

May, 1910.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal cxiii 



Confirmatory evidence comes from Bombay. Mr. N. Q. F. 

 Moos of the Observatory writes : ' ' Seeing that all daily labora- 

 tory work is done during the solar hours, I incline to think 

 that 30° would, on the average, best answer all requirements 

 for the continent of India." 



With regard to the important question of standards of 

 length and weight which were legally adopted in 1894, " Indian 

 standard air " being taken at 85°F., the Committee has heard 

 from Colonel S. G. Burrard, Trigonometrical Survey, and Lieut- 

 Colonel A. Milne, Assay Master, Bombay, to the effect that the 

 change from 85° to 86° would be immaterial. The change, 

 however, would probably have to be notified in the Gazette. 



The advantages of having in India a temperature that 

 serves the same purpose as 15° serves in Europe have been 

 expressed by many writers. In all laboratories chemists will 

 find a convenience in having flasks, burettes, pipettes and all 

 volumetric appliances, as well as polarimeters, refractometers 

 and the like adjusted to a definite temperature. Specific gravity 

 table of acids, alkalis and alcohol would be more useful in India 

 if determined at the new temperature. 



For most physical purposes what is wanted is an accurate 

 knowledge of how the physical coefficients (expansion, electri- 

 cal conductivity, E.M.F., etc.) vary with the temperature over 

 the whole range of temperature experienced during the working 

 year. It is not a matter of very great importance what tem- 

 perature is chosen for the normal provided it is higher than the 

 mean annual temperature of the majority of laboratories. 



Electrical standards for instance rarely attain their standard- 

 ised value in this country, and even when the temperature 

 coefficient has been supplied there is still uncertainty due to 

 the fact that the temperature to which the correction is applied 

 is usually outside the range within which the latter has been 

 established. 



The proposed temperature will probably be found suitable 

 for appliances constructed for germinating seeds, for this pro- 

 cess requires a higher temperature than that found in India in 

 the cold weather. Mr. F. J. Chittenden, in charge of the labora- 

 tory of the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden at Ripley, 

 says : " The optimum temperature for germinating most seed*; 

 of temperate climates lies about 80^."' 



It has been urged that it is difficult and expensive to obtain 

 apparatus on whose calibration one can rely graduated for 

 temperatures not recognised in Europe as normal ones. This 

 is a point the Committee have not overlooked. Were the demand 

 from most tropical countries, including India, a uniform one 



for apparatus graduated at a definite temperature, there would 



soon be little more difficulty in obtaining from stock reliable 

 and suitable apparatus than there now is in obtaining article 

 graduated at 15°. The Engineering College, Sibpur, and the 



