BOOK OF ETHER. 201 



towards the east, till finally, at the hill of Cumorah, near 

 Palmyra, in Wayne County, western New York, the 

 last battle was fought, in which, with the loss of 

 230,000 fighting men, the Nephites were exterminated ! 

 Among the very few survivors was Moroni, the last of 

 the scribes, who deposited in this hill the metal plates 

 which the virtuous Joe Smith was selected to receive 

 from the hands of the angel. This occupies to the 

 580th page. 



But now, in the Book of Ether, which follows, Joe 

 becomes more bold, and goes back to the tower of Babel 

 for another tribe of fair people, whom he brings over 

 and settles in America. At the confusion of the 

 languages. Ether and his brethren journeyed to the 

 great sea, and, after a sojourn of four years on the 

 shore, built boats under the Divine direction, water-tight, 

 and covered over like walnuts, with a bright stone in 

 each end to give light ! And when they had embarked 

 in their tight boats, a strong wind arose, blowing 

 towards the promised land, and for 344 days it blew 

 them along the water, till they arrived safe at the shore. 

 Here, like the sons of Lehi, they increased and 

 prospered, and had kings and prophets and wars, and 

 were split into parties, who fought with each other. 

 Finally, Shiz rose in rebellion against Coriantiimr, the 

 last king, and they fought with alternate success, till 

 two millions of mighty men, with their wives and 

 children, had been slain ! And, after this, all the people 

 were gathered either on the one side or the other, and 

 fought for many days, till only Coriantumr alone 

 remained alive ! 



This foolish history is written with the professedly 

 religious purpose of showing the punishment from the 

 hand of God which wicked behaviour certainly entails ; 

 and, with some trifling moralities of Moroni, completes 

 the Book of Mormon, 



