The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-26 00:00:00

NEW CALCULATING MACHINE.

A remarkable machine for the purposes of abstruse
calculations has been sent over to this country, and
deposited for the present at the Royal Society. It is
the invention of a Swedish gentleman named Schutz,
who has, it is said, expended the greater portion of
his property in the operations necessary to bring his
invention to a successful issue. It must not, how-
ever, be supposed that the machine is of a compli-
cated nature. On the • contrary, its simplicity is one
of its most remarkable features. There appears
nothing in its construction which would overtask -the
capabilities of an ordinary mechanic, and the mad
exhibited is said to have been constructed by two
Swedish workmen, instructed only in the commofi
principles of their art. It is, of course, impossible to
give an adequate conception of the machine without
the uie of diagrams. It will be sufficient here to
state the principle which has been made use of to direct 1
its operations, and some of the marvellous results
which it is capable of accomplishing. The principle is
one well known to mathematicians, and may be verified
by a person possessing only a knowledge of the common
rules of arithmetic. It is, that all tables of numbers
which follow any law, however complicated, may to a
greater or less extent be formed by proper arrangements
of successive additions or subtractions. Mr. Babbage
is the person to whom the world is indebted for show-
ing the wonderful use that might be made of this prin-
ciple in the construction of a calculating engine. But
the cost involved in the construction of the parts of his
engine, and of the tools required, was enormous.
We believe that Government contributed' as much as
20,0001. to the expenses, and that Mr. Babbage him-
self disbursed large sums from his own private
means. Moreover, although the portion of the
machine which was put into operation produced satis-
factory results, grave doubts have been expressed by
many persons whether the mechanical difficulties to be
conquered before a complete engine could be fabricated
were not insuperable. The machine, therefore, has never
been completed, and we believe that the only portion of
it left in a finished state is to be seen in King's College,
London. The estimates for its completion frightened
the Government, of the day,,and Sir Bobert Peel is said
to have expressed the magnitude of the financial diffi-
culty in one of the only mots that have ever been attri-
buted to him. He insinuated a doubt whether Babbage's
engine, however povierful, would be able to compute the
cost of its construction. The invention of Mr. Schutz
may be said to complete the problem started by Mr.
Babbage : "Can a machine be made, at once simple and
inexpensive, which shall perform laborious and exten-
sive computations quickly and infallibly ?"
Here is the engine. It may be seen in full operation.
It will compute all the logarithms in Hutton's tables
without the possibility of error. It not only does this,
but it prints them and stereotypes them. Hutton's tables
are mentioned because they are best known, but other
astronomical tables not contained in Hutton can be Com-
Suted, registered, and stereotyped by the engine of M.
chtitz in the time that a compositor would take to'set
up the type. It will, at the ordinary rate of working,
produce about 250 figures stereotyped on plates ready
for printing in about ten minutes.
Now, the importance of correct mathematical tables of
the r.ature alluded to may be judged by the fact that
an error in a single figure in a set of tables used by a
captain at sea may occasion the loss of his ship_ Hun-
dreds of ca-es of a similar nature might be given, but it
would be useless as the universal custom of civilised govern-
ments, in expending large sums in obtaining tables cor-
rectly calculated, is sufficient to show their value. Many
years ago the French Government determined to execute
" a monument of calculation, the most costly and im-
puting which had ever been seen." To carry out this
intention it was necessary to employ five or six mathe-
maticians of the very highest class ; seven or eight ma-
thematicians celebrated rather for acquirements and in-
dustry than genius, and a corps of some eighty compu-
ters. The results of their labours appeared in seventeen
large folio volumes. All the most important of the
computations necessary in these vast operations can be
managed in M. Schtitz's engine by the simple turn-
ing of a handle, and this without the possibility of an
error. As a proof of the wonderful powers of the en-
gine, and the extraordinary delicacy with which certain
operations are effected, one simple example may be given.
Tables of logarithms are not considered sufficiently accu-
rate unless the logarithms are carried out to seven places
of decimals. But in order to get seven places accurately
iL is necessary originally to carry out the computation to
a much larger number of places. The first seven of these
are printed, and the rest rejected. Now, it has been ac-
cepted as a rule by mathematicians, that if the first of the
rejected figures is above five, the last of the seven retained
is to be increased by a unit. M. Schutz's machine cal-
culates to 16 places, but only prints 7. The machinery
seems, however, perfectly to understand its duty when
the first of the rejected figures is above 5. In this case
it acts "like a thing of life." It increases the 7th figure
by a unit, as if it were gravely introduced as a correc-
tion, suggested by its own knowledge of mathematics.
The arrangements of the various portions of the engine
are admirably planned, and the mechanical contrivances
models of beauty and simplicity. It must be an object
of intense interest to every one, but only those who are
acquainted with the labour of computing mathematical
tables, the great danger of error, and the time and ex-
pense of correction, will fully appreciate the excellences
of this machine, so simple in its operation, and so in-
fallible in its results,

MALLET NEWS-(THIS DAY.)

NEAT MARKETS.

NEWGATE AND LEADENHALL.—The trade ruled steady,
at very full prices :—Beef, from 3s 24 to 4s 6d • Mutton,
3s 4tl to 4s 6 t ; lamb, 58 2d to 6s 6d ; Veal, 3s Bdto 43 8d ;
Pork, 3s 4d to 4s 4d per 81bs, by the carcase.
SOUTHALL, April 25.—The supply of stock on offer in
to-day's market was moderate, and the demand ruled
steady, at very full prices. Beef, from 3s 4d to 4s 8d;
Mutton, 38 6(1 to 5s Od; Lamb, 5s 44 to 6s 6d ; Veal, 4s Od
to 4s 8.1 ; Pork, :is 4d to 4s 4d per 81bs, to sink the offals.
ROM FORD, April 25.—Tc-day's market was rather active,
as follows :—Beef, from 3s 4d to 4s 10d ; Mutton, 38 44 to
5s Od; Lamb, 5s 6d to 6s 10d ; Veal, 4s Od to 4s 8d ; Pork, 3s
4d to 4s 44 per Sibs. Quarter old Store Pigs, 20s to 25s
each.