"Two elders shortly came forward, and one of them having made a few commonplace remarks on the nature of prayer, and dwelt for a considerable time on the character and perfections of the Almighty, proceeded in the following strain :

"We thank thee, O Lord, that thou hast, in these latter days, restored the gifts of prophecy, of revelation, and of great signs and wonders, as in the days of old. We thank thee, that as thou didst formerly raise up thy servant, Joseph, to deliver his brethren in Egypt, so thou hast raised up another Joseph to save his brethren from bondage to sectarian delusion, and to bring them into this great and good land—a land flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands, and which thou didst promise to be an inheritance for the seed of Jacob for ever more. We pray for thy servant and prophet, Joseph, that thou wouldst bless him, and prosper him; that although the archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him, his bow may abide in strength, and the arms of his hands be made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. We pray also for thy temple, that the nations of the earth may bring gold and incense; that the sons of strangers may build up its walls, and fly to it as a cloud, and as doves to their windows. We pray thee, also, to hasten the ingathering of thy people, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land. We pray, that as thou hast set up this place as an ensign for the nations, so thou wouldst continue to assemble here the outcasts, and gather together the dispersed from the four corners of the earth. May every valley be exalted, and every mountain and hill be made low, and the crooked places straight, and the rough places plain; and may the glory of the Lord be revealed, and all flesh see it together. Bring thy sons from afar, and thy daughters from the ends of the earth, and let them bring their gold and their silver with them.'

"After prayer, the other elder commenced a discourse on the necessity of a revelation for America, as well as Asia, and on the probability of continued revelations. At its close, a hymn was sung, and a third elder came forward, and observed, that his office required of him to speak of business, and especially of the Nauvoo house; and among other things said, that the Lord had commenced this work, and the work must be done; yes, it shall be done-it will be done.' That a small amount of stock had hitherto been taken; that the committee had gone on borrowing and borrowing till they could borrow no longer; that mechanics had been employed on the house; that they wanted their pay, and the committee were not able to pay them; that he came there with seven thousand dol lars, and now had but two thousand-having expended five thousand upon the work of the Lord. He, therefore, called upon the brethren to obey God's command, and take stock.' This address being concluded, others followed in the same strain, and appeared as familiar with worldly business and operations of finance, as with prophecies and the book of Mormon. None, however, came forward to take stock, and one of the elders thereupon remarked, that as they had not made up their minds as të

the amount of stock they would take, he wished them to come to his house the next day that purpose.'

"The public exercises being closed, Mr. Caswell, accompanied by a prominent member of the church, next visited the temple. Its position, says he, is commanding, and is designed to be one of the best edifices in the country. It is a hundred and twenty feet by a hundred, and when completed, will be fifty feet up to the eaves. Its expense is estimated at three hundred thousand dollars. The baptismal font is finished. It is a capacious laver, about twenty feet square, and rests on the backs of twelve oxen, well sculptured, and large as life. The laver and oxen are of wood, painted, but are to be gilded. Here baptisms for the dead are celebrated, as well as baptisms for the healing of diseases. Baptisms for the remission of sins are performed in the Mississippi."

Since Mr. Caswell's visit to Nauvoo, the temple has progressed considerably, and the Nauvoo House has been finished. It is now occupied by "the prophet," and a suite of rooms reserved therein, as we are gravely told, by God's command, "for his servant Joseph and his seed after him, from generation to generation." How that fact is, we know not; a suite of rooms, however, we know is reserved in the act of incorporation, for Joseph Smith and his heirs," in perpetual succession."

Mr. Caswell was next introduced to the prophet, and had, as he says, the honor of an interview with him. He describes him as a coarse plebeian person in aspect, and his countenance exhibits a curious mixture of the knave and clown. His hands are large and fat, and on one of his fingers he wore a massive gold ring, with some inscription upon it. His dress was of coarse country manufacture, and his white hat was enveloped by a piece of black crape, being in mourning for a brother. He (Mr. Caswell,) had no opportunity of observing his eyes, he (Smith,) appearing deficient in that open, staid, fixed look which characterizes an honest man." (See note 5.)

