pleased with the brightness and quickness of my young clerk that I
would not part with him. That young clerk was George C. Gorham,
the present Secretary of the United States Senate. I remember him
distinctly as he first appeared to me, with red and rosy cheeks. His
quickness of comprehension was really wonderful. Give him half an idea
of what was wanted, and he would complete it as it were by intuition.
I remember on one occasion he wanted to know what was necessary for
a marriage settlement. I asked him why. He replied that he had been
employed by a French lady to prepare such a settlement, and was
to receive twenty-five dollars for the instrument. I gave him some
suggestions, but added that he had better let me see the document
after he had written it. In a short time afterwards he brought it to
me, and I was astonished to find it so nearly perfect. There was only
one correction to make. And thus ready I always found him. With the
most general directions he would execute everything committed to his
charge, and usually with perfect correctness. He remained with me
several months, and acted as clerk of my Alcalde court, and years
afterwards, at different times was a clerk in my office. When I went
upon the bench of the Supreme Court, I appointed him clerk of the
Circuit Court of the United States for the District of California,
and, with the exception of the period during which he acted as
secretary of Gov. Low, he remained as such clerk until he was
nominated for the office of governor of the State, when he resigned.
Through the twenty-seven years of our acquaintance, from 1850 to the
present time, July, 1877, his friendship and esteem have been sincere
and cordial, which no personal abuse of me could change and no
political differences between us could alienate. His worldly
possessions would have been more abundant had he pursued the
profession of the law, which I urged him to do; and his success as a
public man would have been greater, had he been more conciliatory to