months I became quite intimate with him, and I found him possessed of
a noble and chivalric spirit. With great gentleness of manner, he had
the most intrepid courage. His fidelity to his friends and devotion to
their interests attached them strongly to him. He was beloved by all
who knew him. No man in the State was more popular. He represented
the county of Yuba in the Legislature two or three times, and at
one session was Speaker of the Assembly. When the land office at
Marysville was established in 1855, he was appointed Register; and in
1856, he was elected Clerk of the Supreme Court of the State. It was
my good fortune to aid him in securing both of these positions. At my
suggestion, Mr. McDougal, a Member of Congress from California,
urged the establishment of the land office, and obtained for him the
appointment of Register. In 1856, when he sought the clerkship of the
Supreme Court of the State, I became a delegate from Yuba County
to the State Convention, and made his nomination for that office
my special object, and with the aid of the rest of the delegation,
succeeded in obtaining it.

Two or three incidents which I will relate will illustrate the
character of the man. It was either in the session of 1854 or 1855,
I forget which, that a petition was presented to the Assembly of
California on the part of some of the colored people of the State,
requesting that the laws then in force, which excluded them from being
witnesses in cases where a white person was a party, might be repealed
so as to allow them to testify in such cases. At that time there was
a great deal of feeling throughout the country on the subject of
slavery, and any attempt to legislate in behalf of the colored people
was sure to excite opposition, and give rise to suggestions that its
promoter was not sound on the slavery question. The presentation
of the petition accordingly stirred up angry feelings. It created a