322 
Proceedings of the Bo gal Society 
reference for linear measure. But it does not touch the completely 
independent question in the latter-day theory of the ancient G-reat 
Pyramid, as to whether such a standard was known to the primeval 
designer of that monument 4000 years ago. 
All the parties mentioned do, indeed, propose to divide a quantity 
obtainable from the earth, into ten million parts; but the rod or 
cubit developed in that manner was not still further proposed to be 
subdivided by either Cassini or Callet, in the very peculiar manner 
now attributed to the architect of the Great Pyramid : and his 
method, if it can be proved, must have had a character, origin, and 
priority entirely its own. 
( 2 -) 
Next, Sir, I have to confess, that when speaking of that ten- 
millionth part of the earth’s Polar radius, as realised for its length 
only, by a cubit rod of 25 inches ±’l, — when speaking of it in 
that sense and in some stray sentence, in some one or another of my 
books, I know not which, nor by what accident the error occurred, 
— the word extraordinary was printed instead of extraordinarily ! 
At least so I gather, because the author of the paper, at his 
p. 260, drags up the word extraordinary , prints it conspicuously in 
italics , puts a sic in a parenthesis after it, and publishes that de- 
nunciation of his, of what he would indicate as the abominable 
vulgarity in me, viz., of saying that something was u extraordinary 
convenient ; ” and he publishes the shocking phrase as a necessary 
part of his treatise on a scientific subject. 
Mr Chairman, and gentlemen, — I acknowledge before you all, that 
it is a grievous fault in polite circles, to use extraordinary instead 
of extraordinarily , when the latter is the right word to be used ; and 
my thanks are due to that acute individual who has, it would 
seem, both detected the error, and made a scare-crow of it before 
the public. An error light as air perhaps, but admirably adapted 
on that very account to act as a wind-vane ; and thereby, even to 
react on the acute individual, so as to show the world whether the 
current of his thoughts was setting purely towards the promotion 
of science for its own sake, when he was writing the remarkable 
essay now printed in the Society’s Proceedings. 
As to myself, I should, of course, like amazingly to correct this 
sad error in my books, wherever it exists; but unhappily, no refer- 
