in 1837 with the valedictory oration in spite of a decided tendency to college pranks, and immediately entered his brother Dud ley's office in New York as a student. Ill ness interrupted his studies, and he went to Albany for a change, where he taught in the female academy, and occupied himself in the office of John Van Buren, then at torney-General of the State. In 1841 he returned to New York, became his brother's partner, and remained there till 1848, when feeling the need of a change, he went to Paris, where he met his brother Cyrus, and travelled in Europe for a year. On his return, at his brother Dudley's sug gestion, he decided to go to California, where the gold excitement was at its height. The voyage to Chagres took a week, the isthmus was crossed on mule back, and then at Panama a crowd of twelve hundred were packed into an old steamer, which was twenty-two days reaching San Francisco; food and water were poor and insufficient, and Chagres fever in its worst form broke out. Mr. Field saved many lives by the skillful and assiduous nursing which his ex perience in the East enabled to give to the sick. He landed at San Francisco Decem ber 28, 1849, with ten dollars in his pocket, and two trunks; it cost him seven dollars to have them taken to an old adobe building where for himself and two fellow-passengers a room ten by eight was secured at $35.00 per week. The next morning the cheapest breakfast he could find cost $2.00, and he started out to look for something to do with a capital of $ 1 .00. A bundle of thirty New York papers he had brought, sold for a dollar apiece, and, fortunately, his brother had given him a note for $400 to collect against a man, whom he at once found, and who had "struck pay dirt," and met his obligation promptly, with interest. As the gold excitement grew inland, he left the city, and taking a steamer up the Sacramento river got off at the junction of two rivers, where there was a camp; he liked
the location and decided to remain. There was no recognized authority, but in a few days the settlers met and organized a local government. The place was called Marysville, and Mr. Field had already so impressed himself upon the new community that he was chosen the first alcalde, and was com pelled, as he became the centre for society to form about, to use wide and extensive powers. There were large numbers of des peradoes and refugees from all nations, and much depended upon how he dealt with his first case. A man was brought before him, accused of having stolen gold dust, and was clearly proven guilty; there was no jail, and if he had fallen into the hands of the crowd he would have been instantly hung. The alcalde sentenced him to a severe whipping, which was promptly given, and the reign of law and order began. The State government soon came into effect, and Mr. Field began the practice of law under it. The first district judge be fore whom he came was a drunken, brutal bully from Texas, who took a violent dislike to him on the theory that he was an aboli tionist, and on Mr. Field attempting to maintain the rights of clients before him, had him arrested for contempt, and on his suing out a writ of habeas corpus and se curing his release threatened him so openly that Mr. Field began to go armed. Writing of the period, he says: "When I came to California I came with all those no tions in respect to acts of violence which are instilled into New England youths; if a man were rude I would turn away from him. But I soon found that men in California were likely to take very great liberties with a person who acted in such a manner, and that the only way to get along was to hold every man responsible and resent every trespass upon one's rights. I purchased a pafr of revolvers and had a sack coat made with pockets in which the barrels could lie and be discharged; and I began to practice firing the pistols from the pockets, and in
