64 



ON THE COMPARISON OF BRITISH, FRENCH, AND 

 DUTCH WEIGHTS. 



BY DR. G. MOLL, 



Professor in the University of Utrecht. 



(Communicated by the Author.) 



TT is well known, that after the conclusion of the labours of 

 A the Commission for the establishment of the metrical sys- 

 tem of weights and measures in France, in 1799, duplicates of 

 the metre and the kilogramme were presented by the National 

 Institute to each of the foreign members of the said Commis- 

 sion, and also to each of the Governments then allied to 

 France, who had sent commissioners, on this occasion, to 

 Paris. These duplicates were authentic copies both of the 

 metre and kilogramme, made and adjusted, it is said, under 

 the immediate inspection of the Commission of Weights and 

 Measures, and carefully and minutely compared with the 

 original standards. After this, they were marked with a par- 

 ticular stamp of the commission, being an ellipse divided into 

 four quadrants, three of which are shaded, and in the fourth, 

 not shaded, the number 10,000,000 is engraved $ thus the 

 form of this stamp is nearly the following. 



The late Professor Van Swinden was one of the Commis- 

 sioners sent by this country to the general meeting at Paris, 

 and in consequence he became possessed of a set of these 

 authentic copies of the metre and kilogramme, on which he 

 always set the highest value, and which were constantly pre- 

 served with the greatest care. After Mr. Van Swinden's de- 

 mise they came into my possession. 



Being furnished with one of the well-known balances of 

 Mr. Robinson of Devonshire Street, and with very accurate 

 imperial British troy weights, made by the same artist, I was 

 anxious to compare Mr. Van Swinden's authentic copy of the 

 kilogramme with the British troy weight. 



