In our review of Mr. Weld’s “History of the Royal Society,” [_ante_, p. 621,] we noted that one chapter was devoted to the history of the celebrated undertaking above named. This chapter is taken from materials furnished by Mr. Babbage himself, all the documents having undergone the inspection of Mr. Weld. Of recent publications on the subject it may be well to note—1. A short account of the transactions with the Government, communicated by Mr. Babbage to the _Philosophical Magazine_ for September, 1843. 2. A sketch of the _Analytical Engine_ (on which Mr. Babbage is now at work, that commenced by the Government being the _Difference Engine_) written in Italian by Menabrea, and translated, with notes (and a list of all previous publications), by the Countess of Lovelace (August 1843). The statements put forward by Mr. Babbage have thus been in substance before the public for five years, without contradiction: for though the account (No. 1) was not signed, it was stated to be _from authority_, allowed to pass as such by the Editors of the magazine, and generally understood to emanate from Mr. Babbage. We are then bound to take this first statement as admitted by Government, more especially after the publication by Mr. Weld, avowedly made from the documents furnished by Mr. Babbage himself: and assuredly we understand Mr. Weld as conceiving himself to be distinctly informed by Mr. Babbage, that _all_ documents of any importance had been communicated. The heads of the public history of the _Difference Engine_ are as follows:—In April, 1823, the Government requested the opinion of the Royal Society on Mr. Babbage’s plan for “applying machinery to the purposes of calculating and printing mathematical tables.” The Royal Society reported favourably, that the machine was “fully adequate to the objects proposed,”—and this report was laid before Parliament. In July, Mr. Babbage had an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Earl of Ripon) to ascertain if Government would wish him to construct for _printing_ as well as _calculating_. There is no minute of this conversation, and the parties have different memories upon it. But soon after, the Treasury informs the Royal Society that 1,500_l._ was to be issued to Mr. Babbage “to enable him to bring his invention to perfection, in the manner recommended.” Mr. Weld remarks that no plan had been pointed out; but it must be noticed that the original application was for an opinion upon _calculating and printing_, that the opinion spoke of the _full adequacy_ of the plan for _the objects proposed_, and that the final determination of the Government was to proceed _as recommended_. Unless there were a previous understanding that all documents should either speak with the verbal completeness of an indictment or be wholly void, it is clear that the Government determined to assist Mr. Babbage in realizing the full invention, and told him so.[49]