692 PROF. C. P. SMYTH ON THE REPUTED METROLOGICAL SYSTEM 



Now all these subdivisions may be called arbitrary, inasmuch as they are so 

 to a certain extent ; for I have ventured to employ my judgment to some small 

 degree as to when to use a divisor of 5, and when of twice 5 ;-but have been 

 guided therein ; firstly, by what appeared to be the more important and primeval 

 stand-points in the British system of weights and measures : and, secondly, by 

 what seemed to make the resulting apparent, or so-called Pyramid system, most 

 perfect and complete according to its own innate features;— the result spontane- 

 ously setting forth the chief elements of the only sound system for a national 

 metrology, viz., to satisfy science by a thoroughly pervading and consistent 

 reference to appropriate ruling features in nature ; to satisfy commerce by the 

 correctness of large standards, as well as easy numerical relations to all others ; 

 and to satisfy the poor and working men by small units easily identifiable for 

 any one seeking under difficulties for only a moderate degree of accuracy. 



It would extend the limits of this paper too far, to say everything that might 

 be said in favour of the ancient system of the Pyramid, under all these heads ; 

 for it is that ancient system of 4000 years ago, whose standards are still preserved 

 (which is more than our Parliament can say of their standards of only 40 years 

 since), — and all that I hope / may have been allowed to do in the case, is merely 

 to disentangle some minor modifications from the confusion of human affairs. — 

 and to assist in showing that the Great Pyramid Metrology is — more scientific 

 than the French, — more convenient than the British, — and yet at the same time 

 altered only very slightly from the British : so slightly in all material points, that 

 until Mr Taylor led the way in this research, no one could have imagined what 

 an amount of material improvement and arithmetical facilitation could be made 

 by such small and unpretending alterations. At least we may conclude that no 

 one could have thought of it, for it has not been independently proposed anywhere 

 else ; and a very numerous political party has recently moved in Parliament, to 

 introduce scientific improvements, by no means so great, by bringing in the French 

 metrical system into this country, and abolishing the whole of the English heredi- 

 tary measures, root and branch, by force of law ; a more extensive sweep of 

 despotic power, and pregnant with more confusion as well as chance of sapping 

 the patriotism of the masses, than anything which has been attempted in England 

 or Scotland for the last 800 years. 



In Capacity -measure, therefore, we may briefly point out, that the coffer, or 

 large end of the scale, is scientifically connected with the earth's capacity ; and 

 is a large standard, admirably constructed, and uniquely, if not also miraculously 

 preserved to our times : — while the unit for small purposes, is a drop of water ; 

 correctly defined by a Pyramidal proportion to the coffer, and approximately in any 

 one's hands at a moment's notice, to test wherewithal a small capacity measure. 



The facility of testing measures, is the most important feature they can have. 

 The British Imperial capacity system only has one such helping point, viz., the 



