HORSE CAUSE. 
78 
knowledge terminates, as I never saw the horse after he left my 
yard; but between two and three hours from that time, I heard 
that he had fallen down, and died instantly, about a mile from my 
yard; and shortly after, Nisbett, jun. who brought him to be bled, 
came and requested me to go to him, as his father wished me to 
remove him ; but I replied, that I had no means of removing him, 
and declined going; and observed, that had he applied while the 
horse was alive, I should have been most willing to go and render 
assistance, and that if his death was connected with the bleeding, 
I had no doubt but I could have counteracted what was amiss, 
but as he was dead, my attendance could not be of any use; with 
which conversation our interview terminated. On the evening of 
the 21st (the day following) I received a letter from an attorney, 
to demand fifty guineas as the value of the horse, requiring pay¬ 
ment of the sum by three o’clock of the 23d inst., and menacing 
me with an action on failure of compliance.” 
We perfectly acquit Mr. Kent of unskilfulness; but we could 
have wished that, in some few points, he had acted a little 
differently. 
We cannot understand why he peremptorily refused to go to and 
examine the horse, when requested to do so by young Nisbett. 
He says, that “ had he been applied to while the horse was alive 
he should have been most willing to go and render assistance.” 
How could Nisbett have thus applied to him, when, according to 
Mr. Kent’s own account, the horse “ fell down, and died in¬ 
stantly ?” 
Although his attendance could not have been of any use, so far 
as life was concerned, the inspection of the carcase might have 
thrown some light on the cause of death; and probably Mr. Kent 
would have seen, and have been able to describe, that which 
would have been satisfactory to old Nisbett. There would, at 
least, have been the appearance of good-nature about it, or, we 
would rather say, it would have been an act of justice to a person 
who had been suddenly and mysteriously deprived of a useful 
animal. Mr. Nisbett had a right to require it, and to feel a little 
angry when Mr. Kent so hastily and cavalierly refused. 
We know too well how many circumstances occur in our pro¬ 
fession, to make us a little ill-tempered at times; and, therefore, 
