counted hosts of short sweet lives have been offered up at the shrine of passion, ignorance and irreligion! The spirit of true religion, the teachings of a God-given faith, the authority of a divine Priesthood, ministering | around the sacred altar of enlightened homes, will in consideration of the marriage covenant, in realizing its creative power, its enduring character, become more orderly, more heavenly, or more decidedly a reflex of that which glows behind the vail. A home without religion is a world without its sun, life is bleak and limited; in crude forms only it greets the longing vision, but when warmed by true love, based on true conceptions, and animated by the true spirit, it becomes prolific of verdure, weighted with its wealth of fruit; and yet the earthly harvest (even at its best) is but prophetic of that Home, where knowledge is perfect and wisdom is "our righthand man," we shall enjoy all the potency of a religion heaven created and also heaven controlled. H. W. Naisbitt. None scale the rank of mediocrity but by self sacrifice. OTTERS. house is hidden under water, where no dog nor other enemy is likely to find it, or to get in if they do find it; and his home is so well planned that some part of it is always dry and well ventilated. AMONG the animals that live partly in | clever creature. The entrance to his the water and partly on the land, that can run about on the shore and breathe the air just as well as we can, and yet dive under the water and swim like a fish, one of the most interesting is the otter. A common otter is about the size of a small dog, having a narrow body two feet long, and very short legs. It is covered with handsome fur next to its skin, and outside of this there is a coat of long, coarse hair. As this animal is very fond of the water, and lives principally on fish, it makes its home on the shore of a creek or river. This home is a hole underground, generally quite close to the water. The entrance to the burrow is always under water, and leads upward to the main apartment, which is dug out as high up in a bank as possible, so that, in case of a flood in the stream, the water will not rise up along the entrance-way When the otter wants his supper-for, as he eats at night, it may be said that he takes neither breakfast nor dinner-he slips quietly into the water, and as soon as he sees a fish, he gives chase to it. He has large, full eyes, like a seal's, and he can see in the water as well as on land. He is web-footed, and his long, flexible body and stout tail enable him to move through the water with a motion very much like that of a fish. He can thus swim very fast, and few fish are able to escape him. During the day-time, the otter generally stays quiet in his burrow, but at night he comes out, and makes it very lively for the fish. Sometimes, when fish are scarce, he will do his midnight hunting on land, and will be glad to catch a chicken or any other small animal he may meet. lf an otter is caught when it is quite young, it may be tamed. I once saw a couple of tame ones in New York, and they were as lively and playful as a pair of terrier dogs. Sometimes tame otters are trained to catch fish for their masters. In this kind of fishing, the OTTERS. otter slips quietly into the water, and generally catches first all the fish he wan ts to eat himself. When he has had enough, he brings the next one he catches to his master. A very well-trained otter will go into the water several times in this way, and frequently will bring out a large fish each time. Otters are occasionally employed by fishermen who use nets. The nets are first set, and then the fish otters go into the water and drive the into the nets, where they are caught. There is a story told of a man in England who had a tame otter which followed him about on shore like a dog, and which, also, used to fish for him. The two companions would go out on the river in a boat, when the otter would jump overboard, and bring fish back to the man. If the animal stayed away too long, his master would call him by his name, and he would immediately return. One day the man was away from home, and his young son thought it would be a good idea to take his father's otter and go fishing. So he took the little animal into the boat, and rowed out upon the river. The otter jumped into the river exactly as he used to do for the boy's father, but he stayed below a long time, and when the boy called him he did not come back. Either he did not know his name when spoken by a strange voice, or he did not like the boy well enough to come back to him, for he remained out of sight, and after the boy had called him in vain for a long time, he was obliged to return to shore without him. Several days after this, the man was walking along the river-bank near the place where his son had gone fishing. He was greatly grieved at the loss of his pet otter, and I expect the boy had been whipped. The man stood at the edge of the water, and began to call the otter by his name. He did not think there was any particular use in doing this, but it reminded him of his little friend and of old fishing times. But you can scarcely imagine his astonishment when, in a few moments, his faithful otter came swimming out of the water, and lay down on the shore at his feet. If he had brought a string of fish along with him, I 145 do not think the man could have been more surprised and delighted. In India and some other Eastern countries, this fishing with tame otters is made quite a business. Bishop Heber tells us that on the bank of a river in Hindostan he once saw eight or nine fine large otters tied to stakes driven into the sand. These handsome fellows were either lying asleep on the shore or swimming about in the water as far as their ropes would let them. It is likely that when these otters were used for fishing, their native masters did not set them loose and allow them to swim about as they pleased; but made them go into the water with the long cord still fastened to their necks. In this way the otter could swim far enough to catch fish, and his master would be always sure of having his otter, whether he got any fish or not. In England, otter-hunting used to be a favorite amusement, and in some parts of the country it is carried on yet. Α certain kind of dog, called the otter hound, is especially trained for this sport and the hunters use short spears. Some of the hunters and dogs go on one side of the stream where otters are expected to be found, and some on the other. If an otter has recently been along