Ohjervations &c. 2.6j 



Neither are thefe People much more converfant in any o^Thefe Peopu 

 the Branches of Mathematicks. For in the firft Place they Mathem/- 

 are altogether Strangers to the fpeculative and abftracled Parts"''''' 

 of them. Even fuch Quadrants, Aftrolabes, and other Mathe- 

 matical Inftruments of their Anceftors, as have efcaped the 

 Injuries of Time , are looked upon rather as Curiofities, than 

 confulted as ufeful Inventions. Belides feveral of thefe Qua-"*'^""''-^^^ 

 drants, defigned chiefly for taking Altitudes, I once faw one at mems/c^.-. 

 Tozer in, what we call, Oughtred'?, Projedtion, well executed 

 and of a Foot Radius. We are alfo fometimes favoured with 

 a Sight of their Kalendars, (all of Them likewife the Works 

 of former Ages) wherein the Sun's Place, the femidiurnal 

 and nofturnal Arch, the Length of the Twilight, with the 

 feveral Hours of Prayer for each Day in the Month, are calcu- 

 lated to a Minute and beautifully inferted in proper Columns. 

 But thefe again are as little confulted, as the Inftruments; for 

 in Cafe the Cloudinefs of the Weather will not permit them to 

 adjuft then' fmall and greater Hour-Glafles, to fome inaccurate 

 Meridian Lines they have made for that Purpofe, the Times 

 of Devotion, which fhould be pundtual to a Minute, are left 

 intirely to the Will and Pleafure of their {Mwezzims) Cryers ; 

 no other Methods being ftudied for the Menfuration of Time; 

 and publick Clocks, from the great Averfion perhaps the 

 Mahometans have to Bells, not being allowed of in this 

 Country. 



Nay not even the firft Operations, in either Numeral Artth- ^'^* '^'^'H 

 metich or ^Igehra^ are known to one Perfon in twenty thou- Amhmeuck. 

 fand, notwithftanding their Fore-fathers, if we may judge 

 from the Name ', feem to have been the Inventors of the one, 

 as they have given to all Europe the Chara6ters ' of the other. 

 However the Merchants, befides being frequently very dex- 

 trous in the Addition and Subftra6tion of large Sums by Me- 

 mory, have a lingular Method of Numeration, by putting 

 their Hands into each others Sleeve, and there, touching one 

 another with this or that Finger, or with fuch a particular 

 Joynt of It, ( each of them denoting a determined Sum or 



I ^Ao. Jtibar eft Redudtio partium ad totum, feu fraftionum ad integritatcm. Et hhc Al- 

 gebra nomeyi habet. Gol. a Our Numbers, viz. i. i. 3. 4. y. 6. 7- 8, 9. o. being borrowei 

 /ro!« f/;f Arabian /jjp^onvAq' which were Orig'nMllj from the Indium. Vid. 

 Bernardi Tab. Literat. Seriem VII, 



X X X X Number) 



