DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70301#0144
124 kirby’s wonderful museum.
distinctly he gave me the true product, 162,009 yards, in two
minutes, for I observed by my watch how long every opera-
tion took him. I then asked him how many acres the same
field measured. In eleven minutes he told me, 33 acres, 1
rood, 35 perches, 20 yards and a quarter just. I then pro-
posed to him, how many barley corns would reach eight
miles. In a minute and a half he answered, 1,520,640 barley
corns. He is the slowest in finding the area of a circle, but
yet he finds it very near the truth, though he does not use the
mathematical rules. I asked him how many times a coach-
wheel turned round in the distance between London and
York, allowing it to be 204 miles, and the circumference of
the w heel six yards. In thirteen minutes he answered, 59,840
times. The next proposition was, If a tub or bin be 346
inches long, 256 inches wide, and 94 inches deep, how many
gallons liquid measure, and what corn w ill it hold ? Answer,
3,454,464 solid inches, or 1,768,685,568 half quarters of solid
inches, making 12,249,872 gallons liquid measure, or 12,249
gallons, 3 quarts, and 34| inches ; or it w ill hold 191 quarters,
3 bushels, 3| quarterns, and 34-J inches remainder. Again,
suppose a canal was to be dug 426 feet long, 263 wide, and
2 feet deep, how’ many cubical yards of earth to be removed?
After pausing a quarter of an hour he answ ered, 10,373 yards>
24 feet.
11 He will talk freely while he is working his questions, as it
is no molestation or hindrance to him, though enough to
confound a penman. He told me, that from May 17, 1725,
till. une 16, following he was drunk, to make use of his own
expression, with reckoning by his memory, and will never at-
tempt so much reckoning again for fear of falling into the
same dilemma. I, suppose what he means by being drunk
was his being so much stupefied with thought as to be inca-
pable of business. But to proceed farther with this uncom-
mon man.—I was led by curiosity to enquire what question it
was that caused his drunkenness; to which he replied, in an-
distinctly he gave me the true product, 162,009 yards, in two
minutes, for I observed by my watch how long every opera-
tion took him. I then asked him how many acres the same
field measured. In eleven minutes he told me, 33 acres, 1
rood, 35 perches, 20 yards and a quarter just. I then pro-
posed to him, how many barley corns would reach eight
miles. In a minute and a half he answered, 1,520,640 barley
corns. He is the slowest in finding the area of a circle, but
yet he finds it very near the truth, though he does not use the
mathematical rules. I asked him how many times a coach-
wheel turned round in the distance between London and
York, allowing it to be 204 miles, and the circumference of
the w heel six yards. In thirteen minutes he answered, 59,840
times. The next proposition was, If a tub or bin be 346
inches long, 256 inches wide, and 94 inches deep, how many
gallons liquid measure, and what corn w ill it hold ? Answer,
3,454,464 solid inches, or 1,768,685,568 half quarters of solid
inches, making 12,249,872 gallons liquid measure, or 12,249
gallons, 3 quarts, and 34| inches ; or it w ill hold 191 quarters,
3 bushels, 3| quarterns, and 34-J inches remainder. Again,
suppose a canal was to be dug 426 feet long, 263 wide, and
2 feet deep, how’ many cubical yards of earth to be removed?
After pausing a quarter of an hour he answ ered, 10,373 yards>
24 feet.
11 He will talk freely while he is working his questions, as it
is no molestation or hindrance to him, though enough to
confound a penman. He told me, that from May 17, 1725,
till. une 16, following he was drunk, to make use of his own
expression, with reckoning by his memory, and will never at-
tempt so much reckoning again for fear of falling into the
same dilemma. I, suppose what he means by being drunk
was his being so much stupefied with thought as to be inca-
pable of business. But to proceed farther with this uncom-
mon man.—I was led by curiosity to enquire what question it
was that caused his drunkenness; to which he replied, in an-