teem with information of the most important kind, rendered doubly valuable by the circumstances under which it has been collected. From these sources I have freely taken, and I have derived some additional confidence from the support they have afforded to my views.*

CHARLES BABBAGE.

DORSET STREET, MANCHESTER Square.

June 8, 1832.

* I am happy to avail myself of this occasion of expressing my obligations to the Right Hon. Manners Sutton, the Speaker of the House of Commons, to whom I am indebted for copies of a considerable collection of those reports.

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION.

STATEMENT OF THE OBJECT AND PLAN OF THE WORK.

CHAPTER I.

SOURCES OF THE ADVANTAGES ARISING FROM MACHINERY

AND MANUFACTURES.

England peculiarly a Manufacturing Country, § 1. Its Manu-

factures spread throughout the World, 2. Proportions of

Agricultural Population in various Countries, its gradual

Increase in England, 3. Additions to Human Power.

Experiment on Force to move a Block of Stone, 5.-

Economy of Time. Gunpowder, 6. Diamond for cutting

Glass; its Hardness, 7.- -Employment of Materials of

little Value. Goldbeaters' Skin; horny Refuse; old Tin

Ware, 8.-Of Tools, 9. To arrange Needles, 10. To

place their Points in one Direction, 11. Substitute for Hand;

Nail-making, 12. Shoe-machinery; Sash-lines, 13.- -Divi-

sion of the Objects of Machinery. To produce Power'; to trans-

mit Force; general Principles, 14. Wind; Water, 15.

Steam; Force not created, 16. Economy of Time in various

Modes of dividing Roots of a Tree, 17. Chinese Mode of

conveying Cotton compared with European, 18.

CHAPTER II.

ACCUMULATING POWER.

When the Work requires more Force than can be produced

in the time allowed for its Operation. Fly-wheel, Rolling-

iron, § 19. Anecdote of punching Plate-iron, 20. Pile-

engine, 21.

CHAPTER III.

REGULATING POWER.

Governor of Steam-engine. Ditto moving in Water at Chatham.

Uniform supply of Fuel to Steam-engine. Consuming

Smoke, § 22. Vane regulated by Resistance of Air. Strik-

ing Clock, 23. Cataract for regulating Engines in Cornish

Mines, 24.

CHAPTER IV.

INCREASE AND DIMINUTION OF VELOCITY.

Fatigue arising from Rapidity of muscular Exertion, contrasted

with its Magnitude, § 25. Most advantageous Load for a

Porter, 26. Tags of Boot-laces. Spinning by Hand and by

Wheel. Machines to wind Ribbon and Sewing Cotton, 27.

Tilt-hammer driven down by a Spring, 28. Scythe-mak-

ing, 29. Smoke-jack, 30.

CHAPTER V.

EXTENDING TIME OF ACTION OF FORCES.

Watches and Clocks. Common Jack. Automatons, § 31.

Jack useful for physical Experiments, also to agitate Che-

mical Solutions, 32.

CHAPTER VI.

SAVING TIME IN NATURAL OPERATIONS.

Tanning, § 33. Impregnation of Timber with Tar, &c. Ac-

cident to Boat of a Whaling Ship, 34. Bleaching Linen,.35.

Evaporation of Water of Brine Springs, 36, 37. Deepening

of Rivers in America, 38. Ascending Rapids, 39.

CHAPTER VII.

EXERTING FORCES TOO GREAT FOR HUMAN POWER, AND EXE-

CUTING OPERATIONS TOO DELICATE FOR HUMAN TOUCH.

Difficulty of making a large Number of Men act simultane-

ously. Statue of Peter the Great. Egyptian Drawing, § 40.

Rivets used when Red-hot, 41. Spinning Cotton. Steam-

boats, 42, 43. Damping Paper for Bank Notes, 44.

CHAPTER VIII.

REGISTERING OPERATIONS.

Pedometer. Counting Machines for Carriage. Steam-engine,

§ 45. Machine for measuring Calicoes, 46. Tell-tale, 47.

Instrument to measure Liquor drawn from Casks, 48. To

measure Liquor remaining in Casks, 49. Gas-meter, 50.

Water-meter, 51. Machine for registering the Average of

fluctuating Forces. Barometer Clock, 52. Alarums, Repeat-

ing Clocks and Watches, 53.

CHAPTER IX.

ECONOMY OF MATERIALS EMPLOYED.

Cutting Trees into Planks, § 54. Printing-ink Experi-

ment, 55.

CHAPTER X.

OF THE IDENTITY OF THE WORK WHEN IT IS OF THE SAME

KIND, AND OF ITS ACCURACY WHEN OF DIFFERENT KINDS.

Top of a Box turned in Lathe, § 56. Accuracy of Work exe-

cuted by Tools, 57. By Turning, 58.

CHAPTER XI.

Of Printing from Cavities.

graving on Steel, 62.

from Cylinders, 64.

OF COPYING.

Copper-plate Printing, § 61. En-
Music Printing, 63. Calico Printing
Stencilling, 65. Printing Red Cot-

ton Handkerchiefs, 66.-Printing from Surface. Printing

from Wooden Blocks, 67. From moveable Type, 68. From

Stereotype, 69. Calico Printing, 70. Oil-cloth Printing, 71.

Letter Copying, 72. Printing on China, 73. Lithographic

Printing, 74. Reprinting old Works by Lithography, 75.

Register Printing, 76.- -Copying by Casting. Iron and

Metals, 78. Casts of Vegetable Productions in Bronze, 79.

Casts in Plaster, 80. Casting in Wax. Imitations of

Plants; of the Human Body, 81.-Copying by Moulding.

Bricks, Tiles, Cornice of Church of St. Stefano, 83. Em-

bossed China, 84. Glass Seals, 85. Square Glass Bottles

with Names, 86. Wooden Snuff-boxes, 87. Horn Knife

Handles. Umbrella Handles, 88. Tobacco-pipe making, 90.

Embossing on Calico; on Leather, 91, 92. Swaging, 93.

Engraving by Pressure on Steel. Bank Notes. For-

gery, 94, 95.
Gold and Silver Mouldings, 96. Orna-

mental Papers, 97.-Copying by Stamping. Coins and

Medals, 98. Military Ornaments, 99. Buttons and Nail

Heads, 100. Clichée, 101.-Copying by Punching. Boiler-

plates, 103. Tinned Iron, 104. Buhl-work, 105. Cards for

Guns, 106. Gilt Paper Ornaments, 107. Steel Chains, 108.

·Copying with Elongations. Wire Drawing, 110. Brass

Tube Drawing, 111. Leaden Pipes, 112. Iron Rolling, 113.

Vermicelli, 115.-Copying with altered Dimensions. Penta-

graph, 116. Turning, 117. Rose Engine Turning, 118.

Copying Dies by Lathes, 119. Shoe Lasts, 120. Copying

Busts, 121. Screw-cutting, 122. Printing from Copper

Plates with altered Dimensions, 123. Engraving from

Medals, 124. Veils made by Caterpillars. Weight of

various Fabrics, 126. Copying through six Stages in Print-

ing this volume.

-

CHAPTER XII.

ON THE METHOD OF OBSERVING MANUFACTORIES.

Skeleton, General Inquiries, § 128. Skeleton for each Process,

129.

CHAPTER XIII.

ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAKING AND MANUFACTURING.