years, for the sake of the learning they thus obtain, and then turn away from it. The priesthood dwell together in monasteries, under a rather rigid system of discipline; each monastery having a superior or head. They are bound to celibacy, cannot own any property and must not cook themselves any food. The brethren of each monastery take it in turns to go out with the alm'sbowl. It is slung in front of them, and they walk along the centre of the street, looking neither to the right hand nor to the left, and the women of almost every house, as they pass along, put into the bowl a portion of ready-cooked food. When the alm's-bowl is full, the Poonghy turns round and stalks off to his monastery. No words pass between him and the donators of the food, and he has to be careful that he does not look at them nor allow even the garments of a woman to touch him, for he would thereby become defiled. They are universally dressed in the sacerdotal color, viz., yellow; sometimes silk, and sometimes cotton, but always yellow. Whilst they retain the sacred dress they are exempt from all earthly laws. I recollect hearing of an incident illustrative of this. The King of Ava had become incensed against a noted Poonghy, but even he dared not to touch him whilst in his sacerdotal robes, and how to get him to lay them aside was the question. He hit at last upon the expedient of sending for the Poonghy to the palace, and, professing great friendship for him, presented him with a very costly dress of honor, appointing one of the nobles to prevail upon him to lay aside for a few minutes the yellow dress and don the dress of honor. The Poonghy consented, and was led into the King's presence denuded of his priestly dress; the Monarch had him seized and flogged nearly to death, and then had him turned out of the palace. Thus, though holding despotic power, it was more than the tyrant dared to do to punish a Poonghy whilst in the robes of his office. The Poonghies are the school-masters all over the Burmese Empire, and the children of the neighborhood around each monastery attend daily and are taught the common branches of education gratuitously by them. When a Poonghy goes out walking he is gene rally attended by two or three boys or lay brethren, and should any money be offered to the Poonghy he will point to one of the attendants that it may be given to him; thus they keep the letter of the law, but destroy the spirit of it. The priesthood are venerated so highly that should a Poonghy enter any man's private chamber where his wife was, leaving his slippers at the door, the husband would not dare to enter until the Poonghy left. When a Poonghy noted for sanctity dies, his body is preserved in honey and laid in state in a very grand coffin, in a superb building erected expressly for the occasion. Thus the body will lie for a period varying from three to twelve months, according to the degree of sanctity the deceased had attained unto; a company of dancing women and a band of music being in attendance daily during the whole time. In some cases, after lying in state three months in one town, the body will be removed to another, a building of a similar description having been prepared to receive it. After remaining here three months, it will be taken to another, and then to another, until the period decided upon has elapsed, when a grand procession is formed and the coffin borne on a car of state is paraded round the whole neighborhood for some hours, preceded by several bands of music, and at length a funeral pyre is formed and the coffin containing the corpse placed upon the top. Ghee or oil is then poured on plentifully and gunpowder sprinkled round to make it as inflammable as possible. Rockets are now fired at it from a distance, and he who first succeeds in firing it with his rocket is sure of going to immediate glory upon his demise. The body is thus consumed to ashes, which are then gathered up and put into an earthenware jar and buried. The Buddhists generally are polygamists. The Burmese buy their wives, and this amongst them constitutes marriage. A man who can raise sufficient means to purchase two wives sits down to enjoy the dignity and ease of a gentleman for the rest of his life. The wives take upon them the care of the house and support the family, whilst he enjoys himself smoking and gambling and in other polite and civilized pursuits of a similar HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH. character. He will occasionally condescend to take in hand a job if well paid for it and not hard worked, provided it will come under the classification of a gentlemanly job. He will do this for the sake of the pocket-money it gives him; whilst the wives support him and themselves and the children, and contribute their share towards supporting the Poonghies in their neighborhood. I recollect an instance occuring dur- It is quite common in this country to see the mother going round offering her marriageable daughter for sale to the highest bidder, the price varying, according to the good looks of the girl, from forty to two hundred rupees. The white men frequently buy young Burmese women in this way, and will have families by them, and when leaving the country desert both mother and children; thus they degrade their offspring and send them to beg their bread. This kind of contract is entered into by the A part of the creed of the votaries women in all good faith, as it is by their law a legal marriage; but the Christian of Buddah-Gadama is, that should they white man takes advantage of what he continue faithful all through the difconsiders simplicity and ignorance, and ferent stages of probation through having gratified his passion and satiated which they pass in the several bodies his lust with them casts them off, thus they inhabit, they eventually attain to giving them a striking illustration of the much-coveted pinnacle of their the beauty of the principles and prac-wishes-the state of Nic Bawn or annihilation; and yet, strange to say, tice of modern Christianity. Incontinency is of rare occurrence Nic Bawn or annihilation is to become amongst them, and is punished by death. deified. To be continued.) HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH. (Continued from page 184.) Afternoon, Elders