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MISCELLANIES. 



Some Particulars respecting the 

 arithmetical Powers of Zerah 

 Colburn, a Child under Eight 

 Years of Age. 



London, Aug. 20, 1812. 

 'T^'^HE attention of the philoso- 

 -i- phiial world has been lately 

 attracted by the most singular phai- 

 nomenon in the history of the hu- 

 man mind that perhaps ever exist- 

 ed. It is the case of a child, un- 

 der eight years of age, who, with- 

 out any previous knowledge of the 

 common rules of arithmetic, or 

 even of the use and power of the 

 Arabic numerals, and without hav- 

 ing given any particular attention 

 to the subject, possesses (as if by 

 intuition) the singular faculty of 

 solving a great variety of arithmeti- 

 cal questions by the meie opera- 

 tion of the mind, and without the 

 usual assistance of any visible 

 symbol or contrivance. 



The name of the child is Zerah 

 Colburn, who was born at Cabut 

 (a town lying at the head of Onion 

 river, in Vermont, in the United 

 States of America), on the 1st of 

 September, 1804. About two 

 years ago (August, 1810), al- 

 though at that time not six years 

 of age, he first began to show those 

 wonderful powers of calculation 

 which liave since so much attract" 



ed the attention and excited the 

 astonishment of every person who 

 has witnessed his extraordinary 

 abilities. The discovery was made 

 by accident. His father, who had 

 not given him any other instruc- 

 tion than such as was to be obtain- 

 ed at a small school established in 

 that unfrequented and remote part 

 of the country, and which did not 

 include either writing or cypher- 

 ing), was much surprised one day 

 to hear him repreating the products 

 of several numbers. Struck with 

 amazement at the circumstance, he 

 proposed a variety of arithmetical 

 questions to him, all of which the 

 child solved with remarkable fa- 

 cility and correctness. The news 

 of this infant prodigy soon circu- 

 lated through the neighbourhood ; 

 suid many persons came from dis- 

 tant parts to witness so singular a 

 circumstance. The father, encou- 

 raged by the unanimous opinion of 

 all who came to see him, was in- 

 duced to undertake, with this 

 child, the tour of the United 

 States. They were every where 

 received with the most flatterine 

 expressions ; and in the several 

 towns which they visited, various 

 plans were suggested to educate 

 and bring up the child, free from 

 all expense to his family. Yield- 

 ing, however, to the pressing soli- 



citutiouft 



