Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1826-06-02
From a late London paper.

infatne .3ri!tmeiioian--T lions Of the town are
about to receive 10 their number the
person of Master George Noakes, \ child ouiy SIX
years and half old, but who said be possessed
precocity OF talent for calculation which has scarcely
ever been paraeled and surpassed. i lie pub
ic exhibition Is not 10 until Tomorrow but
last night preliminary examination took place the
Gothic Tall. Pccadiliy, in presence OF large party.
variety of difficult questions propounded 10 him,
to all of which lie gave answersvi,h pronp-
ttudc and apparent facility that fully justified the
pectaon excited of his astonishing natural ability
We suhJon few of the questions and answers the
best evidence of the truth of what have asserted.
| SupPosing person TO take Is pnches o snuff
during every quarter OF an hour how many would lac
have taken in IL years, reckoning 3G5 DAYS 10 each
year?--Auswer, 6,832,800
person Is SG years and half old, how MANY min
! utes has he lived?-answcr. l5505 200
Again; surprising him TO have had Income OF ID.
per minute, how much will he have Teceycd'Answcr.
G258 ago.
In $50 hogsleads OF GO gallons each, how many pns
and how much would they come 20 at 21. per piu2
Answer, $4,000 piuts-E6,825.
What is the square root of 576?-Answer, 3D.
What is the square OF 57G?-Answcr. }.l, 776.
There two numbers whose united amount is 2i0,
and their difference 81 what tl.ey'This puzzled
him for some time; but he refused giving up the al
tempt, and at last answered. 81 and no. which is cor
rect.
tons, the child's attention appeared 10 be alb
sracted from surrounding objects, irrelevant ohscr-
vatons nor, far opinion could be formed did these
IN the least impede annoy him.
The child is stated TO be the son OF abourer en-
ployed IN the DOCKS TO be totally uneducated and be
actually ignorant of the value which the characters in
common for expressing numerals represent. His
father states that the first indication which lie observe
OF his sons talent about year and half back,
when he told him he could thousand aud sLort.
ly afterwards that lie could million. No a.
tempt appears al this any other time ir,Yc been
made To AID the Child in The eyeiopement OF his powers
OF mind but he appears, like the great Des Carries
without assistance TO have PROCEEDED 10 discover and
demonstrate for himself, much of the first principles
OF mathematics form tie basis of arithmetic. and
thence by induction to have formed rules bv which
most OF its operations conld be performed. II is true
these rules not ace simple as those in gene
raj use, is II surprising they should be- when it
is recollecled they the production of mere child
who could not be expected however wonderful its ma
tura powers TO at have bit upon the method VIII ch
experience has proved 10 be the best Indeed the We
~ impereciDess OF the rules is strong cOrroboratve
proof Of the originality of the boys genius, and of his
not being indebted 10 instruction for the proficiency
which he has attained.
The following is The method which the child stated
himself TO have adopted in multiplying 70 hv 1870
times 90 is 1000 70 times 60 is iOO 70 times is
2Io-G,e1o.
In multiplying 10 by 46, he adopted the following
methed-52 times 10 is 2O30-G times is Sc TO-
On being asked how he calculated the question as
to the piDches, he sad 81 did not do il in the way it
was put TO began by multiplying 10 times 5, &
that 1885, aud multiplied again by four made $50
called this 800, aud multiplied it by the number of
hours in year, which made 1908, 900. Then unl-
tpled 90 by the hours ina year. which made IT'S 200
and taking this from 1905 0G0, il gave the
When asked why he added 90 to the 100, lie said :be-
cause it made it even"