Page:Passages from the Life of a Philosopher.djvu/85

Rh perfection the others I have described, will, in a great measure, depend on the nature of the encouragement I may receive.

"Induced, by a conviction of the great utility of such Engines, to withdraw, for some time, my attention from a subject on which it has been engaged during several years, and which possesses charms of a higher order, I have now arrived at a point where success is no longer doubtful. It must, however, be attained at a very considerable expense, which would not probably be replaced, by the works it might produce, for a long period of time; and which is an undertaking I should feel unwilling to commence, as altogether foreign to my habits and pursuits."

The Model alluded to had been shown to a large number of Mr. Babbage's acquaintances, and to many other persons; and copies of his letter having been given to several of his friends, it is probable that one of the copies was sent to the Treasury.

On the 1st of April, 1823, the Lords of the Treasury referred that Letter to the Royal Society, requesting—

"The opinion of the Royal Society on the merits and utility of this invention."

On the 1st of May the Royal Society reported to the Treasury, that—

"Mr. Babbage has displayed great talent and ingenuity in the construction of his Machine for Computation, which the Committee think fully adequate to the attainment of the objects proposed by the inventor; and they consider Mr. Babbage as highly deserving of public encouragement, in the prosecution of his arduous undertaking."

On the 21st of May these papers were ordered to be printed by the House of Commons.

In July, 1823, Mr. Babbage had an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Robinson ), to ascertain if it was the wish of the Government that he should construct a large Engine of the kind, which would also print the results it calculated.