"The Mormon system," says Mr. Caswell, "mad as it is, has method in its madness, and many shrewd and calculating hands are at work in its maintenance and propagation; and whatever may befall its originators, it has the elements of increase and endurance. Mormon missionaries have been sent forth, and are now at work in almost every country in Christendom. They have recently gone to Russia, with letters of credence from the Mormon prophet. Their numbers, in England, we have no doubt are increasing rapidly; and it remains," says Mr. Caswell, "for Christians of the present day to determine whether Mormonism shall sink to the level of those fanatical sects which, like new stars, have blazed for a little while, and then sunk into obscurity; or whether, like a second Mohammedanism, it shall extend itself, sword in hand, till Christianity be levelled with the dust."

We may, perhaps, be accused of giving an undue importance to "the prophet." The wretch who burnt the temple of Diana, at Ephesus, "decreed" to oblivion. Black Hawk, who cost our Government, it

was

is said, two millions of dollars, died recently in obscurity. Both, however, will be "talked about," when saints and martyrs, and patriots and heroes, whose whole lives have been devoted to the service of their country and their God, shall be neglected or forgotten.

The laws of Illinois make no provision for the support of public wor ship. Religion is here regarded as a matter between the creature and the Creator. The ordinance of 1787, and the constitution of the State, forbid any legislative interference in matters of conscience. Acting in accordance with the views and opinions expressed by Jesus of Nazareth, while on earth, the humble and devout Christians of Illinois-and it is hoped there are many such-neither seek nor desire legislative aid. Many different sects of course abound; that circumstance, however, we have no doubt, tends to preserve religion in its purity. Persecution has too often marked the progress of great majorities. Diversity, therefore, of opinion in matters of religion, like counter currents in the ocean, keep it for ever pure-for ever rolling-and although a little wherry may sometimes be lost, and whole navies occasionally be swallowed up, 't is far better, than that stagnant or putrid waters should bear the pestilence for ever on their bosom.

NOTE I.

The prophet has the sole and exclusive charge of the Nauvoo House-a large boardinghouse in Nauvoo, as is said, " for the kings and nobles of the earth, and all weary travellers to lodge in, while they contemplate the word of the Lord, and the corner-stone which he has appointed for Zion;" and does not appear to burden himself, or his position," with any very troublesome sense of dignity, or responsibility;" and off his guard exhibits a humor approaching to naivette. A respectable citizen of Chicago, passing through Nauvoo a few weeks since, happened, accidentally, to be present when" the prophet" challenged one of his guests" to pull at a stick." This is performed by the persons sitting opposite to each other on the floor, having a small stick between them, of which each takes hold with one or both hands, as the case may be, and he who pulls up his adversary wins. Those ac- · quainted with "the prophet" will credit, without an effort, the above relation.

NOTE II.

The Book of Mormon contains five hundred and seventy-one close printed pages. The copy of which we speak, is the third edition, carefully revised by the translator. Printed by Robinson & Smith, Nauvoo, Illinois, 1840. It purports to be "an account written by the hand of Mormon, upon plates taken from the plates of Nephi." Its style is in imitation of the Scriptures. It contains no information of any importance, and as a moral work is entirely valueless.

NOTE III.

The battle of Cumorah here spoken of, was fought in Palmyra, Wayne county, NewYork, in which hundreds of thousands were slain on both sides. In order to do ample justice to "the prophet," we insert from his narrative his own words. "The war commenced at the Isthmus of Darien, and was very destructive to both nations," (the Nephites and Lamanites,) " for many years; at length the Nephites were driven before their ene

mies a great distance to the north and northeast; and having gathered their whole nation together, both men, women and children, they encamped in and around about the hill of Cumorah," (Palmyra, New-York,) where the records were found. Here they were met by the Lamanites, and were slain, and hewn down, and slaughtered, both male and female, the aged, middle-aged, and children. Hundreds of thousands were slain on both sides, and the nation of the Nephites was destroyed, excepting a few who had deserted over to the Lamanites, and a few who escaped into the south country, and a few who fell wounded, and were left by the Lamanites on the field of battle for dead, among whom were Mormon, and his son Moroni, who were righteous men."

