Babbage's Economy of Machinery and Mamtfactures. 209 



are so intimately connected with the progress of the scientific arts, 

 and the operations which it describes are so essential to the perfection 

 of scientific instruments and scientific machinery, that we feel it a 

 duty to make our readers acquainted with the merits of so remark- 

 able a work. The name of the author, indeed, is sufficient to attract 

 the attention of scientific men to any work which emanates from his 

 pen ; but those who are acquainted with Mr. Babbage's merits as an 

 inventor, and have acquired any knowledge of the nature and power 

 of that extraordinary machinery which he has taught to perform the 

 most complicated calculations, will turn with intense interest to a 

 volume containing an account of the various resources of the mecha- 

 nical arts which the author has himself studied in the different work- 

 shops and factories of Europe, and a classification of the modes of 

 action of tools and machines, and a generalization of the principles of 

 their application to supersede the labour of the human arm. 



Mr. Babbage's work is divided into two sections. The first section 

 contains a view of the mechanical part of the subject, which occupies 

 twelve chapters. Hhejirst chapter treats of the general sources from 

 which the advantages of machinery are derived ; and the nine follow- 

 ing chapters treat of principles of a less general character, such as. 

 Accumulating power, — Regulating power, — Increase and diminution 

 of velocity, — Extending the time of action of forces, — Saving time in 

 natural operations, — Exerting forces too great for human power, and 

 executing operations too delicate for human limits, — Registering 

 operations, — OEconomy of materials employed, — and Of tlie identity 

 of the work when it is of the same kind, and of its accuracy when of 

 different kinds. The eleventh chapter treats of Copying, and is di- 

 vided into Printing from cavities, — Printing from surface, — Copying 

 by casting, — Copying by moulding, — Copying by stamping, — Copy- 

 ing by punching, — Copying with elongations, — and Copying with 

 altered dimensions. This chapter, which is an exceedingly popular 

 and interesting one, is full of the most curious practical information, 

 and contains the first account that has yet appeared of Mr. John 

 Bate's ingenious art of Engraving from Medals. The twelfth chap- 

 ter, which terminates the first section, treats of the method of ob- 

 serving manufactures, and deserves the peculiar notice of the scien- 

 tific traveller. 



The second section of the work begins with an introductory chapter 

 on the difference between making and manufacturing', and in eighteen 

 succeeding chapters, contains a discussion of most of the questions and 

 principles which belong to the political oeconomy of manufactures, such 

 as, The influence of verification on price, — The influence of durability 

 on price, — On price as measured by money, — On raw materials, — 

 On the division of labour, — On the division of mental labour, — On 

 the separate cost of each process, — On the causes and consequences 

 of large factories, — On the position of great factories, — On overma- 

 nufacturing, — Inquiries previous to commencing any manufactory, — 

 On contriving machinery,— On the application of machinery, — On the 

 duration of machinery, — On combinations amongst masters or work- 

 men against each otiier, — On combinations of masters against the 



Third Scries. Vol. 1. No. 3. Sept. 1832. 2 E 



