158 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



Our radix being thus established we must next estabhsh our unit of 

 length on which all the others dex^end. The earth is our best natural 

 measure, and our standard sea-mile should represent a definite angle 

 measured on its surface, as our present sea-mUe or knot does. All commer- 

 cial nations, including the French, have been driven to adopt this measure 

 for the purposes of navigation, although in no case does it correspond with 

 any measure used on the land. The increasing importance of commerce 

 makes it very desirable that the land-mile and the sea-mile should be the 

 same. This brings us to angular measurement as the foundation of the 

 whole system. 



The French saw the absurdity of dividing the circle into ten equal parts, 

 so they divided it into four right angles, and then divided each right angle 

 into ten parts. On this division of the earth's cu'cumference they founded 

 their measures of length. Unfortunately the circle is not to be influenced 

 by Acts of Parliament or of Senate. It is by its very nature divided not 

 only into four right angles but also into six sections of equal importance to 

 the right angle, and any system of angular measure which ignores this fact 

 must break down. The French system ignored it so completely that the 

 important angle of 60° cannot even be expressed in figui-es. It consequently 

 broke down completely ; it never had the least chance of coming into use 

 and is now seldom heard of. 



It is essential that the division of the circle shall be such that the right 

 angle, and the arc of which the chord is equal to radius, shall both be 

 expressed by convenient numbers. If the arc of 60° be divided mto 16 

 equal parts, 24 of such parts would represent the right angle, and this 

 would, with the radix of 16, be the best division possible. On this system 

 the earth's circumference would be divided into 6 equal parts, which we may 

 call radius arcs; each of these would be divided into 16 points, each point 

 into 16 degrees, and each degree into 16 sea-miles. The ch'cle would be 

 divided in the same manner, and the sea-mile would represent a measure of 

 latitude corresponding to a second of the present measures. The ncAV sea- 

 mile would be a little longer than the present statute mile, and somewhat 

 shorter than the present sea-mile or knot ; it would be 5,350 feet long, 

 while the statute mile contains 5,280 feet. Of course the mile would be 

 further sub-divided, always into sixteens, which would give us the ell equal 

 to about 16 inches ; and the inch, which would differ only about 2 per cent, 

 from the inch as we now have it. 



Measures of weight follow from those of length. A cubic eU of water 

 would weigh 137lbs., and would be the standard. Larger or smaller 

 measures would be obtained by multiplying or dividing by 16, as might be 

 required. 



