54 



SPEECH OE THE BISHOP OF NORWICH. 



was impossible that an answer could be obtained on that day. 

 Mr. W. expected to receive it in a day or two, and would take 

 care to have it sent for publication in the county papers. He 

 could add. both with reference to himself and colleague^ that 

 nothing could give either of them greater pleasure and satis- 

 faction, than being instrumental in promoting an object of such 

 paramount interest, under the circumstances in which the agri- 

 culture of this country was placed. 



The Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of the Diocese said, he 

 had been requested to undertake the pleasant duty of moving 

 a vote of thanks to Capt. Rous, for the able manner in which 

 he had filled the chair on that important occasion, and for 

 giving so much of his time in promoting the objects of the 

 Society, to improve the agriculture of Norfolk for the benefit 

 of all concerned therein. His Lordship could not pretend to 

 give any opinion on the important subject submitted to the 

 consideration of the meeting. This only would he say, that 

 all experiments in agriculture, especially those connected with 

 science, should be encouraged to the utmost extent and in 

 every possible way. His Lordship would cordially acknow- 

 ledge himself a friend to experiments. Ninety-nine cases out 

 of a hundred might fail, but if one experiment answered its 

 purpose a great object was gained ; and in science there was 

 this advantage, that if an experiment failed in one instance 

 for any purpose, there might be gain in another. It should 

 never be forgotten, that there was not a single fact or experi- 

 ment that could be thrown away, for what failed in one point 

 might be gained in another. Thus in regard to the cultivation 

 of flax, — suppose it should be found that flax exhausted the 

 soil, and this, the Lord Bishop understood, was the principal 

 objection to its cultivation ; yet, in this age of science and experi- 

 ment — in this age, when Chemistry was brought into constant 

 operation, how did they know that they might not be led to 

 some more important facts, the knowledge of which might tend 

 to improve the nature of the soil, and introduce new manure 

 that would prevent its exhaustion ? If they failed in producing 

 flax in its utmost perfection, they might gain in manures. 

 Therefore every farmer and every person interested in agri- 

 culture should try the experiment, looking only to present 



