288 On the Vblatilily and In^ammabiliiy 



tion would be, whether or not the premises had been accurately 

 and sufficiently described ? It appeared that subsequently to the 

 original insurance, and previous to its renewal, a building called 

 the New House, and communicating with that already insured, 

 had been erected. The true way of viewing this question was 

 perhaps to consider whether, had the alteration been made known 

 to the Insurance Company, they would have deemed an increase 

 of the premium necessary. It was, however, for them to deter- 

 mine, under all the circumstances, whether a more minute and 

 extended description was required by any positive agreement, or 

 by the printed terms of the insurance. The next issue which 

 they would have to try related to tiie manner in which the fire 

 liad broken out, and to its probable cause. With regard to this 

 subject, it was not extraordinary to find it involved in mystery 

 and doubt. Calamities of this nature could seldom be traced to 

 their actual origin. They usually took place in the darkness of 

 night, and a hidden spark might produce a conflagration. The 

 fire had taken place within three months after the introduction 

 of a process materially different from that which had been used 

 before, and no fire had ever taken place before this new process 

 was introduced. But then, again, it was for them to recollect — 

 indeed they could not be ignorant — that fires had taken place 

 in many other sugar-houses where the old process was still in use. 

 He now came to the last and most important question on which 

 they would have to deliberate. It was, Did the new process pro- 

 duce an increased risk of fire .-' On this important point they had 

 heard the evidence, he would not say of the most intelligent, but 

 of as intelligent men in chemical and scientific pursuits as were 

 to be found in this country or in Europe. He had himself read 

 the works of some of them, had derived pleasure from their la- 

 bours, and entertained the greatest respect for their talents and 

 information. But they had, nevertheless, left thfi Court in a state 

 of utter uncertainty ; and the two days during which the results 

 of their experiments had been brought into comparison, were 

 days not of triumph but of humiliation to science. The con- 

 stellation of brightness which had shone upon them left them in 

 a state of half-knowledge more fiill of doubt than a state of per- 

 fect ignorance. Those who walked in the twilight ought to pro- 

 ceed with can don ; and, speaking for himself, he never would 

 apply the contradictory results of experiment to the real and mo- 

 roentous interests of mankind. It must be matter of general re- 

 gret to find the respectable witnesses to whom he was alluding 

 drawn up, not on one side, and for the maintenance of the same 

 truths, but, as it were, in martial and hostile array against each 

 other. Volumes had already been spoken ; but volumes more 

 must be written before this subject was likely to be elucidated. 



For 