the bank, the dogs catch his scent, and they bark and howl, and scratch the ground, and the men shout and beat the reedy bushes and the shore until the poor otter is frightened out of his house, and takes to the water. But here he is discovered by the bubbles of air which come up where he is breathing, and the men wade into the stream and strike at the place where they suppose the otter is. The dogs, too, sometimes go into the water, and in this way the otter is either killed or driven ashore. When he goes on land he generally shows fight, and the dogs often have a very hard time before he is killed. There are otters, however, which are much better worth hunting than the common otter. These are the great seaotters, which are found in the regions about Behring's Straits and in Kamschatka, also in some of the waters of South America. These are much larger than the common otter, some of them weighing seventy or eighty pounds. These animals are hunted for the sake of their fur, which is very valuable, and they are probably not so active and difficult to kill as the common otter, which has so many enemies that it is obliged to be very cunning and courageous. Up in those cold regions where the sea otter lives, he is only occasionally disturbed by man, and probably never by any other creature. These otters do not appear to pursue ordinary fish in the water, but feed upon lobsters and other shell-fish. Sea-otters are said to be very affectionate to their young, but it is not likely that they are more so than the common otter; the difference probably is that the sea-otter is much less wild and shy than the common otter, and its habits and disposition toward its young are therefore more easily observed. Ordinary young otters, even when mere infants, will, at the slightest sign of danger, pop into the water with their parents, and come up in some spot among the reeds and grass where it is impossible to see them. There is an animal in this country which is placed by some writers in the otter tribe, although we do not generally consider it as such. This is the mink, or minx, and it is a great deal more troublesome to us than any ordinary otter; for it does not confine itself to catching fish, but will come into the barn-yard and kill chickens or any other poultry it can lay hold of. Its work, like that of the common otter, is done at night. The fur of all the otter family is soft and valuable, and if it were not for this fact, there would probably be a great many more otters in the world than there are now. St. Nicholas. Some souls are in danger of being lost, because they are too small to be discover ed; we suppose the Lord would not object to saving them, if he could find them. IV THE ECHO CANYON WAR. they had enjoyed and their love of freedom was promoted and increased by the untrammelled exercise of its blessings for so long a time. Besides this, the spirit of liberty, which is character THE news brought on the twenty-fourth of July, soon spread throughout the Territory. No people threatened with the invasion of their domain, the overthrow of their institutions and the des-istic of mountain regions, was every where truction of their leaders, ever viewed the hostile attitude of a great foe, with less apprehension, as to results, than did the people of Utah. They had an abiding faith that the time had come when the favor of the Lord of Hosts would be manifested in their preservation, and rested secure in the belief that President Young's prediction of ten years previous would surely be fulfilled. He publicly stated on that occasion that if our enemies would leave us alone for ten years, we would ask no odds of them. The people needed at least ten years respite from the drivings and burnings and murderings that had driven them from state to state and finally from the realm of civilization into the unknown wilderness of the West. They had profited by the period of peace declared, even in the very elements, to predominate over every other influence. A people situated as ours were, with the favor of God to rely upon and unwaver ing confidence in their leaders, were too strongly fortified for an aggressor to ever make much head against them. Our people felt that they had suffered the yoke of mobocratic rule long enough and they declared, in unmistakable language, their determination to resist the effort of the government to again expose them to the rapacious plunderers, who sought their lives, their homes, and were bent upon their humiliation and destruction. The puplic discourses of those days following the "Twenty-fourth," breathed this spirit, and it was taken up and carried to every household. THE ECHO CAÑON WAR. Whe Captain Van Vliet, the first official personage sent from the army headquarters, arrived in Salt Lake City, September 8, he found the people in this condition. He was however welcomed and received many courtesies and testimonials of kindness, which his gentlemanly deportme nt justified. He mingled quite freely with the inhabitants of the city during his stay, partaking of their bounties, and having a very pleasant time. We subjoin his official report of his visit, as showing the object for which he came and the spirit of the people that he was sent to deal with. It was addressed to Captain Pleasanton, Assistant Adjutant General, Army for Utah, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Ham's Fork, September 16, 1857. Captain: I have the honor to report, for the information of the commanding general, the result of my trip to the Territory of Utah. In obedience to special instructions, dated headquarters army for Utah, Fort Leavenworth, July 28, 1857, I left Fort Leavenworth, July 30, and reached Fort Kearney in nine traveling days, Fort Laramie in ten, and Great Salt Lake City in thirty-three and a half. At Fort Kearney I was detained one day by the changes I had to make and by sickness, and at Fort Laramie three days, as all the animals were forty miles from the post, and when brought in all had to be shod before they could take the road. I traveled as rapidly as it is possible to do with six mule wagons. Several of my teams broke down, and at least half of my animals are unserviceable and will remain so until they recruit. During my progress towards Utah I met many people from that Territory, and also several mountain men at Green River, and all informed me that I would not be allowed to enter Utah, and if I did I would run great risk of losing my life. I treated all this, however, as idle talk, but it induced me to leave my wagons and escort