The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1811-01-16
MISCELLANEOUS SELECHIOWS.
ZERAH COLBURN.

DURING several weeks, we have repeatedly re-
cesed onishiAg and almost Incredible accounts OF
the rndhemaiica al powers OF chd living ~ Vermsnt.
Within the last month, he has been exhibited IN tis
place, and We nave had frequent and ample opportu.
MES for examining him and have besides, collected
from the father, md from respectable gentlemen in
that part of the country, where this prodigy was
born, the following account of his birth and educa
ton
Zerah Cotburn was born at Cabot, in the county Of
Caiedon,a, and state Of Vermont, the lsi day OF
Scpt. 1894. In The early part of his infancy, and
Il year old, his parents considers him very much
nieriour Ia the rest OF their children, and some
times fearfiliy anticipated all The trouble and sorrow
attendant on the maintenance of ideot BY de-
grees nc seemed improve, and they began 20 con.
ceise better hopes but he was more than two Years
old before &C VAS supposed TO possess that degree Of
intelligence which usually flls To the share of our
species. After ,hls h,s progress became more APP
parent and although all VINO him declared he
was very ecceItrck ~ his manners and usenen $.
yet all acknowledged that he was shrcwd and ntelli
gent No one, however, had yet discovered IN him
amy inclination 10 the combinations of arithmeti, k,
and no one remembers that nc made any cnquir-
les about nu'nbcis, or their AS he always lived
an frontier town OF Vermont, where education NEE
with nsUe encoura, ,cmen,, aud as his fathers re-
sources were few aud triling, H. had received in.
sucton, snd was IN fact ignorant Of The first rudi
mcDts ut reading. IL was, therefore, with uuQuah.
Ell ason.shment that has father overheard him multi
plying different sums merely for his own amusement
and on investigating thc extent of his powers, found
he could multiply any two numbers under one hun.
dred. This happened about the beginning OF last Au.
CAST. Immediately this discovery, his father sent
him to wom,n's scaool, such as is usually kept in
our back se,tlem during the Summer season.
There he remained un, the latter part of Sept and
was taught to read it,le but IS still completely
ignorant of figures and method If using tn, M
The want of artificial symbols does no,, however.
IN in 4 Il ~, ,I.a
he ,upoy, their names, and without any other assist
ance, pc forms nenaily all the ope, atious
IN The four fundamental rules of ari,hmetlck He
can add column Of figures four in height and three
in width He subsiract five figures and divide
four He can multiply any NUMBER under one t..ous-
and by ny number under one hundred, or a series
OF three gu, stons, each Of whose factors do not ex-
cced one hundred. lie has also learnt by enquiry,
several of the different kinds of measure, and now
reduces miles TO rods and feet and years TO hours,
days &c. Ills most remarkable operation is that of
discovering the several multiples of given num-
ber and this he does with such astonishing rapid
~, that the hearer cannot note them down fast las
he utters them Ex. gr. when asked what numbers
multiplied together viii produce !24, he replied in-
siantly, 2--6l2, f. O6, 8-l5S, Sos, 6--204,
12--lO2, 24-5l, 9--iS6, l8 --68, S6-34, aud l7-72
In this and sllar operations he probably di, covers
the first factors by d,vslon and afterwards mul.
tiples and divides these factors procure the n, xt
SCI, anl unui the series is exhausted when he
recurs to the original number, and making new d-
vision proceeds AS before In multiplication he finds
the mulpes OF factor and muitiples them sue
cessivey into thc other Thus, in multiplying 50 by
156, instead of taking the common mode, he syas,
l3--32-+i6-i2--4992, because I2-lS-i56 But
IT, the hundceds proposed viii not suffer this process,
he first multiples the hundreds, and then the tens,
aud discovers the aggregate by addition His facili-
~ IN muluphc alton arises in great measure from
the extent Of his table, which, instead ofcomprisng
osy hundred and for,y-four combinations.
probably comprises zen thousand, he evidently an
swers all questions whose factors are less than one
Hundred, from recollection, aud not from computa-
ton HIS memory is prodigous, and appears capa-
bic of alnos, indefinite cultivation. IL his general
disposition, he is uncommonly ducile and affection
ate, although he discovers considerable pride Of o.
p'nlon, anu IL chagrined whcn detected i'm an errour
H. Is remarkably inquistive, aud is never satisfied
with superficial examination of any new object or
Fact Musck excites him powerfully; and next 60
this, pictures His person is strong AMI well pro.
porlioned, except his head, which is much larger
than usu,. THIS circumstance has raised suspicons
tina, he has been subject to the rickets, disorder
winch has been supposed sometimes to produce a
premaurity ot talents but the father declares that
the ch,d has always been healthy, anil par,;cnl,ry
denies that he discovered any appearance of this
disease.
Considering all these circumstances, the prrsen,
appears tn be an unparalleled instance of the e,e
deveiopem mt ut mind 1t is preposterous IN co,,.
pare '"'n with the ad'nir ble CairroN or the blind
DyDfMus; because their faculties were draw, e,r,,,
BY the usual artiices of education while ,h. yo,,,,,
OF cnli, the ignorance Of hs parents and their
relative sta atom ~ society, preclude the p,ss,h,y
Of has having attained ms powers by any us. or m,
orda.ry means cfimp sovepent Il is car, an ,L.r.
fore, he hss IN 'dc himself what he nov IS. the
most astonishing instance Of premature skill !, ;,
meuckai combinations that the world ever saw
Boston .M,athly .iu.boi,y,.