Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-04-08
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

1t will be remembered that our Government year OF
ago presented to that of France through the
weights and measures of the United States We have
recently received from Paris pamphlet in French and
English, containing letter from NJ Vatemare upon this
subject addressed the Hon. Mr. HAML1N of the United
States Senate, in which he gives account of the
cepon by France of this evidence Of international
tesy and good will The collection placed in the
gallery of prototypes in the COapatoe ds Arts e Md
tiers, ian institution similar to our Patent Office where
has attracted the attention of of science and elicit
ed concentrations highly complimentary to American
artistic and scientific ability The French Government
desirous of recprocatng this testimonial the part
the United States caused be prepared and placed
the disposal of NJ Vattemare for transmission to Ame
rica set OF the weights and composing the
mercal decimal system of France which is perhaps the
most perfect system Of weights and measures ever org
mated by any nation This collection, we believe has
arrived safely in this country and has been deposited in
tho Patent Office ."
Appended to the letter of NJ Vattemare is an interest
ing and lucid history and exposition of the French
trcal system prepared at the request of NJ yattemare
by intelligent counryman, WILLIAM w. MANN Esq,
at present residing in Paris, who having made it par
ticular study, was well qualified undertake the task
explaining the system and exhibiting its merits in the
most favorable light. .rs.
The pamphlet also contains two valuable reports one
from A. SHERMAN, Superintendent of the Cons.rua-
des Arts ct es explanatory of the operations per-
formed for the verifoation of the standards composing
the collection to the United States and giving
else description Of the extraordinary precision of the ba
ances prepared by Professor BAcHE The second
upon the subject Of French coins and coinage
by ii. DURAND, Commissioner General of Coins and
Medals -
We condense from Mr. MANNs able report the follow
ing summary Of facts and views The French system of
measurement is called the ,aercal decimal sssrn because
OF its being founded upon the metre unit Of measures
Of length from which derived all the other units and
because all the multples and divisions of the metre and
the other units of the system obtained by decaa or
ens as tens hundreds thousands tens of thousands and
tenths, hundredths, thousandths &c. The Academy of
Sciences was directed, when reform Of the system of
weights and measures determined upon in 1890 to
devise system which should, while it established regu
larity and uniformity in French weights and measures in
place of the uncertainty and confusion then prevailing be
of character to admit Of adoption by all nations The
Academy resolved that the unit Of nea should
be the basis Of the system and that this unit should
be called metre, rom the Greek word signying measure
and that the length of the metre should be the ten mil
Ron part of quadrant the eartHs meridian the ten
miionth part Of tho distance from the equator to the
pole. The length Of the metre thus fixed upon and OBJ
tanned by trigonomercal measurement of the meridian
interesting account of which is given in Mr. Mann
memoir is about feet 81 inches of our measure. The
currency of France is connected with the merca system
of weights and measures by decimal division and by
weight and the diameter Of the coins 1t intended
to make this connexon complete by 80 regulating
the diameter of the coins that when placed juxtaposi
ton in straight line the metre and its various divisions
might be reproduced The exactitude of this operation
however, has been unfortunately destroyed by the
Several nations of Europe and America have already
adopted the French system Of weights and and
coinage The French coins circulate in Spain Swtzer-
land, Belgium Germany, and part Of America they
do in France Mr.. Manu. in his memoir strongly advo-
Gates its adoption by oil nations and suggests alter
atons and amendments that would in his opinion render
it worthy Of universal acceptation. If the United States
were to adopt the metrcal system England would soon
do the same and the three principal commercial Powers
Of the world England America and France thus unit
ing in favor of the system the other nations would be
compelled to accede to it. The advantages that would
result from the adoption Of common uniform, and
universal system of weights measures, and currency
would tend to strengthen the ties between nations and
unite them closely in the bonds of bro
therhood.
The resolution authorizing the presentation to the
French Government of set Of the weights and
in use in the United States originated in the Committee
ON Commerce in the Senate 1t therefore to the chair
man of that committee Mr. HAMLIN, that NJ Vatemare,
whom delegated the of the collection, has a
dressed his letter NJ Vatemare requests that the letter
and papers accompanying it may be published among the
documents of Congress- and do not doubt that the
quest may be complied with, the papers valuable
and the subject of great Importance and national
interest.