118 Mr Glaisher, On factor tables. [Feb. 11, 



on the spot, without turning over a leaf." This was written by 

 Bernoulli in 1785. Laixibert died on September 25, 1777. 



With regard to the invention of a mechanical arrangement for 

 the determination of factors, Bernoulli considers that the priority 

 is undoubtedly due to Hindenburg, and not to Felkel {Briefwechsel, 

 V. pp. 239—241). 



§ 10. To return to Felkel's table : as we know, the printing 

 was continued up to 408,000 and then, according to Gauss's state- 

 ment, it was stopped, and the whole edition was destroyed, except 

 a few copies, of which the Gottiugen library possesses one, extend- 

 ing to 336,000. The Graves copy, however, extends to the full 

 limit of 408,000. I was anxious to find out the cause of the 

 stoppage of the printing and of the destruction of the copies, and 

 I now proceed to give an account of all that bears upon this 

 matter. 



In an appendix, added by Bernoulli to the Larabert-Felkel 

 correspondence {Briefwechsel, V. pp. 121 — 134), he states that Felkel 

 seems to have entirely laid aside the subject of factor tables until 

 last autumn (i.e. the autumn of 1784), when part of the corre- 

 spondence was printed, and this revived his interest in the matter. 

 He made a journey to Leipzig, Berlin (from which Bernoulli was 

 absent at the time, and so did not see him), and Halle, in order 

 to obtain support and find a bookseller. He issued a new circular, 

 printed at Halle, which Bernoulli reproduces, and as the first 

 paragraph contains Felkel's own account of the printing of his first 

 factor table, and is also characteristic of his style, I give it here, 

 together with the title : 



" Nachricht von den wiederauflebenden Felkelschen Factorenta- 

 feln; den Ahdruck der ersten Million u. f. und die Fortsetzung der 

 Berechnung [von 2016001 an) his 10 Millionen, betreffend. 



" Schon seit acht Jahren, da dieses ungeheure, von Kennern 

 theils bewunderte, theils bezweifelte Work, innerhalb 18 Monaten, 

 aus einem Nichts, bis liber die Grenzen zwoer Millionen erwuchs, 

 dessen Abdruck aber durch Kriegstroublen, Todesfalle, und 

 andere Schicksale gesperrt, mit 408000 ausgesetzt, und gleichsam 

 ein Opfer der Zernichtung werden musste ; hat es an Gelegenheit 

 nie gemangelt, das Urtheil der Kenner dariiber weit und breit 

 einzuholen, und sich von dessen glinstiger Aufnahme zu ver- 

 sichern ; wie nicht minder sich alle Wiinsche und Ausstellungen 

 von Wichtigkeit zu Nutze zu machen." 



He here, in fact, .merely says that the calculation had reached 

 two millions, and that through misfortunes the printing was stopped 

 at 408,000 ; but he does not explain why it was "a sacrifice to anni- 

 hilation." The meaning of these words will, however, appear in 

 the next section. I should state that in these wiederaiijlebende 



