OF THE GREAT PYRAMID. ' 673 



by bad observers more than the base-breadth ; the latter indeed, measured un- 

 fortunately on the northern side of the Pyramid only, having been apparently 

 shortened as compared with the latest measures : but that is mainly due to the 

 latter being carried on at the real base, or a broader part of the Pyramid than 

 the older observers ever arrived at, and being also increased by application of 

 the computed thickness of the casing stones to either side. 



The French measure in 1799, and Col. Hov^^ard Vyse's in 1839, are indeed the 

 only returns that can be accepted, because the only ones that really touched the 

 original marks of the workmen ; and these they obtained by sinking down 

 through the sand-hills that have silted up all the lower part of the Pyramid for 

 many ages, and then uncovering on the foundational rock-area of the whole 

 structure the peculiar socket-marks of the old N.E. and N.W, corner stones, 

 clearly and deeply cut into firm material. The honour of this very important 

 discovery belongs to the French, and is detailed at length in their great work. 



The mean of these two most useful French and English measures, gives 763"81 

 for the breadth of the side of the Pyramid base ; and the angle we deduced be- 

 fore, gives with such base, the original vertical height equal to 486 '2566 feet. 



Now these are such extremely awkward fractions to have to deal with, that 

 we may take them as conclusive against any measure like English feet having been 

 employed in laying out the Pyramid. And if we seek on this principle for simpler 

 numbers to give the proportion for the circular analogy, we find 



116-5 and 366. 



They are not exact, as no numbers can be when the proportion itself is incommen- 

 surable ; but they are exceedingly close, the change for fuller accuracy being thus, 



116-5014 and 366. 

 or 116-5 and 365-9956. 



The number 366 in this case represents twice the base-breadth of the Pyramid, 

 or what was employed against the height of the Pyramid (116-5) in representing 

 the analogy of the circumference to the diameter of a circle. And as measures of 

 space and time are often considered in company, it is worth while to remind, that 

 366 is also the nearest even number of days in a year ; and more especially, that 

 it is the number of whole turns made by the earth on its axis in the same time, 

 as measured by the sidereal day. A length, therefore, of which 366 would 

 measure the double base-breadth of the Pyramid, has some arithmetical, chro- 

 nological, and dynamical arguments in its favour ; in connection with the last of 

 which, it further transpires, that such length has the very peculiar metrological 

 import of being the ^^ ,„,^,„,„|^ of the earth's axis of rotation ; or of the only fully 

 individual and correct reference for lasting national measures which the earth 

 contains, now that its diameter at the Equator has been shown by recent geode- 

 sists to vary with the longitude. 



To test such a point as this, we require, not only the nominal measures taken 



