as already described, the jury returned a
verdict of 'Found dead.' Mr. Hinde, the county coroner, held
another inquest upon the deceased, at the King's Arms; and
after taking the evidence of William Whittingham, the
carter who found the body, and Frederick Collins, a corporal
of the 3rd Buffs, who stated that he saw the deceased on the
evening preceding his death, and he was then sober, the jury
returned a verdict of 'Accidental death;' each of the
coroners issued a warrant for the interment of the body. The
disputed jurisdiction, it is believed, will now be submitted
to the decision of a higher court, in order to settle what
is here considered a _vexata quaestio_."--_Maidstone
Journal._

Is not this perfect? Only think of land coroners and water
coroners--imagine the law defining the jurisdiction of the Tellurian
as far forth into the sea as he could sit on a corpse without danger,
and the Neptunian ruling the waves beyond in absolute sway--conceive
the "solidist" revelling in all the accidents that befall life upon
the world's highways, and the "fluidist" seeking his prey like a pearl
diver, five fathoms low, beneath "the deep, deep sea." What a rivalry
theirs, who divide the elements between them, and have nature's
everlasting boundaries to define the limits of their empire.

I hope to see the time when these great functionaries of law shall be
provided with a suitable costume. I should glory to think of Mr. Hinde
accoutred in emblems suggestive of earth and its habits--a wreath of
oak leaves round his brows; and to behold Mr. Lewis in a garment of
marine plants and sea shells sit upon his corpse, with a trident in
his right hand. What a comfort for the man about to take French leave
of life, that he could know precisely the individual he should
benefit, and be able to go "by land" or "water," as his taste inclined
him.

I have no time here to dwell upon the admirable distinctions of the
two verdicts given in the case I allude to. When the great change I
suggest is fully carried out, the difficulty of a verdict will at
once be avoided, for the jury, like boys at play, will only have to
cry out at each case--"wet or dry."

There would be probably too much expense incurred in poor localities
by maintaining two officials; and I should suggest, in such cases, an
amphibious coroner--a kind of merman, who should enjoy a double
jurisdiction, and, as they say