THE MORMON TEMPLE.—By a letter re-ceived from our brother, P. W. Cook, who was one that left Council Bluff last Spring for the Salt Lake, dated Aug. 2d, written while encam-ped on the Sweet Water River at the South Pass (in sight of Fremont's Peak,) we gather some infomation which may not be uninteresting to our reader.
The new Mormon Temple at the Salt Lake is to be a splendid building. They enclose a lot 17 miles long and 12 miles wide, with a mud wall 8 feet high and four feet thick. There are to be cities inside. They have discovered mountain rock that resembles Cornelian stone, which the writer says is beautiful for temples and pillars. The size of the temple is not stated, but its high-est point is to be 600 feet, and can be seen eigh-ty miles either way. The party that went out last season lost many of their oxen—having died with what they called the "swell head." Ma-ny of the streams which they crossed where so strongly impregnated with alkali that they dare not let their cattle drink. On the shore of many of the lakes a crust is formed an inch and a half thick. They break up this crust, scrape off the dirt on the bottom and top, and find it pure saleratus. Strange as this may seem, it is neverless true, and the writer collected in a short time 75 pounds. A mountain of pure rock salt has been discovered near the Mormon settle-ment. The Mormons have discovered a rich gold mine 150 miles southwest from the salt lake. The last end of the journey to the salt lake, say 200 miles, is attended with little fa-tigue. Nearly all the way the roads are as good as on any prairie in Michigan. The writer was living on the meat of bears, and antilope and buffaloes—animals very numerous on the route. He recomends mule teams instead of oxen, and that cows be driven along for thier milk, and for beef if necessary.—[Niles Republican
