At 11:03 +0100 01/02/15, Han Maenen wrote:
>On the same day:
>In 1790 George Washington proposed a decimal system of units.
>In 1799 Van Swinden, rapporteur of the Paris conference, launched the metric
>system in a public session, when he made his report.
>1814: The status quo in France, the co-existence of the metric and the
>Napoleonic Customary System was confirmed by the king.
>1837: France goes metric for good by the "Loi du Quatre Juillet concernant
>les Poids et Mesures", starting its global spread.
Right, Han. May I have a slightly different appreciation of what
happened on 4th July 1814 ?
King Louis XVIII signed on that day (just 2 1/2 months after being on
the throne) a declaration, at the request of his Minister of the
Interior : " the development of the metric system will be pursued on
the same plan as previously"
I agree, the net result is as you say : co-existence of the metric
and the "customary" systems (in fact, of the three systems, because
ancient measures were still widely used).
But what is important in that declaration, is that the intention of
going on with the development of the metric system was clearly
stated. And by the King, who could well have decided to scrap this
remnant of the Revolution : don't forget that the decree of 18
germinal an III (7 April 1795) called the new units "Republican". He
could have killed the metric system, no, on the 4 July 1814 he
rescued it.
Another interesting fact in this declaration : according to my
documentation, it is the first official document with the words
"metric system".
Thus, on the 4 July 1814, not only the metric system was resurrected,
it was christened.
I would appreciate your comments
Louis
