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A wide field, therefore, is open for the employment of British 

 capital, and for the exercise of British skill; which, the in- 

 quirer will discover, must be attended with the certainty of 

 gain, without the possibility of loss. For instance, St. Faith's, 

 distant three miles from Norwich, has, for years, been burdened 

 with a population for which no permanent employment could 

 be found. Last year, two or three farmers of that parish grew 

 small quantities of flax, upon which ten or twelve of the most 

 active paupers are, at the present time, being taught the art 

 of hand-scutching, and will soon become expert. This year, 

 all the farmers have agreed to grow flax proportionate to their 

 occupations, in order that the poor may, in future, be offered 

 employment instead of the bread of idleness. 



For the same reasonable and benevolent object, Joseph Bul- 

 len is now teaching the inmates of the Union Workhouse at 

 Stradbroke, in Suffolk, to dress flax. Thus, attempts are being 

 made to prevent pauperism, and to turn the redundant poor 

 to a profitable account. From these measures no loss can pos- 

 sibly accrue ; for the labour of the pauper, and the cost of his 

 maintenance, were lost before. All, therefore, that he produces 

 at market, is gain. 



Were it necessary to cultivate waste-lands for the employ- 

 ment of the people, an additional argument might be raised 

 in favour of flax ; because the plant will flourish and produce 

 much valuable linseed upon ground newly broken up, as I 

 showed in my last letter. But I now wish to direct attention 

 to soils most ungenial to the growth of turnips, and which 

 would be greatly improved by the cultivation of flax, both as 

 respects the following crops of wheat, and the diffusion of 

 manure from cattle fattened upon the seed. 



In the course of my travels, I have seen many thousand 

 acres lying fallow, and imperfectly tilled, mainly through a 

 deficiency of manure. The farmers, being unable to grow tur- 

 nips, could obtain but little in winter ; and, for the want of 

 box-feeding, still less in summer. But were the culture of flax 

 judiciously introduced, with a proportionate quantity of peas 

 or beans, upon the farms to which I allude, and the crops ap- 

 propriated to rearing and fattening of cattle, manure would 

 be abundant, and the farmer obtain an ample return in the 



