O tell it not in Britain; nor let the sound be heard in Europe that Liberty is fallen; that the free institutions of our once happy country are now destroyed, lest the sons and daughters of Britannia rejoice and laugh us to scorn; lest the children of monarchy triumph and have us in derision.

O freedom must thy spirit now withdraw
From earth, returning to its native heaven,
There to dwell, till, armed with sevenfold vengeance,
It comes again to earth with King Messiah,
And all His marshaled hosts, in glory bright,
To tread the winepress of Almighty God,
And none escape? Ye powers of Heaven, forbid;
Let freedom linger still on shores of time,
And in the breasts of thine afflicted saints,
Let it find a peaceful retirement—
A place of rest, till o'er the troubled earth,
Mercy, justice and eternal truth,
While journeying hand in hand to exalt the humble
And debase the proud; shall find some nation,
Poor, oppressed, afflicted and despised;
Cast out and trodden under foot of tyrants
Proud; the hiss, the byword, and the scorn of knaves—
And there let freedom's spirit wide prevail,
And grow and flourish 'mid the humble poor—
Exalted and enriched by virtue,
Knowledge, temperance and love; till o'er the earth
Messiah comes to reign; the proud consumed,
No more oppress the poor,
Let freedom's eagle then (forthcoming, like
The dove from Noah's ark) on lofty pinions soar,
And spread its wide domain from end to end,
O'er all the vast expanse of this wide earth;
While freedom's temple rears its lofty spires
Amid the skies, and on its bosom rests
A cloud by day and flaming fire by night!

But stay my spirit, though thou fain would'st soar
On high, 'mid scenes of glory, peace and joy;
From bondage free, and bid thy jail farewell.
Stop—wait awhile—let patience have her perfect work,
Return again to suffering scenes, through which
The way to glory lies, and speak of things
Around thee—Thou'rt in prison still!

But spring has now returned; the wintry blasts
Have ceased to howl through prison crevices
The soft and gentle breezes of the South
Are whistling gaily past, and incense sweet,
On zephyr's wing, with fragrance fills the air,
Wafted from blooming flowerets of the spring;
While round my lonely dungeon oft is heard
Melodious strains, as if the birds of spring,
In anthems sweet, conspired to pity and
Console the drooping spirits there confined.
All things around me show that days, and weeks,
And months have fled, although to me not mark'd
By Sabbaths, and but faintly marked by dim
And sombre rays of light, alternate 'mid
The gloom of overhanging night, which still
Pervades my drear and solitary cell.
Where now those helpless ones I left to mourn?
Have they perished? No. What then! Has some
Elijah call'd and found them in the last
Extreme, and multiplied their meal and oil?
Yes, verily; the Lord has filled the hearts
Of his poor saints with everlasting love,
Which, in proportion to their poverty,
Increased with each increasing want, till all
Reduced unto the widow's mite, and then,
Like her, their living they put in; and thus
O'erflowed the treasury of the Lord with more
Abundant stores than all the wealth of kings.
And thus supported, fed and clothed, and moved
From scenes of sorrow to a land of peace,
They live! and living still, they do rejoice
In tribulation deep—
Well knowing their redemption draweth nigh.

CHAPTER XXX.

LETTER TO JUDGE AUSTIN A. KING.

"RICHMOND PRISON, May 13th, 1839,

"Hon. Sir—Having been confined in prison near seven months, and the time having arrived when a change of venue can be taken in order for the further prosecution of our trials, and the time when I can speak my mind freely, without endangering the lives or liberties of any but myself, I now take the liberty of seriously objecting to a trial anywhere within the bounds of this State, and of earnestly praying to your honor and to all the authorities, civil and military, that my case may come within the law of BANISHMENT! enacted by Governor Boggs, and so vigorously enforced upon from ten to fifteen thousand of our society, including my wife and little ones, together with all my witnesses and friends.

"My reasons are obvious, and founded upon notorious facts which known to you, sir, and to the people in general of this republic, and, therefore, need no proof; some of them are as follows:

"First: I have never received any protection by law, either of my person, property or family, while residing in this State, to which I first emigrated in 1831.

"Secondly: I was driven by force of arms from Jackson County, wounded and bleeding, in 1833, while my house was burned, my crops and provisions robbed from me or destroyed, and my land and improvements kept from me until now, while my family was driven out, without shelter, at the approach of winter.

"Thirdly: These crimes still go unpunished, notwithstanding I made oath before the Hon. Judge Ryland, then acting District Judge, to foregoing outrages, and afterwards applied in person to his excellency, Daniel Dunklin, then Governor of the State, for redress and protection of myself and friends, and the restoration of more than a thousand of our fellow citizens to our homes.