[1] Although I had informed the Attorney-General of my action and
delay in taking the oath of office, the salary of the office
was sent to me from the date of my commission, March 10th,
1863. I immediately deposited with the sub-treasurer at San
Francisco, to the credit of the United States, the proportion
for the time between that date and the 20th of May, and
informed the Secretary of the Treasury of the deposit,
enclosing to him the sub-treasurer's receipt.

* * * * *

THE ANNOYANCES OF MY JUDICIAL LIFE.

After the narrative of my Personal Reminiscences was completed, I
concluded to dictate an account of some strange annoyances to which I
had been subjected in the course of my judicial life. The account will
have an interest to those of my friends for whom the Reminiscences
were printed, and it is intended for their perusal alone.

ROSY VIEWS OF JUDICIAL LIFE GRADUALLY VANISHING.--UNSETTLED LAND
TITLES OF THE STATE.--ASSERTED OWNERSHIP BY THE STATE OF GOLD AND
SILVER FOUND IN THE SOIL.--PRESENT OF A TORPEDO.

When I went on the bench, I not only entertained elevated notions of
the dignity and importance of the judicial office, but looked forward
confidently to the respect and honor of the community from a faithful
discharge of its duties. I soon discovered, however, that there would
be but little appreciation for conscientious labor on the bench,
except from a small number of the legal profession, until after the
lapse of years. For the heavy hours of toil which the judges endured,
for the long examination which they gave to voluminous records, for
their nights of sleeplessness passed in anxious thought to ascertain
what was true and right amidst a mass of conflicting evidence and
doubtful principles, the public at large appeared to have little
thought and less consideration. The cry of disappointment over
frustrated schemes of cupidity and fraud was sufficient for the time
to drown all other expressions of judgment upon the action of the
court.

The unsettled condition of the land titles of the State
gave occasion to a great deal of litigation and was for a long time
the cause of much bad feeling towards the judges who essayed to
administer impartial justice. When California was acquired, the
population was small and widely scattered. To encourage colonization,
grants of land in large quantities, varying from one to eleven
lea