FARMERS' REGISTER. 



189 



making (lie Milanese braccio too small, and by 

 go doing, we somewhat abated in appearance the 

 real enormity of (he errors made by the tranisla- 

 tors and (heir copyists. The Milanese braccio, 

 instead of being about 22 English or American 

 inches, is, in truth, 23.4257, or nearly twenty-three 

 and a half inches. This further correction being 

 made, serves still more to increase the variation of 

 the translators from the author's words as well as 

 meaning. 



But though this one radical and all-pervading 

 mistake is the greatest and I he most ludicrously 

 absurd of all, there are almost as many other mis- 

 translations and incorrect amounts, as there are 

 quantities named in the work. The reader may 

 form some idea of the detriment thereby caused 

 to a treatise of which the great value consisted in 

 careful and accurate experimenis and practical 

 operations, of which all the quantities have been 

 changed, and most of them greatly changed, in 

 all the many existing versions. If all the sums 

 and numbers of a treasury report (for example) 

 were increased or decreased from 10 to 75 per 

 cent, by typographical errors, or if a work on 

 practical mensuration had every arithmetical pro- 

 blem worked wrong, and showing wrong results, 

 their value would thereby be scarcely more inju- 

 riously affected, than is Dandolo's admirable work 

 by the mistakes of his translators. A worse 

 name than " mistake," however, is deserved es- 

 pecially by the compiler of the Congress ' Manu- 

 al,' in as much as he stated that, " having the 

 use of the original work in Italian, as well as the 

 French translation from which the English ver- 

 sion was made, the errors of the latter were 

 corrected — " an engagement which his perform- 

 ance utterly falsified in every one of the numerous 

 particulars ; and it would seem that either his ig- 

 norance, or his gross inallenlion, prevented his 

 even suspecting the wide variance between the 

 original which he pretended to consult, and the 

 translation from which he really copied liis work — 

 which, like most other government jobs, was pro- 

 bably as well paid for, as it was imperfectly and 

 fraudulently executed. 



The error above named in the braccio's lineal 

 measure affects all of the many dimensions stated 

 of the laboratories, and their shelves, passages, and 

 all other parts. The weights are still more erro- 

 neously rendered. The quantities of leaves di- 

 rected to be given in every day throughout the 

 feeding time, are changed by the translator from 

 Milanese to English pounds, by a very simple 

 rule. The changes are made by merely adding 

 50 per cent, to the Milanese weights. But un- 

 luckily the simplicity of the rule is its sole recom- 

 mendation, as it is altogether incorrect. The Mi- 



lanese great pound (peso grosso,) of 28 ounces, 

 is equal to 1176S.425 English grains, and the Eng- 

 lish pound avoirdupois is 7000 grains. There- 

 fore the Milanese pound is equal to 26.90 ounces 

 avoirdupois, instead of 24 ounces, as is the ratio of 

 increase made throughout the English translation. 



{[' mistakes and errors are indeed to be found to 

 but half the extent here alleged, is it not manifest 

 that a new and correct translation of Dandolo is 

 greatly required? Or rather, does it not prove 

 that, as to its most important facts, Dandolo's lias 

 beer, almost a "sealed book" to ail others than his 

 countrymen'? It is indeed a most striking proof 

 of the value of this great work, that, notwithstand- 

 ing the numerous arithmetical errors of all the 

 versions, Dandolo's authority (falsely as it is 

 cited.) should yet continue (o be held in the high- 

 est estimation ! 



It was easy enough to ascertain, as we had 

 done, in part, before even seeing the original, that 

 the numbers and quantities of the translations are 

 wrong ; but it was far more difficult to determine 

 what would be right, and possibly we may not 

 have avoided falling into some new mistakes, in 

 escaping from the old ones. But we shall offer 

 the grounds of our alterations ; and if any, or all 

 are wrong, the means will thus be furnished to 

 the better inlbrmed to correct all such errors. If 

 the translators had in like manner submitted 

 their authorities, their statements would not have 

 been deceptions, and might have been useful, 

 even if proved to be erroneous. We invite, aa 

 well as offer the means for, the correction of our 

 mistakes, if any are here made. 



A concise statement will be offered of the errors 

 of quantity in the transladons, not so much howe- 

 ver of individual cases, as of whole classes. 



First, and the most erroneous, (he substitution 

 of (he square, braccio of Dandolo by the supposed 

 equivalents in square feet, has already been suffi- 

 ciently exposed, in the last number. 



Next, as to the length of the braccio ; in regard 

 to which the difficulty of correction is not the defi- 

 ciency, but the superabundance of authorities, 

 and their wart of agreement. The common 

 weights and measures of Italy, of the same de- 

 nominations, are different in every two towns ; and 

 even of the same city, different authors of reputa- 

 tion report different values of the same denomi- 

 nations of common weights and measures. The 

 uncertainly thence arising is so great, that it is a 

 matter of great difficulty for a foreigner to un- 

 derstand the value of any particular denomina- 

 tion. Nor would it have been discreditable to the 

 French or the English translator of Dandolo, if 

 he, by following some one author (and referring 

 to the authority so preferred,) had been led into 



