The Mormons of Salt Lake Valley. The Deseret News, of April 8th, contains the "Fifth General Epistle" of the "Latter Day Saints, from Salt Lake Valley, to the Saints scattered throughout the earth." This Epistle is, as usual, full of offensive, ridiculous, fanatical, and hy-pocritical nonsense, still it contains much statisti-cal information concerning the prosperity and pro-ductiveness of this people and country.
This Epistle, of the Saints jubilates over the ex-tension of Mormonism to all lands—in Europe, Asia, Africa, the East and West Indies, and Ameri-ca. This extension and rapid gathering of the Saints is proclaimed as a token of the Messiah's near ap-proach. Then, again, the "Saints" declare that civil dissensions, the cholera., quarrels among Christian sects, earthquakes, whirlwinds, hurri-canes, tornadoes, &c., are sure signs that the "sec-ond coming of Christ is at hand." Leaving hea-venly theorizing, the "Saints" come down to earth. They say the winter has been mild, and very little snow; several grain and lumber mills have been built; shingles have been made, thresh-ing machines put into use, the council-house near-ly finished, the warm spring bath completed, the tithing-store in use, a pottery nearly finished, a woollen factory to be erected, and china ware and cutlery manufactured.
In Match the farmers sowed their wheat. A colony of Mormons has been formed at Iron county, two hundred and fifty miles south of Salt Lake city; a few families and one hundred and thirty men, with teams, seeds, and tools, were sent out Decem-ber 7th last, and when last heard from they had a field of one thousand six hundred acres, four hun-dred of it sown; plenty of water, wood, iron ore, alum, and prospects of coal.
The "Quorum of Seventies" have agreed to erect a great rotunda in Salt Lake city, to be called the " Seventies' Hall of Science." Governor Young is trustee and superintendent.
About three hundred emigrants wintered with the "Saints," and left for the gold diggings in the spring.
A settlement is to be formed in the southern part of California, not for from San Diego, and one hundred and fifty wagons, under the charge of El-ders Lyman and Charles Ritch, started in March for the place. A continuous line of stations or places of refreshment to the Pacific, on this route, is to be established. The city is being formed into blocks, instead of wards; shade trees are planted, school-houses built, and measures taken to prevent depredations by California emigrants.
The Epistle informs us that the "twelve apostles are abroad," except two. Orson Hyde is in Iowa; Pratt is on his way to the Society and Sandwich Islands and Chili; Orson Pratte is in the States, but expected home; Taylor was at Boulogne, France, preaching, translating, and publishing; Snow has visited the Italian States, and is now located in Switzerland; Erastus Snow is in Copenhagen, and the "good work is prospering in Sweden, Den-mark, Norway, Germany, and all that region." Richards is presiding over the "Church" in the British Isles, his office being in Liverpool; Smith is presiding in Iron county, and the two Rich's are en route to establish a settlement near San Diego.
Finally, the Epistle exhorts the Saints in the United States and Canada, "if they wish to see the work of the Lord prosper," to arise as one man, and come to Deseret, "where they can do more for Zion in one year than they can in many years where they are."
Although the "Saints" speak in loud terms of satisfaction with their present happy condition, it is impossible that such a community can long prosper, and if nothing else is to work their de-struction, licentiousness must accomplish it. Spir-itual wife-dom, which is nothing less than unbri-dled licentiousness, is a part of their system, al-though there may be good examples of morality. But fanaticism, humbug, and misfortune, must have its day, and then reap its bitter reward.
