240 PROFESSOR OWEN ch. vill. 



for examination. ' In March,' he writes in his 

 diary, ' I spent some time at the Home Office 

 comparing microscopically the surface-characters 

 of the bullet from the body of the policeman 

 murdered by Peace, with those of a bullet 

 fired for that purpose, from the burglar's 

 revolver, and of bullets from other revolvers. I 

 was able to testify that the bullet which slew the 

 policeman agreed so closely with one subsequently 

 fired from Peace's revolver, as to impress me with 

 its identity ; there were unexpected and marked 

 differences in bullets fired from revolvers of 

 another make. Sir Richard Cross and Sir Adol- 

 phus Liddell were glad to have this result and 

 testimony as far as it went.' 



In November 1879 the Professor received 

 the freedom of the Leathersellers' Company. It 

 was enclosed in a casket beautifully engraved, 

 mounted in silver, bearing a suitable inscription 

 engraved and the note : ' This box is made of 

 hippopotamus leather which required nearly four 

 years to tan.' 



Owen's chief desire was to live long enough 

 to see the removal of the British Museum speci- 

 mens to South Kensington. Writing to a friend 

 in September of 1879, he says : — 



' As my strength fails, and I feel the term of 

 my labours drawing nigh, how I long to see the 

 conclusion of their main aim! — the exposition of 

 our national treasures of natural history in a 



