Wimpole Street, May 11. 1850.
_Arabic Numerals_.--As your correspondent E.V. (Vol. i., p. 230.)
is desirous of obtaining any instance of Arabic numerals of early
occurrence, I would refer him, for one at least, to _Notices of the
Castle and Priory of Castleacre_, by the Rev. J.H. Bloom: London;
Richardson, 23. Cornhill, 1843. In this work it appears that by the
acumen of Dr. Murray, Bishop of Rochester, the date 1084 was found
impressed in the plaster of the wall of the priory in the following,
form:--
1
4 × 8
0
The writer then goes on to show, that this was the regular order of
the letters to one crossing himself after the Romish fashion.