56 



rule of subdivision be, to take the half, the quarter, and the 

 tenth of each unit, dropping the eighth ; as in the case of 

 the dollar, we coin the half-dollar, the quarter-dollar, and 

 the dime or tenth, instead of the shilling or eighth ; as also 

 the eagle, the half-eagle, the quarter-eagle, and the tenth 

 or dollar. Similarly we might adopt the bushel, the half- 

 bushel, the quarter-bushel or peck, and the tenth of the 

 bushel instead of the half-peck, etc. By such arrangement, 

 it is believed that the objection to the decimal system of 

 measures would be obviated, and convenience in practice 

 entirely reconciled with simplicity in calculation. 



The length of the simple pendulum that shall beat 

 sidereal seconds at the equator can be determined with the 

 utmost degree of precision ; but for the purpose of the pre- 

 sent statement, it is sufficient to state that it is not far from 

 39 inches, and differs considerably less from the english 

 pendulum than this does with the french metre, the latter 

 being 39,38 english inches nearly. Taking this 39 inches 

 in place of the common yard, its fourth part is 9| inches, 

 which should take the place of the common foot of 12 

 inches, and is in fact sufficiently near the dimensions of 

 the human foot to bear that name, and of like convenient 

 extent to serve as a familiar unit of measurement. The 

 tenth part, being equal to 9| tenths of an inch, will just as 

 conveniently supersede the common inch in practice and in 

 name ; and, as a new unit, could be subdivided into halves, 

 quarters, and tenths instead of eighths. The cubed centi- 

 metre (that is, of the inch of the new standard) of water at 

 its maximum density will be the gramme, and should super- 

 sede the pennyweight, etc., while its tenth part will replace 

 the grain. The unit of capacity will be the litre, the cube 

 of the decimetre, which will replace the quart. Out of 

 these three fundamental units of length, weight and capa- 

 city, convenient sets of multiples must be sought and 

 arranged, of the proper dimensions for the construction of 

 instruments adapted to the kind of materials to be measured. 



