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Treasury acquiesced, and the work was proceeded with; Mr.Babbage 

 exercising a constant and vigilant superintendence, furnishing the 

 designs, making the computations, in fact supplying all the theo- 

 retical requirements, while the Government supplied the manual 

 labour and raw materials. In the then backward state of mechanical 

 engineering, great difficulties were encountered; at length in 1828 

 the Royal Society was again consulted by Government, and the 

 result was a report from a Committee, to the effect that satisfactory 

 progress had been made, considering the difficulties, and that the 

 engine was likely to answer the expectations of its inventor. The 

 Council adopted the report, and communicated it to Government, 

 with a strong recommendation in favour of the undertaking. The 

 Government acting under that recommendation supplied further 

 funds, on the condition that the engine was to be public property, 

 and the work proceeded. In 1830 the Royal Society was again 

 consulted by Government, and the Council acting as on former 

 occasions appointed a Committee. The report which was drawn up 

 in a detailed form was satisfactory to the Treasury, and the Council 

 were informed that funds would be supplied from time to time till 

 the engine was completed. Very soon a new difficulty occurred ; it 

 became necessary to change the engineer, and it was then found 

 that by the rules of the trade, the tools, which had been constructed 

 at the public expense, were the private property of the engineer : 

 there was no choice, therefore, but to sacrifice the tools, or to 

 endeavour to effect a compromise for a large sum. The progress of 

 the work was suspended : there was a change of government. 

 Science was weighed against gold by a new standard, and it was 

 resolved to proceed no further. No enterprise could have had its 

 beginning under more auspicious circumstances : the Government 

 had taken the initiative, they had called for advice, and the adviser 

 was the highest scientific authority in this country ; your Council, 

 guided by such men as Davy, Wollaston and Herschel. By your 

 Council the undertaking was inaugurated, by your Council it was 

 watched over in its progress. That the first great effort to employ the 

 powers of calculating mechanism, in aid of the human intellect, should 

 have been suffered in this great country to expire fruitless, because 

 there was no tangible evidence of immediate profit, as aBritish subject I 

 deeply regret, and as a Fellow my regret is accompanied with feelings 



