Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 1, 1879

No. 150.
Mr. Noyes to Mr. Evarts.

Legation of the United States,
Paris, January 24, 1879.

No. 188.]

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith four copies of the second report of the Committee of Weights and Measures, for the year 1878.

I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,

EDWARD F. NOYES.

[Inclosure in dispatch No. 188.—Translation.]

report for the fiscal year 1878 of the international committee on weights and measures to the governments that signed the metric convention.

The International Committee on Weights and Measures, after having presented to all the contracting governments, January 12, 1878, the first report for the fiscal years of 1876 and 1877, had the honor to send to them, on the 20th of April of this year, the volume of the reports of proceedings for 1877, together with six accompaniments, the first of which reproduces tne above-mentioned report, the others being scientific papers written by various members of the committee upon subjects connected with our work, to wit:

On the analysis of iridized platinum, used by the French section of the International Metric Commission in the manufacture of prototypes, by Messrs. H. Sainte-Claire Deville and J. S. Stas;

Specific weights and coefficients of diction of platinum and of the metals which accompany it, as likewise the alloys of these metals, by O. O. J. Broch;

Second memorandum on the results obtained by the system introduced in the bureau of weights and measures at Berlin, for the production and maintenance of certain temperatures in observation rooms, by W. Foerster;

On the influence of the placing in a focus of the micrometer of a microscope, by A. Hirsch;

Memorandum on the influence of the placing in a focus, and of the inclination of microscopes on micrometric measures, by W. Foerster.

The committee, in now presenting the second report for the fiscal year of 1878, continues to communicate to the governments important documents and information relative to the ulterior development of the international scientific enterprise whose direction they have been pleased to intrust to it.

I.—Buildings.

The hope which we expressed in our first report, that, in consequence of an understanding with the architect, the modifications and supplementary labors decided upon by the committee would be terminated by the spring of this year, has, unfortunately, not been realized, and the negotiations with which we had charged the bureau have dragged through the entire winter. For the purpose of furnishing an account of this, it will be well to transcribe the circular addressed to the committee by the bureau on the 19th of March. It is as follows:

“In its session of the 22d of September last, the committee instructed its bureau to continue, with the aid of M. Perrier, the negotiations with the architect, M. Bouchot, with a view to carrying out all the changes and modifications, as well as to completing the supplementary works above mentioned, which were marked out in the report presented by M. Perrier and approved by the commission.”

The bureau set to work at once, but notwithstanding that it was animated by the best intentions, and that it consented to make many concessions in the course of the long negotiation, it was not until quite lately that it succeeded in making an arrangement with the architect. We will not here enter into the details of those tedious negotiations, an account of which we propose to give hereafter in a report to the committee; we will here content ourselves with giving a general sketch of the progress of the negotiations, in order to explain their unfortunately long duration and the result in which they have culminated.

In the first place, M. Bouchot was absent on account of his health, so that M. Perrier was obliged to leave Paris in the month of September, leaving written proposals for M. Bouchot, to which that gentleman did not reply until early in November. The correspondence between the secretary and the architect having revealed numerous differences of views on essential points, we insisted upon an interview.

On the 12th of December, the architect sent the advocate Bouchot, his nephew, to Neuohatel, furnished with full powers, and accompanied by M. Joannis, his inspecting architect, in order to settle the basis of an arrangement in a conference with Messrs. Hirsch and Perrier. In that conference an understanding was reached on the essential points, through the granting of mutual concessions. A few days afterward, however, M. Bouchot refused, by letter, to approve the basis of the arrangement made with his agents.

We then drew up, with the aid of M. Perrier, a complete draft of a supplementary treaty designed to secure the completion of the works according to the decisions of the building commission, and assuming, to be defrayed by the committee, a supplementary expense of 56,618 francs for the modifications and the new works. The architect replied by a counter-draft, raising the supplementary expense to be borne by the committee to nearly double the amount estimated by us; this went beyond not only the bounds of equity, but also the resources at the disposal of the committee.

