Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1821-03-16


wine made d London bushel, the same being
the eighth part of a quarter That thus. the
money weight Was identical with tue silver
coins which gave uniformity OF proper.
ton between the money weight uDd the mer.
chants weis exactly corresponding TO that
between the measure OF wine aud the meas.
uIe Of grain.
The Secretary then proceeds TO shew how
this system, tie origin OF which he refers 10
very remote period vt antiquity aud to til.
nature nOd condition of nan, Nas de rang ed
by the debasemSut of the coins ia England, la
different Ieigns, until, LEI the year lays. u law,
founded upon this debased currency aud an
iguorant bubstitution vi the troy tor the old
sterling pound in, erted the order Of the system,
wholly destroyed the proportion, aud all the 4
uSeful coincideuces OF weights and measures
growing out ot il. lie follows tue English
customs and etrOis OF legislation, through all
their variations; sLews how the ayUirdupois
was Introduced cs an accompaniment OF the
troy weight, aud how the proportion between
these succeeded the old English kroportions;
ana points out the successive tncOnxtuities
Introduced BY uueniiS htsned and petplexed
attachments, down TO the anomalies existing
in tue weights AID measures 10 use in Great
Britain al this day.
The Secretary OF State then enters upon au
examination ct the French system Of weights
and measures /; notices their excessive diver-
sity prior to the late revelation aud the pro-
posai OF the Bishop OF Autun, the present
Prince de 'raiieyrsnd, in 1870, to the members
| of the constituent assembly, for the tounda.
ton OF new system. upon the principle of a
| single aud universal standard. The question
having been referred 10 a committee OF the
| Academy OF Scieuces, they, in their report,
| proposed that the ten mllloDth part of
| quarter of tho meridian should be taken as
| the standard unit OF linear measure ; that, az
| second standard of comparison with IL, the
| pendulum, vibrating seconds at the forty fifth
| degree of latitude, should be assumed; aud
| that the weight OF distilled water, at the point
| OF freeaiug, measured by a cubical vessel. in
| decimal proportion TO the linear standard
should determine the standard Of weights and
| Of vessels OF capacity. This report was ap.
| proved by the decree OF the assembly and
| the scientific operations, necessary TO the ex.
| ccution OF the plan, were assigned 10 four
bcpmmitteea of the Academy.
The Secretary exhibits The progress of the
requisite experiments, until the modern stand
| ard metre OF France was fixed (; the cubic de.
cimere, or tenth part OF the metre, of dis
| titled water, AT tue Temperature of lis great.
est density, established az the kiiloyramme TO
u standard weight, with it's tbousaudth part,
| being the gvsIpme, tor it's unit aud the ca
pacity OF tue vessel containing this water un.
der the name of hire, made the standard OF
all measures. liquid or dry. The metre was
| applied 10 superficial and solid me asures ac.
| coiding to their proportions; the chain of
| ten metres being applied 10 land measure, and
| Its square denomiDated an are. The cubic
! metre was called a steTe. A vocabulary of
new denominations was then annexed 10 eve.
| ry weight and measure OF this new system
| the muliiples OF The nhits whereof were lie.
clnialiy expressed ih significant prefix q Greek
! syilables; their subdivisions being also deci-
| Rally expressed, by similar pIefixed syllAbl.s
| from the Latin language The whole no.
| Inenclature consisting of only twelve words
hve OF which deaote The things, aud seven the
| numbers.
| This system of neurology is the one al this
| time Established by law in France. But
Notwithstanding II is simple and perfect ia
| theory, The people OF that country have main.
ly rejected II In practice. The difficulty of
un!earning old names associated with Ideas al.
ready formed the conclusion arising from the
iDterni1tnre OF new and old denominations
adapted, in different degrees, to tue same OH
Jects the arbitrary sounds of The new Uames
TO the mass OF the nation, which kas little or
no acqHaiutdace with the Greek and Latin
languages; in short, habit, usage and prior ed.
ucatIou, have prevented the ready adoption.
within the Kingdom. of the modern French
system OF weights aud measures !; insomuch
that the government of France has been me-
cessitated to unite the old system TO the
new. aud 10 explain, by proportional desigHa.
lions, the weights and measures OF the latter
~ tile terms OF the former, which alone are
familiar 10 the great najorit, of tue iahabi.
taHts. Those obstacles which science aud le.
gislstion have had TO encounter in France
are illustrated by the slow progress which the
specific denominations of the coins of the
Unitsd States have made in naiursIiring
themselves in the coiloquiai pbraseoiOgy of the
different states OF the Union; in many OF which
twenty"eight years after the coinage Of money
at the national mint, pound, sbiIiiDgs and
pence, and the alquot parts of the Spanish
dollar are the denominations. used in zen.
eral conversation.
Admonisbed by experience. the SecretarS
OF State, throughout his report, Is cautions
of yielding his assent 10 radical Alterations
He considers the actual NEUROLOGY of the
United States and Great Britain as essentially
the same aud thinks that any attempt at a |
change CT weights and measures here, without
corresponding change elsewhere, would, in. |
stead OF tending TO uniformity lead to much
create diversity than now exists among us:
not only to diversity arising cot of a partial |
confusion IL home, tut to a diversity separa.
ting us from the prevailing uniformity be.
tween onT present system and that of the vast |
commercial empire of Great Britain, with |
which we have constant intercourse. |
Having discussed the first he al OF his snbs
Jecf, as TO the proceedings in eign countries |
for establishing uniformity III weights and |
measures, the Secretary, IN retereuce TO the |
second head, gives summary of the regula. |
lions and standards for weights aud measures |
i'll the several states OF the Union. These he |
tiuds with little variation, the same in all /
the 'tates, having been originally copied from |
English standards; with the exception OF
tlose Of Louisiana, which were OF French oyi. |
glDal. These latter, however are, by local lie. |
gisi1tioD, giving way 10 the standards of the |
rIdeT American states so that very great |
degree of uniformity exists throughout the |
whole Republic.
Proceeding 10 the third aud last head. the |
Secretary OF State eUtertains some doubts how |
Tar Congress can constfutI0nally. exercise !
the power Of Introducing au entire new sys- |
tenn Of neurology; He rather inclnes to the |
opinion that their authority is limited 10 the |
regulating and tie firing what already exists.
This doubt lie couutenanres by a sngges-
ton Of the impraciicabiliiy of establishing |
any uniform system, except by the concur. |
renee OF the state governments, whose inau, |
encC he regards az Indispensable 10 give effect
10 any law OF the Congress on the subject.
He incucates, moreover, the utility Of proc
crasiinaiion in the final adoption of any new !
system. The basis Of The Frepch NEUROLOGY
he admits 10 sufficiently perfect it's elemenfss |
~ extension being invaTiable, and cOmpre. |