advance them horizontally right before us, in order of procession or battle, which indicates that third is in a line with the others, and specifies its place. For a cardinal number it is necessary to make merely the first sign: but for an ordinal number the second sign is subjoined to the first. We need not however remark to our pupil that it is an adjective, as the thing speaks for itself.

By holding up as many fingers from one to nine as we have occasion to express tens, and subjoining the sign for a cypher, which is the same as for the letter O, we have ten, twenty, thirty, &c. up to ninety. An hundred is signified by the Roman figure C; a thousand by M. A very perfect idea of these numbers may be given by providing a parcel of beads strung upon packthread, for our pupil to count out tens, hundreds, and thousands.

CHAP. III.

On the Tenses of the Indicative of the Verb to be.

WHEN our pupil is sufficiently acquainted with the difference between nouns adjective and nouns substantive, we shew him that we make use of the verb I am, thou art, he is, &c. to unite the one with the other, when they agree, and, by the addition of a negative, to separate them when they disagree. We give him several examples of it, and make him learn by heart all the tenses of the indicative of this verb, in order to increase the stock of phrases he may acquire, before a complete knowledge of verbs and the other parts of speech enable him to comprehend every thing necessary for his instruction.

The sign for this verb is perfectly natural. By dropping the two hands we shew what the position of a person is, whether standing, sitting, kneeling, &c.

CHAP. IV.

Of Pronouns.

To express a pronoun by sign we draw with a crayon a circle on the table, in which we place a snuff-box, then push it out of the circle and substitute something.

A pronoun is a word used instead of another noun. The common sign for all pronouns is the action just described, though each has its particular sign, according to its particular signification.

ART. I.

Of Personal, Conjunctive, and Possessive Pronouns, and of the Signs appropriate to them,

THE pronouns I, me, my, have their distinct signs; without which it would be im

possible for deaf and dumb persons ever to write fluently, currente calamo, any thing dictated by systematical signs.

It must have been observed, that public speakers, when speaking of themselves, make a kind of half circle by drawing the hand towards their breast as they exclaim, I think, I desire, &c. this action we adopt as the sign for I; but when we say, such a thing belongs to me or is mine, we lay one hand upon our breast, as if we were taking a solemn oath, and press gently against it twice or thrice. This is what we all naturally do, when upon the partition of some thing we say to any body, this is for you, and this is for me; although both these pronouns are personal, yet the second, speaking of oneself, attracts more the eyes of the spectator.

My, mine, are possessive pronouns and in reality adjectives. They are expressed by showing ourselves with one hand, and with the other the noun substantive, that is, thre