The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-07-20
[ Correspondence Of the New York Herald
THE NEWS FROM UTAH
SALT LAKE CITY-BRIGHAM's LION FoUsE-rtrv ,r
APPEARANCE OF THE CIrY-now GENrILEs T,,Ir
ETC, 50 a

|
miles square laid out n city, the Streets all of
which are much wider than Broadway regularly
iaid out and running exactly at right angles to each
! other, either due north and SOUTH due east and
| west; they are 130 feet wide the sidewalks are 20
feet wlde the blocks verv large, often contain
! ing ten acres land. The city has fifteen streets
IN one direction and eighteen in the other; they are
unpaved, and if much trampled during wet weather
must be very muddy.
! The site of the city gradually slopes from the
nofth TO the south; at the present time there is a
fresh stream of water running down the sides of
| every street laying north and south: water from
these streams is conveyed into almost every garden
IN the city, for irrigatng purposes. Cotton wood
and other trees have been set along every street,
their bright green yerdure aud shade piyc a necu-
liar charm to the smooth and regular thorourhfares
Small foot bridges have heen built over the streams
where they interscct the sidewalks
The town Is very sparsely covered with houses
In the ma part of it there are only two or three
little habitatons a square block, and it will be
remembered that the blocks are very large The
houses are built close to the sides of the blocks the
rest of the ten acres being titled as gardens and
helds; thus the city at present contains numerous
small fields OF wheat and some very fine gardens
The houses are all built of adobe sun-dred brick:
they are about five inches wide, ten inches long and
tour inches thick; they aremadeofa superior quality
OF clay for building purposes and seem to form very
SUBSTANTIAL structures. The color of the buildings
sort OF slatewhite, and though with an individual
mouse IL Is not very Agreeable yet gives to the
| ensemble OF the city very lively and pleasant an
! pearance. The buildings look neat and comforta-
bic; they are generally small modest structures
laying no claim to architectural beauty; their stvle
! is variegated, but not remarkably so. Probably
no other city in the world of this size presents to
the eye of the approaching coyogeyr so magnificent
prospect; theeXact space it occupies the street set
as it were in jewel Of ripping brooks which glisen
bright as silver in the sunlight, their breadtf
and regularity the of young verdant trees that
| border upon them, the lively color of the houses
the beautiful gardens and orchards with the small
! fields thick covered with flowing wheat give it an
] gInOnl1plV -l,, -
! contrasted with the bordering bleak and barren
mountains. This city, so beautiful so isolated from
the rest OF the world with its pleasant orchards and
gardens is the work of but ten years, and that too
! IN barren valley, without spontaneous vegetation
| higher than willow bush. There were about IS
goo inhabitants in this city before it was depopula-
| ted by order of Brigham
In coming into the CITY Yesterday morning we
| were particularly struck by its quietness There
was none OF the hum and stir of business that char
! acterlZes Gentle towns The streets were desert
ed the houses we're deserted, the city was deserted
Though surrounded by houses we were neyerthe-
less in place of desert loneliness The quietncss
OF the grave prevailed where it seemed that throng
ing thousands and rushing commerce ought to pour
their tides along. The windows had been taken
out OF the major part of the houses: the doors were
locked; everything had been made ready for burn
ing, as the Mormons tell us, if peace had not been
achieved before the arrival of the troops SO much
Tor the city in general; for its great and mar
vellous buildings. First, there are
BRIGHAMs LION HOUSE AND HIS MANSION
Ihey are the first prominent specific objects that
attract the travellers eye on descending from the
MOUNTAINS they are near the centre of the city, on
the square adjoining the Temple and with it occu-
py the best sites in the town. Brigham's home in
the most densely populated part of the city occu-
pies square containing ten of land. The
entire square is surrounded by stone wall ten feet
high, two feet wide at the top and four or five feet
broad at the bottom At either side of all the gates
and at short distances along the wall, columns are
built up. They are rounded and extend one foot
nlsn httIlt OF
higher than the wall.
The wall is very substantial. 1t is built of cut
and cobble stone, with mortar and sand. 1t must
| have been constructed at an immense expenditure
of time and labor. One, in looking at it, could not
help asking for what on earth such wall erect
ed? An answer suggests itself: Brigham did not
Know but that ut some time there might be move
ment Of the people against him, he determined to
strongly fortify himself against such an emergency
lie might also consider the wall good safeguard
against the escape of an outraged, indignant or re-
voting WIFE, 1t keeps secret the dark secret
things that transpre within. None can see through
or over it; none enter and none can escape but
! whom, when and how the Prophet wills. | asked
one OF the faithful why the wall was built? He
piled, jestingly, ''Thcre many women in there :;
it is to prevent such Gentles you from getting at
them" He may have told more truth than he in
tended to- for his remark, fairly translated, means
is to keep Brigham's women from escaping, for Gen
tiles would not dream OF fentering the lions den to
seduce them.
