fac similes of these aboriginal documents.

CHAPTER I.

THE NUMERALS IN THE DRESDEN CODEX.

Before entering upon the discussion of the topic indicated it may be well
to give a brief notice of the history and character of this aboriginal
manuscript, quoting from Dr. Foerstemann's introduction to the
photolithographic copy of the codex,[261-1] he having had an opportunity
to study the original for a number of years in the Royal Public Library
of Dresden, of which he is chief librarian:

"Unfortunately, the history of the manuscript begins no further back than
1739. The man to whom we owe the discovery and perhaps the preservation
of the codex was Johann Christian Goetze, son of an evangelical pastor,
born at Hohburg, near Wurzen, in the electorate of Saxony. He became a
Catholic, and received his education first at Vienna, then in Rome;
became first chaplain of the King of Poland and elector of Saxony; later
on, papal prothonotary; presided over the Royal Library at Dresden from
1734, and died holding this position, greatly esteemed for learning and
integrity, July 5, 1749. This sketch is taken from his obituary notice in
Neue Zeitungen von gelehrten Sachen, Nr. 62, Leipzig, 1749. In his
capacity as librarian he went to Italy four times, and brought thence
rich collections of books and manuscripts for the Dresden library. One of
these journeys took place in 1739, and concerning its literary results we
have accurate information from a manuscript, in Goetze's handwriting,
which is found in the archives of the Royal Public Library, under A, Vol.
II, No. 10, and bears the title: 'Books consigned to me for the Royal
Library in January, 1740.' Under No. 300 we read: 'An invaluable Mexican
book with hieroglyphic figures.' This is the same codex which we here
reproduce.

"Goetze also was the first to bring the existence of the manuscript to
public notice. In 1744 he published at Dresden The Curiosities of the
Royal Library at Dresden, First Collection. As showing what value Goetze
attributed to this manuscript, the very first page of the first volume of
this work, which is of great merit and still highly useful, begins as
follows: '1. A Mexican book with unknown characters and hieroglyphic
figures, written on both sides and painted in all sorts of colors, in
long octavo, laid orderly in folds of 39 leaves, which, when spread out
lengthwise, make more than 6 yards.'

"Goetze continues speaking of this book from page