FRANCE. (DECIMAL SYSTEM.) 



301 



concluded with pope Pius VII. Institutions for the 

 education of the clergy have since been established. 

 But the church has never recovered her ancient 

 celebrity for learning and eloquence, although her 

 theological literature has been enriched by such men 

 as Gregoire and the cardinal Maury, one of the most 

 distinguished preachers of the age, and the author of 

 a valuable work on pulpit eloquence. After the 

 return of the Bourbons, in conformity with the papal 

 bull of October 10, 1821, the number of dioceses 

 and the pay of the inferior clergy was increased. In 

 the mean time, the efforts of a powerful party, which 

 aimed at the destruction of the freedom of the 

 Gallican church, by means of the Jesuits and mis- 

 sionaries, were successfully resisted. The president 

 and professors of the episcopal seminaries were 

 required, in 1824, to subscribe to the declaration of 

 the Gallican church of 1682, and a missive epistle 

 against it by the archbishop of Toulouse, count 

 Clermont Tonnere, in the ultramontane spirit, was 

 disapproved by the government. Many bishops, in 

 1826, solemnly declared their adherence to the 

 decrees of 1682. The connexion between church 

 and state was dissolved in 1830. 



French Decimal System. The decimal system of 

 weights, measures, and time, was introduced into 

 France during the revolution. All measures and 

 weights are reduced to one basis the linear mea- 

 sure. This basis, called a metre, is the ten-millionth 

 part of one quarter of a meridian 3 feet, inches, 

 11 ,JJ. lines Paris measure, or 3 feet, 3 inches, 

 .Vo'o English. This unit, increased or diminished in 

 the decimal ratio, gives the other measures, which 

 are designated by the name of the basis, with the 

 Greek or Latin numerals prefixed. The Latin 

 numerals express division; the Greek, multiplication. 

 The former are decent, 10 ; centum, 100 ; mille, 

 1000 ; the latter deca, 10 ; hecaton, 100 ; chilion, 

 1000; myria, 10,000. The following forms, there- 

 fore, are used (the word metre being always under- 

 stood) : 1 . For the division : deci, ,' ; centi, , J ; 

 milli, ,',,. 2. For the multiplication: deca, 10 

 times ; hecto, 100 times ; kilo, 1000 times ; myria, 

 10,000 times. (The reader will observe, that all the 

 names which express division end in i ; those which 

 express multiplication, in a or o.) Thus, metre, 

 3-28 feet; decimetre, -328 feet; decametre, 32-8 

 feet, &c. The same process is applied to all other 

 measures. The units of measure are 1. Of 

 square measure, the are 100 square metres ; 2. of 

 solid measure, the stere = I cubic metre ; 3. of mea- 

 sures of capacity, the litre 1 cubic decimetre ; 4. 

 of weights, the gramme = the weight of 1 cubic centi- 

 metre of distilled water. The following table will 

 render the reduction of these weights and measures 

 into the English, easy : 



The Metre in 323 feet, or 39,371 in. 



Are is 1076-441 square feet. 



Litre is 61 -028 cubic inches. 



St&re is 35-317 cubic feet. 



Gramme 15-4441 grains troy, or 5.6481 drams avoir- 

 dupois. 



The old weights and measures of France were as 

 follows : Long measure. The toise or fathom of 

 France is equal to 6 feet French, the foot to 12 

 inches French, and the inch to 12 lines, each sub- 

 divided into 12 points. 76 French feet are nearly 

 equal to 81 English feet ; or, more accurately, 

 40,000 French feet, inches, or lines, equal 42,638 

 English feet, inches, or lines. Thus one French 

 foot equals 1-06597 English, or 12-78934 English 

 inches ; and hence one English foot equals 1 1 -26 

 French inches. The Paris aune was 46',l English 

 inches. In the old French road measure, the lieue, 

 or league, is two French miles, each mi'e 1000 

 (risee; hence the French league equals two English 



miles, three furlongs and 15 poles. The French 

 league, however, in different parts of France, has 

 been applied to different distances. The marine 

 league (20 to a degree) equals 2853 toises, or 6081 

 English yards ; and the astronomical league (25 to a 

 degree) equals 2282 J French toises, or 1865 English 

 yards. The arpent, or acre of land, contained, in 

 general, 100 square perches ; but the perch varied 

 in different provinces. The old French weight for 

 gold and silver, called poids de marc, makes the 

 pound or livre contain two marcs, 16 onces, 128 

 gros, 384 deniers, or 9216 grains. The French 

 w*arc=3780 grains troy weight. For commercial 

 weight, the poids de marc was likewise used, and the 

 quintal of 100 livres 108 Ibs. avoirdupois, very 

 nearly. Weights and measures, however, varied 

 considerably in the different provinces. Corn mea- 

 sure was the muid of 12 setters, 24 mines, 48 minots, 

 or 144 bushels. Wine measure was the muid of 36 

 setters, 144 quartes, or 288 pints. This system 

 extends also to coins. Some of the measures, how 

 ever, have particular denominations. Among the 

 measures of length, for instance, the millimetre is 

 also called trait (line) ; the centimetre, doigt (finger) ; 

 the decimetre, palme (palm) ; the decametre, perche 

 (rood). Among the square measures, the hectare is 

 called arpent (acre). Among the measures of capa- 

 city, the hectolitre, setter (12 bushels) ; the kilolitre, 

 muid (barrel). In regard to money, the franc con- 

 stitutes the unit. It weighs 5 grammes (4^ of silver, 

 with an alloy of ^ of copper, and is divided into 

 decimes and centimes, 10th and 100th parts. The 

 decimal system was also applied to the calendar. 

 Each of the twelve months was composed of 30 

 days, and divided into three weeks (decades), each 

 consisting of 1 days. A t the end of the year, five, or, 

 in a leap year, six intercalary days were added. 

 The day was also divided into 10 hours, the hours 

 into 100 minutes, and so on. Applied to the circle, 

 the decimal division started from the quadrant, 

 which was divided into 100 degrees (instead of 90), 

 and these into 100 minutes, &c. 



Contents of the article France. 



Page 

 243 

 248 

 149 



Geography, ...... 



Agriculture, ...... 



Manufactures and Commerce, . . 



History 



To the time of Charles the Bald, . - 249 



From Charles the Bald to Hugh Capet, . . 250 



Increase of the Crown and Formation of Feudal 

 Estates, ...... 250 



Military Power and Policy of Conquest in France, 251 

 France under the Bourbons until 1789, . . 252 



France from 1789 to 1814, .... 253 



1. From the Constituent Assembly to the 

 Republic (1789 92) . . . 263 



2. i'roin the Republic to the establishment 



of the Empire (1792 1S04) . . . 254 



3. From the Empire to the Restoration of 



the Bourbons (18041814) . . .256 



France from the Restoration to 1830, . . 258 



The Revolution of 1830 and subsequent events, 267 70 

 State of France before the first Revolution, . 276 



Constitution of the State, . . . 278 



Organization and Administration of Govern- 



incut. ... 28! 



Effects of the Revolution on the political and social 

 relations of France, .... 284 87 



Language, ...... 587 



Literature, .... . 287 



Grammar, . . . 288 



Morals, Politics, and Legislation, . 288 



Pulpit Eloquence, &c., . . . 288 



History, Biography, . ... 2S9 



Letters, Travels, . . . 290 



Romances, and Novels, . . 290 



Poetry, ... . .292 



Dramatic Poetry, . . 294 



Modern French Literature, . . . 296 



Mathematics, ... 598 



Painting, .... .298 



French Academy, ... .300 



French Church, ...... 305 



French Decimal System, . . -..301 



