- the middle of the nineteenth century-and the districts from which the faithful are chiefly recruited-Wales, Lancashire, and Middlesex in England, and the New England States of the Union, are not the least curious circumstances. It is difficult to trace the principles which supported the Mormons in bearing up against persecution in the States, and sufferings in their march in the wilderness,-which facilitated the speedy development of material prosperity, or which have sustained the equilibrium of the body politic so long, considering the necessary inequalities of fortune and position, and the jealousies and temptations to which these give rise. Apart from these inquiries it would be entertaining to be informed by what process females are led to the belief that their hope of salvation depends on their being "sealed" to one of the Mormon Saints --which at once converts "sealing" into a needful sacrament, and accounts for the marriages in cases where the common objects of wedlock are entirely out of question, as in the case of old decrepit females being sealed to young saints. This spiritual wifehood is, however, by no means the object of marriages in general; on the contrary, almost every man who can afford it, is married to, lives with, and has children by several wives. How this state of things works-whether there is discord amongst the wives-what relative positions they occupy-what are their duties, and how are these apportioned-are the homes similar to ours-are the children trained and educated-how is the property administered and divided; these and many other questions ought to be, but are as yet, not answered. Mrs. Ferris's letters are either silent on these heads, or they cannot be trusted. She resided some six months at the Salt Lake city; and, although she evidently prides herself on the possession of delicate sentiments, superior powers, and refined habits, every one of her letters proves her to be deficient in these very attributes, and is marked by vanity, and by an absence of reflection and taste. Such as they are, however, they furnish the best information we have; and as they appear at least free from intentional falsehood, the reader may guard himself against taking more for granted than the bare facts. The following note was written from Salt Lake, and it will show how ready this lady was to make the worst of everything. A poor vine-trainer looking into her window, who never did any harm, is stigmatized as the worst of mortals-as a spy and cut-throat, while the dislike to polygamy expressed by her landlady, Mrs. Farnham, although shared in by herself, is construed into a design concealing equally villanous intentions:-"We have made one disagreeable discovery-polygamy is not only practised, but openly justified and advocated on religious grounds. We are unquestionably in the midst of a society of fanatics who are controlled by a gang of licentious villains; and it will require all our circumspection to get along smoothly. That we are closely watched I am well persuaded. The very day after we arrived, while wholly absorbed in reading the news from home, I was suddenly startled by a pair of eyes glaring in at the west window, belonging to a malignant-looking man, who was engaged in training some vines on that side of the house. Of course he desisted when he found himself

observed; but I detected him afterwards repeating the same thing in a very furtive manner. If this man has not committed murder it has been for want of opportunity."

"On the opposite side of the way, directly west of us, in a small adobe house, resides Phineas Young-a brother of the governor, familiarly known, however, by the uncomplimentary designation of 'Old Phin.' This man called, soon after our arrival, and manifested a disposition to treat us with civility. I learned from Mrs. Farnham that he had had some seven or eight wives; that his first, or real wife, still lives in the States; and that the others had all left him but one. Whether he had been reduced to thiş low number by necessity or inclination, I do not know. I further learned that the present Mrs. Phin. desired to make my acquaintance, so an evening was appointed, and they both called. We found him very sociable, with much general information, and full of anecdote of the roving life to which all the Mormons have been, more or less, subjected. He had a great deal to say of Gentile persecutions-a theme which I find them ready enough to talk about. Among other things, he gave us a history of the privations to which those Saints were subject who were the pioneers in the valley. It seems they were driven nearly to the point of starvation, and had to dig sego roots a root extensively used by the Indians. from which they have received the name of Diggers. He gave quite a graphic description of the destruction which threatened their first crops, by the ravages of an ugly cricket, until the ravagers were in turn destroyed by flocks of white gulls, which came over the mountain tops -a thing which, he assured us, had never before been seen. Mr. F. asked him where they came from. That, he said, was a mystery-he did not doubt they were created for the occasion. The man is a Jesuit, after all. While marvelling about these mysterious gulls, I could see him slyly watching the effect the narrative might have upon his audience. I found time to have some side chat with Mrs. Phin.; and learned she had been previously married to a man by the name of Canfield, and that she had persuaded him to take her sister, to whom she was much attached, as his second wife, thinking they could get along harmoniously. Canfield finally con

cluded that two were not enough, and took in a third, and then abused the two sisters. He then went off to California, searching for gold, and came back empty-handed; upon which she left him, and took refuge under the shadow of 'Old Phin.' Such is the substance of the story told by the woman herself; leaving discreetly untold, no doubt, the most salient points of her history." Another great personage among the Mormons is Elder Snow:

"He resides near us, in the second house beyond Brother Wakeman's, with six wives, in two little huts, and has twelve children. In the principal hut, the real wife sits at the head of the table, and pours out tea and coffee for the rest of the bevy. The latest acquisition to this highlyfavoured household, and, of course, the reigning sultana for the time, was the only one of them with whom he condescended to correspond during his absence. Her education, however, had not attained the dignity of an ability to read; and,

either because the other inmates of the harem were in like predicament, or that she was unwilling they should see these loving epistles, she took them to the neighbours to be translated. Like all other Mormon missionaries, he was a beggar; and the story is, that he has been so successful in his mendicity, that the cottages are to give place to a large adobe mansion, which will make a more convenient seraglio. Such is Elder Snow; and yet he could talk about the works of art in Rome and Paris with some apparent appreciation of their beauties. Like our

other visitors, he expressed a wish that our sojourn might be rendered agreeable, but not a word of invitation to visit his family, or that his wife would be happy to see me."

