Ruler measuring 1 metre. Brass and copper, c. 1800. Dutch professors J.H. van Swinden (1746-1823) and H. Aeneae (1743-1810) served as delegates from the Batavian Republic on the French commission that established the new system of weights and measures in 1798 and 1799: the metric system. The Dutchmen brought examples of the new units of weight and measure back from France. This may have been one of those rulers. On one side is an old French unit of measurement. The other marks the metric system in decimals. To avoid wear, the ends of the ruler were reinforced with brass endpieces, ensuring that the precise length of the ruler would remain accurate.