In People v. Illinois Central RR, parties agree that on August 13, 1857 defendant filed with auditor list of stock, property, and assets. Case, in which Lincoln is one of counsel for railroad, involves method of assessing road's property for taxation. 27 Ill. 64.

Lincoln & Herndon appear for defendant in Sangamon Circuit Court when jury is summoned to fix damages in People v. Moore et al. Jury sets figure at $14,284.11. Record.

Lincoln writes an opinion for several individuals representing the drainage commissioners of Bureau County, Illinois, regarding the validity of the sale of some swampland. Lincoln determines that the purchasers of the swampland are the lawful owners of the property. These issues are central in the case of Templeton v. Kelsey, which the Illinois Supreme Court will eventually hear on appeal from Bureau County. Opinion Concerning Swamp Lands in Bureau County, Illinois, 31 January 1859, CW, 3:352-55; Circuit Court Transcript, 2 March 1861, Illinois Supreme Court, case file 14264, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL.

In the afternoon, attorneys Lincoln, Milton Hay, and Benjamin S. Edwards examine Henry J. Atkins prior to finding him "qualified to practice law." The three attorneys "recommend that he be licensed." Afterward, in a letter to his brother, Howard M. Atkins, of Jacksonville, Illinois, Henry writes, "I passed a thorough examination this afternoon before three of the best lawyers in Illinois." Atkins boasts that he "only missed one question & that was a trivial mistake. The committee complimented me very highly, and said it had been a long time since a student had passed so good an examination before them." Certificate of Examination for Henry J. Atkins, 31 January 1859, CW, 3:352; Howard F. Dyson, "Lincoln in Rushville," Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society 8 (1903): 224-25; Henry J. Atkins to Howard M. Atkins, 31 January 1859, SC 2661, Manuscripts, IHi, Springfield, IL.

He buys "Red Gelatine," "Cooper Isinglass," and cream of tartar at his drug store, while Robert fetches six pounds of sugar from Smith's store. Pratt, Personal Finances, 152, 154.