VETERINARY JURISPRUDENCE. 
575 
it to Hopwood, who said it would be “ all right.” The horse 
was ridden by witness part of the road to Betley the 
same evening, and he went lame at one part of the journey 
for two or three yards, but became sound afterwards. 
Plaintiff’s nephew observed that the hocks were large when 
they got home. — This witness, who gave his evidence in 
a peculiarly pedantic and conceited manner, and could with 
great difficulty be withheld from making a speech in answer to 
every question that was put to him, and taking sad liberties 
with the Queen’s English with the most extraordinary 
volubility, afforded the court considerable amusement under 
the cross-examination of Mr. Smallwood. He denied that he 
had ever been in the habit of “expounding the gospel,” 
although he modestly admitted that he considered himself 
“particularly knowing” — indeed, “ quite as clever as most 
common men but nothing further was elicited of any 
importance to the case in dispute. — John Adams: Resided 
with plaintiff, and saw the black horse when brought to 
Betley by the last two witnesses. Noticed that his hocks 
were large, especially the near one. Rode him several times 
during the absence of Mr. Redfern in London, but never 
observed him lame until the 3d of June. Took him on the 
4th of June to Mr. Mayer’s of Newcastle, and understood 
from that gentleman that he was unsound. He afterwards 
took him back to The Rowney, when defendant refused 
to receive him, assigning, as his reasons, that the horse had 
broken his knees and sprung a curb since the sale. — Cross- 
examined : There was at that time a little hair off the sides 
of his knees, which had been done by the knee-caps, but 
nothing more. The marks denuded of hair now to be seen 
on the diseased hock have come since that time. — Thomas 
Walton Mayer stated that he was a veterinary surgeon, 
at Newcastle-under-Lyme, and also one of the Examiners of 
the Royal Veterinary College. He examined the horse in 
question on the 4th of June last, and found him lame in the 
near hind leg. There was a curb, exostosis or spavin, and 
general enlargement of the hock. The curb was then three 
times its present size. Considered that the diseases, especially 
the spavin, must have been in existence some time prior to 
his purchase by plaintiff. His hocks were naturally badly 
shaped hocks — so bad that he would not consider him sound 
even if no disease were present. — Cross-examined : Gave a 
certificate at the time of examination, which is the one now 
produced. There is no mention of spavin in this certificate, 
although it is certainly a much more serious disease than curb. 
It is the most serious of all the diseases of the hock joint. 
