THE METEIC SYSTEM. 
65 
Tlie language of science ought to be uniyersal_, and to be 
so_, it should be synonymous — so should that of commerce 
likewise ; but in consequence of our forgetting this precept^ 
and neglecting to assimilate,, as much as possible^ our tech- 
nical terms and symbols to those of the rest of Europe^ our 
men of science are comparatively unknown^ even in France,, 
and their works are not sought and appreciated as they ought 
to be^ and would be,, if greater uniformity were observed. As 
a general rule^ a comma is used on the Continent to separate 
the parts of a decimal number. The comma is also used,, as 
with us^ to separate thousands in whole numbers ; but this 
occasions no ambiguity, as may be seen at once on referring 
to a French statistical paper. Whereas by employing, as we 
do, the period (') in the middle of a decimal number, we may 
cause ambiguity to foreigners : they may even suppose we are 
using duodecimals. But this is of minor importance com- 
pared to the glaring anomaly of using the word cipher as 
synonymous with zero, while the rest of the world understand 
cipher to mean (what Dr. Johnson defines it in the 1st defin.) 
an arithmetical character, a figure : we use the verb, to 
cipher, properly, and ciphering — then why not the noun ? If we 
wish to be readily understood by our Continental neighbours, 
than which nothing’ is more important in every species of 
commerce, we should at least employ their own words, or 
words of the same etymology, synonymously. Hitherto we 
have said nothing about the coinage of France, although the 
new system would have been incomplete if this important 
matter had been omitted. The French monetary scheme, 
therefore, forms an integral part of the Metric system. The 
fundamental unit is the franc, which is a coin of the weight 
of 5 grams, composed of 9 parts of silver and 1 of copper. 
The sub-divisions are the decime of a franc or 10 cen- 
times), the centime of a franc). In the Permissive Act 
of last session nothing is said about decimal money, and yet 
the introduction of decimal coinage into England interests 
Englishmen directly, and foreigners indirectly, quite as much 
as any part of the Metric system. Our tim’e and space being 
exhausted, we cannot now enter on this momentous question. 
We subjoin the important ’ clause in the Permissive Act 
along with the Metric Tables, and their correlative values in 
English denominations. 
Notwithstanding anything contained in any Act of Parliament to the 
contrary, no Contract or Dealing shall he deemed to he invalid or open to 
objection on the ground that the Weights or Measures expressed or referred 
to in such Contract or Dealing are Weights or Measures of the Metric System, 
or on the Ground that Decimal Subdivisions of legal Weights and Measures, 
whether Metric or otherwise, are used in such Contract or Dealing. 
VOL. IV. NO. XII] . E 
