General Notices. 



33 



viduals, who might suddenly leave him, or fall into ill health. For this 

 reason we have often thought that the best notch mode for general use 

 would be one in which the Roman numerals are employed, using the com- 

 mon notch for 10, as now generally done; imitating the letter L for 50, C 

 for 100, D (or delta) for 500, and M for 1000. (Jig. 9.) 



It is true, a good deal more cutting is required by this mode, than by 

 either Seton's or the improved mode of C. L. D. ; but the simplicity and 

 universality of this old or Roman mode, as it may be called, will in our 

 opinion more than compensate for that disadvantage. — Cond. 



Brick Tallies. — We, in a former Number (Vol. VJ. p. 310.), ex- 

 pressed our intention of having some brick tallies made by Mr. Peake of 

 Tunstall, and Mr. Allardyce of Clay Hills, near Aberdeen ; and both 

 these gentlemen have accordingly sent us specimens. Those of Mr. 

 Peake, from our sketches (fig- 10.), are of terro-metallic earth, as hard 



10 



V 



almost as cast-iron ; and they must be more durable than any other 

 description of earthen manufacture, since they are to a great extent vitri- 

 fied, and yet not only hard but tough. Our error in making the sketches 

 for these tallies consisted in not giving them a beveled end ; but this could 

 be remedied in future. Mr. Allardyce has sent us a brick earth tally of 

 his own invention (Jig. 11.), which, having a beveled face, appears to us to 



be a near approach to perfection in that particular ; but we think it ought 

 to be longer, perhaps 12 or 13 in. long, to keep the glass which covers the 

 name from being dirtied by the splashing up of the earth during heavy 

 rains. This tally, though not made of so durable a material as that of 

 Mr, Peake, is yet far harder than the hardest clinker bricks, and, not 

 Vol. VIII. — No. 36. d 