at Ham's Fork, 143 miles this side of the city, and proceed alone. I reached Great Salt Lake City without molestation, and immediately upon my arrival I informed 147 Governor Brigham Young that I desired an interview, which he appointed for the next day. On the evening of the day of my arrival Governor Young, with many of the leading men of the city, called upon me at my quarters. The governor received me most cordially and treated me during my stay, which continued some six days, with the greatest hospitality and kindness. In this interview the governor made known to me his views with regard to the approach of the United States troops, in plain and unmistakable language. He stated that the Mormons had been persecuted, murdered and robbed in Missouri and Illinois both by the mob and State authorities, and that now the United States were about to pursue the same course, and that, therefore, he and the people of Utah had determined to resist all persecution at the commencement, and that the troops now on the march for Utah should not enter the Great Salt Lake valley. As he uttered these words all present concurred most heartily in what he said. The next day, as agreed upon, I called upon the governor and delivered in person the letter with which I had been intrusted. In that interview, and in several subsequent ones, the same determination to resist to the death the entrance of the troops into the valley was expressed by Governor Young and those about him. In The governor informed me that there was abundance of everything I required for the troops, such as lumber, forage, etc., but that none would be sold to us. the course of my conversations with the governor and influential men in the Territory, I told them plainly and frankly what I conceived would be the result of their present course. I told them that they might prevent the small military force now approaching Utah from getting through the narrow defiles and rugged passes of the mountains this year, but that next season the United States government would send troops sufficient to overcome all opposition. The answer to this was invariably the same: "We are aware that such will be the case; but when those troops arrive they will find Utah a desert. Every house will be burned to the ground, every tree cut down, and every field laid waste. We have three years provisions on hand, which we will 'cache,' and then take to the mountains and bid defiance to all the powers of the government." I attended their service on Sunday, and, in course of a sermon delivered by Elder Taylor, he referred to the approach of the troops and declared they should not enter the Territory. He then referred to the probability of an overpowering force being sent against them, and desired all present, who would apply the torch to their own buildings, cut down their trees, and lay waste their fields, to hold up their hands. Every hand, in an audience numbering over four thousand persons, was raised at the same moment. During my stay in the city I visited several families, and all with whom I was thrown looked upon the present movement of the troops towards their Territory as the commencement of another religious persecution, and expressed a fixed determination to sustain Governor Young in any measures he might adopt. From all these facts I am forced to the conclusion that Governor Young and the people of Utah will prevent, if possible, the army for Utah from entering their Territory this season. This, in my opinion, will not be a difficult task, owing to the lateness of the season, the smallness of our force, and the defences that nature has thrown around the valley of the Great Salt Lake. There is but one road running into the valley on the side which our troops are approaching, and for over fifty miles it passes through narrow canons and over rugged mountains which a small force could hold against great odds. I am inclined, however, to believe that the Mormons will not resort to actual hostilities until the last moment. Their plan of operations will be to burn the grass, cut up the roads, and stampede the animals, so as to delay the troops until snow commences to fall, which will render the road impassable. Snow falls early in this region; in fact last night it commenced falling at Fort Bridger, and this morning the sorrounding mountains are clothed in white. Were it one month earlier in the season, I believe the troops could force their way in, and they may be able to do so even now; but the attempt will be fraught with considerable danger, arising from the filling up of the cañons and passes with snow. I do not wish it to be considered that I am advocating either the one course or the other. I simply wish to lay the facts before the General, leaving it to his better judgment to decide upon the proper movements. Notwithstanding my inability to make the purchases I was ordered to, and all that Governor Young said in regard to opposing the entrance of the troops into the valley, I examined the country in the vicinity of the city with the view of selecting a proper military site. I visited the military reserve, Rush valley, but found it, in my opinion, entirely unsuitable for a military station. It contains but little grass and is very much exposed to the cold winds of winter; its only advantage being the close proximity of fine wood. It is too far from the city, being between forty and forty-five miles, and will require teams four days to go there and return. I examined another point on the road to Rush valley, and only about thirty miles from the city, which I consider a much more eligible position. It is in Tooele valley,three miles to the north of Tooele city, and possesses wood, water and grass; but it is occupied by the Mormons, who have some sixty acres under cultivation, with houses and barns on their land. These persons would have to be dispos sessed or bought out. In fact there is no place within forty, fifty or sixty miles of the city, suitable for a military position, that is not occupied by the inhabitants and under cultivation. Finding that I could neither make the purchases ordered to, nor shake the determination of the people to resist the authority of the United States, I left the city and returned to my camp on Ham's Fork. On my return I examined the vicinity of Fort Bridger, and found it a very suitable position for wintering the troops and grazing the animals, should it be necessary to stop at that point. The Mormons occupy the fort at present, and also have a settlement about ten miles further up Black's fork, |