350 . Science and Crime. [ July, 
victim just such an instrument as might have been used to inflict 
the injuries which caused death, and on that instrument the traces 
of blood had been discovered by scientific research. 
There were many other circumstances of minor importance, 
which served as links in the chain of evidence, the most condemna- 
tory of which were that Coe had made some remarks about a sup- 
posed murder at Mountain Ash, between the time when his victim dis- 
appeared and the body was found, which showed that he was aware 
such a murder had been committed ; and that whilst Davies had 
been robbed by his murderer, Coe had been rather flush of money ; 
and although the prisoner received the benefit of an anxiously-con- 
sidered summing-up on the part of a most just and merciful judge, 
the weight of evidence was too overpowering to leave room for 
doubt on the minds of the jury, and he was convicted of wilful 
murder after an hour’s deliberation. Before being executed he 
confessed his guilt. 
Now, we must be permitted to ‘‘sum up.” The full value of 
Mr. Sorby’s great discovery is not exhibited by the remarkable 
trial to which we have here cursorily alluded. ‘The time will 
come when spectrum-analysis, which has already taught us what 
distant suns and nebule are made of, will reveal to the 
custodians of human life that blood has been spilt upon some 
rag or fragment of clothing, and that discovery will serve as the 
jirst link in the chain of evidence that shall bring some wretched 
malefactor to his doom. Or, who knows but the very fact of such 
means of detection being in existence, may drive a stricken con- 
science to confess the crime, which might otherwise have remained 
unknown here below! Mr. Henry Sorby may, or may not, receive 
the reward due to him for his untiring researches; he may, at 
some future time, have a paltry honour pompously offered to him 
by some person high in office, and he may refuse that honour. It 
will be the best thing he can do, for his name will be bound up 
in the same volume that chronicles the works of Newton and 
Harvey, of Jenner, Bunsen and Kirchhoff, of Fraunhofer, and 
of all men of science who have, directly or indirectly, enlisted 
the light of the orb of day into the service of humanity; and this 
is a higher honour than any that princes or governments can bestow. 
But let it not be supposed, because we thus sing the praises of 
scientific men, that we are so wanting in plain matter-of-fact know- — 
ledge as to place implicit faith in their evidence. In the first place, 
chemists and doctors of medicine have feelings; and, secondly, they 
cannot be pronounced free from prejudice. If our readers could 
but look over our shoulder as we scan some of the pamphlets which 
are sent to us from time to time, wherein the most extraordinary © 
crotchets are chronicled, and the most grotesque hobbies ridden, 
often by men of science and renown, they would never suspect us of 
