Translation from the Astronomical Jour. of Hamburgh, 231 
iron=0,0012534363 
brass=0,0018916254 
the length of the meter was determined to be 39,381022708 
inches of the scale, which, as the standard temperature of 
the English measure is 62° Fah, gives the length of the me- 
ter in English inches 
39,38 1022708 ; . 
=7,00031 59709 99236861 inches English. 
The two copies of meters give less, (0,001 inch,) but these 
were compared with both: the scale of Troughton in Amer- 
ica, and that which this artist himself uses in London, and 
had upon both very nearly the same length; whence it may 
be concluded, that both English scales agreed very nearly. 
Thus according to Mr. H.’s comparison the meter is 39,36861 
English inches: according to the comparison of two other 
copies by Kater =39,37079. According to Vol. III. of 
Base du Systeme Metrique, page 369, the meter of platinum 
was =39,382755; that of iron =39,382649: both measur- 
ed upon the brass scale of Mr. Pictet, reduced to the tem- 
perature of melting ice; at a mean =39,3827, which, ac- 
ence. The authentic meter of Mr. H. appears, however, 
really to be shorter, though it could be brought nearer to 
the others by accepting other proportions for the expansion 
of metals.* This, however, appears not to be allowable, 
when the results of different comparisons are to be collected ; 
for the determination of the expansion is as important as the 
comparison itself; therefore, each observer must remain an- 
swerable for that one which he adopts. I think it should be 
enquired whether two metals of the same chemical compo- 
sition, have always the same proportion of expansion ; or if 
* The meter used by Mr. Hassler in his comparisons, and which the Cheva- 
lier Bessel suspects to have been too short, was an original issued by the 
French e ission, and is therefore far more authentic than the copies used 
by Kater. We are happy, however, to be able to state, that peepee has 
recently been engaged at Washington in further comparisons, ae 
bly make his seme babe ina short time. They are said fully to confirm his 
former experiments. 
