44 



Vice-Presidents, and Secretaries ; the second (called the Tri- 

 bune), was for the speaker for the time being ; and the lowest, 

 for the Commissaire General, who may be described as the 

 Chief Clerk. There were no stenographic reporters ; but all 

 the front seats were allocated to La Chancellerie, that is to say, 

 to the staff of clerks charged with the duty of taking longhand 

 notes, and preparing an abstract of each discussion — a duty 

 which, being able scientific men, they performed with great 

 skill and judgment. The abstracts thus prepared were always 

 printed and submitted for approval at the next meeting. 



All the proceedings were very orderly. If anyone wished to 

 speak, he had first to hold up his hand and say "je demande 

 la parole " ; and on the President granting permission in the 

 words, " vous avez la parole," he had to walk from his seat to 

 the Tribune, and thence address the assembly in French. 



After the President's opening address the hours of meeting 

 were arranged. M. Cochery recommended us to begin every 

 morning at eight, and this hour would have been the most 

 agreeable to the Frenchmen ; but, in deference to the protesta- 

 tions of the foreigners, it was made half-past nine. This was to 

 be the hour of meeting for the first section. The second section 

 was to meet at two, and the third at four. This division of 

 time appears at first sight to give an undue preponderance to 

 the first section, but it was not so in reality : for Frenchmen 

 leave off their business at half-past eleven and go to dejeuner. 



It was well understood that the principal point to be settled 

 by the Congress was the adoption of an international system of 

 electrical units. 



English electricians have, now for several years, been agreed 

 among themselves in using a system, the history of which may 

 be summed up as follows : — For a long time the standard of 

 electrical resistance in this country as well as on the continent 

 was what is called Siemens' unit. It is defined as the resistance 

 at temperature o°C of a column of mercury, a square millimetre 

 in section, and a metre in length. The column of mercury 

 itself was not in general use, but coils of wire were sold which 

 were guaranteed to have this amount of resistance. 



