1841.} 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



401 



of the waters on an estate, but from their proper distribution and 

 application to useful purposes. He also proposes that model mapping 

 should be resorted to in all designs for the draining of towns. Some 

 of Mr. Denton's specimens we have seen, and they appear to possess 

 a minuteness and accuracy of detail, which is calculated to give satis- 

 faction to those who may avail themselves of this useful art. 



THE CALCULATING MACHINE. 



There are few efforts of the mind more fatiguing, more irksome, dry and 

 monotonous, than the drudgery of making long calculations. Tlie fi.xed and 

 unceasing attention to a subject in itself devoid of interest, when the slightest 

 intrusion of thought or fancy destroys the work already done, 9nd compels 

 us to return our weary way, is enough to addie and stupify the brain. No 

 woniler, then, that, from times immemorial, the ingenuity of man should 

 havi' been directed to the discovery of some contrivance, whereby this weari- 

 some labour might be lightened or abridged. Hence the invention of calcu- 

 latii g instruments and mechanical aids of various kinds. This long-sought 

 desideratum appears at length to have been obtained ; but before we present to 

 our readers some accountof the latest attempts of this kind, we will take a rapid 

 glance at the various endeavours previously made to accomplish the end in 

 view, and which will place in a more conspicuous light the merits of this new 

 invention. 



The instruments hitherto contrived for assisting or abbreviating calculations 

 may be classified as follow : — 



1. .Such as supersede the mere settmg down of figures, but requires as close 

 an application of the mind as common arithmetic. To this class belong the 

 calculating boxes of the Russians and Chinese, where the figures are repre- 

 sented by balls moved by wires. Even the Romans possessed an instrument 

 of this kind, called Abacus, in which the figures were indicated by buttons 

 running in grooves. 



2. To another class belong such instruments as are constructed on the fol- 

 lowing principle, viz. : — Two long slender rules are divided into 100 equal 

 parts, those parts being numbered from to 100, and are thus used : If, for 

 instance, it be desired to add 17 to 23, the rules must be so placed that the 

 of one shall be exactly opposite to 17 in the other, then by finding 23 on the 

 first, you will have below it on the second the number 40 as the result. If, 

 on the contrary, you wish to subtract one number from another, as 13 from 

 30, the number 13 on one rule must be brought opposite to 30 on tlie other, 

 and under the of the former you will find 17, the remainder. Such con- 

 trivances, being of very limited utility, and partaking more of the character 

 of toys than of practical inventions, have long since sunk into oblivion. In- 

 struments on this principle, some square, and others of a circular form, have 

 been produced by Perrault, in 1720; Poetins, in 1728; Peregre, in 1750; 

 Prahl, in 1789 ; Gruson. in 1790 ; Guble, in 1799, &c. 



3. A third class of instruments for assisting calculators, comprises the 

 " Virgulae Neperianoe," as likewise the other two works of this celebrated 

 Scotchman — namely, his MuUiplicationis Proviptuarium, and h\s Abacus Arcatis 

 in 1617. In his footsteps followed Caspar .Scott, 1620 ; Demeam, 1731 ; Lor- 

 dan. in 1798 ; Leopold, Pelit, and others. 



Equally well known with the foregoing is the calculating scale, so much 

 used by the English in mechanics, which was invented by Michael Scheffelt, 

 of Ulm, in 1699. 



All the contrivances above enumerated, and others which we pass over in 

 this brief sketch, do certainly diminish the labour of arithmetical calcula- 

 tions, more or less, but they all require the attention to be fi.\ed. and do not 

 completely attain the object sought. Hence the aim of scientific men has 

 been to invent an automaton, or self-acting instrument, for calculation, 

 which alone can deserve the name of a calculating machine. The first 

 attempt of this kind was mjde by B'aise Pascal, in 1640. His machine per- 

 formed addition and subtraction mechanically: but it was so difficult to work, 

 and the michanism so imperfect, that it was soon discarded and forgotten. 

