332 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
or seeing it, than I could by spending many days over it, — who 
can prevent him ? I certainly cannot, and do not intend to try. I 
have published the particulars of my mQdes of measurement, the 
nature of the apparatus employed, the method of comparing with 
a standard, the circumstances under which the observations were 
made, and the actual numbers procured from the measurings and 
remeasurings arranged so as to test each other on various parts of 
the coffer; and if all these particulars fail to impress the gentle- 
man’s mind, as of some weight or importance in a case where next 
to nothing can be said on the opposite side, I can offer no more 
to him either in explanation or defence of myself. 
But before the world, I must still continue to maintain, that so 
far as both care and number are concerned, no coffer measures have 
yet appeared that can compare, on the usual principles for judging 
measures amongst scientific men, with mine ; that mine, therefore, 
however much below ideal perfection, have a practical claim to re- 
present the true size of the coffer, until better observations shall be 
taken ; and that, if distressingly bad measures, or mere guesses at 
measures, have been published during times long past — their 
badness is the fault of the observers, not of the coffer.* Yet, to 
hundredths, and occasionally even by tenths, of inches, — a whole inch is per- 
fectly out of the question. 
Extract from “ Life and Work ,” vol. ii. p. 123. 
“ Inside Depth of Coffer , from original top of North, East, and South Sides. 
(By Slider 25, not requiring any correction.) 
I 
I 
I 
! 
i 
Part of Length where Observations 
were taken. 
Part of Breadth where Observations were taken. 
Near East. Near 
Side. Middle. 
Near West 
Side. 
Mean at 
each part of 
Length. 
British inches. 
0-6 south of inner N. end. 
3'0 ,, ,, 
6*0 „ 
100 „ 
24-0 „ 
B. inches. B. inches. 
34-30 34-28 
34-44 34-36 
34-42 34-41 
34-40 34-38 
34-36 34-38 
B. inches. 
34-26 
34-35 
34-28 
34-28 
34-26 
B. inches. 
34-28 
34-38 
34-37 
34-35 
34-33 
Mean at each part of Breadth, 
34-38 34-36 
34-29 
34-34 
General Mean of all the Measures, or Mean 
Depth of Coffer, inside, 
= 34-34 British inches.” 
* For cause of error in Dr Whitman’s numbers, see note on p. 338. 
