189 ; 
Since 1864 a greater regularity is observable in this service. In the 
first half of the century, statistical tables, giving abstracts of commerce, 
were ordinarily published at intervals of about two and a half years or 
more; thus the commerce of 1842 was not officially known till October, 
1845. Things have since changed, and the official table of 1870 was 
published in December, 1871, or about twelve months after the close of 
the year. This delay will be still further reduced under the new policy. 
Another question should attract the attention of governments. Hith- 
erto European governments have not adopted a uniform statistical sys- 
tem. Would it not be useful to adopt a common base of operations? It 
is only by unity of aim and effort that nations will make of statistics a 
practical science, securing a comparison between productive forces, 
THE METRIC SYSTEM IN AUSTRIA.—A law of July 23, 1871, introduced 
the metric system into Austria. The standard of measure is a rod en- 
closed in glass in possession of the Austrian government, which, at the 
temperature of melting ice, is equal to 999.99764 millimeters of the proto- 
type meter deposited at Paris. The standard of the kilogram isa kilogram 
of crystal, the weight of which, in vacuo, is equal to 999.9978 of the proto- 
type kilograms of Paris. The new system of weights and measures will 
be used in trade after the Ist of January, 1873; it will be obligatory and 
exclusive after January 1, 1876. The weights and measures hitherto 
used in Austria will bear the following values in terms of the metric 
system : 
Measures of length. A. toise of Vienna equals 1.896184 meters ; a foot 
of Vienna, 0.316084 meter; an ell of Vienna, 0.777558 meter; one 
postal mile, 7.585936 meters; one span, 10.53602 centimeters. 
Measures of surface—A square myriameter equals 1.737727 square 
miles ; a square toise, 3.596652 square meters; a square foot, 0.099907 
square meter; a joch of Lower Austria, 57.51612 ares; an Austrian 
square mile, 0.5754642 myriameter. 
Measures of capacity—A cubic meter equals 0.146606 cubic toise; a 
cubic meter, 31.66695 cubic feet; a cubic toise, 6.820092 cubic meters ; 
a enbie foot, 0.03157867 cubie meter. 
Dry measures.—A_ hectoliter equals 1.626356 Viennese setiers; a liter, 
0.01626365 Viennese setier; a Viennese setier, 0.6148682 hectoliter, or 
61.48652 liters. 
Liquid measures.—A hectoliter equals 1,767129 eimers; a liter, 0.070- 
68515 mass; a Viennese eimer, 0.565890 hectoliter; a Viennese mass, 
1.414724 liters. _ 
Measures of weight.—A kilogram equals 1 pound 25.0137 ounces; a 
decagram, 0.571367 Austrian ounce; a ton, 1,785.523 pounds; a kilo- 
gram, 2 pounds of the customs, or 2.380697 pounds, apothecaries’ weight, 
or 5.562298 silver marks. A gram equals 0.286449 ducat of gold, or 
4.855090 karats of Vienna, or 0.06 postal ounce. A Vienna pound equals 
0.560060 kilogram. A quintal, 56.0060 kilograms; an ounce, 1.750187 
decagrams; a quintal of the customs, 50 kilograms; a pound of the cus- 
toms, 0.5 kilogram; a pound, apothecaries’ weight, 0.420045 kilogram; 
a Vienna silver mark, 0.280668 kilogram; a gold ducat, 3.490896 grams ; 
a Vienna karat, 0.205969 gram; a postal ounce, 16.666667 grams. 
FOREIGN COMMERCE OF AUSTRIA.—During the semi-decade, 1867-71, 
Austrian commerce was remarkably progressive. The course of busi- 
ness arrested by the military operations of 1866 was revived with new 
force. That year may be considered as the starting-point of an upward 
movement, the importance of which may be seen from the following 
figures: The total foreign trade of Austria, in 1871, amounted to 1,147- 
