758 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



these contributions to the solution of the really important question at 

 the head of this article have a unique and special value. They have 

 been written by officers high in position in the Government and entirely 

 free from prejudice. Their recommendations were not influenced by any 

 considerations as to their personal convenience, and their judgments 

 were based on the actual operations of their several departments. It 

 is somewhat singular, in examining their reports in detail, to find that 

 there is so little repetition. For these reasons it appears that no such 

 important additions to the literature of this subject have been made 

 for many years. In what follows, brevity has been studied, and omis- 

 sions have been freely made whenever possible, the object being to 

 present only the most important arguments. The bills introduced into 

 Congress are first given, and then follow the detailed reports of the 

 heads of executive departments. No attempt has been made to an- 

 swer the important questions considered, that having been left to the 

 reader. 



Mr. Muldrow introduced on November 3, 1877, a bill "to promote 

 the establishment of the metric system of coinage in the gold coins of 

 the United States of America. 



" W^hereas^ The metric sj'stem of coinage, based on the gramme as 

 the unit of weight, is now almost universally acknowledged to be the 

 best ; and — 



" Whereas, Tlie gold coinage of the United States can be brought 

 into exact conformity with the metric system by a change amounting 

 to less than one third of one per centum : therefore — 



" He it enacted, etc.. That the gold hereafter coined by the United 

 States shall contain, for each dollar of denominational value, one and 

 one half gramme of pure gold, and shall weigh, for each dollar, one 

 and two thirds gramme, the proportion of alloy to the entire weight 

 being thus kept as one to ten. 



" Section 2. That such coins shall be legal tenders in payments 

 arising from contracts made at anytime after the 4th day of July, 1878. 



" Sec. 3. That such coins shall have stamped upon them, in addition 

 to other devices, their weight in grammes, and the inscription, ' nine 

 tenths fine.' " 



Mr. Maish introduced on January 25, 1878, a bill " to establish the 

 metric system in the post-offices and custom-houses of the United 

 States. 



" Be it enacted, etc., That on and after January 1, 1879, for all pos- 

 tal purposes, fifteen grammes shall be substituted for half an ounce, 

 and so on in progression. 



" Sec. 2. That on or before January 1, 1879, the Postmaster-Gen- 

 eral shall furnish all post-offices with postal balances denominated in 

 grammes of the metric system, at an expense," etc., etc. 



" Sec. 3. That on and after Januarj^ 1, 1880, the metric system of 

 weights and measures, as legalized in section 3,569 of the Revised Stat- 



