FROM THE TERRITORY OF UTAH.
The "Deseret News" of the 8th of April contains the "Fifth General Epistle of the Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, from Salt Lake Valley, State of Deseret, to the Saints scattered throughout the Earth." This document, in presenting the history of the affairs of the people of Deseret for the past year, furnishes the annexed items of general interest:
A colony has been formed at Iron county, about 250 miles nearly south of the Salt Lake city. They left on the 7th of December, under charge of Elder George A. Smith, with about one hundred and thirty men, a few families, and a good supply of teams, seeds, and tools; and when last heard from they had a field of 1,600 acres, 400 of it sown, plenty of water, wood, iron ore, alum, and some prospect of coal.
A settlement is to be formed in the southern part of Cali-fornia, at no great distance from San Diego; for which pur-pose Elders Amasa Lyman and Charles C. Rich, with one hundred and fifty wagons, left early in March. It is design-ed to establish a continued line of stations and places of re-freshment to the Pacific on this route. The General Assembly of the State of Deseret was in ses-sion in January. A railroad company was chartered, to ex-tend from Temple Block, in the city, to the stone quarry and mountain on the east, for the conveyance of building mate-rials—the construction to commence immediately.
There was very little snow during the winter. The last two nights of February were the coldest of the season. March was very pleasant, and was improved by the farmers in sow-ing wheat. Parties from California arrived on the 20th of September and 12th of November, bringing very little of the products of the mines with them—some borrowing money to get home, and others would have returned if they had had the means.
At a special session of the Great Salt Lake County Court, on the 3d January, some few transient men were convicted of stealing, were sentenced to hard labor for various terms, afterwards pardoned, and permitted to go on their way to California. About three hundred emigrants who wintered with them left for the gold mines this spring.
The Council-house has been so far completed as to admit of its being partially occupied; the warm spring bath house was completed in November last; the tithing storehouse has been so far completed as to be used for various purposes; the prospect for building materials is flattering. A woollen fac-tory is to be erected; a pottery is nearly completed, and "we are expecting to use china ware of our own manufacture in a few weeks." Cutlery establishments have been commenced in the city.
In the formation of a Territorial Government for Utah, no convulsive revolutionary feeling or movement was anticipated by the citizens of Deseret, "but an easy, quiet transition from State to Territory, like weary travellers descending a gentle hill near by their way-side home." "As a people, we know how to appreciate most sensibly the hand of friend- ship which has been extended towards our infant Stare by the General Government. Coming to this place, as did the citizens of Deseret, without the means of subsistence, except the labor of their hands, in a wilderness country, surrounded by savages, whose inroads have given occasion for many te-dious and expensive expeditions, the relief afforded by out mother land, through the medium of the approaching Terri-torial organization, will be duly estimated ; and from hence- forth we would fondly hope the most friendly feelings may be warmly cherished between the various States and Territo-ries of this great nation, whose constitutional charter is not to be excelled."
"In view of the anticipated change in our Government, and to facilitate business, the General Assembly of Deseret appointed Gov. Young their agent to receive the $20,000 ap-propriated by Congress to build a State House in. Utah Ter-ritory, and cause said house to be erected without delay on Union Square, in the city of Deseret, a little northwest of Temple block.
"It is wisdom for the English Saints to cease emigration by the usual route through the States, and up the Missouri liver, and remain where they are till they shall hear from us again, as it is our design to open up a way across the interior of the continent, by Panama, Tehuantepec, or some of the interior routes, and land them at San Diego, and thus save three thousand miles of inland navigation through a most sickly climate and country. The Presidency in Liverpool will open every desirable correspondence in relation to the various routes and rates and conveniences from Liverpool to San Diego, and make an early report, so that, if possible, the necessary preparations may be made for next fall's emigra-tion."
