When they had alighted from the coach, and were standing by their trunks in front of the hotel, in , a large flag was unfurled over their heads, on which was printed in golden letters,—”Truth will prevail,” at the sight of which their hearts rejoiced, and they cried aloud, “Amen, thanks be unto God, TRUTH WILL PREVAIL.”

Brother lodged with his brother, Rev. James Fielding, then a preacher in Vauxhall chapel, and the remainder of the brethren took lodgings in St. Wilfred street, Fox street.

The same evening the visited the Rev. Mr. Fielding, by his request, at his lodgings. He had previously been apprized of the coming forth of this work in , through the medium of letters from his relatives and others, and had requested his church to pray that God would send them his servants, and exhorted his people to receive their message when they should come.

Sunday 23d, as they had no place in which to preach, the seven brethren went to Vauxhall chapel, to hear the Rev. Mr. Fielding, and at the close of the morning service, Mr. Fielding gave notice that an elder of the Latter Day Saints would preach in the afternoon, in his pulpit.— This was voluntary with Mr. Fielding, as no one had requested the privilege—and in the afternoon according to the notice, gave a brief history of the rise of the , and the first principles of the gospel, and bore testimony; after which, the Rev. Mr. Fielding requested the brethren to give out an appointment for the evening, when elder Goodson preached, and brother bore testimony. At the close, Mr. F. again gave leave for preaching at the same place on Wednesday evening, when preached and bore testimony, and from that time the Rev. Mr. Fielding closed his doors against the elders, and began to oppose the work, and stated that the elders promised to say nothing about in their preaching, before he consented to let them preach in his pulpit; whereas the subject of the elders preaching in his chapel had not been named between the parties, before Mr. F. gave out the public appointment before referred to; much less (if possible) that they would “say nothing about baptism.”

Nine of Mr. Fielding’s members offered themselves for baptism; and Mr. Fielding presented himself before the elders and forbid their baptizing them, but he received for answer, that they were “of age, and could act for themselves,” and on Sunday the 30th, they were baptized under the hands of ; brother being the first who offered himself for baptism in , and is now an elder labouring in Edinburgh, Scotland. Elder Russell preached in the market place in the afternoon, and from that day the doors of private houses were open on almost every hand for the elders.

July 31st, a council of the elders decided that elders Goodson and should go on a mission to Bedford, and elder Russell and on a mission to Alston, Cumberland; and after a night of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving, the brethren took their departure on the morning of the first of August for their several stations.

The Rev. Mr. Fielding continued to oppose the doctrine of baptism for a season, but finding that he was like to loose all his ‘best members,’ he offered to baptise them himself, but they being aware that he had no authority, declined his friendly offers; whereupon he engaged the Rev. Mr. Giles, a Baptist minister in , of as little authority as himself, to do the baptizing for his flock—but this iniquitous scheme succeeded but little better than the other, only one coming forward to his baptism, so far as we have heard. Mr. Fielding’s people also stated that he acted the part of a hypocrite and deceived them, when he read the letters to them in public, which he received from , by keeping back that part which treated on baptism, which, since the foregoing failure he has opposed.

Elders and , and continued to preach daily in different parts of , and on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, (Aug. 2d) the meetings were attended by Miss , who was visiting her friends in , and on Friday she requested baptism, which was attended to by , after which she was confirmed at the water side, by elders and , it being the first confirmation in a foreign land in these last days.

The day following returned home to her friends, and informed her father, the Rev. J. Richards, an in [p. 880]