into Bear river. There now remained with us but few of the party, who had come to the fort in order to revictual. Among the latter were the leader of the colony,' and a reputed deacon of the Methodist Episcopalian sect [named Williams]. Both were of a peaceable disposition, and manifested for us the highest regard; but the former, like so many others, being very indifferent as to religious matters, held as a maxim, " that it was best to have no religion, or else to adopt that of the country in which we live;" and wishing to display his great Bible erudition, he in proof of his paradox, cited as a text of St. Paul the ancient proverb: Si fueris Rot;aa, Romano vivite more. The minister was of the same opinion, but yet he Nvished some religion, it being well understood that his was the best. I say his, because he was neither a Methodist, a Protestant nor a Catholicnot even a Christian; he maintained that a Jew, a Turk, or an Idolater may be as agreeable as any other in the sight of God. For the proof of his doctrine, he relied (strange to say) on the authority of St. Paul, and particularly on this text: Unus Domiims ima fides. In fact, these were the very words with which lie greeted us, the first time we saw him, and which formed the subject of a long valedictory discourse that he delivered in one of the meeting-houses of Westport, previous to his departure for his western mission. By whom was he sent? We have never ascertained. His zeal frequently induced him to dispute with us; it was not difficult to show him that his ideas, with the exception of one, were vague and fluctuating. He acknowledged it himself; but after having wandered from point to point, he always returned to his favorite tenet, which, according to him, was the fundamental principle of all true belief : "that the love of God is the first of duties, and that to inculcate it we
7 "A man named Bartleson, from Jackson county, Missouri. lie was not the best man for the position, but we were given to understand that if he was not elected captain he would not go; and as he had seven or eight men with him, and we did not want the party diminished, he was chosen."- Bidwell.