Page "Difference engine" Paragraph 7

In 1823, the British government gave Babbage ₤ 1700 to start work on the project.

Although Babbage's design was technically feasible, no one had built a mechanical device to such exacting standards before, so the engine proved to be much more expensive than anticipated.

By the time the government killed the project in 1842, they had given Babbage over ₤ 17, 000, more than double the cost of a warship, without receiving a working engine.

What Babbage did not, or was unwilling to, recognize was that the government was interested in economically produced tables, not the engine itself.

The other issue that undermined the government ’ s confidence in the difference engine was Babbage had moved on to an analytical engine.

By developing something better, Babbage had rendered the difference engine useless in the eyes of the government.