On we go through Weber Cañon, picturesque certainly, but not to be compared to Echo, and we come then to the Devil's Slide.' What a gymnast the old gentleman must have been, if he really accomplished a quarter of the feats we put down to him! in fact, a great part of his existence must have been spent in jumping through rocks, like a clown through a paper hoop, and sliding down hills and mountains like a naughty boy down a bannister. In the case in question, he was probably well whipped when he went home, as, from the rugged state of the rocks, his pantaloons must have been in a most unenviable condition by the time he reached the foot of the mountain.

The river Weber frets and rages along its course just beneath us, and presently we pass a solitary pine tree on our left. A board on it states that the distance from Omaha is 1,000 miles. Here another storm passed us, taking the usual north-easterly direction; we therefore only came in for a very small part of it. Just where the river rushes between two great walls of rock the road crosses the stream, and we enter the valley of Salt Lake. Passing through a cultivated country, with well-tilled farms on either side, we soon arrive at Ogden, where I was very glad to leave the the main road, and after a few hours of slow travelling reached Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah, and the 'desert home of the Mormons.'

CHAPTER VI.

SALT LAKE CITY TO VIRGINIA CITY.

Early days-The Tabernacle-A vision-Mormons-Ann Eliza-Brigham Young-Mormon shops-American Fork Cañon-Salt Lake—A pageant-The theatre-Mormonism-The great American desertEuchre-Tricks that are vain-Nevada-Train-robbers-Americanisms-Reno.

WHAT a wonderful change there is in the Salt Lake valley of the present day compared with its aspect before the arrival of the Mormons! After encountering almost superhuman difficulties, after leaving scores of their companions dead on the long terrible road they had journeyed over, they arrived in 1847 in this valley; and finding that the parched sandy desert and the high mountain-peaks were insuperable barriers against their foes, they determined to make it their home, and to live there according to their own peculiar ideas. Persecution had strengthened their faith; they believed implicitly in the divinity of their martyred prophet, Joseph Smith, and considered themselves the 'Chosen People.' With the greatest religious enthusiasm -a little augmented, perhaps, by personal requirements -they built houses, planted trees, and irrigated and

cultivated the land. The circumstances in which they were placed furnished an incentive to exertion. There was no way of escape for them out of the valley, and they could only exist by toiling to the fullest extent of their powers. The success they have achieved is evident in the garden-like appearance of the beautiful valley.

On the morning after my arrival I set off to visit the town. The first thing that struck me was the number of trees bordering the streets, along the sides of which runs a clear stream of water from the mountains.

The houses are not particularly tasteful, but the great amount of foliage surrounding them gives them a secluded home-like air.

Orchards of peach, apricot, cherry, and apple trees abound everywhere, and the soil is evidently extremely fertile, where it is irrigated.

The great object of interest is the Tabernacle, whose huge oval roof gives the building the exact appearance of a roc's egg. On entering its precincts I met a gentleman, who, seeing that I was a stranger, kindly offered to show me over the building. He proved to be one of the Apostles, and a very entertaining and agreeable one too. The Tabernacle is about two hundred and fifty feet long, and a hundred and fifty feet wide, and will hold fifteen thousand people. The enormous roof is self-sustaining, and springs from

a number of stone columns. The large organ, built by a member of the flock, is the most conspicuous object in the interior. In front of the organ is the pulpit from which Brigham preaches. Next below is one for the councillors, then one for the bishops, and finally one for the deacons. The seats are all of plain pine, and the absence of paint gives the building a very cold and formal appearance.

Adjacent to the Tabernacle is the Temple, or rather what will be the Temple, as at present the foundation is but little above the level of the ground. From the plan which my friend (if I may so call an Apostle) showed me, it will be a most magnificent building, if ever finished; but there is not, I imagine, the very slightest probability of it, as it was begun near twenty years ago, and funds are now at a very low ebb, in fact, so low that there was not a single workman then at work on the edifice. The plan, they say, was given to Brigham Young in a vision; if so, it must have been by the united spirits of Sir Christopher Wren and Brunelleschi.

The Apostle introduced me to his house, but I saw nothing of his wives, of whom he had three, as I was later informed. From the quiet home-like look about the place, there seemed to be more peace in it than I should have thought probable from the presence there of such disturbing elements. I believe, however, before