14 
Of Weights and Measures . 
given in the comparison of the old with the new French 
weights. The Pinte is there stated to be equal to .9512 
of a Litre, which is equal to 2.01038 English wine 
pints. 
For dry measure the French used the Litron, Bois - 
seau, Minot, Mine, and Setier de Bled. The Litron is 
36 Fr. cubic inches, equal to 1.4652 Eng. wine pint. 
The Minot of 1728 Fr. cub. inch is equal to 1.0099 
Winchester bushel of 2110.4 Eng. cub. inch. 
The following are the subdivisions of the old French 
wine and corn measure. 
Poison 
4z — 1 Chopine 
8m 2m 1 Pinte 
64m 16m 8m 1 Septier 
or velte 
2304m576m288m36ml Muid 
de vin 
Litron 
4m 1 Quart 
16m 4m 1 Boisseau 
48m 12m 3rn 1 Minot 
96m24m 6m2rnl Mine 
192m48ml2m4m2ml Setier de 
Bled 
A totally new system of weights and measures has 
been introduced into the French empire, and is that in 
which most of the expressions of quantities in chemical 
experiments are now made. It is therefore necessary in 
this place to give their corresponding quantities in Eng- 
lish measures. 
The new French metrical system is founded on a sin- 
gle standard of length which is called the Metre, and is 
the ten millionth part of the arc of the meridian which ex- 
tends from the Equator to the Pole, as determined by the ac- 
tual measurement of a tenth of this arc, between Dunkirk 
and Barcelona, by several eminent French astronomers. 
The metre is equal to 36.9413 French inches, which is 
equal to 39.38272 English inches, the standards of each 
being at the temperature of melting ice, or 32° Fahr. But 