After numerous fruitless efforts to make the two plans agree, and seeing that no progress was made, the bureau of the committee, for the purpose of avoiding, if possible, a rupture involving a lawsuit, finally caused to be submitted, in the month of February, another proposition providing for an amicable rescission of the contract of July 22, 1876, whereby the committee agreed to accept the work in its present condition, in consideration of the deduction of 29,410 francs for the unperformed or unfinished work.

We allowed M. Bouchot to choose between these two plans, and on the 25th of February we sent M. Perrier to Paris to facilitate an understanding on the basis of one or the other draft.

It was not until the 14th of March, in a conference between the two parties, M. Boucliot not being willing to agree to finish the work save in consideration of the supplementary sum of 68,000 francs, and without even engaging to commence it at once, that it was finally agreed to rescind the contract; but in order to reach this agreement we were obliged to consent to diminishing the sum to be retained by 2,500 francs.

We sincerely regret that M. Bouchot was not willing to undertake to complete the buildings on acceptable conditions and within a satisfactory space of time; nevertheless an amicable rescission, in consideration of a sum which is far, it is true, from representing the value of all that we were entitled to, appeared to us preferable to a lawsuit, which, even if it would have perhaps diminished the expenses of the committee, would certainly have considerably retarded the resumption of the work.

The question now is to secure the completion of the work as speedily as possible by another architect, for it seems to us beyond question that the committee can have it, done en régie.

We propose to the committee to confide this delicate task to Mr. Perrier, who, having prepared the plans and estimates for the supplementary work, and having followed the course of the negotiations, is thoroughly acquainted with, all the details of the work, and who has, moreover, already given the committee indubitable evidence of his honesty and technical competency.

We therefore ask the committee to authorize us to conclude a contract with M. Perrier on the following basis: The buildings already commenced to be completed and the supplementary work to be performed, according to the plan submitted to M. Bou-chot, in the space of three months, for the sum of about 84,000 francs, which is equivalent to the sum of 56,600 francs which the committee had offered to M. Bouchot to take under its charge, plus the sum of 27,000 francs which is refunded to the committee by the abrogation of the contract of July 22, 1876.

Should the committee authorize this arrangement, the work would be commenced immediately, and might be finished in the month of July.

In view of the importance of a speedy resumption of the work, we beg you, esteemed colleague, to be pleased to inform us, with as little delay as possible, whether you will vote for the authorization requested, and we have the honor to offer you the assurance of our highest consideration.

The President:

General IBAEZ.

The Secretary:
Dr. Ad. Hirsch.

We add the text of the contract of rescission:

Contract supplementary to the contract concluded July 22, 1876, between the same parties.

M. Bouchot, architect, of Paris, on the one hand, and the International Committee on Weights and Measures, represented by General Ibafiez and Dr. Hirsch, on the other, have agreed, in order to put an end to the difficulties that have arisen between them in regard to the execution of their contract, to rescind it on the following terms:

• Article 1. The committee agrees to receive all the work, without further inspection or examination, in the condition in which it now is, and not to require the completion of that which is not yet executed or terminated.
• Art. 2. The architect agrees to the deductions stipulated in the annexed table, which are to be made from the sum of 64,560 francs which would have been due him according to the contract of July 22, 1876, after the completion and inspection of all the work, which sum is thus reduced to 37,650 francs.
• Art. 3. Immediately after the signing of this contract, the committee shall pay to M. Bouchot the sum of 37,650 francs in full settlement of all its indebtedness to him, and both parties thus expressly renounce all rights that they might have asserted according to the contract concluded by them July 22, 1876.

List of the deductions to be made from the sum of 64,560 francs, constituting the last payment according to article 6 of the old contract.

