Page:Willich, A. F. M. - The Domestic Encyclopædia (Vol. 4, 1802).djvu/345

311&#93; WEI Mr. H.'s plan consists In applying a moveable point of suspension to one and tl^e same pendulum, in order to produce the full effeft of two pendulums, the difference of the length of which, is the intended measure An abstract of Mr. Hat- ton's memoir, will, be found in the 1st vol. of the Society's Transac- tions. Several years having elapsed without his suggesting any farther improvement, Mr. Whitehurst proposed, in 1787, " An attempt towards obtaining an invariable measure, length, and capacity, from the mensuration of time ; independently of the mechanical operations, necessary to ascertain the true length of pendulums." — . In short, his contrivance is founded on Mr. H.'s apparatus, in an im- proved state; and the inquisitive reader, who is desirous of farther information, will consult Mr. W.'s elaborate essay (4to. 5s. Bent) ; the title of which has before been specified. Numerous abuses, relative to weights and measures, are also stated, with appropriate remedies, in the late Sir John Riggs Mil- ler's " Speeches in the House <>f Commons, upon the Equalization of the IVvi'ihts and Measures of Great Britain," Sic. (8vo. pp. J28^ 2s.(}d. Debrett, lygO) ; — in the late Siu James Stuart's " Plan for intro- ducmg an Unijhrmiti/ in I freights and Measures, ivithin the Limits of the BritishEmpire" (Svo.pp.64, Is.Gd. Stockdale, l/QO) j — and in Sir George Shuckburgh Evelyn's Memoir, inserted in the "Philoso- phical Transactions of the Roijtd Society," for 1798. — As, however. WEI [; II a specification of their different plans, would be incompatible with our limits, we shall give our read- ers an account of the neiv French iveights and measures ; because they frequently occur in transla- tions of works from that language. The principal measure of length is the metre, which is equal to 3p.404 English inches : it is mul- tiplied by prefixing the Greek nu- meral adjeftives to the word me- tre : thus, the Decametre signifies) 10 metres ; HeBometre, 8 ; Kilo- vietre, 1000; and Myriametre, 10.000 metres. The measures be- low a metre, are named in a simi- lar manner; the Latin numeral! adje6lives being substituted, for* those of the Greek : hence, a deci" metre denotes the tenth part ;' cen--, timetre, the hundrelh part; and milli?netre, the thousandth part of a metre. The standard measure of capa-^ city is denominated a Litre, whicl^ is equivalent to 61.181 6 Plnglish cwZ;/c inches, or about 1, 5-7th of a pint, ale-measure, and 2, 1-lOthof a pint, wine-measure. Its multi- plication, and sub-multiplication, are performed in a similar manner. The Grcr77?weis adapted to weighs ing bodies, and is equal toT5.4-r57 English grains, Troy-weight. Its divisions, and sub-divisions,- corre- spond with those of the metf6.. ' ' The French arels employed for measuring the superficies of land, and is equal to IO76, 2-5ths squarfe feet, or 11, 3-5th square yards, oV about one-fortieth part of an acre'. Lastly, the St ere is used in'ntTpa>- suiing wood for fuel : it is equal to 35.31467 cubic feet. X4 4 (^^n-