Sometimes I think en passant of all the Games, & notations for them. If any good idea should accidentally strike me, I will take care to mention it to you. But this is not likely.
I believe the Molesworths will come here on the 10th Octr, for a day or two. I am very anxious to hear from you. –
Ever yrs
A.A. Lovelace
P.S. The Nightingales say you must write to them. But (as you can’t sing & hate music) I wonder how you will manage to send them any intelligible song! –
To Charles Babbage
18 October [1848]
Ashley
Dear Babbage. I hope you got Lovelace’s Packet, (& also a subsequent letter from the Birds).
The Life-Preserver is safe here. What shall I do with it? – It certainly can’t go by Post, (until there is a yet further extension of the Postal system). –
I hope you are as pleased as I am with the account of you & your engines, in the last Athenaeum. – We think it very just & impartial. Let the Government answer it, if they can! –
I am vexed to think of your returning to unwholesome dull London. Do frequent us a little more, at Horsley; which is come-attable. –
You say nothing of Tic-tat-toe – in yr last. I am alarmed lest it should never be accomplished. I want you to complete something; especially if the something is likely to produce silver & golden somethings. . .
Write to me again directly; – or the Birds will be angry, & won’t sing. –
Sirius is becoming a little steadier. But, do what he will, he continues the universal favorite. Nelson hates him worse than ever. –
I have much more to say, but I hear the fatal Horn which (like Death), waits nobody’s pleasure. –
Yrs ever
A.L.
To Charles Babbage
Thursday, 2 November [1848]
Ashley Combe
Dear Babbage. . . Have you noticed the account (in the Athenaeum of the 21st Octr.), of the American Astronomer, Mitchell? – It is very interesting, & there is in it a good remark about Science never having been over patronised by royalty. –
We leave on Weddy next. I for Leicestershire for a few days. –
I do not know what to do about the Transit. I don’t wish to lose it. It seems it is at a convenient Hour enough, – 11o’clock fore-noon. But we have no conveniences here. – I suppose one can see it with the naked eye, (thro’ smoked glass). Any directions you can send will be valuable. –
I have had 2 or 3 more letters from my son, really very promising; & showing much accurate habit of observation, & excellent sense too. Also a facility for caricaturing which is quite a talent, but which is doubtless one of some danger. He is however, I suspect the Tortoise who will get before the Hares by & bye. –
“Sirius” has been obliged to submit to a muzzle, whenever he goes on expeditions. He pertinaciously attacked the Gallinacea.
But he is everybody’s favorite, & wins all hearts – from the stern Earl’s (his master), downwards. Always well received, & made much of! –
Old “Nelson” has ceased active interference concerning his son, & looks philosophical &_ saturnine – but pays great court to me. – Nelson will always be judicious.
How is Polly?
Conceive my maid being so mad as to petition taking Sirius (on a pleasure-expedition) to Leicestershire! – Imagine the bother one should have with that spotted scamp, at Inns, Stations, &c; – not to mention the (almost) certainty of his killing Mrs. Noel’s fowls, & playing the very deuce there. – But I believe Mary thinks the dog more wonderful & perfect than ever! –
Ever yrs
A.A. Lovelace
To Charles Babbage
Sunday, 17 December [1848]
Horsley
Dear Babbage. The further account in today’s Athenaeum is certainly excellent. The one little error about what you said to Lord Melbourne, is put so very slightly, that it is of no importance. –
I scarcely think there is anything one could wish altered.
I believe we shall have room for you next Satdy.
The starling don’t talk as yet. –
I hope you will come next Satdy.
Yrs, ever
A. A. L.
Don’t forget to let me have a heap of yr reprints as soon as you can. I can make good use of them. –
Poetical Science
Games were one of the most important entertainments of the upper classes in the nineteenth century. Even after Ada used indices for tracking each line of her table of instructions for the Bernoulli table, she was still wondering about its use in “all the Games, & notations for them.”
Babbage was considering developing an automatic tic-tac-toe machine. The very first program I had to learn when I learned how to program in Basic was tic-tac-toe.
How could you design a table to play tic-tac-toe? It is not that hard if you go step by step.
21
Spasms of the Heart, A Few More Years
[1849-1850]
By early 1849, despite Ada’s loan from Henry Currie, her money problems continued. She appealed to Greig to help her but had reservations about doing so because Greig was Lady Byron’s friend as well, and he had a tendency to gossip.
Ada went off for a few days to Brighton and had an engagement to meet Charles Dickens. He wrote her on 18 February 1849 that strange things were happening at his hotel. He wondered whether Ada was “haunting” him, and if so: “I hope you won’t do so.” Dickens had just completed Dombey and Son and The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain.
