1847.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



197 



Tliere is no reason either why wr should adopt the standards of an 

 inferior people like the French, when our own, adupted in our vast em- 

 pire, and by our brethren in the United St.ites, of themselves secure a 

 wider ado|)tion. 



The introduction of a decimal system must be in conformity with 

 existing units, and it must be gradual. The first thing certainly seems 

 to be a reform in the coinage — and this is determined upon, the pound 

 being taken as the unit. 



It need scarcely be said in these days, that a decimal system would 

 diminish the work of cliildren in learning arithmetic, giving them 

 time for other pursuits; it would diminish the work of grown up 

 people in reckoning; audit would enable all rinks to do what they 

 cannot now — to reckon properly; the moral results of which may be 

 expected, so far as prudence, ecunomy, and foresight are concerned, 

 to be much greater than any other. 



The pound being taken as the unit, its tenth is the new two-shil- 

 ling piece. The worth of this is about the same as the rupee, ami it 

 is to be imped that the two will be m ide to agree, so th it our East 

 Indian currency may be uniform. The half-sovereign remains for a 

 half-pound or tive-tenths ; tlie crown for a quarler-pound or twenty- 

 five Inindredlhs : the half-crown will, in all prulvability, be superseded ; 

 but while it remains, it causes no interference wilh a decimal coinage, 

 having a defined value. The shilling is a half-rupee, the sixpence a 

 quarter-rupee, but the fourpence is an anomalous coin, and it is to be 

 lioped will be withdrawn from circulation, so as to leave room fur a 

 new groat or hundretli of a pound in silver, wiiich will be the tenth of 

 a rupee and fifth of a shilling. It has been well observed, that a verv 

 little change is involved in leaving the copper coinage, miking the 

 pennv five thousandth*, or four thousandths; the hall'peniiy two thou- 

 sandths, and the farthing one thousandth. 



The effect would be that the decimal monies would be a pound, a 

 rupee, a groat, a farthing, leaving the others as conventional monies, 

 as the crown, half-crown, and groat are now. 



A change in the coinige is indispensable in reference to a change in 

 the weights and measures. It is a matter of convenience now, parti- 

 cularly wilh Women, to reckon by the unit, half, quarter, and half- 

 quarter, the division by halves being one of the simplest arithmetical 

 operations. In cfT-'eting any alterations, while a full decimal scale is 

 given on a measure, the unit can be divided by halves, quarters, &c., 

 on the other side, as is very common on rules and scales. This is a 

 mere detail of the rule ni ikT. With a change in the coinage the 

 reason for a duodecimal division would drop, for a foot or a pound 

 divided into tenths would readily answer to the parts of a rupee or a 

 shilling. 



In long measure the great dispute is, whether tlie unit or the foot 

 shall be taken as the unit. If the foot be taken as the unit, it will 

 cause little disturbance of the small measurement', but it will in- 

 terfere with all the larger measurements. The mile must then be a 

 mile of 5,U0i present feet, instead of 5,280; the chain will become 

 fractional, and so forth. 



If the mile be taken as the unit, it will be divided into 1,000 fathoms, 

 and 5,tJ0O feet, or len furlongs, one hundred chains, one thousand fa- 

 thoms, ten thousand links, one hundred thousand half inches. The 

 foot will be ten inches (to the present inch as l-05(3 to -SSS), and one 

 hundred hundredths. The si^u ire mile would be divided into one 

 hundred squire lurloiigs (of 6-4 acres each) 10,000 roods of square 

 chains, and 1,000,000 square fathoms. 



With regard to weight, the choice is also disturbed between the 

 pound and the ton. The pnund, however, appears preferable. The 

 pound w( uld be of ten ounces, one hundred drains, and one thousand 

 grains; and the rising scale would be a cwt. of one luindreil pounds, 

 a last or load of one thousand lbs., and a ton of two thousand lbs. If 

 a load of l.OOJlbs. were used forthwith in calculations, this would 

 very much simplify matters. 



As to liquid and dry measures, there are still greater discrepan- 

 cies, but it appears desirable in all cases to employ the lb. or cubic 

 foot, in preference to the gallon or bushel. 



In conclusion, it may be observed, that it is particularly desirable 

 that engineers and surveyors, who have so much to do with measure- 

 ment and calculations, should at an early period direct their attention 

 to this subject, particularly in reference to a choice of the units, as 

 they will, thereby, very much advance the progress of legislative 

 measures, and secure iheir conformity with the views of practical men. 



THE GERMAN OVERLAND ROUTES TO INDIA. 



The contest carried on, of old, between the seven cities for the honour of 

 Homer's cradle, cannot be fiercer than that for the Indian route through 

 middle Europe. As, however, that over tlie Luckmaiijier pass (Lucas Major 

 of the Romans) has attracted some notice, we shall In ieflv advert to it. It 

 is now two years since Colonel Laricca, of the Piedniontese service, made tlie 

 necessary studies and measurements, which were laid, in 1845, before the 

 Company of Turin. He then proceeded to the northern slope of the Alps, 

 while Inspector Carbona/.zi surveyed the soiilhern parts, and made levels and 

 planimclric charts of the whole country, from the valley of the Tcssino to 

 the lake of Como. 



