FROM THE SALT LAKE.
Correspondence of the St. Louis Republican.
GREAT SALT LAKE CITY,
TERRITORY OF UTAH, FEBRUARY, 1853.
The Mormons at present exhibit more enthusiasm of fanaticism, or whatever you may please to call it, than any other sect in existence. During the coming season they anticipate an addition of ten to twelve thousand to their community, to be made up of converts in Great Britain. The most of these are expected to be taken around Cape Horn, and landed at San Diego, in California. From San Diego to Great Salt Lake is a chain of Mormon settlements, which renders that route less tedious than from the Missouri. Whether the anticipations of so large an emigration will be fully realized is very questionable. It is a singular fact in regard to Mormon converts that not more than one-third of them come into the church—the rest fall off. This was told me by an intelligent Mormon, and I have no doubt of the fact. The open promulgation of the polygamy system will increase the amount of this waste. Great numbers, too, become discontented, either on ac-count of the proximity of the gold mines or other causes, and go away never to return; and it is to me a matter of doubt whether the actual emigration will much more than make up this loss. Great efforts are now making to pre-vent removals from the valley. A new impulse has lately been given in regard to building the temple; the ground was broken on the —— instant, under imposing cere-monies; and large numbers are now excavating, prepara-tory to laying the corner-stone on the 1st of April. In ad-dition to this, the president and his council have publish-ed in the Deseret News a kind of theological ukase, in which a strong effort is made to strengthen the allegiance of the discontented and wavering.
The Mormons are now making some experiments in the manufacture of sugar from beets. The machinery for this purpose was brought through in October and November last, too late to be put up at the public works, and some incipient steps taken, such as grinding the beet, pressing out the liquor, and making molasses and some sugar. It is a crude article, and has an acid taste, more like cur-rant jelly than molasses. One difficulty in the production of a good article has become quite manifest. The soil here is strongly impregnated with salaratus, and the beet, being a very juicy root, absorbs a large quantity of this salt. Until some method of separating this from the sirup is discovered, a good article cannot be made. It is said, however, that the beets in Utah county are not so much impregnated with salts; if this, as is to be hoped, should turn out to be well-founded, the difficulty will be surmounted. Beets are raised here of enormous size, and are full of saccharine matter. The machinery has been brought from Europe at an immense expense, and it is ex-tremely doubtful whether the company who own it will ever get the interest of their money. The high price of sugar here, however, operates as a tariff in their favor, and may ultimately make the business profitable.
There is at present a great want of capital to develop the resources of the Territory. The Mormons generally are poor, and in my judgment their peculiar church gov-ernment tends to keep them so. Their system of tithing and of turning over their surplus property for the building of church edifices and the support of the priesthood is a constant drain, and effectually prevents the accumulation of wealth among individuals.
They are at work upon the temple, and, from its in-tended magnitude and finish, I judge that it cannot cost less than a million.
