ld how stern had been the struggle with the
boundless woods, and, at the close of the year, the dismal
scene which presents itself in high latitudes in a thinly
settled region, when
'The snows descend; and, foul and fierce,
All winter drives along the darkened air'--
these are circumstances to leave an abiding impression on the
mind of a thoughtful child, and induce an early maturity of
character."
Of his early professional life, and of some of his contemporaries, Mr.
Everett says:
"Immediately on his admission to the bar, Mr. Webster went to
Amherst, in New Hampshire, where his father's court was in
session; from that place he went home with his father. He had
intended to establish himself at Portsmouth, which, as the
largest town and the seat of the foreign commerce of the State,
opened the widest field for practice. But filial duty kept him
nearer home. His father was now infirm from the advance of
years, and had no other son at home. Under these circumstances
Mr. Webster opened an office at Boscawen not far from his
father's residence, and commenced the practice of the law in
this retired spot. Judge Webster lived but a year after his
son's entrance upon the practice of his profession; long
enough, however, to hear his first argument in court, and to be
gratified with the confident predictions of his future success.
"In May, 1807, Mr. Webster was admitted an attorney and
counsellor of the Superior Court in New Hampshire, and in
September of that year, relinquishing his office in Boscawen to
his Brother Ezekiel, he removed to Portsmouth, in conformity
with his original intention. Here he remained in the practice
of his profession for nine successive years. They were years of
assiduous labor, and of unremitted devotion to the study and
practice of the law. He was associated with several persons of
great eminence, citizens of New Hampshire or of Massachusetts,
occasionally practising at the Portsmouth bar. Among the latter
were Samuel Dexter and Joseph Storey; of the residents of New
Hampshire, Jeremiah Mason was the most distinguished.
"During the greater part of Mr. Webster's practice of the law
in New Hampshire, Jeremiah Smith was Chief Justice of the
state, a learned and excellent judge, whose biography has been
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