Marcu 3, 1904] 
NATURE 
427 
invariable, et quelles consultent ensemble la Nature pour 
arriver a ce résultat important. 
““ Si cette Idée vous paroit juste, Monsieur, si vous pensés 
qu’un grand bien doit en resulter, c’est & vous qu’il 
appartient d’en assurer le succés, et j’ose vous le recom- 
mendér: trop long temps les deux Nations se sont devisées 
pour de vaines pretentions ou de Coupables Interets, il est 
temps que deux Peuples libres associent leurs efforts et leurs 
Travaux pour une Recherche utile au Genre Humain. 
‘“J’ai l’honneur d’étre avec des 
““ Sentimens respectueux, 
‘““ Monsieur, votre trés humble 
““ Tet trés obeissant serviteur 
“L°EveEc. b’AuTUN. 
“To Sir John Riggs Miller, Bart. 
“* Member of the House of Commons, London.’’ 
(The English printer seems to have taken some liberties | 
with the foreign language.) 
Parliament was dissolved on June 11, 1790, so the com- 
mittee ceased to exist, and it appears that Sir John Riggs 
Miller was not re-elected in the next Parliament. 
I have been unable to ascertain the date when the Bishop 
Notwithstanding all these adverse circumstances and dis- 
appointments, Delambre’s account is remarkably free from 
bitterness. 
It had been determined to submit the whole survey to a 
committee of foreign scientific men, so that it should have 
an international character, and the meeting was fixed for 
15 vendémiaire an 7 (the 6th October, 1798); the survey, 
however, was not completed until about two months later. 
The account of the invitation to this final meeting is best 
given in Delambre’s own words :— 
“On a vu que le premier projet avoit été d’inviter la 
Société royale de Londres A concourir avec 1’Académie des 
Sciences a la fixation de l’unité fondamentale; mais l’unité 
projetée étoit alors la longueur du pendule. La mesure de 
la méridienne étoit une entreprise bien plus considérable, 
et dune trop longue durée pour qu’on pit se flatter de la 
voir terminer par les commissaires réunis des deux nations, 
lorsque tant de causes probables et prochaines pouvoit 
troubler la bonne intelligence entre leurs gouvernemens. 
L’événement ne prouva que trop tét combien cette crainte 
étoit fondée. Mais les mesures terminées, avant d’en 
| déduire les conséquences, il n’y avoit plus aucun incon- 
of Autun made his proposition to the National Assembly, | 
and if, in doing so, he referred to the action taken in the 
House of Commons. In the pamphlet of Sir John Riggs 
Miller is a reprint of a paper which the Bishop of Autun 
sent to all the members of the National Assembly, with a 
note attached saying that he considered that it would be 
preferable to print his proposition than to make a speech 
on the subject. 
This paper contains the following paragraph, when re- 
ferring to the measurement of the pendulum :—‘‘ Il m/’est 
impossible de douter que |’Angleterre, qui dans ce moment 
paroit vouloir s’occuper de la reduction de ses mesures, 
avertie par votre détermination et invitée par vous, ne se 
réunire a la France pour l’exécution d’une entreprise que 
nos relations de commerce doivent rendre commune et 
dont le résultat doit appartenir un jour au Monde entier.”’ 
It will be a surprise to many to learn that there was any 
connection, even of the remotest kind, between the action 
of the British House of Commons and the proposition which | 
ultimately led to the metrical measures and weights. 
The committee that was appointed by the French Academy 
oa August 22, 1790, reported on March 19, 1791 
(“ Histoire de l’Académie Royale des Sciences,’? Année 
MDCCLXXXVIII., published in 1791, pp. 7-16). The 
committee considered three proposed standards of length, 
the length of the seconds pendulum at the latitude of 45°, 
which was rejected in consequence of its involving the 
artificial element of time; the measurement of an are of the 
equator, which was also rejected, because of the difficulties 
that would attend such an operation in an uncivilised | 
country ; and the measurement of an arc of the meridian, 
which was adopted, and the 10,000,000th part of the quad- 
rant was selected as the standard of length. 