Murdock and Rich | Rigdon was some distance from his preached. Elder William Marks, President of the Stake, gave public notice, (at the request of Elder Rigdon,) that there would be a special meeting of the Church at the stand, on Thursday, the 8th inst., for the purpose of choosing a Guardian (President and Trustees). Dr. Richards proposed waiting till the Twelve Apostles returned, and told the Saints to ask wisdom of God. Elder Grover proposed waiting to examine the revelation. Elder Marks said President Rigdon wanted the meeting on Tuesday, but he put it off till Thursday; that Elder family, and wanted to know if this people had anything for him to do; if not, he wanted to go on his way, for there was a people numbering thousands and tens of thousands who would receive him; that he wanted to visit other branches around, but he had come here first. Elder Rich called upon William Clayton, and said he was dissatisfied with the hurried movement of Elder Rigdon. He considered, inasmuch as the Twelve had been sent for and were soon ex pected home, the notice for meeting was premature, and it seemed to him a 200 HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH. plot laid to take advantage of the situ- | mons smuggled a great many votes ation of the Saints. President Young and his associates arrived at Galena at eight o'clock this morning, nearly exhausted with fatigue, having travelled 48 hours without stopping, except to take meals and change horses, distance about 160 miles. From the Millennial Star : MARK OF RESPECT SHOWN BY THE LATTERDAY SAINTS IN LIVERPOOL. On Sunday, August 4th, very numerous congregations attended at the Music Hall, the majority of the Saints in deep mourning, whilst the platform or raised gallery, where the Priesthood sat, was handsomely decorated with black drapery. We would suggest to the Saints generally, as far as their means will allow them, to pay respect to the memory of our lamented brethren." Monday, 5.-Elders P. P. Pratt, W. Richards, J. Taylor, Geo. A. Smith, Amasa Lyman and Bishop Whitney, waited upon Elder Rigdon in the morning. He said he would meet them in council at Elder Taylor's after dinner. They accordingly met in council, and when Elder Rigdon came in, he paced the room and said, "Gentlemen, you're used up; gentlemen, you are all divided; the anti-Mormons have got you; the brethren are voting every way, some for James, some for Deming, some for Coulson, and some for Bedell; the anti-Mormons have got you, you cannot stay in the county, everything is in confusion, you can do nothing, you lack a great leader, you want a head, and unless you unite upon that head you are blown to the four winds, the anti-Mormons will carry the electiona guardian must be appointed." Elder George A. Smith said, "Brethren, Elder Rigdon is entirely mistaken, there is no division; the brethren are united; the election will be unanimous, and the friends of law and order will be elected by a thousand majority. There is no occasion to be alarmed, President Rigdon is inspiring fears there are no grounds for." The result was that it was one of the most unanimous elections held in NauVoo, as there were only five opposition votes polled in the city, and in the county the majority for the law and order candidates was over one thousand, notwithstanding the anti-Mor from other counties. Elder Rigdon said he did not expect the people to choose a guardian on Thursday, but to have a prayer meeting and interchange of thought and feeling, and warm up each other's hearts. Jesse Price made the following affidavit: "State of Illinois, county of Hancock, s.s. On the 5th day of August, 1844, personally appeared before me, Aaron Johnson, justice of the peace in and for said county, Jesse Price; and after being duly sworn according to law, deposeth and saith, that on or about the 18th of April, 1844, in the city of Nauvoo, county aforesaid, William Law said, I put pistols in my pockets one night, and went to Joseph Smith's house, determined to blow his infernal brains out, but I could not get the opportunity to shoot him then, but I am determined I will shoot him the first opportunity, and you will see blood and thunder and devastation in this place, but I shall not be here; and deponent saith not further." The following letter was sent to Dr. Richards: "La Harpe, August 5, 1844. Brother Richards,-I hasten to inform you that intelligence has arrived in this place to-day, by several persons, that the mobocrats at Carthage have concocted a plan to intercept the returns of the election at Nauvoo, and destroy them before they arrive at Carthage. The information is of such a nature that I deemed it necessary that you should be informed of the same, that you may act accordingly. Respectfully, JOSEPH M. Cole." President Young and the Apostles with him went on board the steamer St. Croix at Galena, for Nauvoo. They started in the afternoon. Elder Kimball recorded the following dream: congregation on the policy of the nation "I dreamed of speaking before a large and the policy of our religion. I said that Joseph the Prophet had laid the foundation, and we would have to carry out his measures. Joseph was present, and heard all I said and sanctioned it. All seemed perfectly natural." Tuesday, 6.-Elders P. P. Pratt, W. Richards, J. Taylor, Geo. A. Smith and Bishop Whitney met in council at Elder Taylor's. From the death of Joseph until the arrival of President B. Young and the EDITORIAL. Twelve, Elder Willard Richards was the principal counselor of the Saints in Nauvoo, and had scarcely a moment's rest. He answered the calls and inquiries of hundreds of the brethren, and was engaged every day until a late hour, or until exhaustion compelled him to lie down. The following is extracted from Elder Woodruff's Journal : "We (the brethren of the Twelve returning to Nauvoo) stopped at various places while going down the Mississippi, among others, the town of Burlington, after which we prepared our minds to once more behold the city of Nauvoo and embrace our families and friends. We were landed at the upper stone house at eight in the evening, and were welcomed with joy by all the citizens we met. We hired a coach, and I accompanied my brethren to their families, after which I was conveyed to my own, and truly felt to rejoice to once more meet with my wife, children and friends. Thus it is with me, I have spent but one summer either at home or with the body of the Church for 201 the last ten years, as my lot has been cast abroad in the vineyard most of the time. When we landed in the city a deep gloom seemed to rest over the city of Nauvoo, which we never experienced before. Wednesday, 7.