368 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
[No. 23. 
guages, and at different ages of the same language, 
they might have been vowelised differently. In some 
shape or other, this name is used in all countries that 
have derived their arithmetic from medizval Italy, 
or from the Saracens. It is with some cipher, with 
others chiffre, and with all zero. The word is 
certainly no more Italian than it is French or 
English. Be itremembered, too, that ezor (quoted 
at p. 268.), as a girdle, is radically the same 
word, somewhat mutilated. The cardinal mean- 
ing of the word (denuded of the conventional 
aceretions of signification, which peculiar applica- 
tions of it adds to the cardinal meaning) appears 
to be emptiness, hollowness, nothingness. It may 
be further remarked, that in the fine Chartres 
MS. of Boetius, described by Chasles, the O is | 
called sipos : —the same name, he remarks, that 
Graves found in use in the East. The modern 
Turks call the O, ¢sifra. 
It is curious enough that in all languages, the 
term cyphering is popularly used to denote all 
arithmetical operations whatever. Our school- 
boys do their “ cyphering,” and write carefully in 
their “‘ eyphering-books.” This all seems to point 
to the art of dispensing with the use .of the abacus 
or counting table. T.S. D. 
Shooter’s Hill, March 6, 
Arabic Numerals.—i had replied to “ E. V.” 
(No. 15. p. 230.), when I saw by your “ Notice to 
Correspondents,” that the question was answered. 
I therefore waited the publication of the replies, 
which I find do not embrace any one of the points 
to which I would call the attention of “* EK. V.”— 
Diophantus of Alexandria, who flourished about 
150 years after Christ, and who wrote thirteen 
books of algebra or arithmetic in the Greek lan- 
guage, is generally supposed to be the oldest writer 
on the subject that has come down to our time ; 
but it was not from him that we received the 
knowledge of algebra in Europe. It appears cer- 
tain that the first knowledge of this science in 
England was from Italy or Spain, after the Moors 
settled in the latter country; and the Arabians 
and Persians appear to have derived their arith- 
metical method of computing by ten characters 
from the Indians: who, in their turn, have most 
probably borrowed from the Chinese, and improved 
on their method by the adoption of a zero, which 
was one of the most important improvements ef- 
fected by the Hindoos. In China, the words an- 
cient and modern are almost synonymous ; their 
usages and customs being so unchangeable, as ap- 
pears by their instrument of computation, the 
swanpan, which is still used in all their ealculations. 
The Oriental scholar will find much eurious and 
interesting information connected with this sub- 
ject in the Sanscrit Vija Ganita and Lilivati 
of Bhaskara Acharya: the former was translated 
into Persian at Agra, or Delhi, in 1634, and the 
| 
| 
latter by Fyzee in 1587; but there are also Eng- 
lish translations, all.of which are im the library of 
the Royal Asiatic Society. The Khalasah-ul-Hisah 
is another work of repute in India. Mr. Strachey 
wrote and printed in India, for the Asiatic Re- 
searches, a valuable paper, which contains most 
conclusive evidence of the Indian (if not Chinese) 
origin of our numerals. See also Astronomie 
indienne, of M. Bailly ; 2d vol. Asiatic Researches, 
“ On the Astronomical Computations of the Hin- 
doos,” by Saml. Davis; “* Two Dissertations on 
Indian Astronomy and Trigonometry,” by Pro- 
fessor Playfair, in the 2d and 4th vols. of the 
Edinburgh Philosophical Transactions. And many 
others might be referred to; but all tending to 
prove that our numbers came originally from 
China and India, through Persia, Arabia, Africa, 
Spain, and Italy, by gradual and successive changes 
in form, several of them still retaining a close re- 
semblance to the ancient and modern Sanscrit, 
Chinese, Arabic, Persian, and Hindoo numerals. 
Heyry WILKrNson. 
REPLIES TO MINOR QUERIES. 
IT send you a few Notes on Queries scattered 
| through some of the later numbers of your very 
valuable publication : — 
Anonymous Ravennas.—In the library of the 
Royal Geographical Society, I believe there is a 
copy of an 8vo. edition of that cosmography. 
Selago.— This plant, I should think it probable, 
| is the Lycopodium clavatum of modern botanists ; 
the seeds of which, when ripe, and when the plant 
is struck, rise like smoke (“‘fumum” of Pliny), 
and may have been supposed, from their remark- 
able inflammability when dashed into a flame, 
igniting with a sudden flash, to have possessed 
wonderful virtues. The species known as Lyco- 
podium selago is rare in comparison to the other. 
Portugal.—In the library of the Geographical 
| Society are some of the more recent works pub- 
lished in Lisbon on the topography of that country, 
but they are generally very meagre and unsatis- 
factory. In a periodical published in Lisbon in 
numbers, on the plan of the Penny Magazine, there 
is a good deal of information, with engravings, re- 
garding many places of interest in Portugal. I 
think it is called The Album, but I am sorry I have 
not at present the power of sending you more cor- 
rect particulars concerning it. It is in 4to. 
Portugal is a country that is so little travelled 
in either by natives or foreigners, that information 
regarding places in the interior is not easily ob- 
tained ; and facilities for travelling, as well as ac- 
commodation for travellers, is of a very limited 
description. 
Sir Roger de Coverley.—In one of your early 
numbers was a query on this subject, which I do 
not think has been yet answered. Ihave a MS. 
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