New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-03-27
WEIGHTS, MEASURES AND COINS.

This ia subject which, of late, has attracted good
deal Of attention. The great increase OF Intercourse,
owing to the extension of the rarosd and Steam nas-
cation systems brings people Of different nations more
INTO contact and thus the glazing sbsmdties and per-
picking Of the present modee OF ascer-
tainr value and quantities ia more largely felt than
perhaps ever before. Legislators and men OF science
have oltsn turned their attention to the subject-sn
attention which has lately been renewed by several
scientific bodies, and by several governments and In
terns,ional conventions. With one or two exceptions
the attempts heretofore made to reform weights and
have not been radical in their character aud
such seems to be the Gaze with recent attempts OF
which the effort of the Zovereu of Germany to intro
duce coinage for general circulation in the States OF
their Confederscy is remarkable example, showing
by the complex and aud unsatisfactory arrangement
proposed, how very troublesome the existing coinage
NUT be in such small States, now trayersed ~ Es'
ways in various directions.
II il now proposed to explain some Of the defects OF
existing pystens, snd to show what is wanted 10
system for general use. One Of the most important
REQUISITES in the business Of common life is cOnven-
lent ratio or ratios bet tween the different denominations
of the came kind Of measure. For instances l6i feet
make pole, and 81 yards make pole; inches make
quarter (of yard) 81 gallons make barrel 1910
pounds make tun. These are obvious instances OF
incoLvenient rates.. The principle which d 1cc!r'ea
these and numerous similar instances and causes their
nconv enience is simply this: that when we wish to
divide any given quantity the fret and simplest, and
much the easiest way to divide il into two parts, and
when further division is needed, each Of these halves
II again divided into two aud 30 on. Hence where
the ratio between two denominations Is any other III n
TWO, one Of fe poweIe-in othsr words. where any
other than binary number 30 used, this continual
dissection Of larger denomination ultimately causes
mixed units snd fractions Of the lesser For In
stance, feet make ysrd, 70 inches make foot
Now, neither 3 Dor Il are binary numbers. Co-se-
qusIty as the yard 10 divided for cloth measure into
halves, quarters, eighths, &c. IA sr aly binary and
Their. Fore natural and clnveGent .ion) thsse dv
scns produce fractional fee; and inches. which. though
the legal divisions OF the yard entirely discarded in
practice in al where tue yard is the principal
measuring uuit The iIch has no legal subdivision,
and mechanics and Others who use it much meas
ur,rg uuit following the invariable but often
unrecosuized) principle have TIE inch on their rules
always divided into eigbths and siIteeDhs, sad sone
Tin es into Thirty second paris; but very rarely into
W elAhs and into euths for prsetical purposes,
apart rom the purposes IF comp ltation.
For tie facility of cslculstiop however, vari,ty Of
notifications of TIL principle bars obtained 10 q oeF-
tain extert End complete conformity Of weights,
measures ard ooirs 10 such ratios would give this
facility in tne gTeses degree has been more than once
attempted, but even with tolerEbls practical
success for want Of keeping n view the psiacpe Of
binary division before lard down. Some remarks on
these aforementioned attempts their failure, and on
mode of rendering the binary system 'qosl to any
Other for the purposes Vi c4cuatUn, viii 1e hereafter
attempted.