decline of science in england-第1章

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Decline　of　Science　in　England

by　Charles　Babbage



REFLECTIONS　ON　THE　DECLINE　OF　SCIENCE　IN　ENGLAND；
AND　ON　SOME　OF　ITS　CAUSES。


DEDICATION。

HAD　I　INTENDED　TO　DEDICATE　THIS　VOLUME；　I　SHOULD　HAVE　INSCRIBED　IT　TO　A　NOBLEMAN　WHOSE　EXERTIONS　IN　PROMOTING　EVERY　OBJECT　THAT　CAN　ADVANCE　SCIENCE　REFLECT　LUSTRE　UPON　HIS　RANK。　　BUT　THE　KINDNESS　OF　HIS　NATURE　MIGHT　HAVE　BEEN　PAINED　AT　HAVING　HIS　NAME　CONNECTED　WITH　STRICTURES；　PERHAPS　TOO　SEVERELY　JUST。　　I　SHALL；　THEREFORE；　ABSTAIN　FROM　MENTIONING　THE　NAME　OF　ONE　WHO　WILL　FEEL　THAT　HE　HAS　COMMANDED　MY　ESTEEM　AND　RESPECT。

C。　BABBAGE。


DORSET　STREET；　MANCHESTER　SQUARE；　29th　April；　1830。



PREFACE。


Of　the　causes　which　have　induced　me　to　print　this　volume　I　have　little　to　say；　my　own　opinion　is；　that　it　will　ultimately　do　some　service　to　science；　and　without　that　belief　I　would　not　have　undertaken　so　thankless　a　task。　　That　it　is　too　true　not　to　make　enemies；　is　an　opinion　in　which　I　concur　with　several　of　my　friends；　although　I　should　hope　that　what　I　have　written　will　not　give　just　reason　for　the　permanence　of　such　feelings。　On　one　point　I　shall　speak　decidedly；　it　is　not　connected　in　any　degree　with　the　calculating　machine　on　which　I　have　been　engaged；　the　causes　which　have　led　to　it　have　been　long　operating；　and　would　have　produced　this　result　whether　I　had　ever　speculated　on　that　subject；　and　whatever　might　have　been　the　fate　of　my　speculations。

If　any　one　shall　endeavour　to　account　for　the　opinions　stated　in　these　pages　by　ascribing　them　to　any　imagined　circumstance　peculiar　to　myself；　I　think　he　will　be　mistaken。　　That　science　has　long　been　neglected　and　declining　in　England；　is　not　an　opinion　originating　with　me；　but　is　shared　by　many；　and　has　been　expressed　by　higher　authority　than　mine。　　I　shall　offer　a　few　notices　on　this　subject；　which；　from　their　scattered　position；　are　unlikely　to　have　met　the　reader's　attention；　and　which；　when　combined　with　the　facts　I　have　detailed　in　subsequent　pages；　will　be　admitted　to　deserve　considerable　attention。　　The　following　extract　from　the　article　Chemistry；　in　the　Encyclopaedia　Metropolitana；　is　from　the　pen　of　a　gentleman　equally　qualified　by　his　extensive　reading；　and　from　his　acquaintance　with　foreign　nations；　to　form　an　opinion　entitled　to　respect。　　Differing　from　him　widely　as　to　the　cause；　I　may　be　permitted　to　cite　him　as　high　authority　for　the　fact。

〃In　concluding　this　most　circumscribed　outline　of　the　History　of　Chemistry；　we　may　perhaps　be　allowed　to　express　a　faint　shade　of　regret；　which；　nevertheless；　has　frequently　passed　over　our　minds　within　the　space　of　the　last　five　or　six　years。　　Admiring；　as　we　most　sincerely　do；　the　electro…magnetic　discoveries　of　Professor　Oersted　and　his　followers；　we　still；　as　chemists；　fear　that　our　science　has　suffered　some　degree　of　neglect　in　consequence　of　them。　　At　least；　we　remark　that；　during　this　period；　good　chemical　analyses　and　researches　have　been　rare　in　England；　and　yet；　it　must　be　confessed；　there　is　an　ample　field　for　chemical　discovery。　　How　scanty　is　our　knowledge　of　the　suspected　fluorine！　　Are　we　sure　that　we　understand　the　nature　of　nitrogen？　And　yet　these　are　amongst　our　elements。　　Much　has　been　done　by　Wollaston；　Berzelius；　Guy…Lussac；　Thenard；　Thomson；　Prout；　and　others；　with　regard　to　the　doctrine　of　definite　proportions；　but　there　yet　remains　the　Atomic　Theory。　　Is　it　a　representation　of　the　laws　of　nature；　or　is　it　not？〃…CHEMISTRY；　ENCYC。　METROP。　p。596。

