Stoney — Hoiv to simplify British Weights and Measures. 1& 



As regards other classes of the community, the author has 

 carefully gone into details in reference to each large class — 

 merchants, tradesmen, manufacturers, mechanical engineers, civil 

 engineers, artisans, country gentlemen, farmers, and. others — and 

 has ascertained that they will not be inconvenienced except to a 

 slight extent and for a short time ; while the proposal, if carried 

 into effect, will secure permanent advantages to them and to their 

 posterity out of all proportion to the inconvenience. It would too 

 much lengthen this paper to attempt to go into these details. 

 Instead of doing so, I may refer to the opinion recently expressed in 

 public by Sir Andrew Noble, Bart., whose judgment in this matter 

 should carry the greatest weight both with Parliament and the 

 country, since it is based upon his prolonged and unrivalled 

 experience as Head of the vast engineering works of Armstrong 

 and Co., unsurpassed in England as regards both the variety and 

 extent of their operations ; and since it is the deliberate restatement 

 of a judgment which he has now held for two and a half years. 

 Speaking in the discussion upon weights and measures, which 

 recently occupied two meetings of the Institution of Electrical 

 Engineers, Sir Andrew Noble publicly recommended the pro- 

 posal put forward in the present paper, and reiterated an opinion, 

 which he had communicated to me two years and a half ago, 

 when my proposal was first made. His judgment was at that 

 time expressed in the following words, which he allows me to 

 publish : — 



" The Metric System is bound to become the system of the 

 world ; and it is difficult to conceive any scheme by which English 

 measures can be brought into relation with the Metric System 

 with less inconvenience to the public than that which you have 

 arranged in your proposed Bill." 



In Plate I. will be found a diagram of the present two-foot 

 rule, and of the rule which will take its place if the proposal now 

 made is carried out. The diagram shows that the foot and inch 

 will look very much like what they have hitherto been ; and it 

 also shows into what very convenient relation with metric measures 

 they will be brought. 



Even less change than that exhibited in the diagram suffices in 

 most other parts of the proposal. 