				Francs.
A.	Of the sum of 12,011.22 francs, which is given in article 2 of the old contract as intended to serve for the objects therein mentioned, there have been used, 1st, for the canal between the machinery building and the observatory, 1,500 francs; 2d, for an asphalt sidewalk around the observatory, 2,860 francs: thus showing as being due to the committee the sum of.			7,651 22
B.	Observatory building:
1.	For isolating the pipes of the furnaces of the observation pillars, and for the admission of external air		600 00
2.	For completing the work of the lights		1,500 00
3.	For the doors of the two vaults:
	Wood (see estimate, p. 25)	223 40
	Iron, estimated at	176 60
			400 00
4.	For disinfecting the vault		2,500 00
5.	For repairing the retaining-walls of the hill		5,000 00
6.	Zinc. For laving and replacing the zinc alreadv laid	1,000 00
For coating the walls of the six rooms		500 00
For painting in oil the zinc of the six rooms		1,137 25
For the laving not vet accomplished		5,000 00
			7,637 25
Total for observatory building				17,637 25

C—Buildings of the pavilion and of the outhouses:

	Francs.
Work to be finished according to the memorandum handed in September 21, 1877	1,943 13
D.—The total amount of the deductions for work not performed or not finished, being thus 27,231.60 francs, a proportional reduction of the fees	2,178 52
Total	29,410 12
From which sum must be deducted by way of compromise for the zinc laid at Breteuil, &c., that of	2,500 00
Or a total of	26,910 12

Done in duplicate at Paris on the 16th day of March, 1878.

J. BOUCHOT.

General IBAÑEZ.

Dr. AD. HIRSCH.

All the members of the committee, with a single exception, having approved the proposal of the bureau, the latter concluded on the 15th of April a contract with M. Perrier, architect, which was brought to the knowledge of the committee by the following circular:

The vote by correspondence which we solicited by our circular of the 19th of March last in relation to the arrangement to be made with M. Perrier for finishing the buildings at Breteuil resulted in the granting to us of the authorization which we asked for by all the members of the committee except one, who, for various reasons, would have preferred another combination, Consequently, on the 15th of April last we concluded the following contract with M. Perrier:

The following agreement has been made for the finishing of the buildings for the International Bureau of Weights and Measures between the International Committee of Weights and Measures, represented by General Ibañez, Dr. Hirsch, and Dr. Pernet, on the one hand, and M. Louis Perrier, an architect, of Neuehatel, on the other hand:

Article 1. M. Perrier pledges himself to finish the work intrusted to M. Bouchot by a contractfconcluded between the latter and the committee on the 26th of July, 1876, and canceled by mutual consent by the agreement of March 16, 1878. M. Perrier further pledges himself to make the modifications in these buildings and the additions thereto that were in principle decided upon by the International Committee in its session of September 22, 1877, on the report of M. Perrier, who was then acting as the technical adviser of the committee.

Art. 2. This final work and the work of erecting the supplementary buildings shall be performed according to the plans and estimates annexed to this contract and signed by both parties.

The following is a recapitulation of the estimates:

	Francs.
A. Work of completion	44,588 65
B. Supplementary work	40,186 35
Total	84,775 00

Art. 3. M. Perrier engages to perform all that is provided for in the plans and estimates, in such manner that, the work being finished, the committee may receive it without being obliged to pay anything to anybody in addition to the sum above stated.

Art. 4. The committee may, during the performance of the work, introduce such alterations in the building as it may think proper. If these alterations necessitate additional expense, such expense shall be defrayed by the committee. M. Perrier may, in his turn, propose alterations which shall be submitted to the approval of the committee. Nevertheless, if M. Perrier and Dr. Pernet, the acting director of the International Bureau, shall agree as to the utility of modifying any of the details of the execution, M. Perrier is authorized, without applying to the committee, to introduce such alterations in the plans, provided they do not entail increased expenditure.

Art. 5. The work must be entirely finished three months after the signing of this contract, that is to say, on the 15th of July, 1878. In case the architect shall not have finished the work by that time, the committee reserves the right to cause them to be finished by some one else, at M. Perrier’s expense.

