[ 74, ] 



XL Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



USE OF THE -WEIGHTS AND MEASURES OF THE METRIC SYSTEM 

 IN SCIENTIFIC PURSUITS. 



THE Report of the Committee of the House of Commons on 

 Weights and Measures contains decisive evidence on the employ- 

 ment of the Metric System in chemistry, natural philosophy, and 

 general science. The examination of Mr. Graham, the Master of 

 the Mint, is as follows : — 



664. Has your attention been directed to the progress of the de- 

 cimal and metric system in this country ? — It has lately, with refer- 

 ence to the use of the system in scientific papers. 



665. Is not the system attended with great advantages? — Yes; 

 and I may say it has superseded in a great measure the ordinary 

 system within the last ten years. 



666. Do our chemists continue to make use of the gramme ? — 

 Yes, I may say almost exclusively in scientific papers. 



667. Have they done that voluntarily? — Yes. 



668. They have, therefore, done so from a conviction of the advan- 

 tages of the system ? — Yes. 



669. Do you find it also an advantage of the metric system, that 

 its divisions form a sort of common language, better understood by 

 scientific men abroad than the old system ? — Yes, that is a very great 

 recommendation. 



670. Has it ever come to your knowledge that the French, in 

 consequence of the variation between the English and French systems, 

 neglect the scientific papers which are published in England, in which 

 our own system of national weights and measures is used ? — That is 

 certainly the case, and they are frequently not translated, I believe, 

 on that account. 



671. But still the metric system is finding its way in every scien- 

 tific calculation ? — Yes. 



672. Is it the general opinion of scientific men that this is a very 

 desirable change to be carried into effect ? — As far as my informa- 

 tion goes, it is a very general opinion. 



673. Would you go so far as to say that no scientific man thinks 

 that ultimately any other system is possible ? — I believe that scien- 

 tific men who have considered the subject, and who are in the habit 

 of using the metric system, think so. 



674. Do you observe that the system makes its advance into 

 popular scientific papers which are published? — It is beginning to 

 find a place now in scientific elementary works. 



675. In the scientific papers which you sometimes write yourself, 

 do you use it from a conviction of its convenience ? — Yes. 



676. Is it used in papers read before the Royal Society ?— It is. 

 67 7. Is it a fact that some years ago its use was objected to by 