When　the　present　volume　was　considerably　advanced；　the　public　were　informed　that　the　late　Sir　Humphry　Davy　had　commenced　a　work；　having　the　same　title　as　the　present；　and　that　his　sentiments　were　expressed　in　the　language　of　feeling　and　of　eloquence。　　It　is　to　be　hoped　that　it　may　be　allowed　by　his　friends　to　convey　his　opinions　to　posterity；　and　that　the　writings　of　the　philosopher　may　enable　his　contemporaries　to　forget　some　of　the　deeds　of　the　President　of　the　Royal　Society。

Whatever　may　be　the　fate　of　that　highly　interesting　document；　we　may　infer　his　opinions　upon　this　subject　from　a　sentiment　expressed　in　his　last　work：

〃But　we　may　in　vain　search　the　aristocracy　now　for　philosophers。〃〃There　are　very　few　persons　who　pursue　science　with　true　dignity；　it　is　followed　more　as　connected　with　objects　of　profit　than　those　of　fame。〃SIR　H。　DAVY'S　CONSOLATIONS　IN　TRAVEL。

The　last　authority　which　I　shall　adduce　is　more　valuable；　from　the　varied　acquirements　of　its　author；　and　from　the　greater　detail　into　which　he　enters。　〃We　have　drawn　largely；　both　in　the　present　Essay；　and　in　our　article　on　LIGHT；　from　the　ANNALES　DE　CHEMIE；　and　we　take　this　ONLY　opportunity　distinctly　to　acknowledge　our　obligations　to　that　most　admirably　conducted　work。　Unlike　the　crude　and　undigested　scientific　matter　which　suffices；　（we　are　ashamed　to　say　it）　for　the　monthly　and　quarterly　amusement　of　our　own　countrymen；　whatever　is　admitted　into　ITS　pages；　has　at　least　been　taken　pains　with；　and；　with　few　exceptions；　has　sterling　merit。　Indeed；　among　the　original　communications　which　abound　in　it；　there　are　few　which　would　misbecome　the　first　academical　collections；　and　if　any　thing　could　diminish　our　regret　at　the　long　suppression　of　those　noble　memoirs；　which　are　destined　to　adorn　future　volumes　of　that　of　the　Institute；　it　would　be　the　masterly　abstracts　of　them　which　from　time　to　time　appear　in　the　ANNALES；　either　from　the　hands　of　the　authors；　or　from　the　reports　rendered　by　the　committees　appointed　to　examine　them；　which　latter；　indeed；　are　universally　models　of　their　kind；　and　have　contributed；　perhaps　more　than　any　thing；　to　the　high　scientific　tone　of　the　French　SAVANS。　　What　author；　indeed；　but　will　write　his　best；　when　he　knows　that　his　work；　if　it　have　merit；　will　immediately　be　reported　on　by　a　committee；　who　will　enter　into　all　its　meaning；　understand　it；　however　profound：　　and；　not　content　with　MERELY　understanding　it；　pursue　the　trains　of　thought　to　which　it　leads；　place　its　discoveries　and　principles　in　new　and　unexpected　lights；　and　bring　the　whole　of　their　knowledge　of　collateral　subjects　to　bear　upon　it。　　Nor　ought　we　to　omit　our　acknowledgement　to　the　very　valuable　Journals　of　Poggendorff　and　Schweigger。　　Less　exclusively　national　than　their　Gallic　compeer；　they　present　a　picture　of　the　actual　progress　of　physical　science　throughout　Europe。　　Indeed；　we　have　been　often　astonished　to　see　with　what　celerity　every　thing；　even　moderately　valuable　in　the　scientific　publications　of　this　country；　finds　its　way　into　their　pages。　This　ought　to　encourage　our　men　of　science。　　They　have　a　larger　audience；　and　a　wider　sympathy　than　they　are　perhaps　aware　of；　and　however　disheartening　the　general　diffusion　of　smatterings　of　a　number　of　subjects；　and　the　almost　equally　general　indifference　to　profound　knowledge　in　any；　among　their　own　countrymen；　may　be；　they　may　rest　assured　that　not　a　fact　they　may　discover；　nor　a　good　experiment　they　may　make；　but　is　instantly　repeated；　verified；　and　commented　upon；　in　Germany；　and；　we　may　add　too；　in　Italy。　　We　wish　the　obligation　were　mutual。　　Here；　whole　branches　of　continental　discovery　are　unstudied；　and　indeed　almost　unknown；　even　by　name。　　It　is　in　vain　to　conceal　the　melancholy　truth。　　We　are　fast　dropping　behind。　　In　mathematics　we　have　long　since　drawn　the　rein；　and　given　over　a　hopeless　race。　　In　chemistry　the　case　is　not　much　better。　　Who　can　tell　us　any　thing　of　the　Sulfo…salts？　　Who　will　explain　to　us　the　laws　of　Isomorphism？　　Nay；　who　among　us　has　even　verified　Thenard's　experiments　on　the　oxygenated　acids；Oersted's　and　Berzelius's　on　the　radicals　of　the　earths；Balard's　and　Serrulas's　on　the　combinations　of　Brome；and　a　hundred　other　splendid　trains　of　research　in　that　　fascinating　science？　　Nor　need　we　stop　here。　There　are；　indeed；　few　sciences　which　would　not　furnish　matter　for　similar　remark。　　The　causes　are　at　once　obvious　and　deep…seated；　but　this　is　not　the　place　to　discuss　them。〃　MR。　HERSCHEL'S　TREATISE　ON　SOUND；　printed　in　the　ENCYCLOPAEDIA　METROPOLITANA。

