lty; he may be a man
who cuts corns and cataracts--who only operates for strabismus, or
makes new noses for Peninsular heroes. In fact, if you don't hit the
right number--and it's a large lottery--you may go out of the world
without even the benefit of physic.

This great system, however, does not end with human life. The
coroners--resolved not to be behind their age--have made a great
movement, and shown themselves men worthy of the enlightened era they
live in. Read this:--

"On Friday morning last, a man named Patrick Knowlan, a
private in the 3rd Buffs, was discovered lying dead close
beneath the platform of a wharf at the bottom of
Holborn-lane, Chatham. It would appear that deceased had
mistaken his way, and fallen from the wharf, which is used
for landing coals from the river, a depth of about eight
feet, upon the muddy beach below, which was then strewn with
refuse coal. There was a large and severe wound upon the
left temple, and a piece of coal was sticking in the left
cheek, close below the eye. The whole left side of the face
was much contracted. He had evidently, from the state of his
clothes, been covered with water, which overflows this spot
at the period of spring tides. Although nothing certain is
known, it is generally supposed that he mistook Holborn-lane
for the West-lane, which leads to the barracks, and that
walking forward in the darkness he fell from the wharf. Mr.
Lewis, the coroner for the city of Rochester, claims
jurisdiction over all bodies found in the water at this
spot; and as the unfortunate man had evidently been
immersed, he thought this a proper case for the exercise of
his office, and accordingly summoned a jury to sit upon the
body at ten o'clock on Friday morning--but on his going to
view the deceased, he found that it was at the King's Arms,
Chatham, in the hands of Bines, the Chatham constable, as
the representative of Mr. Hinde, one of the coroners for the
eastern division of the county of Kent, who refused to give
up the key of the room, but allowed Mr. Lewis and his jury
to view the body. They then returned to the Nag's Head,
Rochester, and having heard the evidence of John Shepherd, a
fisherman, who deposed that a carter, going on to the beach
for coals, at half-past seven o'clock on Friday morning,
found the body