 A similar destiny attended a machine for adding and subtracting, invented 

 in England by Samuel Moieland. in 1673. His other mathematical instru- 

 ment is nothing more than an adaptation of Napier's scale to circles for mul- 

 tiplication and division. The defects and insufficiency of these two inven- 

 tions of Pascal and Moreland gave rise to subsequent endeavours to improve 

 them. Lepine in 1725, and llillorin de Boisti.ssandeau m 1730. were not 

 more successful than their predecessors; nor did Gersten's invention, sub- 

 mitted to the Royal Society of London in 1735, afford any greater satis- 

 faction. 



In Italy, in 1709, Polenius tried his skill on a machine of this kind, but 

 produced only a coarse unsightly abortion, encumbered with weights, that 

 was far inferior to those which had preceded it. In all these cases the aim of 

 the inventors was only to work addition and subtraction. Leibnitz sought to 

 extend the operations of an arithmeti al calculator to multiplication and 

 division. The plan of his machine was submitted to the Royal Society of 

 London in 1673, and met the approbation of the society. A similar honour 

 attended it a short time al'tenvards from the Academy of Sciences at Paris. 

 But, despite the approbation of those celebrated learned bodies, the plan 

 wliich looked so promising on paper proved impracticable in execudun. 

 Leibnitz laboured hard during his wdiole life to bring his scheme to perfection, 

 expended vast sums upon it, ami yet effected nothing. Deaih caried him 

 oft, and his work remained unfinislie 1 and forgotten. In 1727 Leopold pro- 

 mised to publish to the world the pLin of a riiachine ihat should perforin 

 aiddilion, subtraction, and multiplication ; be died, leaving behind him only a 

 few fragments of his plan. After this it seems that no furiher attempts were 

 made for a long period, until, in the year 1799, a minister of M'irtemberg, 

 named llal'n, came forward with a nen machine, wh ch, however, attracted 

 no attention, as it was lound to commit serious errors in arithmetic : its in- 



ternal structure remains unknown, as does also that of a faulty instrumen 

 presented to the Academy of Sciences in Gottingen, by Muller, 1786. 



The machine constructed by Mr Thomas Colmer in 1820, was a retrogade 

 step in this branch of science. 



In the year 1821, Mr. Habbage of London, undertook to construct a ma- 

 chine for Government, which should by mechanical means form tables of 

 progression for the use of surveyors. A portion of this machine, forming a 

 progress'on up to five figures, was complete — 17,000?. had been expended on 

 it already, and to perfect the entire work would have required twice as much 

 more ; consequently, in 1833, the project was abandoned, and it is not pro- 

 Kable that the costly machine will be brought to a perfect state. 



The fragment or member alluded to may be seen at the inventor's. Mr. 

 Babbage is at present occupied with the plan of a machine wliicli is to per- 

 form mechanically all the operations of algebra. Already he has 30 plans 

 extant ; every friend of science must heartily wish that the inventor may be 

 more successful with his new project than he was with the previous one. 

 \Ve come now to speak of the recent successful attempt belbre alluded to. 

 For the last two years. Dr. Roth, of Paris, has been engaged in the construc- 

 tion of arithmetical machines, and the success that has attended his efforts 

 hitherto, proves he has accomplished his scheme for performing automatically 

 all the operaiions of arithmetic, from simple addition, subtraction, multipli- 

 cation, and division, to vulgar and decimal fractions, involution and evolution, 

 arithmetical and geometrical progression, and the construction of logarithms, 

 with ten plans of decimals. The machine in its present state works addition, 

 subtraction, multiplication, and both kinds of progression, quite mechanically, 

 In division alone the attention is required to avoid passing over the cipher. 

