. I administered the sacrament and me [we] felt that we were greatly blest.

Last Saturday a vessel came on the other side of the Island, and Br. Hill sent me word she was from Tahita. I started to see her, in hopes to get letters from my two brethren there; but when I found they had none, I was sorely disappointed, and vexed; I have never received but two letters from them since they left me here; there has been no less than eight vessels here going to Tahita, and I have sent letters by them all, and Br. Hill near a half dozen; and we get no answers; why it is we do not know, if they are not in the fault, we wish them to clear themselves.

It is now a year, since I have heard a syllable from home, and three months since I have heard from the brethren at Tahita. The last mentioned vessel brought word that there were missionaries coming here from Tahita and would "play hell" with me for breaking into their sheepfold. I returned to my place, told Br. Hill if any thing of importance transpired, to send me word.

There came a runner before my morning discourse was ended, informing me that the missionaries had arrived. In the evening came a letter that they had been on shore and given the poor Mormons a tremendous thrashing;-christened some infants, told all the lies they knew about Br. Joseph and the church, and had gone on board again; that they were to be on shore the next day, and I must meet them.

The next morning I went over, and found them in the house I had kept school in learning the natives to sing. Br. Bowen was acquainted with them. I went in with my church, and was introduced to them, I reached out my hand they said, no; we do not give you the hand till we are better acquainted. I sat down where I could look them full in the face, which I did, as if they had been the first specimens

of the human family I had ever seen. I had heard so much of their iniquity, I wanted to see how they looked; to me they looked guilty indeed! The fourth, by the name of More, is a hot headed fellow against the Mormons; he got so enraged the day before, he fairly danced about it. Howe at length turned to me and very sanctimoniously remarked, I understand you have come among these Islands in the capacity of a preacher. I answered in the affirmative; and what do you preach? The sacred truths of the Bible, I replied. Said he I suppose you are aware that so many years ago the London Missionary Society established a mission here at a very vast expense; the whole stress was on the vast expense; the cost of translating the bible, &c. Well said I, and now are you opposed to having the bible preached after you have accomplished the translation? He said no; he had understood I had another book I preached from. I told him it was a mistake, and went on to tell him what it was; a long dialogue ensued in which they all questioned me on the fundamental principles of the gospel, and they had to drop several points they introduced for fear of trapping themselves; at length they told me they found no fault with me as far as the bible was concerned, but the Book of Mormon they had read, and said it was a bad book. I told them to show me some specimens of bad doctrine in it; they turned to the place where it says, "Adam fell that man might be," they flounced greatly that; I soon succeeded in proving it was not contrary to bible doctrine. Well, they said they could find a worse place then that; so they turned to where it says, "Adam had to know misery before he knew happiness.' This they spouted upon me in a great rage.-I referred them to the temptations of the Savior, his sufferings that he might be perfected; what, said they, do you suppose all the angels in heaven, knew sin before they knew happiness? as for all of them I could not say, but if the bible is true we know some of them did; for John tells of one he saw who would not let him worship him because he was of his fellow servants the prophets. They did not know what to make of me; but I suppose they thought I was a dry bone to pick a dinner off any how.

I then began to question them about their belief in the bible, and the coming of the Son of God the second time: contrasted this with the dispensation of Noah, told them the world was now being warned, and the consequences that would ensue, if men did not give heed.-I then raised my right hand towards heaven and called on, all the heavenly hosts to witness the testimony I bore; that I knew Br. Joseph Smith to be a good man and a prophet of the Lord: and I roared on them like a lion-I believe my eyes flashed, for I felt as if I could swallow them all at one mouthful. The spirit of the Lord rested upon me; it threw them into confusion, they knew not what to say. They finally told me as long as I preached the truth they would pray that I might be upheld, but if I preached error they should pray it might fall to the ground. Then I said, our prayers will be united.

I let them have a Book of Mormon, a Voice of Warning, and O. Pratt's pamphlet on finding the plates. I told them I was happy to see them manifest a better spirit; and reminded them how they had abused me and my cause the day before. This they attempted to deny but I was able to prove it. They said Brother Joseph was in jail for adultery. Br. Hill knew too many of their tricks to be fooled; he replied, if imprisonment was the penalty for adultery here, there are not many of you who would be at liberty to-day to my certain knowledge. They did not deny it, but one said there were many things they had cause to regret.

We separated-they shook me by the hand with the cordiality of old friends. The natives felt hurt for me when they saw them at first refuse to shake hands with me. King Tommatooah told me not to lay it to heart, for they were going home to England, and would not return; and now is our time to supply them with missionaries.

The natives took my part, and defended the cause with great boldness when I was not present. Br. Hill I have adopted in Br. Hanks, stead: he is one of the honorable men of the earth-intelligent and kind. I have great reason to esteem him:-my American brethren are all extremely kind and willing to divide to the last with me.

The native family with whom I live are much attached to me; where I go, they go, and where I stay, they stay; they consider all they have is mine.

The woman was once married to a Boston ship carpenter; he died, and this native man is her second husband; they are good people:-while she lived with her first husband, she learned to make and mend shirts, wash, starch and iron. She is naturally ingenious, They all talk much of coming to America, and often ask where is the ship to go in? It is a spiritual feast to me to meet them in prayer meetings, and hear them pray for Br. Joseph and the church, and with all simplicity thank the Lord for sending me among them.

When the brethren get their vessel done,

which will be a year from this time, if we should not hear from you, we think of going to Columbia river, and so cross the Rocky Mountains to Nauvoo. If you wish to know when I am coming home, you must ask Br. Young.-

I see nothing in the way of sending a host of elders-the islands all want teachers.

Our long imprisonment on the Timmoleon, (for I can never call it any thing else,) served to form attachments among the passengers, which will be long remembered. Dr. Winslow and his wife treated me with great respect; made me several presents-likewise the captain made me some presents-and told the young king if he did not use me well, he would come back there and take me away.-Dr. Winslow told me if I wished to leave the island, and had not means, I might draw on him at Tahita, for any amount I wanted, and he would meet the demand: and if I could never conveniently refund it, he would give it to me. Mrs. Winslow is a superior woman-We parted with much friendship, and from Tahita they sent me a long letter; that the wars there had thwarted their plans, that their goods where reshipped for the Sandwich Islands, and urged me to visit them there before I returned to America.

Mr. Lincoln, I understand, is baptized at Tahita; he was one of our passengers, and a fine man too.

And now, my dear family, I must bid you adieu: could I get a letter from you, it would do me more good than all the letters I ever had in my life. Often at the dusk of evening when all is still and silent, but the distant roar of breakers upon the coral reef, do I take a long and lonely walk upon the beautiful sand beach that skirts the island; and as I gaze upon the broad ocean that separates us, my mind is wafted to Nauvoo, to my home and fireside; and as I gaze upon the happy circle, I ask-has grim death made any inroads there? I am lead to say there are none gone; for I committed you to the care of my heavenly Father when I left you, and when I have done so, I have never been disappointed.

Give my love to all the Saints, and enlist their prayers, that when I have faithfully discharged the trust committed to me, I may return with the laurels of an approving conscience. That we may be preserved till we all meet again to praise the name of the Lord together, is the prayer of your affectionate husband and father,

ADDISON PRATT,

TO MRS. LOUISA PRATT, NAUVOO.