3 Aug. 1801

Eden

Simple Computation

5

75

Oh, but the sums there to be added will be uneven sums. – Be it so? – But is

there any such insurmountable difficulty in the addition of uneven sums, or of

pieces of money passing for uneven sums? Is there any the poorest day-labourer,

who has not occasion to make such additions frequently – not to say continually:

especially additions by which farthings are converted into pence, and pence into

shillings which are the conversions most frequently occurring to such

accountants, and attended with the most embarassment.

Neither a guinea, nor a half-guinea nor a 7s piece are for perfectly even sums

familiar as they are to us. Along with these (excepting the 7s piece) I remember

as well as with one another remember the 36s – the 27s piece, the 18s piece the

9s and (I believe) the 5:3d: and I know of no inconvenience that the variety was

ever attended with. In the case of those foreign pieces, there may have been a

little difficulty – now and then – to some people at least – in the making out

the value of them by their looks: there could be no such difficulty in regard to

Annuity Notes, since, besides their looks, which by which the principal sums are

distinguished, the value by interest for each day stands opposite the Day in the

Table.