"A good-natured young woman, with a baby in her arms, waited upon me. She proved to be one of the wives of the young man; and by further inquiry, I drew forth that they had both been married to him at the same time, so that neither could claim the precedence. You will ask whether such things can be? Yes, they can be with just such women. She was one of those good-natured, stupid fools, that would gulp down the most preposterous proposition, merely saying, perhaps, Du tell!' or 'You don't say so!' or making some similar remark. I am quite ready to conclude that a large portion of female Mormonism is made up of similar materials."

"Among the frequent visitors at Mrs. Farnham's is a tall and rather interesting-looking young woman, who is known by the name of Harriet Cook. She is one of Brigham's early sealed ones, by whom she has one child; is quite good-looking, and superior in point of native smartness; but exceedingly capricious and variable in her feelings and conversation. The first time I saw her she seemed to have an oppressive sense of her real condition; expressed herself bitterly of her ruin, of the abominations of the harem, and even of hatred towards her child, representing it as an ugly, ungovernable little wretch. I felt much interest for her. I asked her why she did not go to California. She answered sadly: 'Here, I am as good as Mary Aan' (Brigham's first wife) and the rest of them, but, elsewhere, I am an outcast. My brother wishes me to go, but it is of no use.' To-day this woman has called again, and I don't know when, in a conversation with one of my own sex, my disgust has been more strongly excited. She launched forth into a sort of exposé of the filthy customs of the harem, in language so coarse and vulgar, and with so much apparent gusto, that all sympathy for her is at an end, and hereafter I can only talk with her, as with some others, merely to gain information. She is a fair specimen of the utter and hopeless degradation effected by the Mormon system; and, as she grows older, will doubtless take a malignant delight in aiding to seduce others into the same unfortunate condition."

"It has been a matter of great wonder to me how the women could be induced to consent to polygamous marriages. It is so repugnant to all the instincts and feelings of a true woman, that I could not understand it. The mystery is par ly solved. It seems that one part of their ridiculous creed is, that a woman cannot be saved unless she is sealed or married to a Mormon; and

he must be one, too, who will reman steadfast to the end; and, as they are noted for a great number of apostates, it becomes an object with these silly fools to get into the harems of the priests and elders, because it is believed they will not apostatize. Of course, any one with half an eye can see the object of the prophet Smith in promulgating such a doctrine; and the wonder is, that its transparency is not obvious to all. I made this discovery by talking with Aunty Shearer, about an old lady by the name of Western-commonly known as 'Mother Western'— one of Brigham's wives. I was marvelling why she should marry in her old age, especially as fiftieth or sixtieth wife, when my oracle said, 'she was only sealed for the sake of salvation.' She further informed me that Brigham had more wives in this way than anybody knew of-that he did not even know himself, the sealing to him being considered a more certain guarantee for salvation, because he was the reigning prophet, and was sure to remain faithful. One scarcely knows whether to be amazed most at the profane profligacy of the leaders, or the superstitious credulity of their dupes. The effect of the Mormon creed is, evidently, to gather together a low class of villains, and a still lower class of dupes; and it follows that the latter are easily governed. The only disturbing element is, that the villains may quarrel among themselves; and, so far as I can learn, this has happened on more than one occasion. A further effect will, probably, be, to operate as a Botany Bay to society generally, by relieving it of its superabundance of both classes."

"Among our agreeable visitors must be numbered Mr. Haywood, the United States' Marshal, and his first wife. They called at an early period of our arrival, and have continued to treat us with attentive politeness. She is as pretty, wellinformed, and accomplished as you will find any. where in a thousand, and exhibits withal, what is not common here, good taste in dress. After forming their acquaintance, I was surprised to learn from Aunty Shearer that he had two other wives; one known as Sister Very, old enough to be his mother, and who, in fact, seems to fill that office in the family. Of course, she was said to be sealed for the sake of salvation.' Mrs. H. and Sister Very called one day, and I found the latter an agreeable, quiet, elderly lady from Old Salem, sufficiently well informed, and everything about her such as you would expect to find in a woman of her age from the land of steady habits, except in the single point of being the second of two wives in the same family. This is the only instance in which I have seen two wives of the same man together; and, judging from appearances, the age of the one precluded anything like jealousy on the part of the other. What jarring there may be between them at home, I cannot tell. I only know that, in my presence, they treated each other with that degree of affectionate cordiality which properly belongs to the intercourse between mother and daughter. What a strange spectacle! Here was an elderly woman, apparently of fair intelligence, and correct notions of propriety, in whom the feelings and instincts of womanhood may be supposed to have become fixed and permanent habits of thought, yielding all that is valuable to a ridiculous system of imposture-in other words, becoming a concubine. I can no

longer wonder that girls are so easily made fools of."

