St. Malo, August 26, 1849.
Dear Brother Pratt,--Having settled some family affairs
which called for my presence in Wales, and having also done some good in the
kingdom of Jesus Christ, I left my family on the morning of the 19th instant,
but not before I had baptized and confirmed a gentleman, (5 o'clock, a.m.), who
resides in the neighbourhood of Aberdare,--a
relation also in the family, being my brother-in-law. His wife had been baptized about three weeks before I went home, but
her relations being all baptists, had, in a measure,
almost stumbled her with their cries and lamentations, particularly her old
father endeavouring to persuade her that the Saints
wanted nothing but their money. I had the privilege of seeing
her at my house just in time, confirmed her faith to such a degree, that I knew
the Lord had conquered, and to make sure lest they should persuade her while
away by their cries, &c., I baptized her husband, at five o'clock on Sunday
morning, on his own property, and confirmed him a member of the church of Jesus
Christ. He is a fine intelligent young man, my
wife's brother. Whilst in Wales
I visited my father and mother, brothers and sisters,
and they all promised that I should baptize them the next visit. I pray the Lord to spare their lives; my father is a worthy man, a millennarian, having many interesting ideas in connexion with the restoration of the Jews, the millennial
reign of Jesus, the restoration of all things, &c.
I left my family at 7 a.m. with my daughter, who, I doubt not, will be able to
help her father in this important mission. I
found the Cardiff branch in good
standing. I had to preach at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
to good congregations, and like the Saints throughout Wales,
appear to be alive in connexion with the extension of
the kingdom to France.
At 2 p.m., 21st instant, I entered the dwelling-place of Brother Dunbar, isle
of Jersey, both himself, wife,
and Saints, whom I found well and happy, received me with sincere respect, and
nothing could exceed their kindness. I went with Brother
Dunbar to a village close by St. Helier's, after meeting, four were baptized in the sea.
Wednesday, the 22nd, I preached with brother Dunbar at
St. Alban's, and five were baptized. One, the wife of brother
De la Mere, where I slept, (a French brother officer of note). I persuaded her to be baptized the first day, and her
husband is continually praising the Lord for his goodness in bringing me to his
house. Another in the number of the five baptized, was a sister, who, as it
were, accidentally got one of the four hundred French tracts I had given
brother Dunbar to be distributed on the island, strange, she was convinced, and
converted to the truth by reading my little tract. In another place, another
tract caused a French family to open their house for the gospel to be preached in. Thursday, the 23rd instant, I had to preach in the room to a crowded congregation, after
the sermon, six gave in their names to be baptized. Brother Dunbar seems to
suit the place exceedingly well; both himself, brother
officers, and the cholera, are exerting themselves, bringing in a fine harvest
of souls to the kingdom. The last, it is true, carries death to such a degree
with its power in this island, that one whole street this day was shut up, and it appears that the clothes, bedding,
&c., of the poor in the said street are all to be burnt to night. The
number of deaths daily, in Jersey, is truly awful.
At 10 a.m., 24th instant, I left my kind Jersey brothers and
sisters, for St. Malo. In three hours
I reached my destination. Brother Dunbar said that a French brother officer
should follow me in about a month. 25th. I visited a few English families. 26th. Sunday morning, went to the episcopalian
chapel, small, but well filled with pride and lukewarm religionists, without
even the form of godliness. Text, "Because thou art neither cold nor hot,
but lukewarm," &c. Text in the afternoon service, "Jesus said
unto him, let the dead bury their dead, but go thou and preach the gospel.
Since then, I have visited the clergymen and flocks, and received from them generally most insulting abuse, both, they said, my tracts
and discourse were blasphemous, yet refusing to inform me what the blasphemy
was.
