came to California from New Jersey in 1849, and passed through some
stirring scenes during that and the following year. He came with Mr.
John S. Hagar, who was afterwards State Senator, District Judge, and
United States Senator, and was engaged with him in the mines in the
winter of 1849-'50. In 1850 he settled in Sutter County; and in the
fall of 1852 was elected State Senator from that county. Having become
more intimately acquainted with him after he was elected Senator, I
requested him to introduce a bill into the Legislature, revising and
amending the one which I had originally drawn concerning the courts
and judicial officers of the State; and he cheerfully consented to do
so, and took great interest in securing its passage. Indeed, it was
through his influence that the bill became a law. Many circumstances
threw us together after that, and I learned to appreciate his manly
character, his generous disposition, and his great devotion to his
friends. Finally, in the fall of 1854, we agreed to form a partnership
after my return from the Eastern States, which I then proposed to
visit. After the Barbour affair the course of my professional life was
much the same as that of any other lawyer. My business was large and
I gave to it my unremitting attention. In 1854 I determined to go East
to see my parents and brothers and sisters, who had never been out of
my mind a single day since I left them in 1849. Accordingly, I
went East, and after passing a few months with them I returned to
California in January, 1855. After that I continued to practice my
profession, with Mr. Smith as my partner, until the spring of 1857,
though during this period he went to Washington as Commissioner of the
State to obtain from Congress the payment of moneys expended by her
in suppressing the hostilities of Indians within her borders, and
was absent several months. In April of that year we dissolved our
partnership. A few months afterwards I was nominated for the bench of
the Supreme Court of the State, and was elected by a large majority.