With　such　authorities；　I　need　not　apprehend　much　doubt　as　to　the　fact　of　the　decline　of　science　in　England：　　how　far　I　may　have　pointed　out　some　of　its　causes；　must　be　left　to　others　to　decide。

Many　attacks　have　lately　been　made　on　the　conduct　of　various　scientific　bodies；　and　of　their　officers；　and　severe　criticism　has　been　lavished　upon　some　of　their　productions。　　Newspapers；　Magazines；　Reviews；　and　Pamphlets；　have　all　been　put　in　requisition　for　the　purpose。　　Odium　has　been　cast　upon　some　of　these　for　being　anonymous。　　If　a　fact　is　to　be　established　by　testimony；　anonymous　assertion　is　of　no　value；　if　it　can　be　proved；　by　evidence　to　which　the　public　have　access；　it　is　of　no　consequence　（for　the　cause　of　truth）　who　produces　it。　　A　matter　of　opinion　derives　weight　from　the　name　which　is　attached　to　it；　but　a　chain　of　reasoning　is　equally　conclusive；　whoever　may　be　its　author。

Perhaps　it　would　be　better　for　science；　that　all　criticism　should　be　avowed。　　It　would　certainly　have　the　effect　of　rendering　it　more　matured；　and　less　severe；　but；　on　the　other　hand；　it　would　have　the　evil　of　frequently　repressing　it　altogether；　because　there　exists　amongst　the　lower　ranks　of　science；　a　〃GENUS　IRRITABILE；〃　who　are　disposed　to　argue　that　every　criticism　is　personal。　It　is　clearly　the　interest　of　all　who　fear　inquiries；　to　push　this　principle　as　far　as　possible；　whilst　those　whose　sole　object　is　truth；　can　have　no　apprehensions　from　the　severest　scrutiny。　　There　are　few　circumstances　which　so　strongly　distinguish　the　philosopher；　as　the　calmness　with　which　he　can　reply　to　criticisms　he　may　think　undeservedly　severe。　　I　have　been　led　into　these　reflections；　from　the　circumstance　of　its　having　been　stated　publicly；　that　I　was　the　author　of　several　of　those　anonymous　writings；　which　were　considered　amongst　the　most　severe；　and　the　assertion　was　the　more　likely　to　be　credited；　from　the　fact　of　my　having　spoken　a　few　words　connected　with　one　of　those　subjects　at　the　last　anniversary　of　the　Royal　Society。　＇I　merely　observed　that　the　agreement　made　with　the　British　Museum　for　exchanging　the　Arundel　MSS。　for　their　duplicates；　（which　had　just　been　stated　by　the　President；）　was　UNWISE；　because　it　was　not　to　be　expected　that　many　duplicates　should　be　found　in　a　library　like　that　of　the　Museum；　weak　in　the　physical　and　mathematical　sciences：　　that　it　was　IMPROVIDENT　and　UNBUSINESSLIKE；because　it　neither　fixed　the　TIME　when　the　difference　was　to　be　paid；　in　case　their　duplicates　should　be　insufficient；　nor　did　it　appear　that　there　were　any　FUNDS　out　of　which　the　money　could　be　procured：　　and　I　added；　that　it　would　be　more　advantageous　to　sell　the　MSS。；　and　purchase　the　books　we　wanted　with　the　produce。＇　　I　had　hoped　in　that　diminutive　world；　the　world　of　science；　my　character　had　been　sufficiently　known　to　have　escaped　being　the　subject　of　such　a　mistake；　and；　in　taking　this　opportunity　of　correcting　it；　I　will　add　that；　in　the　present　volume；　I　have　thought　it　more　candid　to　mention　distinctly　those　whose　line　of　conduct　I　have　disapproved；　or　whose　works　I　have　criticised；　than　to　leave　to　the　reader　inferences　which　he　might　make　far　more　extensive　than　I　have　intended。　　I　hope；　therefore；　that　where　I　have　depicted　species；　n