Further to my USMA 19955 I have found another clue that the metric system has Christian roots.
The Bishop of Autun, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-P�rigord, on 9 March 1790 distributed to all the members of the *Assembl�e Nationale Constituante* a proposition on weights and measures. He listed the chaotic mess of measures in use in France and proposed the seconds pendulum as unit of length. He resigned as Bishop of Autun on 21 January 1791 and in March was placed under the ban of the church by the pope. On 8 May 1790 the Assembl�e Nationale Constituante requested the *Academie des Sciences* to propose a revision of the weights and measures. This led to the production of the metric system Joseph B.Reid 17 Glebe Road West Toronto M5P 1C8 Tel. 416 486-6071
