THE COMPUTING BOY. 295 



which may be proposed to the boy, since such intermediate Observations 



FIGURES NEED NOT BE MENTIONED AT ALL j for it is Well ""^rfort Of" lie 



known/that, in a company of upwards of one hundred per- .talents, and 



sons, amongst whom were some of the first literary and scien- n »'Ki«aiky of 



& ' , the methods ot 



tine characters in the kingdom, the following question was dis- computing by 



tinctly and unequivocally put to the child. — " Can you tell the derail Col- 

 mot of a perfect cube number by means of the two first and 

 two last digits only ?" He answered " Yes :" and that the 

 company might be satisfied that he clearly understood the na- 

 ture of the question, it was put to him again in the following 

 manner : " If a number of 12 figures be taken (which shall 

 be a perfect cube) and the two first and the two last figures 

 only be named to you, can you tell the cube root of the whole 

 number ?" To this he also replied, Yes. He was then tried 

 by various examples, which he answered with a facility and 

 correctness that excited the wonder and admiration of every 

 one present. Now, Sir, was there in all this any appearance of 

 a wish to deceive ? any desire to conceal any thing ? any fear 

 expressed by the boy lest the various questions which were put 

 to him might lead to a detection of his method? No, Sir, all 

 was fair, frank, open, and ingenuous ! But I am persuaded, 

 Sir, that what I have stated must be sufficient to convince any 

 unprejudiced person, that Mr. A. has not succeeded in discover- 

 ing the method by which the child performs his operations j 

 and I am therefore led to hope that I may thus counteract the 

 tendency which, the publication of Mr. A.'s letter in your 

 Journal may probably have had to injure both the boy N and his 

 father. I am, Sir, with the warmest wishes for the success of 

 your Journal, 



Your most humble Servant, 



W. SAINT. 



Loiver Close, Norwich, 

 March 13 th, 1813. 



vrr. 