-Elders B. Young, H. C. Kimball, P. P. Pratt, O. Pratt, W. Richards, W. Woodruff, George A. Smith and Lyman Wight met in council with Elder Taylor at his house. They found him recovering from his wounds received at the massacre of the Prophets. The Twelve felt to rejoice at having the privilege of again meeting in council together, after having passed through such trying scenes, and to be welcomed by the Saints who considered it very providential for the Twelve to arrive at this particular juncture, when their minds were agitated, their hearts sorrowful, and darkness seemed to cloud their path, feeling like sheep without a shepherd, their beloved Prophet having been taken away. (To be Continued.) THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS' MILLENNIAL STAR. SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1863. TO THE SAINTS ABOUT TO EMIGRATE. THERE is probably no more important period in the lives of the Saints who are sojourning in Babylon, nor one fraught with more momentous consequences for good or for evil, than the time when they are about to leave their native shores and the homes of their childhood for Zion. The breaking up of old associations; the change of scenes, circumstances and duties; the new faces that will be met with and the new ties that will be formed; the trials and temptations so different from those that many have ever met with before, and which call for the exercise of the most patient endurance and the firmest fortitude, all tend to unsettle their minds, and—unless they maintain a strict watch upon themselves and retain the Spirit of the Lord-to lure them from the path of rectitude and to betray them into the utterance of words and the commission of acts which they would have blushed at previous to leaving home, if they do not lead them to absolute apostacy. Many, very many, we are sorry to say have, in former years, left these and other lands for the purpose of gathering with the people of God, who have never reached their destination. Yet, when they started, their hopes were as bright and their souls apparently as full of zeal and love for the truth as those of many of the Saints now seem to be who hope to emigrate the present season; and to-day, instead of being associated with the Saints in Zion, assisting to build up the kingdom of God upon the earth and sharing in the peace and blessings which are being so abundantly and almost miraculously poured out upon the Saints in their mountain home, they are scattered over the face of the distracted States of America, destitute of the Spirit of the Lord, without a single ray of present peace or future hope to sustain them, and filled with the most gloomy apprehensions and the wretched consciousness of having forsaken God and having therefore no right to his protection. Far better would it have been for such persons to have remained in this country and suffered with their poor brethren and sisters; yes, even though they had fallen victims to the cruel pangs of want and exposure, for, if they had died faithful, they would have received a reward which would have more than compensated them for all their sufferings. Now we are particularly anxious that this should not be the case with any who go this season, and that all who leave the various countries under our Presidency, for Zion, should go through safely and promptly, and get there at least as good and pure, with as much faith and love in their souls, and in the enjoyment of as much of the Spirit of the Lord as when they left here. This can only be done by constant watchfulness, prayerfulness and humility on the part of the Saints, and by their continued willingness to be led by, and to obey the counsels of the servants of God who are placed as fathers and guardians over them in their journeyings. There are still some scattered individuals bearing the name of Saints whom the Elders find it difficult, if not impossible, to convince of the wisdom and necessity of gathering; but there are many more who go to the other extreme and think that gathering is the sole aim and end of the Gospel, and that when they have accomplished that, they have done all that is required of them, and that thenceforward they can be as remiss and careless in their duties as they please their salvation is secure. With them, Utah appears to be the goal of their hopes and expectations; they have no aspirations after anything higher, nobler or purer than the mere gathering to Utah, which is to them the end not the means of their salvation; and after they arrive there too many of them lay their armor by to rust, while they act as though they thought the principles of the Gospel were no longer binding upon them-that the mere fact of their having gathered there exempted them from any further obedience to, or practice of the truth. Now, if any at the present time do entertain any such feelings as these, they had better stay here until they learn better, because it will be only giving the Saints the unnecessary trouble of transporting them across the Plains for them to apostatize when they reach Utah, which they assuredly will do unless they repent. Let the Saints disabuse their minds of any such erroneous ideas as soon as possible, and be actuated by the only desire which ought to prompt any man or woman to gather with the people of God, viz,-"To learn of His ways and walk in His paths." Gathering is as essential to the salvation of all who are able to obey the command to do so, as baptism is; but it is only one of the rounds in the Gospel ladder which reaches from the depths of the degradation into which poor humanity has fallen, to the celestial kingdom of God. But the poor prisoner who wishes to escape from his dungeon must take step after step up the ladder until he reaches the top and can breathe once more the free air of heaven, or he will not be benefited; the ladder is his means for attaining the desired end |