The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-12-19
A ROMANCE OF SCIENCE.

How the French MetricaI System was Esan-
Few persons are conversant with the cir
cumstanees under which the metrical system
of France was established in the early part
OF the present century. The whole story, in
cluding narratives of perilous adventure, is
told in the official records of the French In
stitute, from which source an English maga-
zine writer has drawn the materials for what
he calls a romance of science.
The project of founding system of lineal
measurement upon the metre originated
among the savans of the Institute Of France.
and it was submitted to the British Govern
ment for adoption. England being then at
war with France, the offer was declined.
The French then determined to send men,
bers of the institute to prosecute their scien-
tific operations at different stations in Spain,
France, England, and Scotland, and these
adventurous men were compelled to encoun-
ter privations and dangers by sea and land;
some of them fell into captivity, and others
died from fatigue and exposure In under
taking their task, the main object in view
was to determine a standard linear measure
by the admeasurement of O great arc of the
earths circumference as nearly as possible at
a fixed parallel of latitude, from which frac-
tional section would be taken as an unaltera-
BILE basis. AS q medium between the two
extremes of circumference at the equator
and the poles, it was determined that the
parallel of latitude forty-fve degrees north
should be the basis, especially as it inter
sected part of Europe where great arc of
the meridian could be measured by trigono-
metrical survey.
The Spanish Government in 1906 appointed
Signors Chalk and Rodriguez, eminent astro-
nomers, to assist in the work, and the French
Institute chose NJ Arago-then a young man
and M. Blot, at that time in the prime of
life, with a European reputation as one of
II. Izo~ IL. e
chief command of the expedition was given
to M. Blot 1t was arranged that M. Arago
should establish himself and instruments in
q rude cabin on the summit of q mountain in
the DesiertO de las PaImGS which Mechain
had chosen for one of the stations of his great
triangle, formed on the islands of Majo and
Iviza with the coast of Valencia. favorable
site in the Mediterranean was obtained on the
small isle of Eormentera, which, with Iviza
and several other rocky islets, forms the group
of Pithyusa Isles, and their most southern
point. The only accommodation was in the
hut of peasant, who was astonished to see
strangers looking for such q habitation
Here they carried their refectors and other
instruments up to the summit of the rocky
isle, and constructed temporary observa-
tory of planks. The party consisted of M
Blot and M. Rodriguez, with four sailors,
the latter being stationed there to see the
lamps supplied with oil and the reaectors
polished and adjusted every night. By the
time these arrangements were completed
winter had set in, the weather became tenn
pestuous, and the land covered with snow
The inclemency of the weather, together with
the difficulty of obtaining warmth and food
soon took effect on NJ Rodriguez, so that he
left the island for Spain, and M. Blot had to
take his arduous watch by night.
At the various points of observation, the
members of the expedition kept watch day
and night from the middle of October to the
middle of December. M. Blot, in his report
describes feelingly the trying position of his
party, and the dreary aspect of nature from
the Isle of Formentera At length, after
two months sojourn on the mountain, his
perseverance was rewarded by favorable
state of the weather, when the signal lights
from the different stations were visible
Then followed a set of observations by NJ
Arago On the island of Iviza, whence he saw
the island of Majorca on East, and the coast
of Spain on the west, and thus determined
an arc of parallels of latitude, measur-
ing three degrees of longitude. This
arc, situated at the southern extremity
of the meridian, determined also most
completely the curvature of that part of the
terrestrial spheIoid of revolution, at the level
of the sea, from which the measurement of
the metre was to be taken. These results
were again compared with the first observa-
tlOub Vi Dl boldulDI6 Oh lduu dt Duuklrk,
from which the value of the metre was fixed
according to the French laws. The differ
ence was misunderstanding to the
ten-thousandth part of line, or about four
tepths of metre upon the total length of
the arc between the parallels of Dunkirk and
approximating to one and a
half feet in S65 English statute miles. So
small an error was deemed of no account, and
this part of the operations was satisfactorily
concluded
RURAL CURIOSITY.
Meanwhile, the members of tho expedition
prepared to leave the isles of Formentara and
Iviza, and remove their astronomical instru-
ments to the mainland of Spain. Before
doing so, the curate of the district where M.
Blot was situated requested permission for
himself and some of the inhabitants to see
their instruments. Though one of the infe-
rior clergy of Spain, yet he took considerable
interest in scientific operations, and appre-
ciated the instruments in the observatory
On the other hand, the islanders permitted
TO enter the buildings gazed on them with the
astonishment of savages 1t was Sunday and
fete day when troop of them came in the
evening" with the alcalde at their head, dane
ing and singing in most extraordinary man.
mel, both men and women. The men clsttered
with their feet in a kind of half-African,
haf-European dance; while the women,
having their hair plated into long pendant
queues, turned and pirouetted on their naked
feet, without raising them off the ground,
Ike puppets on springs. The music that
accompanied these strange postures was quite
as barbarous in character: one played on O
species of flute, another struck a tambourine,
and some had wooden clappers, while the
alcalde kept measured time by striking large