New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-06
wpvsrRYAL AND SCIENTIFIC LNTS1-
LIGEkCE.

s", ~Ib.,.s of roods; and the superior secu-
- .t..nnble--snd Dow conducted the dimlnlshed
hAsr uyolvsd-b.s induced st incresnng preference
sr weighing rather than measuring 70 ascertSo the
-.-,..ss. scales moro than measures have become .
,r,bmfnsry necessity in commercial transactions. We
800 from Western Europe some beautiful scales for
A.r,,ts counters but the great mass OF the weighing
nn.r.,u, employed in this country lie manufactured
vxhp our Hm,, and in style which originate In the
American BRAIN and s as yet introduced, except to
yerv limited extent only on the American Confident
IN. ptlorm scale is Indigenous TO the bills Of north
ssr Vermont. and was invented by Mr.. Thsddeus Fair
ls,ks in $780, Although patented 10 Great Britain, by
n ssms inventor, the enterprstg and pecuuiaruysu
e.sful parry there who purchased the right to manu-
e.ure had a. late as two years ago neglected TO in
tr.3uce single Improvement ano it may be presumed
.t the scalee leaving the workshop TO day are similar
N every important respect 10 that set forth II tue pat
spt dated come quarter Of century ago.
recent Journey afforded US the pleasure OF long
Wait 10 The Me,us. Fairbanks Mandatory 10 81.
Jolbsbuy VT the present terminus of the COnnecti'
cat and Pa,,umpt0 Railroad. This village is purely
usw.Epgland-tbe prOverbial air of freshness, neat
se. and industry being more strongly marked In TINS
than IN any other locality within our recollection. II
The weighing machines emanatng from this little town
10 The most distant quarters not only Of our own country
but Of the world could while furnishing aid TO Snct
justice and scientific accuracy also carry with them
and propagate the full Of prosperity and hap
piD.ss pertaining 10 free and enlightened people, the
good time coming, sung by another Green Mountain
kmily, might be considered rapidly approaching.
An extremely desirable ttep toward universal orvh'
.,,ood x,ould be the establishment Of one general
sv,,m Of weights and measures, and to this subject
20 u,u,t here devote fe minutes attention. Prof.
I III Alexander Who while connected With this De
rar,mept AT Washington, few years SINCE prepared
the elaborate Universal Dictionary Of Ancient and
Modem Weights and Measures" modestly urges the
psopriety of general diffusion Of knowledge In Il
respect, as a first step to yard such an end. Grest
Britain and the United States have now the same
.tspdsr6s which agree with each other 10 the e.
tremest scientific accuracy, except 10 measures OF ca
pscity; but Russia in some respects the next most
important country, has no unit common to them, the
spun" oftbst country O9O69i pound avoirdupoi'l
being Just sufficiently dssimar to forbid possibility
efharuon1iDg them. The " Yin " of China-in which
immensely populOus country, even more than ID the
Urited Stats, almost everything, including lumber
and iquids is sold by weight either actual or nominal
lis equivalent to q pounds tolerable approximation
- the French "Kilogramme." The Libra" Of
Spain, the country from which by far the greatest
portion Of the New Word has derived tie laws aud
tons weighs O76l5 or lit more than three-fourths
sf a pound; and although s0mes what confused by the
local customs Of the severa distinct composing
thst once powerful nation and by the subsequent alter
atiops introduced by the ColODsts, the Marco, or
half libra may in general terms be considered the orig
nal national unit of the Spanish American countries.
Bat easing intercourse with the AugOSaxon race
las introduced the svord 1pos pound, to greater or
ks degree, over the whole Of these immense terrific
nss.
The French weights aud measures (which, though
xesersly termed the NEW system may well afford
n drop the adjective since even the Of the old
standards have been interdiced since S4O possesses
tAs very desirable feature of being, like our Federal
.oney increased and diminished invariably by tens
which makes multiplication and division extremely
simple and easy. The "kilogramme," weight, z
1904 737 b. 10 really the unit, although the "gramme
mss raibs) is the STANDARD from which the DOmencla-
ture il derived The small, weight recognized ia the
smiie1amme" (lees than l-25, 600 Of an ounoe) the
ueaiest s the tOnneau I'll, 900 kilogrsmmes) ADD
spproIimstDg very nearly to our long tue. The long
TN Of 9 2l0 fb may add is very properly gving
way in many kinds of business to the short tun OF
1900 n. The exitenoe Of two kinds Of tuns may be
yeIy convenient for coal dealers who buy by the long
tan and sell by the short liz ever the purchaser is 90
tortpnste as obtain the quantity nominay ihtended
bat this state things necessarily beges confusion in
satistics. il rot in commercial transactions and the
superior convenience Of reckoning makes the 2,oOo
standard worthy Of encouragement for all purposes
peculiar Importance attaches to the French stand
nrss nom the fact not only that they based on
certain simple relations Of weights to measures, and Of
ths latter to the eshs circumference, and that great
pains and sIpsase has been bestowed determining
hsr values; but also on account Of their unanimous
nSoption bv ,cienhc writers Of all nations as the num-
BEN in which to record for permanent reference al ex
yssnents and discoveries of whatever nature. They
sand among the efforts Of mankind for material pro-
Kssss pretty nearly the relation that the atm
seague continues 10 stand among pedantc sspirauts
Dat with the advantage Of being new and living
ysihsr than an obsolete language. The convenience
Of the French arrangement, aud it's 70 the above
tst universal employ msnt make desirable standard
% srge spon attention II the tables could be kept
standing in our scientific text books and in the use
tsl information" department Of our too degenerate
shnApscs, the inclination Of Americans and Bntons TO
Bssogpixe reject this innovation might perhaps be
ascsrsinsd rome leo years sooner than otherwise BY
he way, viii not some practical oommon-sensc man
undertake the revson Vt this department of school
srnhmstcs, which has been copied fron one iOto
sssther by ooregelesned ignorant until the
ssisvaDce has become serious. In Of length
fr example, the primitive and otherwise unheard-of
"tArse barley cOrns make an nch," is still driven and
sSspehsd through the skulls Of all unfortunate cand
Gates for future usefulness while the Line (El.l2h
81 an inchl, measure universally employ ed for the
hss hundred years fox all scientific measurements Of
1sn distances, can never be learned until after the
seouostionis completed
The weighing apparatus employed until within g
gate recent period, and eli u great part of
TIA eaffhis suYface embraces only the eonaLbaam