332 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



of events. This was in 1850. He was made Chief Justice in 1855, 

 and resigned in 1859. He was reappointed Chief Justice in 1864, and 

 retained the office till 1869, when, in full vigor of mind and with un- 

 abated capacity for labor, lie returned to the practice of the law, and 

 held the foremost place at the New Hampshire bar, till the summer 

 precedhig his death. 



Judge Perley was regarded by his brother lawyers as without a 

 superior, and with few equals, in legal learning and ability ; and as a 

 judge he holds a worthy place among the eminent jurists who have for 

 half a century or more given to the decisions of the New Hampshire 

 bench an authority and influence recognized in all our courts. He was 

 at the same time a life-lonsf student of classical literature, and more 

 intimately conversant with its best authors than many who have pro- 

 fessedly devoted themselves to this branch of learning. In his social 

 intercourse, without pretension or display, he gave always the impres- 

 sion of a mind natively strong and versatile, and enriched by the most 

 liberal culture. In all relations, domestic, social, and civic, he has left 

 the record of conscientious fidelity, purity, and integrity, — a name 

 honored and beloved in his life, and held in reverent memory, most of 

 all by those who knew him best. 



Hiram Powers. — When a remarkable man passes away, we nat- 

 urally endeavor to fill the void he leaves with remembrances of his 

 achievements ; and all incidents which bear upon his career, or relate 

 to his development, possess peculiar interest. 



The facts presented in the following memoir were gathered from 

 notes taken in Florence, from Powers's own lips, in 18-42, by George H. 

 Calvert; and we esteem ourselves fortunate that, through the kindness 

 of that gentleman, we are able to supply such trustworthy information. 

 These notes refer to Powers's early life, up to the date of his arrival 

 in Florence, since which time his career is better known. 



Hiram Powers was born at "Woodstock, Vt., July 29, 1805, the son of 

 a farmer who lived near the village. His paternal grandfather's grand- 

 mother was an Indian. Hiram went to school in Woodstock until 

 he was fourteen years of age. The only schooling he had after 

 this was a few lessons in Latin, two years later, given him by an 

 elder brother, a graduate of Dartmouth College. While in school at 

 Woodstock, his talent for drawing and for mechanics first showed 

 themselves. 



In his fourteenth year his fiither emigrated to Ohio, where, for the 

 first year after his arrival, Hiram lived and worked on a farm ne;xr 