On the morning of the 29th instant, I was told that a gentleman
wanted to see me below. I went down, and saw the said gentleman,
who looked at me with fiendish looks. He asked me,
trembling every limb, with his fist shaking close to my face, "Who gave
you leave to bring these accursed tracts to my family," &c. &c. I expected the blow to send me to the other side of the
room, a little further from the enraged man. After a volley of abuse he left with dreadful threats. His name is Huddlestone, an American. He circulates the report here
that he resided within two miles of the residence of Joseph, and his false
assertions, as you may imagine, are many. Since then, some other gentlemen to spite me, returns the tracts by post, so that
they may cost the poor Mormon 6d. My landlady and all
in the house but the servant joined in calling me "false prophet," a
good testimony that I am a true one. In a few moments after the tornado past,
you might have seen the said Mormon in the principal street of St. Servan, distributing French and English tracts in every
shop, and also to private families. Welsh blook is not to be daunted easily, as the devil shall well
know before the end comes; he is daily kicking me here, and
also taking my halfpence away, but I expect to master him shortly. The enemy has such a number of faithful servants, in the character
of protestant priests and catholics, who join first
rate in a general persecution against the blasphemous La Latter-day Saints,
with their crews, so that some of my friends, (the Lord has found me few real
friends here again), stated that the enemies should endeavour
to get the mayor to prosecute me for distributing the tracts. So early
on Saturday morning I went to St. Malo,
to the English consul for advice. He is a fine gentleeman;
he told me not to distribute more for the present,
lest they should, whether they had law or not, trouble me. I
seized the opportunity, and preached the gospel to him but he actually refused
to be baptized for the remission of his sins.
The zeal of the catholics is truly astonishing; their
devotion is beyond credit, but to those who are present to see. As an antidote
against the cholera, they have in every street set an image of the Virgin, in
glass cases, on the side of the furthest house in the street, with two candles,
one on each side to be burnt throughout the night, in
one street she took fire and was burnt herself, a sad calamity. A physician
gave me strange instances of their zeal in getting
children to be baptized. Some time ago, a lady died,
"en travail d'enfant," the bowels were
instantly cut up with a knife, and the two infants not yet dead, taken from the
womb to the priest to be baptized. In connexion with
himself, a still born child having breathed after
having been put in lukewarm water, the moment he turned his back, the nurse
being a Catholic, took the said child to the priest to be baptized, and carried
him back a corpse. He gave me many strange instances
of the most wonderful devotion, on the one hand, and great sins on the other.
There is a family of Catholic sisters in this place, where one kneels thoughout twelve hours of
the day; and two, the twelve hours of the night before the altar, thoughout the whole year.
Sept. 2, Sunday. Although my persecuting enemies, who
circulate all manner of lies, and continue to send tracts back through the
post, but I do not take them in, because it will be an excuse to go to them
again, (and warn them at the same time), asking for the sixpence to get my
tracts from the post. Yet I have spent a glorious day.
In the morning I went over to St. Malo,
to the French protestant minister, attended the morning service, when he
preached a short sermon in French, to half a dozen present. I
prevailed on him to come with me for a walk, setting me part of the way home. He did so, and surely I prevailed also in getting the gentleman to
promise to spend the evening with me; at three my anxiety was relieved by being
told that he had arrived, so I begun pouring Mormon truths, by giving him a pen
and paper, to write down some scores of scripture passages I wished to call his
attention to. At five went arm in arm to Madame Carthage's, where I had to hold evening service, and preach in the grand parlour the first principles, to an attentive audience. He
left, pleased with all, and promised to spend the next Lord's day in the same manner.
September 3. I visited this morning twelve English
families, all here; are a sort of gentry living in great state. Some said
blasphemous stuff; others, you ought all to be sent to gaol
as madmen, &c., &c.; others, we have a Bible,
so don't come here again; others we have sent the tracts to the post, &c.,
&c. I went in the afternoon to St. Malo; received a letter from Wales,
stating that my family were well and happy, thanks be to my Heavenly Father for
his protection to them, and to me also.
Yours truly,
Wm. HOWELLS.
