184 CHARLES BABBAGE. 



to celebrate the election of Charles Babbage as Lucasian professor of 

 mathematics at Cambridge;" or, iu other words, his appointment to the 

 chair formerly occupied by Newton. 



It was in Paris, in 1826, at a dinner given by Bouvard, the astronomer, 

 that I had an opportunity to become acquainted with Babbage. There 

 were at the same time present Poisson and several other of the scientists 

 who then made Paris illustrious, with all of whom he was a center of 

 interest. He, with truly fraternal kindness, oiiered me his assistance in 

 procuring from the English mechanicians, among whom was the cele- 

 brated Troughton, the instruments for the Belgian observatory. He also 

 proposed my co-operation in a work which he had projected which was 

 to contain a register of everything capable of being measured, such as 

 the specific gravity of bodies; the linear expansion of metals; tb.eir 

 weight; the size of animals; the quantity of air they breathe; the 

 nourishment they need, &(;. "The extent of this work," I said, " is too 

 vast to be carried out unless by the co-operation of many miuds. The 

 outline of what may be necessary for man alone is so great that with the 

 help of many friends I could not hope to complete more than a skeleton 

 of the whole." The reply was that time is an element of solution which 

 overcomes the greatest difficulties of investigation ; and if our eftbrts 

 are properly directed our desceudents will finish what we have properly 

 begun. 



Nothwithstanding his immense labor connected with the calculating- 

 machine, Babbage, in April, 1835, turned his attention to assist his 

 friend Herschel, then at the Cape of Good Hope, in carrying out over 

 the whole world, on certain days, a system of meteorological observa- 

 tions. These days, which were called term-days, were the 21st of 

 December, 21st of March, 21st of June, and 21st of September. At 

 these times continued observations were to be made at every hour, 

 commencing at noon on the days above mentioned and terminating the 

 next day at the same hour. These observations, in the introduction of 

 which Mr. Babbage took an active part, were continued in Europe, 

 America, India, and Africa, and led finally to the establishment of the 

 various systems of simultaneous weather-reports of the present day. 



While I was in London, iu 1851, at the great exhibition of indus- 

 trial products, Babbage made me acquainted with Lord Lovelace, a 

 gentleman of great ability and high reputation, who had married the 

 cherished daughter of Lord Byron. This charmijug lady, remarkable 

 for her beauty and personal accomplishments, and noted for her in- 

 1:ellectual powers, had published a translation of an Italian ac(;ount of 

 the calculating-machine. She received me very graciously, and urged 

 Mr. Babbage and myself k) visit her frequently for conversation on 

 literary and scientific subjects, with which she was familiar. She was 

 especially interested in the calculus of probabilities, and so far did we 

 carry our discussions on this point that it was agreed that we should 



