Contributions to Scientific Bibliography. 221 



how the logarithms of the intercepted numbers might be dis- 

 covered." 



The copy of the Arithmctica Logarithmica in the Saviliaa 

 Library was probably Briggs's own, and there is between the 

 leaves of it a letter which he had written to his friend Mr Wells 

 of Deptford, giving instructions how to proceed in calculating 

 for him. This agrees well with Wingate's statement; and it 

 is to be regretted that Vlacq should have interfered with the 

 author's plan. If he had not, we should have had the work 

 completed for the whole series of numbers to fourteen places 

 of decimals. Vlacq's, indeed, goto ten places; but his hurry 

 to anticipate those who ought not to have been interrupted, 

 made him suffer his work to go through the press in a most 

 careless manner. The number of errata is really disgraceful, 

 and particularly to be reprobated in a publication like this. 

 It is true that figures require more than common care in the 

 revision of the sheets, but it is equally true that errors in print- 

 ing them are of more than common importance- 



Besides Vlacq there was one of his own countrymen whom 

 Briggs had likewise some reason to complain of; but Hutton's 

 statement leaves an inaccurate impression of what he did. He 

 says, " In 1631 was printed in London, by one George Mil- 

 ler, a book containing Briggs's logarithms, with their differen- 

 ces, to ten places of figures, besides the index, for all numbers 

 to 100000, as also the logarithmic sines, tangents, and secants, 

 for every minute of the quadrant, with the explanation and 

 uses in English. ' , He then gives a quotation from Norwood's 

 Trigonometry, in which this publication as well as Vlacq's arc 

 severely reprobated ; but the fact seems to be much over-stat- 

 ed. Miller published a title-page with an imperfect preface 

 made up from Briggs's Latin, but it does not appear that he 

 ever reprinted the logarithms. This English preface is in the 

 British Museum bound up by itself. It is sometimes nut with 

 in the same volume with Briggs's own logarithms to fourteen 

 places, to which it certainly cannot belong ; but a copy in the 

 Savilian Library clearly points out the distinct object with 

 which it was printed. It is there prefixed to Vlacq's own book, 

 to which the description in the title-page exactly answers. To 

 remove all doubt on this subject, it is only necessary to com- 



