ication, "Possibly I did!"
and we dropped the subject. In the year 1830, he entered the chambers of
Richard Grainger Blick, Esquire, one of the most eminent special
pleaders in the Temple, and who has assured me, that he always
considered Mr. John William Smith to be a remarkable man. Probably there
never before entered the chambers of pleader or barrister, in the
character of novice, a man of more formidable legal aptitude and
acquirements. We have already seen the substantial and extensive
character of his law-reading at college; but, between leaving it, and
entering Mr. Blick's chambers, Mr. Smith read carefully over "from cover
to cover"--such were his words to me--"Tidd's Practice," a standard
book, in two closely printed, large octavo volumes, and also "Selwyn's
Nisi Prius," in two similar volumes. He had not been long in chambers
before he found that "he had not a sufficient knowledge of pleading, to
get any benefit from the business, which he saw;" wherefore he absented
himself from chambers for some time, to enable him to read through the
first volume of "Mr. Chitty's Treatise on Pleading;" and some time
afterwards he again withdrew, for similar reasons, to read "Phillips on
Evidence." Having obtained such an acquaintance with these two works, as
to a person of inferior intellect or discipline might seem a complete
mastery, he returned to chambers, able better to avail himself of the
advantages afforded by Mr. Blick's extensive practice; very frequently
surprising that gentleman by his mental vigour, and accurate and
extensive legal knowledge. "I was very cunning," he has more than once
said to me, "at chambers; for I soon saw how to go to work, better than
the other pupils. They would be all for the 'heavy papers,' the great
cases that came in, not caring for the shoal of small things that were
continually appearing and disappearing. Now it seemed to me, that
_these_ constituted three-fourths of a lawyer's business, and that to be
able to do _them_, was three-fourths of the battle: so I very quietly
let my fine gentlemen take all the great papers, while I did nothing but
these same despised common things, till at length I really began to feel
that I was improving, and learning a good deal of law. But, as to the
other sort of cases and papers, as soon as my fellow-pupils had done,
puzzling their brains over them, and written the opinions, or drawn the
pleadings, and Mr. Blick had revised them, and given them his