498 
Correspondence. 
[August, 
the different denominations— grain, ounce, pound, stone I fine, 
inch, foot, yard, mile, &c.-are for the most part words of one 
syllable, easily remembered, and not easily mistaken, in t 
metric system this is quite different. One only denomination 
the gramme— has a monosyllabic name. The vest are for t, 
most part words of three or four syllables, and not a ^ few of them 
—such as decigramme and dekagramme, decilitre and dekalitre 
are apt to be confounded with each other in speaking and 
writing, especially' when abridgments come in. _ 
But there is another element of simplicity in our Eng is 
system. We express quantities, either of weight or measure in 
terms of whole numbers. If we say that any article is 3 . inch ®® 
long, or that it weighs 5 ounces, no idea save that of theme 
the ounce enters the mind. We know, of course, hat the inch 
is the twelfth part of a foot, and that the ounce is the sixteent 
part of a pound ; but we are not constantly obliged to keep these 
relations in mind. We should feel it very cumbersome if-in- 
stead of saying that something was 3 inches in length 
5 ounces in weight— we had to say that it was three twelfths 
of a foot ” long, or that it weighed five “ sixteenths of a pound 
Yet if we accept the metric system in its present form we shall 
have this or a similar inconvenience whenever we speak of weights 
or measures. 
THE “ INVENTORIES.” 
Fx officio you are — or ought to be — omniscient. I ask you, 
therefore, how it is that the ruling powers ofthe “ 
Exhibition ” show themselves so much less liberal than their 
predecessors of the “ Healtheries ” last year ? whenever 
F In 1884 the holders of season-tickets were admitted whene\ 
the Exhibition was open to the public at all. Exhibitors or their 
representatives couWgo in and out ofthe Exhibitionpremises 
as often as they found it necessary. Last, but not least, com- 
nlimentary season-tickets were sent to all scientific and technical 
foumals! This season all this is altered. Who is, or expeas 
to be, benefitted by this narrow policy' ? 
Flaneur. 
