THE MORMONS.
A letter written by P. W. Cook, furnishes some interesting information : The new Mor-mon Temple at the Salt Lake is to be a splen-did building. They enclose a lot 17 miles long and 12 miles wide, with a mud wall 8 feet high and 4 feet thick. There are to be four 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 highest point is to be 600 feet, and can be seen eighty miles either way. The party that went out last season lost many of their oxen —having died with what they called the "swell head." Many of the streams which they crossed were so strongly impregnated with alkali that they dare not let their cattle drink. On the shores 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 nevertheless true, and the writer collected in a short time 75 pounds. A mountain of pure rock salt has been discovered near the Mormon settle-tlement. 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 lit-tle fatigue. Nearly all the way the roads are as good as on any prairie in Michigan. The writer was living on the meat of bears, ante-lope, and buffaloes—animals very numerous on the route. He recommends mule teams in-stead of oxen, and that cows be drivers along for their milk, and for beef if necessary.
