THE VETERINARY SURGEON. 
105 
at the St. Pancras School, and attended the lectures on the 
maladies of cattle, sheep, &c., at the University of London— 
after having, in fact, availed himself of most of the advantages 
which the reverting to the constitution of 1791 would give to 
every veterinary pupil in the English school—returned to his 
native village, Kilsyth, until some favourable opening for esta¬ 
blishing himself elsewhere might occur. Kilsyth had never had 
a member of the veterinary profession residing nearer to it than 
at Glasgow, twelve miles off; and its inhabitants had often had 
occasion to lament this, from the loss of valuable animals that 
might probably have been saved, had professional assistance been 
at hand. Surrounded by the friends of his youth, and mingling 
among them, many cases soon occurred on which they ventured 
to apply to him for advice. It was cheerfully given; but the pro¬ 
fessional fee was refused. ‘‘ I am but a bird of passage among 
you now,” he used to say : you must not cause any thing unplea¬ 
sant to mingle with my recollections of you by and by. Put 
it down to auld acquaintance sake.” 
Time passed on, and he at length heard of a situation that 
promised to be advantageous to Lim, and he prepared to take his 
departure from Kilsyth. His friends invited him to a parting 
dinner, as an expression of their respect. They had two other 
motives, and both of them were good ones. 
Mr. Wallace, of Auchenvole, was in the chair. We cannot 
tell how many were present, but the guests were numerous, for 
there were two croupiers, Mr. Ballantine, of Shirva, and Mr. 
Storrie, the surgeon of Kilsyth. They consisted, in fact, of all 
the farmers and gentry and tradesmen in Kilsyth and its neigh¬ 
bourhood. 
After dinner, Mr. Wallace addressed Mr. Corbet, and told him 
that the inhabitants of Kilsyth and its environs had long felt the 
want of a member of his useful profession among them, or at 
no great distance from them; that they were glad when he 
returned to reside for awhile among his old friends; and they 
had ventured to hope, although they, perhaps, had no right to 
expect it, that he might be induced to take up his j)crmanciit 
abode with them. Although he would not assume his profes- 
