1861-06-20-New York Sun-Mormon Immigration
Mormon Immigration
- New York Sun, 20 June 1861, p. 1
MORMON IMMIGRATION.—The ship Monarch of the Sea, Captain Gardiner, arrived at this port yesterday, bringing 949 Mormons, as passengers. They are all in good health, and intend to proceed directly to Salt Lake City. Captain Gardiner speaks in praise of the order and discipline maintained among them during the passage. A few casualties occurred during the passage. On the 22d of May, Jane Montgomery, a Mormon woman, died at the age of 59 years. Several infants also died. On the 4th instant, Francis Brewster, colored cook, died.
There have been two previous arrivals of Mormons this season, by the ship Underwriter May 23, which brough 618 passengers, and the Manchester, May 11, with 379 on board, making a total of 1,946 Mormons arriving at this port within five weeks.
The captain of the Monarch of the Sea reports that the 6th instant, in latitude 43o 20, longitude 50o 53', he observed an immense iceberg, fully 150 feet high.
The Monarch of the Sea has on board a negro named William Brown Bradford, sent home by the American Consul at Liverpool, to be tried for an attempt at murder.
APPEARANCE OF THE IMMIGRANTS.
The company on board the Monarch was made up of nine different nationalities, viz.: English, Welch, (with a few Scotch and a very few Irish,) French, German, Swiss, Italian, Danes, Swedes and Norwegians. Of these, no less than 519 are Scandinavians, and present the wholesome and healthy appearance noticeable in that class of emigrants. The captain says that he never brought out a better class of emigrants. They are from the middle and lower classes in life, and are farmers, mechanics and laborers. While there are "elders" in age, if not by appointment, the larger part of them are middle aged and young. There were many children on board, and a large number of girls from fifteen to twenty years of age, some of whom were quite good looking. As a class, they are not over and above intelligent, but seemed plain and very ordinary emigrants.
They all bring means enough to carry them to their journey's end, but not much more than enough. Generally speaking, they were comfortably clothed, and the deck and the hold of the ship showed a considerable quantity of baggage.
The Post gives the followign account of their leaders:—
Elder Nathaniel Vary Jones, of Salt Lake, is the agent for the reception of Mormon emigrants arriving at this port. He is a good looking and intelligent man, born at Rochester, N. Y.; and is an active member of the "persuasion." He left Salt Lake in September, 1859, and went to England, where he remained engaged in missionary duty till January of this year, when he came to this city for the special purpose of looking after the interests and welfare of the brethren (and sisters) who came from foreign parts. He makes all the arrangements for forwarding them on their arrival, and acts generally as an individual commissioner of emigration to see that the flock are not unnecessarily fleeced by runners and emigrant boarding-house keepers.
Elder Jabez Woodward came out in the Monarch of the Sea, and is captain or President of the company. He has been for years a distinguished English Mormon missionary, and has made frequent journeys to the "churches" in Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy. He speaks four languages fluently, and preaches eloquently, his hearers say, in English, French, German and Italian.
There are no less than fifteen elders who came with this company. They are generally plain, but somewhat "preacher-like" looking men. Mr. H. O. Hanson, a Norwegian, who has been seven years at Salt Lake, went over to England last fall on Mormon business and returned in this ship. He is an intelligent man and speaks English fluently. He goes on with the company to Utah.