In July and August last, these surveys were continued hy the two engl- 

 neeis, and to which the services of Capt. Ricci, of th.e Picdraontese corps of 

 Engineers, were added. All of them co-incided in the opinion, (hat the 

 valley of the Crintallina was the fittest point to cross the Rlietian Alps. A 

 superficial glance at the charts published in the Stuttgard Eisenljahii-Znturw 

 convinces one of the labour, at least, bestowed on that survey. 



The plan of the route to be traversed, shows especially that the 31^ Ger- 

 man leagues to be laid over with rails, presents no insurnionntahle ditfieul- 

 tics, and has only to pass one n-ater way, while the Trieste line has to pa»s 

 four. An extent of 23, % leagues of that line — viz., that from the Boden 

 See to Sunhein (in the Rhine valley'), conjointly with th.it from Pro- 

 giasea to Locarno, is quite adapted for being passed hy locomotive engines. 

 A distance of 6.5!^ leagues, however, between the above points, is very moun- 

 tainous, and could not be passed but with gradients of 339 to'49-9 in 

 every 1000. Here, therefore, stationary engines are to be used — unless, 

 indeed, some means should he devised for using the water-power, so abun- 

 dant in these Alpine localities, for that purpnse. But even if that space 

 should have to be gone over with the aid of animal power, or on an ordinary 

 road, still the distance from the Langen to the Bodensu (239,435 metres), 

 could he travelled over in 9 hours, — a great dispatch, indeed. 



Another difficulty, not to be passed over, is a tunnel of 5,200 metres in 

 length; hut as it could he driven through the main rock, without embank- 

 ments, the engineer thinks lightly of it. Pits, certainly, there could be none, 

 except at the two ends of the shaft, as an enormous mass of rock overlays 

 the projected tunnel. 



The difficulty of passing this line in winter (here 8 months out of 12), it 

 alleged to be obviated by covering the places likely to be overspread hy ava- 

 lanches or drift snow with galleries, as has been done on the SpliiTen, the 

 St. Bernard, &c. While, in fine, this line will have to cope with difficulties 

 of troublesome earth- works, and require every aid engineers can afl'ord — the 

 abundance of stone, timber, &:., may be considered as some compensation. 

 If the Alps are and can be passed, this line seems to present the easiest 

 access from Upper Italy and Germany, while also the Sardinian government 

 is undertaking important works for the improvement of the now free port of 

 Genoa, and the railway thence to Arone, which will he completed in 1850. 

 At any rate, an inipartant rival to the Trieste route has sprung up in that 

 over the Luckmanjier— although both, perhaps, are not worth the old .Mar- 

 seilles route. 



THE LONG RANGE. 



Speech of Lieut.-General Sir Howard Douglas, Bart., M.P., on Lord 

 Ingestre's motion on Mr. Warner's alleyed discoveries, July 13, 1846. 

 If any one doubts that the "long range" is a gross quackery, we 

 recommend the perusal of .Sir Hiward Douglas's speech. Mr. War- 

 ner has said a great deal about official persecution, but we understand 

 it now in another sense. Here is a gallant general, a highly accom- 

 plished member of his profession, forced to und"rtake a most un- 

 pleasant public duty, as a commissioner of enquiry into this "long 

 range," and he is obliged to get up and defend hiuis-lf in parliament, 

 and to publish his speech, by way of m ikiog a kind of weapon against 

 any future attacks. Sir Howard's exposure o( Warner is complete, 

 while his professional remark? on explosive power are very interest- 

 ing; and as the subj>"ct is very little understood, we shall take the 

 liberty of making a few extracts from the speech and notes. It will 

 be observed, that before receiving any intimation as to the nature of 

 the invention. Sir Howard Douglas expressed in the following speech, 

 the opinion that a balloon was the essential feature of it: — ■ 



" Mr. Warner asserts a power which sets the most important laws of 

 nature at defiance. Gravilatiou, by which the system of the universe is 

 maintained — resistance, by which some of llie most benign purposes of 

 Providence are accomplished, are nothing to Mr. Warner. \\ hen Colonel 

 Chalmers, a member of ihe late commission, cautioned Mr. Warner uf. the 

 prodigious powers of resistance to his long range, he exclaimed, ' Who 

 can frame laws to govern a force which has never before been heard of — a 

 force a hundred times greater than that of guupowder!' Blore was urged 

 by the colonel, but, as tie says, Mr. VV'arner was too dogmatical to reason 

 with. Mho can frame laws to coutrol such a force as Mr. Warner 

 imagines? Why, the Almighly Maker of the universe It is pra- 



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