42 Islington Liverpool
Augt 29th 1836
Prst Brigham Young
Dear Brother,
To have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 30th of June, which reached us on the 16th of August.
Your suggestions in relation to money matters, as well as all other subjects shall be faithfully attended to. He wrote you on the 31st of July at considerable length giving you a statement of the pecuniary situation of the Office. at that time. Since then we have received & <paid> Erastus Snow’s drafts to the amount of £1465.12.0 as also his draft in favor of the Deseret Inn Company for £500. referred to in the letter of 31st July, which, with some of the home debts mentioned in that letter, has completely exhausted the need of means left by my predecessor, leaving a large balance of home liabilities, which, together with the current expences of the office, will required months, with the strictest economy and great exertion to liquidate. It is our intention, unless we shall be otherwise instructed by you, to apply all our means and energies to the liquidation of all these liabilities, and free
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the office from debt before we <do> any thing that will draw on this office in the way of emigration except in cases when the office is already liable.
On the 12th Augt drafts dated respectively July 15th 17th & 21st for £1000 + 1250 + 1000 = £3250. drawn by Daniel Spencer on F. D. Richards at 3 days Sight; the 2 first in favor of Erastus Snow and the last in favor of E. Train &c even presented for acceptance; and on the 28th Instant D Spencer draft dated Augt 11th for £500 at 3 days sight on Orson Pratt in favor of C F Huelsenkamp was presented for acceptance; all of which we have been compelled to refuse, and they have been returned dishonored; neither have we received any word of advice what ever concerning any of the aforementioned drafts.
On the 27th Inst Erastus Snows draft on F. D. Richards in favor of S. S. Farmington Co. for £203. at 3 days, dated Augt 2d. also without advices was presented for acceptance, which we were likewise compelled to reject; Bro Snow having already over drawn his account with this office £110.12 4 ¼ which has been paid. Thus making an aggregate of dishonored drafts now out, including the £2000 referred to in our letter of July 31st of £2933. Whether there are more yet to come, we cannot tell, but hope not.
To avoid in future the difficulties and [page break] embarrassments under which we are now laboring, we thinks that no drafts should be drawn upon this office except upon letters of credit, and then only to the amount named in such letters.
Brother Benson has been traveling considerably among the confrences & endeavoring to dispose of some of the property donated in the Valley to the P.E.F.C, but without success. He has just returned from London, and will start tomorrow morning for Scandinavia, with a view to visit the saints, collect some money if possible, as well as to dispose of some of the property, and return before winter sets in. Bros. T.O. Angels & John Kay will probably accompany him.
The property put in by Bros. S D. Young and Mitchell is withdrawn according to your instructions
The work in this land is mooving steadily on The Elders almost universally bring in the enjoyment of a goodly portion of the Holy Spirit and engaged heart and soul in the work, the saints generally feeling well and ready to obey the counsels of the Elders. Numbers are being baptized, and an increasing spirit of inquiry manifest in many of the conferences.
With kind regards we are your Brethren
Orson Pratt, Sen.
Ezra T. Benson
James A. Little
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The accompanying invoice against Thomas Leonard has been charged to the Church. You will therefore please receive the money of him –
O Pratt
Prst A. Calkin
O. Pratt L’pool 29 Augt 1856
To B. Young
Of money matters L’pool
& state of the saints
Refusal to accept £5000 indebtedness
Ans 26 March 57
Rec? by mail 24 March/57
[transcribed by Brett Bolton, Nora Fowers, Janean Hendrickson, Becca Staker, Mar. 2010]