New Orleans, May 3rd, 1850.

Dear Brother,--I write to inform you of the safe arrival of the ship Hartley on Thursday, the 2nd of May, after a passage of 59 days from the River Mersey. Our passage was more like a pleasure trip than otherwise, for not one of our sails was ever reefed from the day we left Liverpool to the day we arrived in New Orleans. Unity and peace prevailed among the Saints, but we had some little trouble with the captain and three female counselors that he chose out of the company. These three were not in the Church, but one of them had been expelled from the Church [p. 217] for unlawful deeds. The captain never was friendly to us, because we were Mormons. He gave me liberty to preach once on deck, but since that time he has called Joseph Smith everything that was bad; and when I asked him if he ever knew him do anything that was bad, he would tell me he knew nothing of him; so you see what kind of a man we had to put up with. But after all the Lord was with us, and blessed us all with health and strength. There were very few who were so much as sea sick. One child died coming up the river on the 1st of May: we buried it in New Orleans. No births nor marriages during the voyage. I have seen Brother Mc'Kenzie: he has taken a steamer, and we intend sailing tomorrow. Brother Mc'Kenzie is going with us up the river. No more, but remain your brother in the gospel,

David Cook. [p. 218]

BIB: Cook, David. Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star 12:14, (July 15, 1850), pp. 217-18. (CHL)
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