COR 
COR 
COR 
CORONAL, coronalis, in anatomy, the 
first suture of the scull. See Anatomy. 
CORONARY vessels, vasa coronaria, in 
anatomy, certain vessels which furnish the 
i substance of the heart with blood. 
CORONATORE eligendo, in law, a writ 
that lies directed to the sheriff, out of the 
court of chancery, on the deatli or discharge 
of any coroner, commanding him to call the 
freeholders of the county for the election of a 
new coroner, and to certify to the said court 
I both the election and the name of the party 
i chosen, and to administer his oath to him,&c. 
CORONER, a very antient officer at the 
| common law: he is called co/oner, because 
i he acts principally in the pleas of the 
\ crown; and coroners were of old time the 
conservators of the peace. This officer ought 
j to be a sufficient person, that is, the most 
j wise and discreet knight that best would and 
j might attend upon such an office. St. Westm. 
! c. 10. By the 14 Ed. III. st. 1, c. 8, no 
coroner shall be chosen unless he shall have 
! land in fee sufficient in the same county 
wherein he may answer to all manner of 
people. The lord chief justice of the king’s- 
i bench is the sovereign coroner of the whole 
j realm. 
How elected. In antient times, none under 
the degree of knight were chosen. 2 Inst. 
! 32.176. But as the chief intent was to pre- 
vent the choosing of persons of mean ability, 
it seems the design of it is sufficiently answer- 
ed by choosing men of substance and credit ; 
and as the constant usage for several ages 
past has been accordingly, it seems to be no 
objection at this day that the person chosen 
is not a knight. 2 Haw'. 42. 43. 
By the 28 Ed. III. c. 6. it is enacted, that 
all coroners of the counties shall be chosen in 
full county-courts, by the commoners of the 
said counties, of the most meet and lawful peo- 
ple that shall be found in the same, to execute 
the said office. But though they are chosen 
by the county, it must be pursuant to the 
king’s writ, issuing out of and returnable into 
chancery ; and none but freeholders have a 
voice at such election, for they only are 
suitors to tire county-court. 2 Inst. 99. 2 
Haw. 43. 44. When chosen they shall be 
sworn by the sheriff for the due execution of 
their office. 2 Hale. H. 55. 
His duty in taking inquisitions. When 
any person comes to an untimely death, the 
township shall give notice thereof to the co- 
roner; otherwise if the body be interred be- 
fore he come, the township shall be amer- 
ced. Hale’s PI. 170. And if the township shall 
suffer the body to lie till putrefaction without 
sending for him, they shall be amerced. 2 
j Ilaw. 48. 
When the coroner lias received notice, he 
shall issue a precept to the constables of the 
four, five, or six next townships, to return a 
competent number of good and lawful men 
of their townships, to appear before him in 
such, a place, to make an inquisition touching 
that matter. 4 Ed. I. st. 2. Or he may send 
a precept to the constable of the hundred. 
Wood, b. 4. c. 1. And there must be twelve 
jurors at the least. 2 Inst. 148: If the con- 
stable make no return, or if the jurors return- 
ed shall not appear, their defaults are to be 
retured to the coroner, and they shall be 
amerced before' the judges of the assize. 2 H. 
H. 55. 
The jury, after being sworn, is to be char-i 
ged by the coroner to inquire, upon the view 
of the body, how the party came by his death. 
2 II. II. 60. 
Every coroner upon an inquisition before 
him found, whereby any person shall be in- 
dicted for murder or manslaughter, or as an 
accessary before the offence committed, shall 
put in writing the effect of the evidence given 
to the jury before him being material; and 
shall bind over the witnesses to the next ge- 
neral gaol-delivery to give evidence ; and 
shall certify the evidence, the recognizance, 
and the inquisition or indictment before him 
taken and found, at or before the trial, on 
pain of being lined by the court. 1 Sc 2 P. & 
M. c. 13. s. 5. 
But the coroner cannot enquire of acces- 
saries after the fact. He ought to enquire 
into the death of all persons dying in prison, 
that it may be known whether they died by 
violence or any unreasonable hardships. 
His general power and duty. Besides his 
judicial place, the coroner has an authority 
ministerial, as a sheriff; namely, when there 
is a just exception taken to the sheriff, judi- 
cial process shall be awarded to the coroner 
for the execution of the king ! s writ. And in 
some special cases the king’s original writ 
shall be immediately directed to him. 4 Inst. 
27 1 . He is bound to be present in the coun- 
ty-court to pronounce judgment of outlawry 
upon the exigent, after quinto exactus, at the 
fifth court, if the defendant do not appear. 
Wood, b. 4. c. 1. 
