Since that time I procured from _China_, a Dictionary of the Court Language, (as I found it written upon by the Person that sent it me from thence) but this whole Book (which I found was Printed) consisted only of the _Chinese_ Characters without any Interpretation, or Pronunciation; however by the help of the Pictures of that, and a _Chinese_ Almanack, I quickly found out their Characters for Numbers, and their way of Numeration, together with the Figure and Use of their _Abacus_ or counting Board, for performing the Operations of _Arithmetick_, which I find pretty near to agree with that of the antient _Romans_ (a Description and Picture of which is given by _Ursinus_, _Pignorius_ and _Velserus_) save only, that, instead of Pins and sliding Groves of the _Roman_, the _Chinese Abacus_ hath Strings or Wires and Beads, to slide upon them; and that, instead of four Pins for Digits or Units, the _Chinese_ hath five Beads: So that it may seem to argue that the _Chinese Abacus_ was designed for a _Duodecimal_ Progression: Whereas that of the _Romans_ was design'd for the _Decimal_. One thing is remarkable in the _Chinese_, that I find the _Abacus_ to lie Horizontal, and their first place to be that next the left Hand, which I judge was also the first in their old way of reading, much the same with ours, though their other Characters are erected (as I shall by and by shew) from the posture of Writing and Reading, which I conjecture they did at first make use of; and what does yet further agree with this conjecture, is remarkable in the newly mentioned Treatise of _Vulg. Beig._ That whereas the way of Writing and Reading used by the _Arabs_, was from the right to the left, the first place or the place of Units in their Numeration, was that next the right Hand; and so came first to be read: As did that of _China_, who as I conceive read the contrary way, from the left to the right. It appears therefore by this Remark that we received this way of expressing Numbers from the _Arabians_, for that we keep the same posture or position of places with them, tho' our progression in Writing and Reading be the contrary way. And though we now read them also in the order they are set, twenty one, twenty two, thirty six, forty eight, _&c._ yet we retain also the other way of Pronouncing, _viz._ one and twenty, two and twenty, six and thirty, eight and forty, _&c._