| 15 taking notice of every member in my way as much as possible until I arrived at this place; my journey has been attended with great success, having met with no difficulties on my way; my wife and the two children have been remarkably hearty and well. As to enemies I have found none, and as it regards persecution I have never seen less; and in regard to Bennett I am hardly questioned, and if I mention his name the people say he is too contemptible to be noticed; a Methodist preacher by the name of Waterman, in Dayton, told his congregation that he was personally acquainted with Bennett, and although Joseph Smith might be a bad man, yet he could say to them it would be an injury to their society to believe any thing that Bennett said; and I can say to you that in travelling [traveling] a distance of five hundred miles I have not heard a single man say but what Joseph Smith had done himself an honor in purging the church of so filthy a rascal as John C. Bennett. I have been offered testimony concerning his character, and if I should receive all I could get it would be irksome to pack it about.
It is the most pleasant time I ever knew to travel to preach the gospel there being no persecution. and I have heard more speak in favor of Joseph Smith, and the rise of the church, and the true principles of republicanism than I ever heard in the same length of time before. We make our next point to Sunbury, twenty miles from Columbus; from thence to Kirtland; from thence to Centerville, N. Y., where I have about two hundred relatives, who have desired for several years that I should give them an idea of our doctrine. I am fully in the faith that I shall play smash with them at this place.-I shall leave my wife and be prepared to meet the Twelve in any place deemed proper, and receive any instructions that they and Br. Joseph have to give, knowing it is much easier to run down stream than to row up. Br. Alexander Badlam fell in company with me twelve miles above Cincinnati; he is a faithful and profitable servant of the living God, ever testifying against the false stories raised against the heads of the church, with that honesty and meekness that he is well received both in and out of the church, and will travel with me till we are counselled [counseled] otherwise. L. WIGHT.
RUINS RECENTLY DISCOVERED IN YUCATAN MEXICO.
The ruins of Chi-Chen are situated upon a plain of many miles in circumference, nearly in the centre [center] of the province, about a hundred miles from the sea, and away from all water communication. Those which are now in the most perfect state of preservation are remarkable for their immense size and peculiarity of construction. They comprise temples, castles and pyramids, and measure around their sides from two hundred to a thousand feet, There altitudes are from twenty to one hundred and twenty feet: a succession of terraces, constructed of small pieces of stone imbedded in mortar, held together by a finished wall of large hewn stone, symmetrically proportioned and skilfully [skillfully] laid in the same material, which is as hard and apparently as durable as the stone itself. The sides of these walls invariably face the cardinal points, and the principal part is always to the east. The exterior walls of the buildings are formed of a fine concrete limestone, cut in pareallelopipeds of nearly twelve inches in length and about four inches in breadth; the interstices filled up with the same materials which are found in the terraces. The height of the buildings erected upon these terraces never exceeds thirty feet. They are limited to one long and narrow story, without windows. The rooms are confined to a double range, those of the rear receiving no other light than by the door-ways. The roof of the interior is an acute angle arch, formed by the edges of the square flat stone of which it is composed: and being bevelled [beveled], terminates by a layer of the like material. This arch supports a level roof, fiinished [finished] with a hard composition and surrounded with a balustrade forming an angular projection, and at the top presenting a beautiful finish. The floors are covered in like manner with the composition before mentioned, and show marks of war. The exterior walls rise perpendicularly, generally to one half the height, where there are entablatures. Above these, and in some instances beneath them, are compartments filled with hieroglyphics, figures and sculptured work is bas-relief, over a diamoned [diamond] latice [lattice] groundwork, interspersed with chaste and unique borders of the most skilful [skillful] and elaborate workmanship.
'The door ways are nearly a square of about seven feet, somewhat resembling the Egyptian style in their proportions. The sides consist of large pieces of hewn stone. In some instances the lintels are composed of the same, with hieroglyphics and lines carved upon them. Stone rings and holes at the side of the door-ways render it evident that doors once swung upon them. Zuportiwood was used for lintels and thwartbeams, some of which are still in good preservation, with lines of carving upon their surfaces. The walls show no marks of plaster; the inner surface however has a coat of stucco,
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