364 THE SELLER BROWNING. 



when sold. I send you Mr the veterinary sur- 

 geon's opinion. I am, Sir," &c. 



" I certify I have this day examined a bay gckhng, brought 

 to mc by !Mr. Nickem's foreman, and find he has a corn on 

 his off- forefoot, and is consequently unsound. 



"Timothy Turnemback, V.S. " 



I fear the gentleman's feelings of thankfulness will 

 be somewhat diminished by this, whatever his philo. 

 sophy may be. He determines personally to see into 

 the thing — that is, as far as he can, which will not 

 be very far after all. 



We will leave the gentleman preparing for his jour- 

 ney, and consider a little the ins and outs of these corn 

 cases, for they are of very frequent occurrence. Now 

 a corn is really the neatest, the least cruel, the most 

 certain, and least to be disputed mode of making an 

 unsound horse I know of. A'^eterinarians may give 

 you a long account of the nature, cause, and effects of 

 corns ; but in examining a horse, there is no need for 

 this ; there it is, and that is enough. There is a red 

 mark ; a corn is a red mark : and whether that has 

 been produced by pressure, bruise, or by having cut 

 so near the sensible part of the foot as to show the 

 same thing, it returns the horse, and that is all Nickem 

 wanted. It may be asked w^hether a Yet may not 

 be able to tell a manufactured corn from one pro- 

 duced by ordinary causes ? This is not my business to 

 answer or interfere with. I have only shown what I 

 meant — that corns are made, and horses are returned 

 in consequence of them. 



We will say the gentleman has arrived, and expressed 

 his astonishment and chagrin very vehemently, and 

 very naturally : Nickem has also expressed his chagrin 

 very artificially: he has not expressed his astonishment, 



