Saturday 12 Sep 1818 (p. 4, col. 2) Precocity of Talent.-Mr. GOUGH has favoured the public with the following account of a child, nine years old, at present residing in Kendal: Thomas GASKING is the son of an industrious and ingenious journeyman shoemaker, of Penrith; and I now proceed to notice his literary attainments, which he has acquired in the course of two years. He has learned to read correctly and gracefully; he writes a good hand with surprising expedition; and he has made some progress in the English Grammar. The boy went through this part of his education in a day-school at Penrith; but he is indebted for his mathematical knowledge to the tuition of his father, who though in low circumstances, has laudably dedicated his hours of leisure to scientific pursuits, as I am informed. Little GASKING seems well acquainted with the leading propositions in Euclid; he reads and works Algebra with the greatest facility, and has entered upon the study of Fluxions. I am aware that this report will appear incredible to those who are acquainted with the different subjects which have been enumerated; but the following instance of his wonderful proficiency will, in all probability, remove any doubts that competent judges may entertain. A stranger gentleman, who was invited with myself to examine the boy, requested him to demonstrate the thirteenth proposition of the first book of Euclid; which he did immediately. The demonstration of the twentieth proposition of the same book was next proposed: he drew out the figure, and though he failed in his first attempt, he soon recovered the train of reasoning, and went through the demonstration correctly. Being asked, If he had two sides of a triangle and the angle included given, how he would proceed to find the third side? the process appeared quite familiar to him, and we found, upon inquiry, he was acquainted with logarithms, and was able to use them. In spherical trigonometry, he solved two cases of right-angled triangles by Lord NAPIER's rules. His skill and the rapidity of his operations, in algebra, created more surprise than his knowledge of geometry;-he solved a number of quadratic equations with the greatest ease, and extracted the square roots of the numbers which resulted from his operations. Several questions were put to him which contained two unknown quantities; these he also answered without difficulty. Being asked if he had been taught the application of algebra to geometry, he answered in the affirmative, and immediately solved the following problem:-Given one leg of a right-angle triangle, and the excess of the hypothenuse above the other leg, to construct the triangle. He answered two or three problems relating to the maxima of numbers and of geometrical magnitudes with ease, and took the fluxions, which were not difficult, correctly. When the age of this child is compared with his scientific attainments, we can look on him in no other light than a literary phenomenon, who promises to become an ornament to one of the British Universities, unless his progress should unfortunately be checked by indigence, or the vigour of his mind should be enfeebled by some sinister accident.