It is his duty to enquire of treasure that is 
found, who were tlie finders, and likewise who 
is suspected thereof. He may also receive 
the appeal of an approver for an offence in the 
same, or in a different county; and if the ap- 
pellee be in the same county, he may award 
process against him to the sheriff’ till it come 
to the exigent; but if the appellee be in a 
foreign county, the coroner cannot award 
process against him, but must leave it to the 
justices of a gaol-delivery, before whom the 
appeal is afterwards recorded. 2 Ilaw. 52. 
Punishment for misdemeanour. Justices 
of assize and peace have power to enquire of 
and punish the, defaults and extortions of co- 
roners. 1 Hen. VIII. c. 7. and 25 Geo. II. 
c. 29. s. 6. 
His fees. The coroner shall have for his 
fee, upon every inquisition taken upon the 
view of the body slain, 13*. 4 d. of the goods 
and chattels of him that is the slayer and 
murderer, if he have any goods ; and if he 
have no goods, of such amerciament as any 
township should happen to be amerced for the 
escape of the murderer. 3 Hen. VII. But as 
the said fee of 13*. 4 d. is not an adequate 
reward for the general execution of the 
said office, therefore for every inquisition 
taken upon view of a body dying in gaol, 
the coroner shall have 20*!, and also 9 d, for 
every mile he shall be compelled to travel 
from his usual place of abode to take such 
inquisition, to be paid by order of the justices 
in sessions, out of the county rates. 25 Geo. II. 
c. 29. s. 1. 
CORONILLA, jointed podded colutea, 
a genus of the decandria order, in the dia- 
delphia class of plants, and in the natural 
method ranking under the 32d order, papi- 
lionaces. The calyx is bilabiated, with two 
segments above coalited ; the vexillum 
scarcely any longer than the alre ; the legu- 
430 
men much contracted between the seeds. 
To this genus Linnaeus also joins the.emerus, 
or scorpion sena, though Mr. Miller makes 
it a distinct species. There are 14 species, 
all plants of considerable beauty, with very 
bright yellow flowers. All of them, however, 
are rather too tender for this climate, except 
the emerus. This species rises with a shrubby- 
stern, branching numerously six or eight feet 
high, with winged leaves of three pair of 
lobes, terminated by an odd one ; and at the 
sides of the branches numerous long flower- 
stalks, each supporting two or three large 
yellow r flowers, succeeded by longish pods ; 
it is easily propagated by seeds, and likewise 
by layers or cuttings. The leaves of this 
plant are esteemed laxative, and used as a 
substitute for common sena in some parts o£ 
Europe. A dye is procured by fermenta- 
tion from the leaves, like that of indigo. 
CORPORA cavernosa, in anatomy. See 
Anatomy. 
CORPORAL, an inferior officer under a 
serjeant, in a company of foot, who has charge 
over one of the divisions, places and relieves 
sentinels, and keeps good order in the corps- 
de-garde: he also receives the word from 
the inferior rounds which pass by his corps- 
de-garde. This officer carries a fusee, and is 
commonly an old soldier. There are gene- 
rally three corporals in each company. 
Corporal of a ship of war, an officer 
under the master at arms, employed to teach 
the officers the exercise of small arms, or of 
musketry ; and to attend at the gang-way on 
entering ports, and observe that no spirituous 
liquors are brought into the ship, unless by 
express leave from the officers. He is also 
to extinguish the fire and candles at eight 
o’clock in winter and nine in summer, when 
the evening-gun is fired ; and to w T alk fre- 
quently down in the lower decks in his w atch, 
to see that there are no lights but such as arc 
under the charge of proper sentinels.. 
CORPORATION, a body politic, or in- 
corporate, so called because the persons or 
members are joined into one body, and are 
qualified to take and grant, &c. Corpora- 
tions are either spiritual or temporal; spi- 
ritual as bishops, deans, arch-deacons, par- 
sons, vicars, &c. temporal as mayor, 
commonalty, bailiffs, burgesses. See. And, 
some corporations are of a mixed nature,, 
composed of spiritual and temporal persons, 
such as heads of colleges and hospitals, &c. 
All corporations are said to be ecclesiastical- 
or lay; ecclesiastical are either regular, as 
abbeys, priories, chapters, &c. or secular, as 
bishoprics, deanries, archdeaconries, &c. 
lay, as those of cities, towns, companies, or 
communities of commerce. Corporations 
may be established three different ways, viz. 
by prescription, letters patent, or act "of par- 
liament; but are most commonly established, 
by patent or charter. London is a corpo- 
ration by prescription : but though corpora- 
tions may be by prescription, yet it shall be 
intended, that it did originally derive its au- 
thority by a grant from the king.. 
A corporation may be dissolved ; for it is 
created upon a trust ; and if it is broken, it is 
forfeited.. No person shall bear office in any 
corporation but such as have received the 
sacrament, taken oaths, &c. A corporation; 
cannot sue or appear in person, but by an, 
attorney. Ordinances made by corporations 
