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I HAVE here fubjoined a drawing of the medal of the fize of 

 the original. On the front is the word Alt encircled with the 

 rays, of the fnn ; over the letters Ta is a ftar. On the reverfe are 

 two myftical characters crowned with ftars — I cannot explain 

 them. 



What marks the ■■ fvngiilarirj of this tallfman are the nmue- 

 rals xiiider the word jla.: The figures are European, not Ara- 

 bian. 



.fi.euBJES came firll from the Perlians or Indians to the Ara- 

 bians, aijji from them to the Moors, and fo to the Spaniards, 

 from whom the other Europeans received them. The Arabians 

 acknowledge they had them from the Indians, as profefTor Wallis 

 has fliewn from their writings. 



Wallis has offered fome arguments to prove that Gerbertus, 

 a monk, who was afterwards advanced to the Papal See, and 

 took the name of Sylvefler II. had before the year looo learned 

 the art of arithmetic as now pracftifed, with the ufe of nine 

 charadlers only (whatfoever their form then was) from the Sara- 

 cens in Spain, which he afterwards carried into France. Thefe 

 charadlers, however, were known for a long time after only to 

 aftronomcrs, and jM^incipally ufed by them in aftronomical cal- 

 culations ; the Roman numerals being ftill retained in common 

 ufe to exprefs fmaller numbers. Mr. Cope and Do(flor Wallis, 

 on ftrid enquiry, find thefe numerals were firft ufed in England 

 about the year 1130. 



The 



