380 
EDITORIAL. 
task  involved  in  this  appointment  so  large  a  share  of  practical  and  theo- 
retical knowledge  as  Prof.  Maisch,  and  we  doubt  not  he  will  give  his 
efforts  to  the  promotion  of  the  school,  and  the  advancement  of  the  important 
branch  he  has  been  chosen  to  illustrate.  He  has  our  hearty  good  wishes 
for  a  successful  and  useful  career. 
The  Metrical  System  of  Weights  and  Measures. — During  the  present 
session  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  that  body  has  authorized  the 
use  of  decimal  weights  and  maasures  in  commercial  transactions,  but  the 
enactment  is  only  permissive,  not  compulsory,  and  intended  as  a  means  of 
familiarizing  the  people  with  the  system,  so  far  as  individual  efforts  may 
carry  its  introduction  into  use.  Their  harmony  with  our  monetary  system 
will  greatly  aid  the  understanding  and  adoption  of  metrical  weights  and 
measures;  and  as  it  is  the  best  system  yet  practically  introduced  that  is 
suitable  for  universal  adoption,  efforts  in  England  and  other  countries  have 
been  made  to  get  it  recognized  as  the  universal  standard  for  the  commerce 
of  the  world.  This  is  neither  the  time  or  place  to  discuss  metrical  sub- 
jects, else  we  might  be  tempted  to  offer  some  views  on  the  subject,  yet  it 
will  be  well  to  suggest  it  as  a  suitable  subject  for  discussion  at  the  next 
meeting  of  the  Association,  as  to  how  far  the  members  are  prepared  to 
urge  the  claims  of  the  Decimal  system  on  the  revisors  of  the  Pharmacopoeia 
of  1870. 
The  action  of  Congress  was  probably  accelerated  by  the  report  of  the 
Committee  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences  on  "  uniform  weights,  mea- 
sures, and  coinage, "  in  Januaiy  last,  which  was  ordered  to  be  communi- 
cated to  the  Congressional  Committee  and  the  Treasury  Department.  The 
Committee  favor  the  ultimate  adoption  of  a  decimal  system,  and  believe 
the  French  metrical  system  has  fewer  faults  than  any  other  yet  in  use. 
They  recommend  that  metrical  standards  of  weights  and  measures  be  pre- 
pared by  law  and  distributed  to  the  States  and  Custom  Houses.  They 
also  suggest  that  the  weight  of  a  single  letter  be  fixed  at  15  grammes  in- 
stead of  14-17  grammes,  (half  an  ounce),  as  at  present,  and  to  make  one 
and  two-cent  pieces  weigh  respectively  5  and  10  grammes,  with  diameters 
in  a  simple  ratio  to  the  metrical  unit  of  length. 
The  Nottingham  Meeting  of  the  British  Pharmaceutical  Confer- 
ence— This  body  will  meet  on  Tuesday,  the  21st  of  August,  at  Notting- 
ham, and  it  is  proposed  to  hold  an  exhibition  of  objects  relating  to  Phar- 
macy, or  having  a  special  interest  for  members  of  the  drug  trade.  We 
have  received  from  Mr.  Reynolds,  of  Leeds,  too  late  for  insertion,  a 
circular,  signed  by  the  general  and  local  Secretaries  of  the  Conference, 
Dr.  Attfield,  R.  Reynolds,  and  J.  H.  Atherton.  The  objects  considered 
appropriate  are  chemical  and  philosophical  apparatus,  pharmaceutical 
apparatus  and  appliances  of  all  kinds,  labels,  new  medicines,  simple 
or  compound,  and  new  methods  or  forms  of  administering  medicines, 
specimens  of  drugs  or  chemicals  of  fine  quality,  and  botanical  speci- 
