748 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



nity. — This numeration, which is 

 not very clearly explained by Her- 

 rera, is founded on fives, for small 

 numbers, scores, and five scores, 

 or 100, — then for larger numbers, 

 they use twenties as we use tens ; 

 thus 20 times 20 is 400, 20 limes 

 400 is 8,000, and so on. A friend 

 of mine, better acquainted with 

 such subjects than 1 am, tells me 

 it is the only specimen he has met 

 with of vigesimal numeration. 

 Our score is the nearest simili- 

 tude. 



" When Pauw reasoned upon 

 the ignorance of the Americans in 

 numbers, did he suppress this re- 

 markable fact, or was he ignorant 

 of it? The same question is ap- 

 plicable to Dr. Robertson, who, on 

 this, and many other subjects, in 

 what he calls his History of Ame- 

 rica, is guilty of such omissions, 

 and consequent misrepresenta- 

 tions, as to make it certain either 

 that he had not read some of the 

 most important documents to 

 which he refers, or that he did not 

 choose to notice the facts which 

 are to be found there, because 

 they were not in conformity to 

 his own pre-conceived opinions. 

 A remarkable example occurs re- 

 specting a circulating medium ; 

 when he mentions the cacao nuts, 

 which were used as money in 

 Mexico, and says, ' this seems to 

 be the utmost length which the 

 Americans had advanced towards 

 the discovery of any expedient for 

 supplying the use of money.' 

 Now, it is said by Cortes himself, 

 that when he was about to make 

 cannon, he had copper enough, 

 but wanted tin ; and having bought 

 up all the plates and pots which 

 he could find among the soldiers, 

 he began to inquire among the 



natives. He then found, that In 

 the province of Tachco, little 

 pieces of tin, like thin coin, were 

 used for money, there and in other 

 places. And this led him to a dis- 

 covery of the mines from whence 

 it was taken. These are the words 

 of the Spanish — «• Quiso nuestro 

 Senor, que tiene cuidado y siem- 

 pre lo ha tenido, de proveer en la 

 mayor priesa, que tope entre los 

 Naturales de una Provincia que se 

 dice Tachco, ciertas Pececuelas 

 de ello, a manera de Moneda muy 

 delgada, y procediendo por mi 

 pesquisca halle, que en lo dicha 

 Provincia, y aun en otras, se tra- 

 tabapormoneda." — Carta i, § 17. 

 Barcia, t. 1. p. 149. 



" The reputation of this author 

 must rest upon his History of 

 Scotland, — if that can support it. 

 His other works are grievously 

 deficient." 



Such a criticism, as this of Mr. 

 Southey, on a writer whose works 

 have so long delighted the public, 

 deserves to be made known, espe- 

 cially as Mr. S. has travelled over 

 nearly the same ground. 



From the preceding extracts, 

 as well as from our incidental ob- 

 servations, the reader may easily 

 infer our opinion of Mr. Southey's 

 volume. The present interest, 

 which, as a commercial nation, 

 we take in the afiairs of Portugal 

 and of her colonies, will justify 

 our extended account of the 

 •'History of Brazil." Though de- 

 faced by occasional quaintness of 

 style, it combines such a variety 

 of well selected and authentic in- 

 formation, that we shall be happy 

 to resume our account of Mr. 

 Southey's historical labours in a 

 future volume of our Register. 



