968 
ME. AIET’S ACCOLTs'T OF THE COXSTEECTIOX OF 
volume of water in terms of the Standard of Weight, as philosophical determinations of 
the highest importance, to the prosecution of which we trust that Her Majesty’s 
Government will always give their most liberal assistance ; but we do not urge them on 
the Government at present as connected with the conservation of standards. 
Derived Standards a houts. 
“ 44. We have already alluded (Article 6 above) to the value of length-standards d bouts 
for the ordinary uses of commerce ; and from the commencement of our labom’s we have 
proposed to ourselves the formation of a standard a houts equivalent in length to the 
Parliamentary Standard d traits^ as necessary for the completeness of om’ undertaking. 
After consideration of the methods of verifying and using such a standard, we recommend 
that the metal be steel ; and that the ends be hardened steel, or hard stone as quartz or 
sapphire, or some sufficiently hard and incorrodible material ; and that the end suidaces 
be curved, forming portions of one sphere whose centre is the centre of the bar. 
“ 45. At our request Mr. Sheepshanks has made preparations for foinaing such stand- 
ards, to be compared with a steel Standard d traits whose length has been verified in 
the usual way by the Standard No. 6, to which reference is made in Ai'ticle 20 above. 
We are not yet able to report the completion of these standards.” 
The Lords Commissioners of the Treasury having adopted generally the recommend- 
ations of the Report, as applying to the Standard of Length and its Copies, a Bill was 
prepared and brought into Parliament, which received the Royal Assent on 1855, 
July 30. The Act is intituled “ Anno decimo octavo et decimo nono Victoriae Reginae, 
Cap. LXXII. An Act for legalizing and preserving the restored Standards of M eights 
and Measures. [30th July 1855].” 
The Preamble recites the provisions in the Act 5 Geo. IV. Cap. 74 for legalization 
and contingent restoration of the Standards ; states the destruction of the Standards in 
the Fire of the Houses of Parliament ; and then proceeds as follows (I have omitted 
various points relating to the Standard of Weight): — 
“ And whereas by the Researches of scientific Men Doubts were thrown on the Accu- 
racy of the Methods provided by the said Act for the Restoration of the said Stand- 
ards: And whereas there exist Bars which had been accurately compared with the 
said Standard Yard so destroyed as aforesaid, which afforded sufficient IMeans for restoring 
such original Standards : And whereas scientific Men acting for that Purpose under the 
Dii’ection of the Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury have constructed a Standard 
of Length equivalent to the Imperial Standard Yard so destroyed, and Four accurate 
Copies of the Standard so constructed: And whereas the Form adopted for the 
Standard of Length and for all the Copies thereof is that of a solid square Bar Thiily- 
eight Inches long and One Inch square in transverse Section, the Bar being of Bronze 
or Gun Metal ; near to each End a cylindrical Hole is sunk (the Distance between the 
Centres of the Two Holes being Thirty-six Inches) to the Depth of Half an Inch ; at 
the Bottom of this Hole is inserted in a smaller Hole a Gold Plug or Pin about One 
