The Express.
London, England, 1862-08-15 00:00:00

INTERNATIONAL DECIMAL ASSOCIATION.

The annual meeting of this association was held
on Wednesday hut; Earl Formant in the chair.
There was agood attendance of members,and the association
was favoured with the presence of Baron Czoernig, Chief of
the Statistical Department of Austria, &c. The annual
report and the financial accounts of the emaciation were
read and received. The report stated that the object aimed
at by the emaciation, viz., an uniform decimal system of
weights, measures, and coins in all countries, is
rapidly advancing. The decision of the Committee
of the House of Commons in favour of the
metric system was held to be a great triumph,
as that system is in reality a good realising point where all
nations can meet. The thanks of the association were
awarded to the foreign governments which have sent their
contributions to the display of weights, measures, and cur.
rent coins at the Intern►tional Exhibition, and after some
further routine bwiiness the Berea Caaeruig made an in.
teresting speech to the following effect :

- .
It has often been said of Austria that she has surrounded
herself with a second Chinese wall, in order to prevent by
a prohibitory system the progress made elsewhere and the
entrance of foreign goods. If it can be denied that such au
insurmountable wall existed, it must be confessed that there
have been ramparts which offered obstacles to international
trade. But now all this is changed. The progress of
civilisation has overthrown these ramparts, and has caused
the onward progress of good and prosperous ideas.
Now Austria finds herself in possession of all those free
institutions which can be expected of a well-regulated
country. We enjoy religious liberty, inasmuch es all re-
ligious sects have the same right and privileges, the Jews
sitting in the House of Lords as well as in the Commons.
Further, Austria enjoys political liberty, eines his reign-
ing Majesty, Francis Joseph, of his own will,
gave his people • free constitution, as far as
practicable, drawn out after the British modal, inasmuch
as we have the same social elements as in England,
such as a rich and enlightened aristocracy, and straight-
forward and industrious inhabitants in our boroughs and
towns.

The freedom of the press is without restriction, and per.
liberty is more reepected in Austria than in any other
part of the continent, for so soon as one has crossed the
frontiers of the country he is at liberty to go where he will
without being asked who he is or where he is going.
Liberty of trade leaves every one to choose unconditionally
his occupation, end for the most parittit is owing to this
liberty that Austria at the present Fr 'halloo occupies that
position which has been accorded to her by the kind judg-
ment of England, and with universal approbation. The
baron expressed himself most gratefully on behalf of all
Austrians for the many proofs of favour and friendly sup-
port given to them during the Exhibition, and stated that
the sympathy of the Austrian people was thus increased
towards the English nation—a nation that stands at the
head of liberty and industrial progress.
Not only is this prohibitory system done away with and •
well-regulated customs tariff with very moderate duties sub-
stituted, but Austria has just declared herself reedy to
enlarge the circle of free trade by proposing to join the
German Zollverein, with the expire object of furthering
the general union of trade throughout Central Europe, in-
cluding Great Britain and Franos.
Amongst those institutions which further free trade,stsnds
the adoption of an international unity of money, weights,
and measures. Austria considers this not merely as the
simple means for the development of trade, but as the
means for binding together • civilised people, in aiding pro-
gress and overthrowing the last obstacle which obstructed
their advancement. It is always difficult to overthrow old
fashioned customs, and to introduce new instruments of
trade, especially when such instruments are weights and
measures to be reconstructed on the bads of the decimal
system.
As regards coins, the German convention, which intro-
duced equal standards for seventy millions of people, seised
the opportunity to bring in the decimal system, by dividing
the form into 100 parts or kreuzers. At the same time
the decimal weight (1 lb. -= ft kilo.) was taken in Austria as
the basis for collecting the customs, and the same decimal
weight was introduced into all the great mercantile opera-
tions,
steamboat and railway traffic, &c. It is worthy of
notice that the change in the weight in trade was effected
without any difficulty, and that no inconvenience was
experienced.
In Venetia the decimal system existed ever since its in-
troduction during the French occupation. Therefore in that
part of the empire Austria has altered nothing.
Under the auspices of the German Union • commission
was formed to inquire into the best means for introducing
equalisation of weights and measures in all Germany. This
commission took the decimal system as the basis of their
consideration, and the arrangements of the different govern-
ments are still pending, and it is to be hoped will soon be
drawn to a satisfactory conclusion.

TRADE OF TEI NORTII-Eger POSTS.—The Cue-
tom House returns show a very general falling off in trade
from the north-east ports in the month of July. In that
month 202,190 tons of coals were shipped over sea from New-
castle, against 232,167 in the same month of 1861 ; 60,828
tons were shipped from Hartlepool, against 68.628 tone
13,914 against 17,216 tons from Blytb, and 10,343 agar!
16,922 from Middlesborough. There was a slight increase
in the abiomenta from Sunderland in July—vie., 110,744
against 109.688 in July. 1861 ; 189,555 tone of coals were
sent from Newcastle to London, and coastwise in July ;
163.860 from Sunderland., and 122,023 toss from Hartle-
pool. Newcastle shows an Maras of 14,4201. is the vales
of goods other than coals and coke exported in July ; Mid-
dlesborough, 13.311/4 but the Hartlepools a decrease of
4372101.; and Sunderland a decrease of 6,1571.
*ATAL CRINOLINE ACC I DENT. —Dr. Lankester,
the coroner for Central Middlesex, held an inquest at the
1 Bank of England Tavern, Cambridge-place, Paddington, yes-
terday, touching the death of Mrs. Sarah Padley, 18 years
of age, residing at 6, Buckingham-terrace, Bayswater.
11 Thomas Spencer, a lodger at 6, Buckingham-terror, de-
posed that on Sunday, at 11.20 a.m., he heard load sellerni
I issuing from a room on the flnt-floor. He ran to the spot and
found the clothes of the decreed in flames. He seised& piece
of carpet from the floor, enveloped her in it, and threw her
upon the larding, which means he succeeded in extin-
guishing the fire before life was quite extinct, bat not until
every part of the drew of the deceased, except her boor,
was completely consumed. The body was frightfully burnt.
Two rooms had been sat on fire. On the arrival of the
husband (who was absent at the time) immediately slier-
wards he set to work to extinguish the fire, and succeeded
in doing so. Maria Mara, a sister of the decreed, said
she was wearing at the time a muslin dress, extended by
crinoline, and having occasion to cross the room the skirt of
her dress got ivited from the fire in a grate. The Games
spread rapidly Wore assistance arrived. The coroner rid
it was, as be feared, one of those numerously distressing
casualties from the use of the dangerous crinoline. Sack
casesgep.al weyrea.vpepo.sdry much
bte.m.eore,
beingo.7;B.oth:on...then, public
of them were never reported in the public journals. If every
fatal crinoline accident were reported, the public would
know of than, and then he felt assured that armoire would
soon be abandoned. The jury, acting upon a geelion
from the coroner, returned a verdict of " Accidard dear
through wearing crinoline."