The account given by Delambre of the measurement of 
the arc of the meridian from Dunkerque to Barcelona is 
most interesting; he was commissioned to measure the 
northern section whilst Méchain undertook the southern 
portion. Delambre left Paris with orders from the King, 
and before long he found them of little use; he had a 
difficulty in obtaining money for the expenses of the work, 
and at one time he was dismissed, as it was thought that 
his opinions were not in accord with those prevalent in 
Paris. Later he was permitted to continue the undertaking. 
He found that many of the church towers and spires which 
had been used in the survey of 1740, and which he intended 
employing again, had been destroyed; he could not use 
signal fires, for they were thought to be signals to the 
enemies of the country, and when he covered some of his 
stations with white sheets, so that they might be more 
visible at a distance, they were supposed to be standards 
of the counter revolution, and it was necessary to place blue 
and red bands on them to calm the suspicions of the popu- 
lace. When Méchain had completed his work in Spain he 
was not allowed to return to Paris, and although he 
finished his portion of the survey, he died before the deter- 
mination of the standards had been brought to a conclusion. 
NO. 1792, VOL. 69] 
vénient, on devoit au contraire trouver un avantage réel, 
a soumettre le travail 4 l’examen de tous les savans de 
l'Europe; et toutes les puissances amies ou seulement 
neutres furent invitées 4 nommer des députés A ce congrés 
d’une espéce toute nouvelle.’”’ (Méchain and Delambre, 
“Base du Systéme métrique Décimal,’’ Paris, 1806. Tome 
i. ‘* Discours préliminaire,’’ pp. 85-86.) 
“Les savans étrangers venus pour prendre part a ces 
travaux étoient MM. Aineae et van Swinden, députés 
bataves; M. Balbo, député du roi de Sardaigne, remplacé 
depuis par M. Vassali Eandi, envoyé par le gouvernement 
provisoire du Piémont; M. Bugge, député du roi de Dane- 
marck ; MM. Ciscar et Pédrayés, députés du roi d’Espagne; 
M. Fabbroni, député de Toscane; M. Franchini, député de 
la République romaine; M. Mascheroni, député de la 
République cisalpine; M. Multedo, député de la République 
ligurienne, et M. Trallés, député de la République 
helvétique ’’ (loc. cit. p. 92). 
At that time England could not have been considered 
one of “les puissances amies,’’ for war was declared by 
France against England in 1793, and continued for nearly 
nine years. 
It has been the custom to discredit the Royal Society with 
having instigated the refusal of the French invitation, but 
there is no indication whatever that the matter was at any 
time referred to the society. The council minutes do not 
contain any mention of the invitation, and if the society 
had formally or informally suggested or approved of the 
refusal, it is inconceivable that the Duke of Leeds, who 
was at the time a member of the council, although a not 
very regular attendant at the meetings, would have omitted 
to mention such a support of his action. With regard to 
the absence of any English men of science on the last com- 
mittee of revision, it seems certain, from Delambre’s state- 
ment, that an invitation was not sent, and the minutes of 
the council of 1798 and 1799 are silent on the subject. 
Without the kind assistance of others it would have been 
impossible for me to have obtained the information above 
given, and I take this opportunity of tendering my sincere 
thanks to the Marquess of Salisbury, Sir Eric Barrington, 
Sir Courtenay Ilbert, Dr. R. T. Glazebrook, the officials of 
the Royal Society and of the Public Record Office, for their 
help, and lastly to my former colleague, Prof. Alfred Lodge, 
who first put me on the right track by furnishing dates 
which much assisted the search. 
Hersert McLeop. 
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 
INTELLIGENCE. 
CambripGe.—The Sedgwick prize in geology is awarded 
to H. H. Thomas, B.A., Sidney Sussex College. 
Z. U. Ahmad, B.A., Trinity College, has been elected 
to the Isaac Newton studentship in physical astronomy. 
The Medical College, Lahore, has been added to the list 
of recognised schools of medicine. 
