Taylor.] OU [Oct. 21. 



nowledged, is by all who have given the subject a careful study, so fully 

 appreciated, as being, at least, as fundamental as that of the decimal scale, 

 that those who urge the retention of all such denominations as are mea- 

 sured by the powers of 2, are no less justified. Which policy must, then, 

 be sacrificed ? 



"The elementary principle of decimal arithmetic," says Mr. Adams, 

 "is supplied by nature to man within himself, in the number of his fin- 

 gers. Whatever standard of linear measure he may assume in order to 

 measure the surface or the solid, it will be natural to him to stop in the 

 process of addition, when he has counted the tale equal to that of his fin- 

 gers. * * * But while decimal arithmetic, thus for the purposes of 

 computation, shoots spontaneously from the nature of man and of things, 

 it is not equally adapted to the numeration, the multiplication, or the 

 division of material substances either in his own person, or in external 

 nature. The proportions of the human body, and of its members, are in 

 other than decimal numbers. The first unit of measures for the use of the 

 hand is the cubit, or extent from the tip of the elbow to the end of the 

 middle finger ; the motives for choosing which are, that it presents more 

 definite terminations at both ends, than any of the other superior limbs, 

 and gives a measure easily handled and carried about the person. By 

 doubling this measure, is given the ell, or arm, including the hand and 

 half the width of the body, to the middle of the breast ; and by doubling 

 that, l\ie fatJiom, or extent from the extremity of one middle finger to that 

 of the other, with extended arms — an exact equivalent to the stature of 

 man, or extension from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot. For 

 subdivisions, and smaller measures, the span is found equal to half the 

 ciibit, the palm to one-third of the span, and the finger to one-fourth of 

 the palm. The cubit is thus, for the mensuration of matter, naturally 

 divided into 24 equal parts, with subdivisions of which, 2, 3, and 4, are 

 the factors ; while for the mensuration of distance, the foot will be found 

 equal to one-fifth of the pace and one-sixth of the fathom " {Adams's 

 Beport). 



"The fingers," says Dr. Lardner, "were naturally the first objects 

 which presented to the mind the idea of number ; and they furnished, 

 also, a set of natural counters by which the number of things might be 

 marked and expressed. The fingers, being continually in view, familiar- 

 ized the mind with the contemplation of every number of objects not 

 exceeding ten. It was natural, therefore, that ten should be adopted as 

 the number of objects to form the first group. * * * Although 

 ten has been so generally adopted as the radix of systems of numera- 

 tion, as to leave no doubt of its origin, yet it is not the only one which 

 has been used, nor is it the only radix having a natural origin. The 

 fingers of one hand rendered the number five familiar to the mind, before 

 the conception of ten as a distinct number presented itself. It was even 

 more natural and obvious, that the fingers should be contemplated aa 