Passing east from Temple block we came by
crossing the street. to the southwest corner of
Brgham's block. A tithing house stands there, in
which every pays the tenth part of his posses
sions and income to the church, and is in that and
other ways annually robbed of one-ffth of what
pertains to him. Continuing east to the centre of
the same block, we come to Brigham's Lion House.
1t is two stories high, about twenty-five feet in
front and one hundred feet deep; is built in the
gothic style, with peaked gable, and narrow point
ed windows projecting from the steep root. The
high stone wall in front of it, completely obstructed
OF he irSt
story is built, believe, of stone, the ridge OF
which in front, is well sculptured lion, ''resting,
but watchful.' This is understood to indicate the
character of Brigham, for he is known among the
Saints as 'the Lion of the Lord" The house Is
said to have cost $50 600. and would have cost
much more, but for Brigham's peculiar method OF
completing it, which is thus described by an apos-
tate:
at (the house) completed and ready for
shingling in 1915; the shingles were ready and
waiting. At Sunday meeting of the Tabernacle
Brigham announced that he had a mission for all
the carpenters, and demanded if they would accept
of it. They raised their hands, and then coolly
commanded to shngle the Lion House, in the name
Ofthe Lord and by the authority of the holy priest
hood So Brigham's Lion House was shingled, for
although the carpenters grumbed, still they obey
ed"
Close by the east side of the Lion House there is
a small structure which contains Brigham's office
and his clerks rooms The building resembles a
gentemans summer house, only it is smaller. 1t
makes pretensions to considerable architectural
beauty, and ustitably too. Close to the east side
of the office stands Brigham's mansion. The three
buildings -Brigham's Lion House, office and man.
son-probaby are connected at the side or rear
though they seem independent from the front. Brig
hams mansion is said to be the finest building il
the Territory. 1t is large handsome adobe
building, three stories high. and balconied from
ground to roof. 1t erected at a cost of SG5 600
1t has been plastered the outside, and the
work done remarkably well; for the sides of the
house are smooth as ice and dazzlingly white. Or
the top of the house there is an observatory sur
mounted by beehive, which is the Mormon EN-
blem on the Territorial seal, and which Gentile
would say is particularly inappropriate, because
there are no bees in the Territory; but the Sant
are ready to overcome incongruities which woulC
master other people Thus their Prophet Brigham
has received revelation direct from God, instruct
ing him where there is mountain in the Territory
full of honey, where millions of bees have been o
millions of years lin eternal SNOWY deposting the
sweet fruit of their sweaty labor in the eXhumed
belly of the mountain; Before leaving Brigham:
houses | should remark, that the most of his wive
live, or rather have lived, in the Lion House. Hi
senior wife and family live in the mansion He has
some eighteen better halves.
HOW PEACE WAS MADE-THE UTAH COMMISSIONERS.
, The United States Commissioners left Camp Scot
on the I'd of June, and arrived here in Salt LAKE
City on the 7th. Governor Cumming got in thu
next day. On entering the city the Commissioner
found it deserted, and the houses were all LOCKED
, up. few men were lowering round, ready to pu
, a firebrand to every house and NOV down all th
grain it too wet to burn, should no arrange
ment or peace have been made and the army have at
tempted to enter One fthese men informed the Com
missionel- that the Globe Saloon, kept by Mr.. Cand
land, was open. They drove up there and placed the
carriages in the yard connected with the saloon
The fences around the gardens and fields of wheat
were very poor being occasionally of mud, bu
principally consisting OF poles; the mules pertain
ing to the Commissioners were sent mile
5 from the city, graZed during the day, brought W
| and corrolled at night. The connected witt
the expedition lived in the centre of the city Just
: they did out on the plains-that is, made a fire il
$ the open air, cooked and washed for themselves
: and slept in or under their carriages. The Com
e missioners obtained very good board at Mr. Cand
V lands saloon, but could get rooms-no house il
| which to sleep and live-so they slept and stayec
2 in their carriages.
e On arriving here they found that Brigham ant
S his leading men were south. They informed tn