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For dry meafure the French ufed the Litron, BoiJJeau, Minot, Mine , and Setter de Bled .The Litron is 36 Fr. cubic inches, equal to 1.4652 Eng. wine pint. The Minot of 1728Fr. cub. inch is equal to 1.0099 Winchefter bufhel of 2110.4 Eng. cub. inch.

The following are the fubdivifions of the oldPoifon

4= 1 Chopine

8= 2= 1 Pinte

64— 16= 8= 1 Septier or velte

2304=576=288= 36=1 Muid de yin

French wine and com meafure.

Litron

4= 1 Quart16= 4= 1 BoifTeau48=12= 3=1 Minot96=24= 6=2=1 Mine192=48=12=4=2=1 Setier de Bled

A totally new fyftem of weights and meafures has been introduced into the French empire,and is that in which moil of the exprefftons of quantities in chemical experiments are nowmade. It is therefore neccffary in this place to give their correfponding quantities in Englifhmeafures.

The new French metrical fyftem is founded on a fxngle ftandard of length which is calledthe Metre , and is the ten millionth part of the arc of the meridian which extends from theEquator to the Pole, as determined by the aftual meafurement of a tenth of this arc, betweenDunkirk and Barcelona by feveral eminent French aftronomers. The metre is equal to 36.9413French inches, which is equal to 39.38272 Englifh inches, the ftandards of each being at thetemperature of melting ice or 32 0 Fahr. But as the ftandards in this country are always referredto the temperature of 6o° or 62°, (and the latter is now preferred) the expanfion of brafs (whichis the material of which the ftandards are made) from 32° to 62° muft always be taken 'intoaccount; for it is obvious that if the Englifh ftandard is at 62° and the French at 32 0 , the latterwill meafure a lefs quantity of the former than if both were at 32 0 . The number 39.38272therefore, which is the equivalent to the French metre when both are at 3 2°, muft; bediminifhed in the proportion in which brafs expands 30 degrees, which is eftimated by Dr.Young, from Bordas experiments, to make the equivalent to the metre to be 39-371 Englifhinches, the ftandard of the metre being at 3 2°, and that of the Englifh inch at 62°.

All the new French meafures increafe and decreafe in decimal proportion, a diftinctive prefixbeing put to the term by which the integer is called. Thefe prefixes are Deca-, HeCto-, Kilo-,and Myria-, (taken from the Greek numerals) to exprefs the multiplication of the integer by 10,100, 1000, and 10000 refpeftively; and Deci-, Centi-, and Milli-, (from the Latin numerals) toexprefs the divifton of the integer by 10, 100, or 1000. Or according to the following fcale,taking the metre as the integer.

I

Mjriametre =

Metres

loooo.

I

Metre =

Metres

1.

I

Kilometre =

1000.

1

Decimetre =

O.I

1

Hectometre =

100.

I

Centimetre =

O.OI

I

Decametre =

10.

1

Millimetre =

O.COI

The metre is the integer of the meafure of length, and from it all the meafures of furface,capacity and weight, are deduced in the following way.

For fquare dimenfions the metre or its parts fquared are employed. When ufed for meafuringland the term Are is adopted, which is a decametre fquared. A Hectare , or 100 Ares, areabout equivalent to 2 Englifh acres.

For the integer of the meafure of capacity both wet and dry, the decimetre cubed is em-ployed, and is called the Litre. It is more than a third larger than the old French Litron, andis equal to 2-5- Englifh wine pints.

The cubic metre is alfo called a Stere, but is only ufed for meafuring fire wood, to befubftituted for the old French Corde de Bois.

For the integer of the meafure of weight, the w.eight of a cubic centimetre of diftilled waterat 32 0 has been adopted. This is called a Gramme, and is equivalent to about 151- Englifhgrains.