Decimal arithmetic History of', undated (Series 84.26) - No. 0002

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at their hands

The Portuguese have used it from all antiquity & all persons who have inspected their books of accounts have been delighted with the simplicity of the arrangement & the facility of their operations in arithmetic.  The Americans a new nation adopted it in their coins as soon as they struck any for their own use & the French have receivd from their Revolutioners government coins decimals divided as a reason compensation (perhaps the only one) from the various persons to which they have been subjected in Revolutionary times great changes in.  The customs of a nation may easily be accomplishd whether in a country at Rest as any is now the case with the United Kingdom it may be adviseable to attempt so great a change however evident the advantages may be is for others to determine, the writer of this means only to speak of the theoretical advantages of the measure, it is for Politicians of a higher class to consider whether the material disadvantages which are always attendant on advantageous measures are in the case of this sufficiently providable to [indecipherable] the attempt or not.

That the measure is Right cannot be doubted the example of Portugal America & France shew it to be so & demonstrate the advantages which must accrue to all ranks of People & especially to the poorer & more ignorant Classes from the adoption of it.  The good sense of the nation will therefore doubtless approve it & at some period or other adopt it if not in the shape in which it is now offerd in some more commodious one which wiser heads may no doubt when applied to the subject easily Produce the Question however whether good sense has a nexus of voices in the nation it has not always been decided in their Fever.

The very small difference which exists however our present monetary division & a decimal one has been observd by all persons who have examind the subject it is obvious to the nearest capacity that if 2 shilling peices had been struck worth 25 instead of 24 pence each of these peices would prove consisted of 100 farthings & the Pound Sterling consisting of ten such peices would have contained 1000 farthings & been ten pence only more valuable than our present Pound Sterling.

The decimoternery [?] notation