The five Americans who accompanied us were of a superior class, three
of them from Virginia, and two from Maryland, Their history was that of
many others of their countrymen, Three of them had studied the law, one
divinity, and the other medicine. Having no opening for the exercise of
their profession at home, they had gone westward, to carve a fortune in
the new States; but there everything was in such a state of anarchy that
they could not earn their subsistence; they removed farther west, until
they entered Texas, "a country sprung up but yesterday, and where an
immense wealth can be made." They found, on their arrival at this
anticipated paradise, their chances of success in their profession still
worse than in their own country. The lawyers discovered that, on a
moderate computation, there were not less than ten thousand attorneys in
Texas, who had emigrated from the Eastern States; the president, the
secretaries, constables, tavern-keepers, generals, privates, sailors,
porters, and horse-thieves were all of them originally lawyers, or had
been brought up to that profession.
As to the doctor, he soon found that the apologue of the "wolf and the
stork" had been written purposely for medical practice in Texas, for as
soon as he had cured a patient (picked the bone out of his throat), he
had to consider himself very lucky if he could escape from half-a-dozen
inches of the bowie-knife, by way of recompense; moreover, every visit
cost him his pocket-handkerchief or his 'bacco-box, if he had any.
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