The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-03-02

Similar tables express, by decimal numbers,
measures of surface, weight, capacity and val
ue. The foregoing examples sufficiently Illus
trate the system and its nomenclature.
Mr. Bliss does not cOnfine the decimal sys-
tenn to mere Neurology; but reduces it also to
the reckoning of Time and Longitude, which
must be great advantage to navigators espe-
cially. He would not have the dag begin in
the night,-at low u, which Is no astrononl-
ical point to start fronl,-bu at high noon
when the sun Is vertical; and instead of hav-
ing day divided into two parts, requiring a
repetition Of numerals, he would have the
twenty-four expressed by their regular num-
bers. Some weeks since, we noticed COM
munication from Mr.. Bliss, in the Kennebec
journal, In which he elaborated decimal
system of Neurology, both learnedly and clear
10. We shall do the best justice to this part
Of his subject by copying the following por-
tien of the article alluded to:qA ~
For the purpose of completing the system
we present in connection with the foregoing
O somewhat novel table OF Time and Longitude
combined To effect this the hour is divided
into fifteen equal parts or degrees, the degrees
into sixty parts or minutes (which take the
place Of seconds) and the minute into sixty
seconds, the latter falling back and taking the
place of hundreths Of seconds, which ore now
used in nice astronomical calculations. Thus:
60 seconds minute
p no 60 minutes | degree
goa q "a Sesnss' SosSrs l aSSr dsy or circle
These measures uncombined are almost uni
versal Why should they become less so by
union? -.4iE lr..t H.nINt4t ~
The consummation of this scheme would
necessitate the introduction of astronomical
instead OF civil time, and counting tho hours
from one to twenty-fou in succession instead
of from one to twelve twice aud marking the
parts A. NJ and p. NJ. 1t will also be necessa-
~ to commence the day at noon, when a pre-
else point can be determined by the culmina-
tion of the sun at the meridian, and not at
midnight, when no point can be fixed from
which TO start by an observation. BY this ar
raneement the reduction of time to longitude
and the reverse in navigation and in astrOnOm-
ical calculations is avoided, to say nothing of
other obvious advantages pertaining to this
improved plan. ltsA ''t"H - p
Even cursory examination of the decimal
system here presented cannot fail to convince
the intelligent student Of its superiority in log
ical coherence and simplicity over the complex
systems now in use. To say nothing of the in
estimable advantage of a uniform decimal ra-
tic, nearly one-half of the measures with their
corresponding units are dispensed with. The
units remaining and used i'm this work are with
one exception such as are we'll known wher-
ever the English language is used. The term
area, which has not previously been used in
this country as specific designation of super
fetal contents, is q general expression for the
| same thing, and is therefore in some degree
suggestive of the measure to which 1T Is appiieu
The yard is the basis from which al the otner
parts are derived. This is selected because i.s
length is determined through the opera.on vi
grayitation, q natural force OF wnlon wn 10 oie
Nearly constant than that of any other, (.
ThSuch at first thought the introduction OF
A., G"asL and Latin FUNERALS appears arbi-
| trarv and unnatural, yet no vioience Is done to
10 . a. ,nnnaoe in which they already appear ei-
liz .no aIona or in composition with other words
te, THr ;mstsnce. we have decimal centiped, mill.
Esa,,,a hecatonb and myriad. q ~
"'I H. viii be seen that the whole vocabulary
| oftbe system is comprised in the names Sf
the six measures and their respective units To
which appropriate numerals are prefxed-
ninete words in ALL 1 r
If what We propose has not the element of
universally, 1t might at least become interna-
tional, since We adopt terms used by the more
important nations of the world The foot is
used in England, Russia Prussia, Austria,
Italy, Spain, Sweden and several other coun-
tries; the yard, pound and gallon in England
and America; the dollar in Spain and Ameri-
ca. The method of applying the Greek and
Latin numerals is identified with that adopted
in France seventy years ago. The time ana
longitude combination is in its nature unlver,
sal because it corresponds with the ha'u'e
of things. r'st