The Rev. Adiel Sherwood, President of Shurtliff College, has recently visited Nauvoo. It appears that the credulity of its inhabitants is not limited to the book of Mormon, and Smith's account of its origin; for Mr. S. says they "believe much in revelations, visits of angels, miracles, speaking with the tongues, etc. etc." Doubtless they believe everything that anybody chooses to pretend or imagine. What a community! Entirely made up of deceivers and deceived. And according to Mr. S. people of these classes—those who want a field in which to practise all kinds of deceptive arts and strange conceits, and those who are so gullible that they want to be constantly fed with the marvellous and mysterious, and can swallow and digest anything—no matter how crude or hard,—such people are pouring into Nauvoo, buy hundreds every week; and the city has already a population of 15,000 souls! Well, it is a comfort that their conglomeration there, serves to purify the great world outside, which might spare many thousands more, of the same sort, and not suffer. Mr. Sherwood was earnestly invited by Smith, to stay and preach; but he declined. In Smith's house, are three mummies, and the writings and hieroglyphics which were found rolled up and preserved on the breast of one, are shown to strangers by the prophet's mother, for a small fee; and she explains the meaning of them as she supposes: i.e. she says they represent Abraham and the other patriarchs, and their conversation to the people of that distant age. "Though Joseph had told me," says Mr. S., "the mummies were some 4,000 years old, the old lady talked of Paul and his exhortations to the people as part of the writings disclosed; but this might be lapsus linguae or ignorance of history."

Mr. Sherwood further informs us, that Smith has a Hebrew Bible, and is trying to learn the language; that he requires the people to be industrious; they he is sometimes vulgar, and even profane in his public discourses, which the Mormons themselves admit; that he is fond of the military and is himself a General. Mr. S. adds, "I have little doubt there are some pious persons among them; but it seems strange that persons of enlightened minds should be hoodwinked by this fanaticism. Yet there is a preacher among them, a graduate of Union College, a student of Hamilton Theological Seminary!"