The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-07-22
L I'll f DISPA TG III.
THURSDAY MORN III July %, lsss
Interesting Description of Salt Lake City.

the march, and the appearance OF tho city, with
the fertilization in Echo Canon. The New York
Herald has letter, giving the following account
OF places often mentioned in the Saints
sermons, but never with so full q descriptions:
sNr LAKs cirr--irs APPEARANCES.
Imagine perfectly level plain, apparently twen-
ty miles vide and enc hundred miles long. almost
surrounded by mountains. Near TO the mountains
the OF the plain. coneetve section ct land
six miles square, laid cut az city, the streets, all
of which are much wider than Broadway, regular
iy laid out ard running exactly at right angles to
each other either due North and South or due East
and West: they 130 feet wide; The sidewalks
20 feet wide; the blocks are very large, often
containing ten acres of land. The city has fifteen
streets In one direction and eighteen Ia the other;
they are uupaped aud If much trainpIed during
wet weather must be very muddy, The site of
the city gradually slopes from the North to the
South; at the present time there 10 fresh stream
OF water running down the sides of every street
lying North and soath water from these streams Is
conveyed into almost every garden In the city, for
irrigating purposes Cotton wood and other trees
have been set out along every street. their bright
green verdure and shade give peculiar charm to
the smooth and regular thoroughfLrAs Small foot
bridges have been built over the streams where
they ntersect the sidewalks. The town is very
sparsely covered with houses; In the major part IF
it there oniy two three little habitatons on
a square block, and it will be RENE embered that the
blocks are very large. The houses are built close
the sides of the blocks, the rest of the
being titled gardens and fields. thus the city at
present contains numerous small fields of wheat
and sone very fine gardens.
The houses are all built of adobe sun dried brick;
they are abont inches wide, 10 inches long and
inches thick they are made of q superior quality
Of clay for building purposes, ard seem to form
very substantial struct lures. The color OF the
buildings is sort of slate white, and though with
individual house it il not very agreeable, yet IL
gives to the tout ensemble of the city very lively
aud pleasant appearance. The buildings look usat
saftt
structures laying no claim to architectural beau
ty; their style is vsriegated, but not remarkably
Probably no other city in the world of this
size presents TO the eye of the approaching
,dgdgeur so magnificent q prospect: the exact
space it occupies, the streets set as it were in
Jewel of rippling brooks, which glisten bright as
silver in the sunlight their breadth aud regulari
ty, the rows of young verdaBt trees that border
upon them, the lively colsr of the houses, the
beautiful gardens and orchards with the small
fields thick covered With towering wheat, give to
it an aspect siugulary attractive, especially when
ii is coutrasted with the bordering bleak and bar
rem tans. This city, 80 beautiful, 80 isolated
from the rest OF the world, at present 80 full Of in
terest to the world, with its pleasant orchards and
gardens is the work Of but ten years, and that too
in a barren valley, without spontaneous vegetation
higher than willow bush. There about
10000 inhabitants in the city before 1t WAS depop
u!ated by order If 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
characterize GeDttie towns. The streets were de
serted the houses ~ere deserted, the city was de
serted. Though surrounded by houses, we
nevertheless In a place OF desert Loneliness. The
9uietness of the grave prevailed where 1t seemed
that thronging thousands and rushing commerce
ought to pour their tides along. The Windows hsd
been taken out of the maj jor part of the houses;
the doors we're locked; everything had been made
ready for burning, the Mormons tell us, II
peace had not been achieved before the arrival of
tt,at S,,pp IA tprt tha cit i'm arat
for the great and marvellous buildings First they
are:
BRIGHAMs LION HOUSE AND HIS MANSION.
They are the first prominent specific objects
that attract the travellers eye on descending from
the mountains; they are near the centre of the
Oily, the square adj Joining the city, and with it
cccupy the best sites in town. Brigham's home,
is in the most deDsely populated part of the city,
occupies a square containing ten acres OF land
The entire square is surrounded by stoae wall
ten feet high, feet wide at the top aud four
i've 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 beyond the wall. They also
built two feet higher than the wall.
