Am.  Jour  Pharm. 
Dec.  1875. 
Varieties. 
565 
The  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  on  Weights 
AND  Measures. — The  special  committee  of  this  association,  to  which  this  subject 
was  referred,  report  upon  the  steps  taken  the  past  year  for  the  establishment  and 
perpetuation  of  the  basic  units  of  the  metric  system,  and  the  results  of  the  confer- 
ence of  delegates  from  twenty-one  nations.  The  United  States  was  represented  by 
Prof.  Joseph  Henry,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institute,  and  Julius  G.  Hilyard,  of  the 
Coast  Survey  (now  President  of  the  association.)  The  original  standard  meter  and 
kilogram  were  adopted,  and  steps  taken  for  authentic  reproduction  of  them  for 
distribution,  and  for  comparison  with  other  standards  of  dimension  or  quantity. 
The  report  comments  upon  and  lauds  the  co-operation  of  our  executive  government 
in  this  great  effort  for  universal  civilization,  and  asks  from  all  scientific  bodies  an 
expression  of  opinion  to  urge  upon  Congress  the  monetary  aid  desirable  to  meet  the 
national  share  of  the  expenses  5  estimating  the  same  at  Si 2,000  original  appropria- 
tion, with  about  $1,000  per  annum  subsequently.  The  committee  say  :  "  It  is  to 
be  considered,  that  this  is  not  designed  merely  to  advance  the  interests  of  the  metric 
system  of  weights  and  measures,  or  to  serve  as  a  means  of  promoting  the  extension 
of  that  system.  The  design  is  higher  than  that.  To  secure  the  universal  adoption 
of  the  metric  system,  would  be  undoubtedly  to  confer  an  immense  and  incalculable 
benefit  upon  the  human  race  5  but  it  would  be  a  benefit  felt  mainly  in  the  increased 
facilities  which  it  would  afford  to  commerce,  and  to  exactness  in  matters  that  concern 
the  practical  life  of  humanity.  On  the  other  hand,  to  secure  that  severe  accuracy 
In  standards  of  measurement  which  transcends  all  the  wants  of  ordinary  business 
affairs,  yet  which,  in  the  present  advanced  state  of  science,  is  the  absolutely  indis- 
pensable condition  of  higher  progress,  is  an  object  of  interest  to  the  investigators  of 
nature  immensely  superior  to  anything  which  contemplates  only  the  increase  of  the 
wealth  of  nations.  ^'  * 
A  series  of  resolutions  were  offered  by  the  committee,  and  were  unanimously 
adopted  by  the  association.  Those  of  our  readers  who  are  interested  especially  in 
the  metric  system,  will  find  this  report  in  full  in  the  jiroceedings  of  the  association, 
which  will  shortly  be  published. —  The  Journal  of  the  Franklin  Institute ^  Oct.,  1875. 
Process  of  Gilding. — Place  in  a  plate  leaf-gold,  add  a  little  honey,  stir  the  two 
substances  carefully  together  with  a  glass  stopper,  the  lower  end  of  which  is  very 
flat.  Throw  the  resulting  paste  into  a  glass  of  water  m.ixed  with  a  little  alcohol, 
wash  it  and  leave  it  to  settle.  Decant  the  liquid,  and  wash  the  deposit  again.  Re- 
peat the  same  operation  until  the  result  is  a  fine,  pure  and  brdliant  powder  of  gold. 
This  powder,  mixed  with  com  non  salt  and  powdered  cream  of  tartar  and  stirred  up 
in  water,  serves  for  gilding. — Chem.  Neujs,  July  16,  1875,  ffom  Les  Mondes. 
Another  Method  for  Gilding. — Boutet  de  Mouvel. — Dissolve  in  aqua  regia 
I  grm.  of  fine  gold,  previously  rolled  out  very  thin,  in  a  porcelain  capsule  heated 
on  the  sand-bath  and  concentrated  till  it  is  the  color  of  ox-blood.  Add  a  half  litre 
of  distilled  water,  hot,  in  which  have  been  dissolved  4  grms.  of  white  cyanide  of 
potassium.  Stir  with  a  glass  rod,  and  filter  the  liquid  through  unsized  paper.  To 
gild  with  this  liquid,  it  is  heated  a  little  above  luke-warmiess,  and  the  articles  to  be 
gilt  are  immersed  in  it  and  supported  upon  a  piece  of  very  elean  zinc. — Ibid.y  from 
ibid. 
