292 LETTEES ON NATURAL MAGIC. 



ture to say, that many of the most intelligent of 

 our readers will scarcely admit it to be possible 

 that astronomical and navigation tables can be 

 accurately computed by machinery ; that the 

 machine can itself correct the errors which it may 

 commit ; and that the results of its calculations, 

 when absolutely free from error, can be printed 

 off, without the aid of human hands, or the 

 operation of human intelligence. All this, how- 

 ever, Mr. Babbage's machine can do ; and as I 

 have had the advantage of seeing it actually 

 calculate, and of studying its construction with 

 Mr. Babbage himself, I am able to make the 

 above statement on personal observation. The 

 calculating machine now constructing under the 

 superintendence of the inventor has been executed 

 at the expense of the British Government, and is 

 of course their property. It consists essentially 

 of two parts ; a calculating part, and a printing 

 part, both of which are necessary to the fulfil- 

 ment of Mr. Babbage's views; for the whole 

 advantage would be lost if the computations 

 made by the machine were copied by human 

 hands and transferred to types by the common 

 process. The greater part of the calculating 

 machinery is already constructed, and exhibits 

 workmanship of such extraordinary skill and 

 beauty, that nothing approaching to it has been 

 witnessed. In order to execute it, particularly 

 those parts of the apparatus which are dissimilar 

 to any used in ordinary mechanical constructions, 

 tools and machinery of great expense and com- 

 plexity have been invented and constructed ; and 

 in many instances contrivances of singular in- 

 genuity have been resorted to which cannot fail 