NOTE IV.

This provision has since been abrogated, not by an act of the Legislature, but by an ordinance of the city council, which is paramount thereto. In the ordinances of Nauvoo, we find the following.

"An ordinance for the health and convenience of travellers and other persons.

"SEC. 1. Be it ordained by the city council of Nauvoo, that the mayor of the city be, and is hereby authorized to sell or give spirits of any quantity, as he, in his wisdom, shall judge to be for the health, comfort, or convenience of such travellers, or other persons, as shall visit his house from time to time.

"Passed December 12, 1843.

"WILLARD RICHARDS, Recorder."

"JOSEPH SMITH, Mayor.

NOTE V.

The author, having had a little acquaintance with" the prophet," differs in some respects from Mr. Caswell, in relation to his appearance and manners. Mr. Smith was born, and for many years lived, in great obscurity. He was, in early life, uneducated. Since he has attracted the gaze and wonder of the world, he has improved considerably in his mind and manners. In his person he is still coarse. His manners are not refined; he is, however, far from being clownish. The massive gold ring of which Mr. Caswell speaks, he still wears; whether to gratify a foolish vanity, or to effect some other and higher object, we are at a loss to determine. In his conversation he is uncommonly shrewd, and exhibits more knowledge of books, sacred and profane, than his personal appearance at first seems to promise. There is, however, a kind of levity in his manners, unbecoming the prophet or apostle. He is, upon the whole, an ordinary man; and considering his pretensions, a very ordinary man, in his person, his manners, his conversation and character; and were it not for the aid which persecution always confers, and the notoriety which pretensions like his, absurd and ridiculous, uniformly give, he would before this have sunk into obscurity.

CHAPTER XXI.

Public Lands-Title thereto-Proclamation of George III.-Ejectment to recover-Case of Johnson and others-Chief-Justice Marshall's opinion-Lands not a source of profit to the nation-Real Estate the worst property a nation can own-Distribution, etc.-The question considered-Its corrupting tendency.

THE title of the inhabitants of Illinois to its soil, is the same as in the other States of the American Republic, except in one particular, which we shall mention hereafter.

We have already spoken of a proclamation issued by George III., soon after the cession of this country to England, in 1763; and of an Indian grant of two tracts of land, made to William Murray and others, in violation of its provisions, (chapter xi. page 211,) the consideration of which, is said to have been twenty-four thousand dollars and upward. On the 18th of October, 1775, Tabac, and certain other chiefs of the Piankeshaw tribe, at Vincennes, executed another deed, in contravention also of said proclamation, to Louis Viviat, for himself and the Honorable John Earl of Dunmore, at that time Governor of Virginia under the crown, his son John Murray, Thomas Johnson, William Murray, one of the grantees in the former deed, and others, of an extensive tract of land upon the Wabash, in consideration of thirty-one thousand dollars, and upward, paid to said chiefs. The above deeds embrace a large portion of the State of Illinois, (the city of Chicago, among the rest,) and were pronounced by some of the ablest lawyers in England (Lord Camden, among others,) to be good and valid deeds. The question having, within a few years, been decided by the supreme court of the United States against the claimants under the above grants; and that decision being the basis upon which our titles to the houses and lands we occupy altogether depends, an abstract of the case cannot fail to interest some portion of our readers.*

Johnson, the son and devisee of Thomas Johnson, one of the grantees in the deed executed on the 18th of October, 1775, by the Piankeshaw tribe of Indians, before referred to, brought an action of ejectment against McIntosh in the district court of this State, to recover a tract of land in the State and district of Illinois.

The defendant, McIntosh, claimed under a patent from the United

Those wishing for more information upon the subject, will find it reported in viii Wheaton's Reports, 543.