 The arithmetical progression is of vast importance, as it operates from one 

 farthing to millions of pounds sterling ; and when we consider the variety 

 and utility of the functions performed by a small instrument, not more than 

 a foot wide, and its comparatively insignificant price, we cannot but congra- 

 tulate the inventor on hi.s decided success in the results hitherto obtained, 

 and express our cordial wishes that he may meet with every encouragement 

 to persevere in his highly interesting and important labours. 



Mr. Wertheimber, the proprietor and patentee of this invention, has two 

 descriptions of these machines — a larger one which performs sums in addi- 

 tion, subtraction, multiplication, and division; and a smaller, which per- 

 forms addition and subtraction only. These machines have been submitted 

 to the inspection of several gentlemen eminent for their scientific attain- 

 ments, all of whom, particularly Mr. Babbage, have expressed the most un- 

 qualified admiration at their unparalleled ingenuity of construction. Mr. 

 Wertheimber had the honour of an introduction to the Royal presence, at 

 Windsor Castle, on Wednesday, the 6th inst., when both Her Majesty and 

 Prince Albert were graciously pleased to express their approbation of the 

 machines, and to order two of each sort to be supplied for their use.— 

 Times. 



STEAM NAVIGATION. 



A war steamer has been just built and completed for sea at New York for 

 the Emperor of Russia. She is 2.468 tons burden, and is called the Kamts- 

 chatka ; on trial it was found that under steam only she made nine knots, 

 and with the aid of some of her canvass 13 knots an hour ; she has 600 horse 

 power ; her spar deck is 240 feet in length, on which she has two ten-inch 

 with two eight-inch hollow shot guns (Paixhans), and 10 36- pounders ; she 

 is built wholly of American wood and metal, at a cost of 400,000 dollars. 



The Cairo, a small iron steamer, belonging to the Oriental and Peninsular 

 Company, has arrived in our waters, and has, during the week, made several 

 experimental trips, the result of which has been, that, for speed, she can 

 beat any of the steam-vessels which ply between this port and the Isle of 

 Wight very considerably. On Monday last she proceeded hence direct up 

 the Medina to Newport Quay, to the amazement of those along the river, 

 who never saw a steamer there before. She did the distance in one hour 

 and twenty minutes. The engines of the Cairo are complete models ; they 

 occupy a space of only three feet by six. Hampshire Telegraph. 



Improved Feed Apparatus for Steam Boats. — For the purpose of working the 

 force-pumps to suppply the boilers with water when the engines are stopped, 

 Messrs. Penn and Son have introduced into the " Father Thames " steamer, 

 a small engine (about half horse power) occupying a space 15 by 12 inches, 

 driven by the steam which w ould otherwise be blown oft' from the safety 

 valve, when the engines are at rest. 



The Devastation Steam War Frigate. — This fine vessel which was recently 

 launched from Woolwich Dock li ard, has been fitted by Messrs. Maudslays 

 and Field, with their patent double cylinder engine, (drawings and descrip- 

 tion of w hich are given in the 3rd vol of the Journal, p. 73.) and the appa- 

 ratus for connecting and disconnecting the paddle-wheel, lately patented by 

 Mr. Field ; this apparatus is worked with the greatest ease and simplicity. 

 The power of the two engines is 400 horse, and tlie armament consists of 

 two 10 inch, and four 32 pounder guns placed on swivels, and revolving on 

 circular turn plates let into the Hoor of the deck. An experimental trip was 

 made on Tuesday the 19th ult, when the vessel attained an average speed of 

 lU miles per hour. 



ENGINEERING V^ORKS. 



Aberystwith Harbour.— The progress which the works at this harbour have 



J '---•' ■ - 1 -- > i,„.i. „,..„„„;,.„ n„,j jatisfactory. The 



•ards. Its present 



Aberystwith Harbour.— The progress wlucli ttie worlcs at 



made during the present year, has been both extensive and satisf.ictory. The 

 length of the pier having lieen extendeJ ^seaward 41 y ' ' 



