14 
and masters of none,” but still I believe that it is better to have a 
smattering of a good many things, than total ignorance of all. 
During nearly thirty years that I have lived in Norwich, it has 
been satisfactory to see that there is a decided step being made in 
the love of all departments of knowledge and science, I can 
remember when there were one or two little clubs just dying out — 
little private societies, at which papers were read, and which did a 
deal of good. I remember myself being a member of such a 
society. It had three members when I joined it, and we soon 
finished with being a nice little gossipping club. Mr. Fitch was 
one of the members, and at his house the last meeting was held. 
Some of us tried to stir up the Norwich people, and one after 
another of these societies arose and died away, each rotting and 
adding something to the soil. It may be the fate of this society 
to die also, and if so, we shall leave a nice little debris for other 
people’s benefit afterwards. Here we are, then, trying to form 
what seems to be a wider and larger, and, I fancy, more promising 
society than any that has arisen in Norwich. Let us look at the 
scope of this society, and what it is to do if it comes to maturity, 
and does its work in life. You have first to take a wide sweep 
over all nature’s works, except the field of geology. We have a 
society of geologists, and let us leave them to their special depart- 
ment, only we ought to work in alliance and in union with them, 
for all parts of knowledge, all parts of nature, are allied to each 
other. There is no such thing as a scientific man worthy of the 
name who confines his attention to one subject, however important, 
without looking at the relation which science shows it has to the 
things around it. I remember a severe lesson being given to some 
of the scientific men of the last generation. At the Bristol 
meeting of the British Association, Mr. Cross, of Taunton, brought 
forth his extraordinary experiments in electricity, and next day 
Professor Sedgwick, Buckland, and one or two more were not to 
be found. Enquiry was made, and it was found they were in bed ; 
they had been so excited the previous day that they could not got 
up — they were scientifically intoxicated, and had to sleep it off 
next morning. The chemists came to their rescue, and said they 
ought to have known better, they ought to haA'^e known that cer- 
tain French chemists had anticipated Mr. Cross in some points ; 
and the consequence was that the geologists had to oat humble pie 