"If the worthy marshal had stopped here, I could tolerate him very well, considering we are sojourners in the Mormon capital. But he has still another wife, and I learn from my universal referee, that, in the States, she was one of the 'strong-minded'-in fine, a pseudo-lecturer on progressivism-who was so fully persuaded that womankind were in a false position, that she has ended in making herself what she is. The marshal keeps her and her baby on his farming establishment in Juab, about eighty miles from here. He spends six weeks of his time there, and then the same time with his family here, and so alternates between the two. To-day he has been in, partly on business and partly to make a friendly call; and I felt disposed to be hateful towards him. But he appeared so cordial and friendly, and gave us such warm and pressing invitations to visit his family, differing in this respect from the rest of these vagabonds, that he partially succeeded in disarming resentment."

The following is a description of an evening party:

"We went sufficiently late not to be among the first arrivals, and were ushered into an anteroom, to be divested of cloaks and shawls. From this, a short flight of steps brought us into a long saloon, where six cotillons were in active motion. Another short flight landed us on a raised platform, which overlooked the dancing-party, and here a band of music was in the full tide of performance. This dais was well accommodated with seats, including two or three sofas, on which were elders and apostles reclining, with a few of their concubines. Brigham was there, and had his hat on, according to his usual habit. We were treated with distinguished attention-the company generally seemed to exert themselves to make the evening pleasant to us. Our old acquaintance, Judge Snow, was there, with Mrs. S., his only wife; and I took advantage of our familiar footing with both to inquire out all the peculiarities of the evening. Elder Kimble, one of the chief men, was present, and very sociable. He has a harem, numbering some twenty-five or thirty; but strange to say, has continued to treat his real wife (so the story goes) as superior to the rest. She was at his right hand on the present occasion, and looked careworn and sad; on his left was one of his sealed ones, a keen, shrewdlooking woman from Philadelphia, and who, in the few words of conversation I had with her, evinced some intelligence. Near them sat a delicate woman, with raven hair and piercing black eyes, who proved to be Eliza Snow, the Mormon poetess, and who belongs to Brigham's harem. Polygamy cannot be a subject calculated to produce poetic inspiration-at least the effusions which appear under her name in the Deseret News would scare the muses out of their senses. found Mrs. Orson Hyde a pleasant woman, of much simplicity of manners, and to her husband's credit be it said, he lives with her alone, although one of the twelve apostles. Another of the twelve, Amasa Lyman, was pointed out, a man of grossly sensual appearance. This man lives in San Ber

I

nardino, and has a straggling harem, extending at convenient points from that place to Salt Lake. He collects the tithings in California, and is constantly going back and forth. A heavy, darkcoloured, beetle-browed man was pointed out as Elder John Taylor, who had been badly wounded when the Prophet was murdered in Illinois. He had his wife on one arm, on the other was a young widow from Tennessee, reputed to be wealthy, and reputed also to have been lately sealed to this pious elder. The cotillons upon the floor when we went in were soon danced out, and the dancers came crowding upon the platform-and here happened what seemed to me the crowning incident of the evening: Parley Pratt marched up with four wives, and introduced them successively as Mrs. Pratts. The thing was done with such an easy nonchalant air that I had difficulty in keeping from laughing outright. The thought came over me, with what scorn these people, who are here first and foremost, would be banished from society at home. Did the man do this to show what he could do, or because he thought politeness required it of him? I do not know. Some, however, only introduced the first wife, and I internally thanked them for the forbearance. One thing was peculiar it was only the first wives that tried to make themselves familiar with me. Dancing continued fast and furious till a late hour. Each man danced with two women at a time, and took the lead in all the chassés promenades; so it seems that even in their amusements women take a subordinate position."

"THINGS not Generally Known Familiarly Explained," is the title of Mr. John Timbs's new book; and it really is a book to be recommended, for it contains a multitude of curious facts on a great variety of subjects-laws and customs, natural magic, science and art, language and books, and such like genial themes. Mr. Timbs, who is one of the editors of the Illus'rated London News, is a sort of modern William Hone, whose special delight it is to gather from the periodical and fugitive literature of the day, whatever is worth preserving in the way of strange fact, custom, folk lore, or scientific discovery, and to publish his selections whenever there seems room for a book of such a character. In this way has that valuable annual, the "Year Book of Facts," reached its thirteenth birthday; it is from the peculiar love of the author for whatever is curious and unique, and from his aptitude in remarking those minute peculiarities of life which escape other men, that his Curiosities of London" has become a valuable contribution to modern literature; and it is all these qualities combined, that renders the handsome little volume before us one of the most attractive books of the kind we know. More than five hundred "Common Things," gathered from heaven and earth, sea and air, sight and sound, life and death, the animal and vegetable kingdom, &c., are here explained, in a style so terse and familiar as cannot fail to recommend the book to Lord Ashburton and all friends of popular education.

• London: David Bogue.