nnor, an Irish Master in Chancery,
confidently predicted that "John William would live to be an honour to
his profession and friends." In 1829, he joined his family, who were
settled in Versailles, and spent some time there. In the ensuing year,
his father, who possessed a first-rate capacity for business, was
appointed Vice-treasurer and Paymaster-general of the forces in Ireland,
and was obliged to reside in Dublin, whither he accordingly soon
afterwards repaired with his family. His son, John William, however,
remained in London, having determined upon forthwith commencing his
studies for the English bar: a step which his father and he had for some
time before contemplated; as it appears, from the records of the Inner
Temple, that he was entered as student for the bar on the 20th June,
1827, which was during his second year at Trinity College. The facility
with which he not only got through the requisite studies, but obtained
every honour for which he thought proper to compete, allowed of his
devoting much of his attention at that time to the acquisition of legal
knowledge. He procured a copy, therefore, of Blackstone; that, I
believe, which had appeared a year or two before, edited by the present
(then Sergeant,) Mr. Justice Coleridge,--the only edition of the
Commentaries of which he approved, and which he used to the last,--and
read it through several times with profound attention, as he has often
told me; expressing himself as having been charmed by the purity and
beauty of Blackstone's style, his remarkable power of explaining
abstruse subjects, and his perspicuous arrangement. The next book which
he read was, I believe, "Cruise's Digest of the Laws of England,
respecting Real Property," in seven volumes octavo, a standard work of
great merit; which, while at college, he read, I think, twice over, and
continued perfectly familiar with it for the rest of his life. He also
read carefully through nearly the whole of Coke upon Littleton, which he
told me he found very "troublesome," and that he had expended much
valuable time and attention on some of the most difficult portions,
which he very soon afterwards found to be utterly obsolete, particularly
mentioning those concerning "homage," "fealty," "knight-service,"
"wardship," &c. The above may seem a great undertaking for vacant hours
at college, but will not appear to any of Mr. Smith's friends to have
been such to him, who read as rapidly, as he attended closely to