<17> On receiving the foregoing letters <and having entered <for the copy Right of> a map of the city of . for Joseph Smith, <in the clerks office of the, <District of ,>>> the brethern left for ,
<20> Tuesday 20th. Chopping & drawing wood, with my own hands & team just as I had done mostly since the 9th. continued very sick. This PM. the brethern arrived from , & presented me with Messrs ’s, ’s, & letters and general history of their proceedings, which was highly satisfactory. Elder died this morning at a <quarter past 3 oclock at Bradford, England. he is the first Elder who has fallen in foreign land in these last days. He had been (M.S. 159) day.>
<21> Wednesday 21. At home transacting a variety of business, gave instructions about a letter to Gen — & made a special request of <I appointed> that he should devote his time <wholly> to my employ, to which he consented. & appointed him my private secretary & Historian. & he immediately entered on the duties of his Calling. Elder , had previously been appointed Temple Recorder, and continued to be my general business clerk in my temporal business as he had been since went East in the summer. He is a faithful Man <see margin *> <and called on me with the Temple Committee for some advice, concerning their laying by provisions.— stone cutting &c after listening to their complaints business I wrote the following, (“ Dec 21, 1842 To the hands in the stone shop (s Journal, page 27 &c) church”>
<22> Thursday 22. I was about home; Read correspondence between & Gen . & Read German with Elder . Bro [Daniel] Shearer inquired the meaning of the “little leaven <which a woman> hid in 3 Measures of Meal.” I replied, it alluded expressly to the last days when there should be <but> little faith on the earth and it should leaven the whole world; also, there shall be safety in Zion & Jerusalem, & in the Remnants whom the Lord our god shall call. The 3 measures refer directly to the Priesthood; truth springing up on a fixed principle, to the 3 in the grand presidency, confining the oracles to a certain head on the principle of 3.
<23> <Friday 23> Wrote. Esqr. , that I would accept the proposals of John C. Walsh, & give him $2500 for the N. W. Qr of Sec 8, 6 N. 8 W. <said land> lying between my & the .
<24> Saturday 24th. At home P.M. Read & reviewed my history with , & walked with him to see Sister [Sylvia Sessions] Lyon who was sick, her babe died a few minutes before our arrival. From there we went to Bro Sabins to get <complet expense> money for our journey to having just borrowed $100 for that purpose. while there [p. 19]
TEXT: The following insertion was written sideways in the left margin. The insertion has been canceled with a large “X” over the text, but Richards made a note that it was “Erased th[r]ough mistake, so it is presented here without the cancellation mark.