The wall is very substantial. 1t is built of cut
and cobbie stone, with mortar and sand. 1t must
have been constructed at an immense expenditure
of time and labor. One, in locking at it, could not
help asking fer what on earth was such great
wall erected? An answer suggests itself: Brig
ham did not know but that at some time there
might be movement of the people against him;
so be determined to strongly fortiy himself against
such an emergency. He might also consider the
wall good safeguard against the escape of an out
ragged, indignant revolving wife, 1t keeps se-
cret the dark secret things that transpire with
in. None can see through or over 1t; none can en-
ter and none can escape, but whom, when and hcw
the Prophet wills. asked one of the faithful
why the wall was built? He replied Jestingly,
"tbere are many women iu there; 1t is to prevent
such Gentiles as you from getting at them" He
may have told me more truth th'n he intended to-
for his remark fairly translated, means, is to keep
Brigham's women froll escaping, for Gentiles
would not dream of entering the lions den TO BE-
duce them.
P,-siug east from Temple block we came, by
crossing thu street, to the southwest corner OF
Brig hams block, tthing-house staods there
in which every man pays the tenth part ofhis pos
sessions and income TO the church, and is in that
aud other ways annually robbed OF oEe-hfth OF
what pertains to him. Continuing east TO the GEN.
tre of the same block, we come to Brisham's Lion
House. 1t istwo stories high, about twenty hve
feet n front and one hundred feet deep; IL is built
in the Gothic style, with peaked gable, and narrow
pointed windows projecting from the steep roof Ihe
high stone wall front oil IL, completely obstruct
ed my view of the lower part Of the house. The
first story is built, beiese of stone, on the ridge
oil which, in front is Rwel-fculptured lion, resting
but watchful" This is understood TO indicate the
ch ar acter of Brigham, for he 10 known among the
Saints rs sthe Lion of the Lord" The house is
said 10 have cost over $4,000, and wonid have
coat much more, but for Brigham's peculiar method
of accomplishing it, which is thus described by an
apostate
at (tbe bouse) was completed and ready for
shingiing in 1s45; the shingles were ready and
waiting At Sunday meeting OF the tabernacle,
Brigham announced that he had mission Tor all
the carpenters, and demanded II they would &C.
cent of IT, They raised their hands, and were then
cooljy commanded to 'shingle the Lion House, in
the name of the Lord, and by the authority of the
holy priesthood So Brighams Lion Honse was
shingied. for although the carpenters grumbiei,
still they obeyed."
a small structure which contains Brigham's office
and his clerks roous. The building Resembles
gentieman's q summer house, only II 10 smaller. IL
makes pretensions to considefaoie aIchitectuiai
of the office stands Brigbam's mansion The three
bu,Idiugs-Brigham's Lion House. office anu man-
siou-probably are connected At the siae or rear
though they seem independent RON the 'front.'
Brigham's mansion s said to be the finest building
In the Territory 1t Is n large, handsome adobe
huiiaibg three stories high, and baiconled from
ground to roof It was erected at cost on Soo,ooo
tt has been plastered the outside, ana the WORK
done remarkably we'll, for the sides OF the mouse
are smooth as ice and dazzlingly white On the
top of the house is an observatory surmoonted py
a bee hive, which - the NJ ,rmon emblem on tue
Territorial Seal, and which dentties womb say 10
perfectly inappropriate, becanse there arg NO ueee
in the Territory; but the saiats are ready TO over
come incongruItiee which would master other peo-
pie. Thus their Prophet Brigham hae feceiseu
revelation direct from God, instructing him ~here
there is mountain in the Territory full pf money,
where millions OF bees have been tor millions OF
years (in eternal snow depositing the sweet frnt
of their sweaty labor in the exbn ned oeIy OF the
mountain. Before leaving Brigham ., l should re-
mark that the most OF his wives live, or rather
have lived, in the Lion Iiensc hs senior vile and
family live in the mansion. He has some eighteen
better halves.
the TEMPLE.
have already mentioned the Jompie piocK; ~
Ia situated near the centre of ths city, little 70
the north of it. Noticing that the entire block
was surrounded by wall more imposing and grand
than that which protects Brighams block, re-
trrned from inspecting. the houses OF the Prcfhet
20 zee what all that work meant. IL viii DO re
,bered that Temple block is directly west Of