SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY. 11 
sured it would be satisfactory to tlie meeting to hear any observations that gen¬ 
tleman might have to make, especially with reference to the extension of the use 
of the metric system in foreign countries. 
Mr. Yates said he had great pleasure in attending the meeting, and had for 
many years been gratified in observing the progress made by the Pharmaceutical 
Society towards the attainment of the objects they had in view, a knowledge of 
which he had gained from the perusal of their very excellent and ably-conducted 
journal. He thought the Society had done right in taking up approvingly the 
measure now before Parliament for decimalizing the weights and measures in 
this country. It was calculated to confer great benefit on pharmacy, and they 
would be doing honour to themselves, as a corporate society, by contributing to 
bring about the proposed change. Their petition would be of great assistance 
to the movement now making in Parliament; in fact, they could not do them¬ 
selves a greater honour, nor the science of the country a greater benefit, than 
by taking the lead in this great movement. The British Society of Architects 
had, he believed, taken a similar step to that they were then taking. The metric 
system was becoming general throughout Europe and South America; but its 
extension in Asia was very limited, and also in Africa. North America gene¬ 
rally looked to England, but nearly the whole of South America, with the excep¬ 
tion of the barbarous state of Patagonia, had taken to the new system. Peru 
had adopted it, following the example of Chili and Mexico, and Brazil was also 
doing the same. With regard to Europe, almost the only countries that stood 
out were Turkey, Moldavia, and Wallachia. France began the movement sixty 
years ago, but it met with great impediments during the disturbed state of that 
country in the early part of the present century. During the following peaceful 
state of the country, and in Louis Philippe’s time, it became fully established, 
and it had since been making steady progress in that country, so that at the 
present time it was almost the only system used, and it was only in some remote 
districts that the old systems were adhered to. Belgium, he believed, adopted 
it earlier than France, and Holland had adopted the system, although retaining 
the old names for the different weights and measures. Italy had recently adopted 
it throughout that part known as United Italy, but it had not penetrated into 
the Papal States. Spain, some years since, passed a law allowing ten years to 
elapse before bringing it into operation in that country. Portugal had also 
adopted it, although some time was allowed before it was brought into operation. 
The Portuguese had exhibited a magnificent collection of weights and measures 
illustrative of the system, at our great International Exhibition last year, and 
this collection was now deposited in the South Kensington Museum. Greece 
had adopted the system for many years, although the progress it made in that 
country was slow. Germany had discussed the matter during the last two years, 
and delegates were appointed to consider the steps to be taken. The result was, 
that all Germany agreed to its use except Prussia. Lately there had been a 
meeting in Sweden, and he had received many interesting accounts of the pro¬ 
ceedings in that country. One meeting, which consisted of 576 members and 
persons of the highest consideration, both political and commercial, determined 
unanimously that it was desirable, not only to introduce the decimal system into 
the weights and measures, but also into the coins in the countries of Denmark, 
Sweden, and Norway. Thus most of the countries of Europe had taken up this 
system, and while they showed a disposition to adopt it, had no wish to deprive 
France of the glory and merit of being the first to introduce it; but the system 
had now become cosmopolitan rather than exclusively French. With regard to 
the Bill before Parliament, he might say that he had been in constant commu¬ 
nication with Mr. Ewart, who had charge of the Bill, and other members of 
Parliament on the subject. It was first introduced simply as a permissive Bill, 
but it was afterwards thought desirable to make it compulsory after a certain 
