cur. What the meaning of elev or elo was in the Saxon or Gothic languages, we know not; but elev, elv, or elf, seems to have been a significant word in the original language. The words de noting the rising series of numbers are obvious, three ten, four ten, &c. Twenty is a compound of three words, twe, en, twe; twe en, signifying ten or two fives, and twe, referring to two additional fives, that is, ten and two fives; thirty, three twe, or, as pronounced by many of the vulgar in Scotland, thretie, imports three twe fives; forty, four twe fives, &c. We doubt not that the names of the numerals, and the combinations of those names in all languages whose original terms for the numerals are preserved, will support the proposition, that numeration by fives is the most natural mode of reckoning, and the first put in practice by rude nations.

The resemblance between the names of four of the numerals in English and Gaelic is remark→ able. One, two, three, and eight or aucht, as pronounced by the low country Scots, bear an evident similarity to aon, do, tri, ochc, of the Gael. This circumstance, among others worthy of notice, tends to show an identity of the original stock of both people; whose progress from their eastern primeval country into Europe, necessarily taking different directions along the shores of the Euxine or Black Sea, however much their language might have originally borne marks of identity, must have suffered many variations,

and acquired many additions, in the course of ages. The Asiatic people, in their progressive movements, first separated by a vast expanse of water, and then dispersed over a wide extended territory, covered with many almost impenetrable forests and marshes, intersected by many large rivers, operating as continual causes of separation of their emigrant hordes, naturally acquired distinctive national appellations, and became discriminated too by variations of language. It is not wonderful, then, that supposing the migrating Asiatic people, whether crossing the Hellespont or moving in a different direction along the shores of the Euxine, in their progress towards the great western ocean, were an emanation of the same original stock, to find them, when they met on the banks of the Danube or of the Rhine, speaking different languages, and forming inimical checks upon each other's farther progress. This natural repulsion begot a state of hostility. They were strangers to each other; they were enemies who rose into great rival nations. In this situation they were found by the Romans; and by whatever names they distinguished themselves, whether Gael, Scythians, Goths or Germans, the Gael naturally applied to the more northern people the general appellation of Tua daoin or northern men, under which name the Romans also comprehended the Germanic people, in their pronunciation of the appellative Teutones. Hence the general language of

a great body of the northern European people got the name of Teutonic.

Very little light remains to us, says M. Goguet, in the writings of the ancients, respecting the manner in which the Egyptians made their arithmetical calculations. We learn from Herodotus, that the Egyptians made use of small pebbles or stones in their numerical computations. Such were used by the Greeks for the same purposes, as is evident from the word, which signifies to calculate, from the noun nos, a pebble or little stone. Our English word calculate we derive from the Latin verb calculo, which signifies to calculate, reckon, or cast accounts. The Roman verb refers its origin to the noun calculus, which signifies a pebble.or little stone, anciently used in making numerical computations, also in taking suffrages, and used upon a variety of occasions to ascertain numbers. The use of little stones or pebbles as instruments of computation, is very natural to a rude or illiterate people, who are ignorant of the art of notation of numbers, or of characterizing them by permanent definite signs or written figures. Small stones are used in the Highlands of Scotland at this day, as marks or signs of scores or twenties; and there can be no doubt entertained, that such was the practice of our Gaelic ancestors, prior to the introduction of the more artificial languages, the refined Greek and Roman, among them. The radical word. is the Gaelic

clach, which signifies a stone. Calculus is the

diminutive of calr, which is Greek xaxi, a flint stone.

clearly allied to the Cailc is the Gaelic

word for chalk, which is reckoned a species of stone fossil, where it is not unusual to find the flint stone.

Our English ancestors used tallies in their numerical computations, before the art of writing came into practice. A tally was a stick notched in conformity to another stick, and the word score, which denotes twenty, gives us to understand, that as the Greeks and Romans made use of small stones or pebbles to mark certain definite numbers, so our Saxon or English ancestors made a score or incision in a piece of wood, to serve as a permanent sign of the number twenty.

That the Egyptians made use of small stones or pebbles as signs of certain definite quantities, and that a similar mode of computation was practised by the Greeks, are circumstances which form no conclusive argument in support of the proposition, that the Greeks were servile imitators of the Egyptians, or had received from them the first rudiments of the arithmetical art.

That the Egyptians may have improved the Greeks in the science of numbers, there appears no reason for calling in question. But we refer to the judgment of the learned the observations offered above, to show that the Greeks derived not their names of numbers from the Egyptians; that, on the contrary, those names were the in

vention of the Gael, who were the most ancient inhabitants of the countries, which, in the progress of time, came to be distinguished by the names of Greece and Italy.

PAPER. CARTA.

"THE word paper is formed from the Greek “Taxνeos, papyrus, the name of an Egyptian plant, "called also 0s, whereon the ancients used to "write.

"Various are the materials, on which man"kind in different ages and countries have con"trived to write their sentiments, as on stones,

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bricks, the leaves of herbs and trees, and their "rinds or barks; also on tables of wood, wax, "and ivory, to which may be added, plates of

lead, linen rolls, &c." At length the Egyptian papyrus was invented, then parchment, then cotton paper, and lastly, the common or linen paper.*

The era from which is to be dated the invention of the art of preparing the plant papyrus, for the purpose of receiving written characters, is not ascertained. The learned Varro refers it to no

* CHALMERS' Dictionary, voce Paper.