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.  There were two candidates besides myself for the position, and 93,000 votes were polled.  Of these I received a majority of 36,000 over each of my opponents, and 17,000 over them both together.[3] The term to which I was elected was for six years, commencing January 1st, 1858.  In September, 1857, Hugh C. Murray, then Chief Justice, died, and Associate Justice Peter H. Burnett was appointed to fill the vacancy.  This left the balance of Judge Burnett’s term of service to be filled, and I was urged by the Governor of the State to accept his appointment to it, as it was for less than three months, and immediately preceded my own term.  At first I refused, as I desired to revisit the East; but being assured by the judges that taking the place need not prevent my intended visit, I accepted the appointment, and on the 13th of October, 1857, took my seat on the bench.

[1] See Letter of Judge Mott detailing the particulars of the
    affair; Exhibit H, in Appendix.

[2] See Exhibit I, in Appendix.

[3] The exact vote was as follows: 
    For myself 55,216
    For Nathaniel Bennett 18,944
    For J.P.  Ralston 19,068
                             ------
        Total vote 93,228

Majority over Bennett    36,272
Majority over Balston    36,148
Majority over both       17,204

REMOVAL FROM MARYSVILLE—­LIFE ON THE SUPREME BENCH.—­END OF JUDGE TURNER.

The day following my acceptance of the Governor’s appointment to the Supreme Court of the State, I returned to Marysville to close my business before taking up my residence in Sacramento, where the court held its sessions.  I had gone to Sacramento to argue some cases before the court when the appointment was tendered to me; and, of course, did not expect to remain there very long.  In a few days I arranged my affairs at Marysville and then removed permanently to Sacramento.  I left Marysville with many regrets.  I had seen it grow from a collection of tents with a few hundred occupants to a town of substantial buildings with a population of from eight to ten thousand inhabitants.  From a mere landing for steamers it had become one of the most important places for business in the interior of the State.  When I left, it was a depot of merchandise for the country lying north and east of