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Official Standard Metre

The following information was lately given by Mr. Hilgard, of the United States Coast Survey, to the Journal of the Franklin Institute: "There are, in the custody of the Treasury Department, at the Office of Weights and Mea- 6014. The Decimal System of sures, the following authentic copies of the Weights and Measures. A permissive standard metre and kilogramme of France, law has already been passed by the American viz.: Metre of platinum, compared and certiand British governments, adopting the deci- fied by Arago; metre of steel, compared and mal system as applied to weights and mea- certified by Silbermann; kilogramme of plasures. It is substantially the same as the tinum, compared and certified by Arago; French decimal system, and founded on units kilogramme of brass (gilt), compared and cerof the same value. The multiples and subdivisions of the different units are the same; Greek prefixes being used to denote the multiples, and Latin prefixes the fractional parts of the units.

The Greek prefix DEKA means 10 units " “ HECTO " 100 " " “ KILO " 1000 “ “ “ MYRIA “ 10000 “ The Latin prefix DECI “ tified by Silbermann. The length of the metre is 39.3685 inches of the United States standard scale, and the kilogramme is 15432.2 grains, or 2 pounds, 3 ounces, 119.7 grains avoirdupois. There is also another metre, the property of the American Philosophical Society, which is one of the twelve original metres made by the French Government, and was brought to this country by Mr. Hassler, To of a unit the originator of the United States Coast “ " CENTI “ τοσ “ “ “ MILLI “ 1 “ τοσσ Survey. A comparison between this bar and the standard of France at the Conservatory

The fundamental unit of all the decimal of Arts and Trades was made by Dr. F. A. P. weights and measures is the METRE; the Barnard, with the result that, at the temperastandard length of which is the 10000000 of a ture of melting ice, there is no appreciable quadrant of the earth's meridian, equivalent difference, by the most delicate means of to 39.371 inches. The unit of dry and liquid measures of capacity is the LITRE, which is the 1000 of a cubic metre, and contains 61.023 cubic inches. These figures are as exact as a calculation involving twelve places of decimals will bring it. The government standard, adopted as sufficiently correct for all practical purposes, is 61.022 cubic inches; this is based on a metre of 39.3635 inches, which would make the gram 15.432 grains.

The GRAM or unit of weight is the weight of a cubic centimetre (Tor of a metre) of water tical purposes. comparison, between the platinum standard of the Conservatory and this iron metre."

The above standard metre of 39.3685 inches would make the equatorial circumference of the earth measure 24.854 statute miles. Bessel's calculations, given in Chambers' Encyclopædia, give the equatorial circumference at 24.9014 miles. If this measurement be correct, the standard metre should be 39.371 inches. This difference, however, is so trifling that it would not be appreciable for all pracat 39.830 Fahr., and is equivalent to 15.434 6016. Decimal Measures of Length. grains. For post-office purposes, the 1/2 ounce Myriametre 10,000 metres. avoirdupois is declared equivalent to 15 grams. Kilometre 1,000 metres.

The ARE, or unit of surface measurement, is Hectometre 100 metres. the του of a square metre, or 119.6 square Dekametre 10 metres. yards. This system of weights and measures Metre 1 metre. has not as yet come into general use, either in Decimetre America or England. Its advantages are Centimetre indisputably great for facilitating calculation Millimetre to metre. standards; but its adoption necessarily meets with much opposition, as it overthrows not only all the old, arbitrary units of measurement, but their multiples and subdivisions also. It seems so natural to halve and quarter, and count by the dozen, that even in our decimal currency we cannot dispense with the half and quarter dollar and eagle; in fact, the advantage of our decimal currency cannot be appreciated to its full extent until the 1 Too metre. 1000 metre. 1 as well as establishing uniform international 6017. Value of Metric Measures of Length in Long Measure. = 6 376 1 2 Miles. Yds. Ft. Inches.

Myriametre Kilometre Hectometre Dekametre Metre Decimetre Centimetre = 1093 1 11 109 1 1.1 10 2 9.71 1 0 3.371 3.937 .394 For general purposes, or small calculations, custom of counting by the dozen is entirely the following equivalents will be found suffi superseded by the decade. The dozen, 12, is ciently accurate: 1 millimetre is equal to divisible by 2, 3, 4, and 6; the decade, 10, by 2 inch; 1 centimetre is equal to inch; 1 deciand 5 only; and, although this is a matter of metre is equal to 3 inches; 1 metre is little moment as far as regards calculation, it equal to 39 inches; for metre is equal to 36 makes a great difference for practical subdi- inches or 1 yard. Millimetre. = Metre. = = 3 .003 = = .11811 4 = .004 = .15748 TABLES OF WEIGHTS, MEASURES, ETC.