Lady Byron was still involved in her own “strange happenings” in Mesmerism. She encouraged Ada to support the remarkable effects of Mesmerism, writing her about the unusual experience with Mesmerism that Mrs Charles Lamb (her cousin) had experienced. Ada was skeptical.
To Woronzoiv Greig
5 January 1849
Brighton
Dear Greig. For the reasons I yesterday told you, I ought to see you before my mother enters on business with you. . .
Supposing however that you cannot come, remember the following points: –
1. You must not let out about debts: or money having been borrowed. I trust to you to give no hint of this.
2. Bear in mind that I have told my mother I consulted you some months ago, & laid before you the expense I have incurred as to the main points. I said you advised me to ask for an increase of £200 per ann: – which I acted on; – but the party declined to bind himself to any sum regularly, – but agreed to pay for Court-Dresses, & did pay one such Bill for last year.
This is the whole my mother knows, she must not know more.
Her reason for speaking to you now, is because I had been complaining of the marriage settlement,& speaking very strangely as to the great difficulties I have, to scramble on, – unless a decided & regular increase is allowed me. –
But if she knew of the debt, it would do irreparable mischief in more ways than one. I have told her that books & music are the two things which have made me overflow at times; & that perhaps I might have done without them, tho’ that would have been a great pity.
I think I have explained to you now. – ever yrs & c
To Charles Babbage
Sunday, 11 February [1849]
Horsley
Dear Babbage. I will send you the book on Tuesdy, & it can be left with you till Friday I believe. –
I want to get you to have a proper visiting list made out for me. If I send you my books of visitors, can you get it done, – & for what price about? –
On Tuesday I believe I am going to Brighton, till Friday.
I wish you had been here now; for we have room, which was quite unexpected. We thought we should be full. –
ever yrs
A.A.L.
To Woronzow Greig
Tuesday Evening, 13 March 1849
Esher
Dear Mr Greig. . . I have stated my own opinions & feelings upon the subject of property & money, in a very decided way to L
ovelace, in writing; as respects the past, the present, & the future; being entirely determined that the past & present state of things must not continue, & never ought to have existed.
I of course have said nothing unkind or offensive to him personally. Not only will it be unwise, but I do really acquit him of all intentional wrong; & think that ignorance has been the cause of the discomfort & difficulties I have been allowed to experience.
The point of difficulty is: that Lovelace entirely denies that anything unusual or unjust has been done; & indeed I believe he considers the miserable pittance allotted to me, as most liberal: (even the £300 per ann: out of the future £7,000 (!) per annum: which he is to enjoy to my exclusion!)
I scarcely however think it possible that he can, consistently with honor, resist that which I have never put in writing to him.
Had he agreed to my oral request last year, this further (& more decided) measure would not have been requisite. In some haste,
Most truly yrs
A.A. Lovelace
Ada had seen her father’s best friend, John Cam Hobhouse, in 1846. At that time he wrote in his diary that he was impressed by Ada’s candor and intelligence in discussing subjects like immortality, that “few men & and rarely any women” discuss. He observed that Ada’s health appeared frail.
In June 1849 Ada visited John Murray, who was another one of her father’s friends, as well as his publisher. She became ill at John Murray’s home.
During the summer of 1849 Byron [Lord Ockham] went off to sea, and the rest of the Lovelace family headed for Ashley Combe, inviting Babbage to come in late September. In addition to the children at Ashley Combe, there were dogs, birds, and other animals who followed everyone about. Continual cryptic references to the “book” appear in Ada’s letters to Babbage, which led one biographer to come to the mistaken conclusion that Babbage was involved in gambling on the horses with Ada.
Lady Byron became ill, and Ada, as a dutiful daughter, went off to attend to her mother, but she was not pleased about playing that role any longer. She complained to William that she was fed up. She longed to go to Ashley, “I am sick & weary of the life here, – & I think it affects my spirits in reality a good deal, within myself; – tho’ it don’t show externally.” Previously, William had supported Ada’s sacrificing her own interests to help her mother, but in 1849 he was annoyed that Ada had to go to help her mother when she should have been watching her own health and her own family. She returned to Ashley and heard the sad news that Greig’s wife had cancer, and Greig was miserable. She felt her health was improving and from her letters it appears that she was off of laudanum. She had hopes of surviving a few more years.
Qualms about having put Ralph in Lady Byron’s care surfaced in Ada’s letters to her mother (by repeating Babbage’s criticisms of Ralph’s manner). Ada tried her best to step back from her mother’s influence over her life. She attempted to get Ralph back for at least short visits and began to feel more comfortable about handling the children herself.
To John Murray
Thursdy Evening, 14 June [1849]
Great Cumberland St
Dear Mr Murray. I must thank you for yr kindness & excellent judgement yesterday.
