| 551 vigorous effort to overthrow the gospel work in that locality. These lectures were replied to by Elder Evans.
What is known as the Whitmerite movement was at this time attracting some attention, and some of its representatives were actively disseminating its theories. The claim was made that David Whitmer had the right of presidency over the church by reason of his ordination to the presidency of the High Council of Zion, July 3, 1834. These claims attracted some attention from both members of the church and the outside world. From this fact, and by reason of purported interviews with Elder Whitmer, which were published in leading papers, containing matters regarded as erroneous and injurious by the editors of the Saints' Herald, Presidents Joseph Smith and W. W. Blair, they published a lengthy and critical review of Elder Whitmer and his work in the Herald, to which he made reply to a degree, which was also published therein. The Whitmerite movement soon began to wane, and secured thereafter but a small amount of attention from any source.
On November 7 Elder T. W. Smith wrote from Temarie Anaa, giving the following interesting incidents concerning the islands:
It is now two years since we landed in Papeete (November 6, '84), and it may not be amiss to give you our views of the condition of the mission and its peculiarities and necessities. I found here three distinct and antagonistic parties, claiming to regard Joseph Smith, the Martyr, as the prophet of the latter times. One of these, residing mainly on this island (Anaa), ignored Joseph, the son, or (Iotefa te tamaiti) as he is commonly called, and all apostles, except Benjamin F. Grouard; that is they knew only Joseph the father and Grouard; and of course they knew nothing of the prophetic calling of Joseph, only as Grouard taught them. About all they seem to remember is, that Grouard said that Joseph was a prophet, and had translated the Book of Mormon, and that he was sent out here by Joseph as a missionary-a seventy, I believe. They remember what he said about Ephraim and Manasseh, and Joseph's land, in Genesis 48:49, and Deuteronomy 33; and about the "book," in Isaiah 29, and Ezekiel 37. So that when I call their attention to these teachings they say, "That is the same as Turuati taught." This party are very few in number, that is, those who heard Grouard, and were baptized by him. I have not found over twenty in all this mission. The rest are dead, or because of persecution waged against them by Catholics, about 1852; and because they had
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