VOL. XXXIX.J PHILOSOPHICAL TKANSACTIONS. 41 



who has any acquaintance with ancient inscriptions, that letters frequently 

 perisl) in this manner, one part before another. 



Upon these suppositions the true reading would be mxv. But since the old 

 date is now destroyed, and modern figures put in its place, this must remain 

 uncertain. But tiiough the precise year of tliis date cannot now be determined 

 with certainty, it is sufficient to have shown, that neither the order of the 

 characters, their shape, nor the oldest examples of Arabian or Indian figures, 

 any where found, do in the least countenance the reading given to it; but, 

 on the contrary, all of them afford the highest probability, that it cannot be 

 genuine. 



On the Description of Curve Lines. By Mr. Colin Maclaurin, Math. Prof. 

 Edinb. F.R.S. N° 439, P- 143. 



Mr. Maclaurin was informed that some papers had lately been presented 

 to the Royal Society, concerning the description of curves, in a manner that 

 has a near affinity to that which he communicated to them formerly, and had 

 carried farther since; and that it would not be unseasonable, nor unacceptable, 

 if he should send an account of what he had done further on that subject since 

 the year 17 IQ. The author* of those papers taught mathematics at Edin- 

 burgh privately for some years, and some time ago, viz. in 1727» mentioned 

 to Mr. M. some theorems he had on that subject; which, at the same time, 

 Mr. M. showed him in his papers. Some time before that, he showed him a 

 theorem which coincided with one of those in Mr. M.'s book, though he 

 seemed not to have observed that coincidence ; and indeed methods of that 

 kind, are often found coincident that do not appear such at first sight. Mr. 

 M. is unwilling to be the occasion of discouraging any thing that is truly inge- 

 nious, and renounces any pretensions of appropriating subjects to himself; but 

 on the contrary, wishes justice may be done to every person, or to any per- 

 formance in proportion to its merit ; yet finding it fit he should take precautions, 

 lest any one should take it in his head afterwards to say, he takes things from 

 him which he may have had long before him; and therefore Mr. M. sends the 

 following abstract of what he had done in this matter since the year 1719. 



Mr. M. has so much on this subject by him, that he declares himself at a 

 loss what to send; but at present he only gives an abstract of those propositions, 

 which he takes to be more nearly related to those which this author has offered 

 to the society from the conversations he had with him. In 1721, Mr. M. 

 printed several sheets of a supplement to his book on the description of curve 



* Mr. Braikenridge. See p. 5, of this volume. 

 VOL. VIII. G 