It is “Spasms of the heart” that I am subject to; – & I have been so at times, more or less, for about 20 years; but this last year much more. It is of course (to the sufferers) like a mortal struggle between life & death, tho’ I believe not really dangerous under proper treatment. –
I have not had a return today, only I am very weak & ill & feel 20 years older than one did 3 days ago. – This is always the case.–
I think it is, as regards sensation, the most frightful thing anyone can have; & one has to call in reason afterwards to reconcile oneself. It might be worse; some organic disease, cancer, unsound lungs. – God knows what, for unhappily diseases abound.
I have never quite been able to decide whether life is most desirable or alarming! It is a nice question. At this moment, (just after an attack) the sense of the alarming is strongest. By & bye I hope the desirable oscillation will come round.
I am very sorry that I was fated to go thro’ the “valley of the shadow of death” in yr house. However you brought me successfully to life again. I must go as soon as able to see Mrs Murray, or else she will certainly think I am only a ghost, & a very troublesome one too! – Many thanks & am very
truly yrs
A.A.Lovelace
To Charles Babbage
Thursday, 20 September [1849]
Horsley
Dear Babbage. We propose to be down at Ashley on Thursday next – this day week; – & both L & I agree in urging you to come there during Octr, as the best possible rest & refreshment for you. Our house is not like the Somerset house, & I think we are now more regular even than we ever were.
You can have a pony all to yourself, & never need walk a step except on the terrace – the “philosopher’s walk.”
I propose to sleep in Town on Weddy next & go down by express train on Thursdy. Will you come back & go with me? –
Don’t forget the new cover you promised to bring for the book. The poor book is very shabby, & wants one.
There is a great deal I want to explain to you, which can’t be by letter. I can’t decipher satisfactorily some indications in the work in question. –
Is not the above medallion a very pretty thing? –
ever yrs truly
A.L.
P. S. I forgot to say that we have had more news from Ockham [Byron], round by Holland,–of a date 15 days earlier than the letter from the equator! .. All well & merry & the letter is a very charming one.
To Charles Babbage
Friday, 28 September [1849]
Ashley Combe,
Porlock, Somerset
Dear Babbage. At present coaches are running daily both from Bridgewater & from Taunton, to Porlock. –
I do not think they will continue to run daily, for above a fortnight longer. But you will be with us long before that I hope.
And at any rate if there is any change I will immediately let you know.
It is the express Train (9:50, Paddington Station) which meets the coaches.
We must ask you to do us the favor of bringing us down a package; – & also of going to Gt Cumberland St to select some things which Lovelace wants out of a parcel which is there. – Of all this I will write to you fully, in a day or two; & I will take care so to arrange it as to give you the least possible trouble.
I was so hurried & bothered the evg you came, (not expecting you in the least), that I could scarcely speak to you. Yet I was particularly glad to see you, – even in that uncomfortable way; – & it was a very good thing as regarded the book. –
I think your visit to Paris has been a most excellent step; very pleasant. –
I hope you will soon come, to people the “philosopher’s walk!” –
Don’t forget to pay respects to Pearce en passant, – & pray enquire after his (young) “Nelson.” He was an own brother of Rover’s, one of Flora’s first litter; – & it has turned out splendid, the best of the lot in fact!– It is called “Nelson”(junior), & it’s – very like Papa. –
Yrs ever truly
A.L.
Poetical Science
The correspondence that remains between Dickens and Ada is similar to text messaging today, short and I think in code. They often met in Brighton. The nature of their relationship is not clear. Ada admired his writing and always mentioned his latest works to her family. During this period of Ada’s life she was stepping back and realigning her relationships. That often causes trouble and it did.
22
Voltigeur, Everyone Is Grossly Slandered, Cold Stone Behind
[1850]
Voltigeur
By 1850 the Lovelaces had taken a firm step back from their involvement with Lady Byron. Annabella came back to live with them under the tutelage of Miss Wachter, Byron joined the Navy and was off at sea, and th
ey continued to complain about Ralph. Financially, however, they could not distance themselves from Lady Byron. Their new home in London, at 6 Great Cumberland Place, needed many repairs. Lady Byron wrote that she would help by giving Lord Lovelace a loan of £4500 secured by his life insurance policy in her favor. According to the bankbooks, she gave them £1500 in 1850. Money is discussed, but inspection of the bankbooks reveals differences.
If you know even a little about Ada, perhaps due to Ada Lovelace Day on 24 March, you most likely have heard about her gambling on the horses. Ada did gamble on the horses, but from examining the bankbooks the extent of her gambling is exaggerated.
Ada is pictured as an addicted gambler in many biographies. This rumor was most likely started by her mother. In the next chapter I explain why I think Lady Byron wanted Ada to be shown in this light, just as she wanted Byron to be associated with the incest myth. Both images make good stories, and everyone likes good juicy stories.
Ada, the Enchantress of Numbers:Poetical Science Page 19
