"The theory of the origin of the Book of Mormon in the traditional manuscript of Solomon Spaulding will probably have to be relinquished. That manuscript is doubtless now in the possession of Mr. L. L. Rice, of Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands, formerly an anti-slavery editor in Ohio, and for many years State printer of Columbus. During the recent visit to Honolulu, I suggested to Mr. Rice that he might have valuable anti-slavery documents in his possession which would be valuable to our Library, to which collection I already in part belong. In pursuance of this suggestion, Mr. Rice began looking over his old pamphlets and papers, and then it came upon an old, worn and faded manuscript of about 176 pages, small quarto, purporting to be a history of the migration and conflicts of the ancient Indians of America which occupied the territory now belonging to the States of New York, Ohio and Kentucky. On the last page of this manuscript is a certificate and signature giving the names of several persons known to the signer, who have assured him that their personal knowledge, etc., etc., on a small slip, Mr. Rice has this manuscript enclosed in a wooden case and carefully stamped and his possession. It was wrapped in paper and endorsed in Mr. Rice's handwriting, "A manuscript story."

There seems no reason to doubt that this is the long lost story. Mr. Rice, my self, and others compared it with the Book of Mormon and could detect no resemblances between the two, in general or detail. There seems to be no want of consistent evidence to the same. The structure of the Book of Mormon on the imitation of the English Scriptures, does not appear in the manuscript. The only resemblance is in the fact that both profess to set forth the history of the lost tribes. Some other explanation of the origin of the Book of Mormon must be found, if any is ever found.

JAMES H. FAIRCHILD.

—From Bibliotheca Sacra.

The foregoing is going the rounds of the more honest journals, but the rabid ones, of course leave but little from about it. As we were raised, for over seventy odd years to the vision, it was a young Spaulding wrote but rumors and was acquainted with many citizens who heard Spaulding read chapter after chapter as he wrote them, and knew there was no resemblance between the Book of Mormon and Spaulding manuscript, we publish it for the benefit of those who know only what they read on the subject.