On Different Centers of Primitive Civilization. 201 
floral bractlets cca partly unifloral, partly multifloral, without 
any preceding lea Shoots may be allured by the ‘ga ardener 
out of most aed: which do not wither too soon.t Finally, 
the little budlets in whose bosom the germ of the new plant is 
formed and developed, and which we call seeds, are a kind of 
shoots, which in most cases owe their origin to leaves, — 
out of which they spring (on the margins, which unite to form 
the placenta) or more rarely, out of their whole inner fertile 
(To be concluded in our next number.) 
Arr. XVIIL—On Lager Centers ad g igniies Civilization ; : 
mas H, McL 
We have already called attention in a previous number of the 
Journal of Science to the radical difference of the Indian, oe 
cian and Roman Systems of Numerical Notation. We w 
again refer to those several Syste d in addition, to the Leake 
tian, Mexican ant Chee in pire tae to different centers of 
primitive civilizat 
t will be retained that the Indian System commences with 
a0 (zero), and is made up of principal and subordinate meas- 
ures, and has its origin probably in land or lineal measuring ; that 
the Grecian System is a system of principal and subordinate meas- 
ures also, but has no 0 (zero), its first figure being a unit, mak- 
ing use of mere characters to express its large measures, and has 
its origin in the contemplation of individual objects; that the 
Roman System also has no 0 (zero), its first character being aunit, 
and is rather a system of fives than of tens, peters anew char- 
acter (V) for that number, one for ten (X.), which may be reg 
as a double V, one for fifty ‘(Li , one for one Kondied (C), one for five 
hundred d (D), and one for one thousand (M), expressing ibe inter-— 
mediate numbers by repetitions and combinations. he Egy 
tian System commences with a unit which it represents by a 
single downward stroke, adding an additional stroke for each suc- 
cessive number to ten which itdenotes by a triangular figure (A i ; 
this figure is repeated for each successive ten to one dred. 
The scheme will be seen by the following representation : 
30 
1, Tf, I, 0, WW, WI, MIT, I, nun, 4, Ah: bah, AAAS, te. 
* 4 of 
te leaned, one which footed in dune. 189; in Lasatowm fn” fond, 
fact, in several species of this Umbellifera, one or more, Ee Gok | two, shoots in the 
Les of division of eos leayes, which after producing a few weak leaves bore a 
small umbel, (Lat er note.) 
eit Kirsehleger, (Flora. 1 1844, No. 2) notices a fine example of this in, Gloxinia spe- 
oy "oss of Science for January, 1855, Art. vii. 
Seconp Sanres, Vol, XX, No, 59.—Sept., 185. 26 