Art. 6. The work shall be well done, and according to the rules of art. The committee may, if it think proper, cause the work to be overseen during its performance. Dr. Pernet, who has charge of the general surveillance, shall give M. Perrier all the explanations and directions that he may ask for.

Art. 7. The committee shall pay to M. Perrier one-third of the stipulated price when the contract is signed, that is to say, 28,000 francs; one-third on receipt of the work, 28,000 francs; and the rest, to wit, 28,775 francs, within one year from the time when the contract is signed, with interest at the rate of 5 per cent., and computed from the date of the reception.

Art. 8. The parties select Paris as their domicile as far as regards the execution of this contract.

Art. 9. This contract shall not he registered. The expense of registration, in ease of a dispute that would necessitate such registration, shall be borne by the party judicially declared to be in the wrong.

Done at Paris in duplicate April 15, 1878.

General IBAÑEZ.

Dr. AD. HIRSCH.

Dr. PERNET.

PERRIER.

We will add that the special plans and estimates have likewise been signed and that the work has been resumed.

Be pleased to accept, highly honored colleague, the assurance of our highest consideration.

The president:

General IBAÑEZ.

The secretary:
Dr. Ad. Hirsch.

This work was immediately resumed and prosecuted under the direction of M. Perrier, jr., and the surveillance of Dr. Pernet, according to the plans and estimates Nevertheless, for reasons independent of the will of the architect, which we will state when we report the modifications introduced in the system of heating and ventilation, it became necessary to extend the term allowed for completing the work.

In the course of construction, moreover, in consequence of experiments made with heating apparatus, the necessity of a certain amount of supplementary work became apparent, the plans and estimates for which, amounting to 14,637.22 francs, were agreed upon and signed on the 4th of August by M. Perrier and the bureau of the committee.

All this work having been completed before the meeting of the committee in the month of September, the committee accepted and unanimously adopted the recommendation made in the report of a commission of five members, who, after having inspected the buildings in detail, declared “that the work decided upon has been performed in a manner entirely satisfactory,” and proposed “to thank the bureau, Dr. Pernet, and M. Perrier, the architect, for the conscientious manner in which they have performed their task.”

Thus it is that the mission of the committee to cause the construction of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures may be considered as happily accomplished notwithstanding the numerous difficulties which it has met with, by reason of the very special nature of the buildings, of the necessity of changing architects, and of the limited means at its disposal.

In accordance with the proposal of the special commission on buildings, the committee has decided to have plans-made in detail of the buildings. They will be prepared on a scale sufficient for the service of the establishment, but the privilege is reserved of reducing the scale for the drawings to be communicated to the governments and to be used for our publications.

The most difficult part of our work has been the adoption of a system of regular heating and refrigeration; the problem of producing at all seasons, in a series of large observation-rooms, any temperature comprised between zero and 30°, and of afterwards maintaining that temperature constant during the observations, and of getting it uniform throughout the room—this problem was a new one which presented serious difficulties, and was not at once satisfactorily solved.

The first system, which was based on a circulation of air, either cold or warm, behind metallic walls, proved insufficient, especially in respect to refrigeration; the useful effect was for heating only one-half and for refrigeration only one-quarter of the effect produced by machinery. In spite of all the precautions taken to isolate the air conductors properly, a very large part of the heat and cold was lost before it reached the observation-rooms on account of the feeble capacity of the air for heat. Finally, inconsequence of serious defects in the construction, the walls of the rooms did not isolate sufficiently to maintain the temperatures and to render it possible to heat and cool two adjoining rooms simultaneously.

After having ascertained, by many experiments and observations, this insufficiency and these defects, we at first caused the walls to be considerably strengthened as regards thermic isolation, and we acted on the recommendation of the builders, Messrs. R. Pictet & Co., of Geneva, to substitute water for air as a means of conveyance for temperature, it being thought that water, with its much greater capacity for heat, would not be exposed to the injurious losses of heat during the passage. Nevertheless, our bureau insisted, before introducing the new system into the entire establishment, upon trying it first in one of the rooms, in which Messrs. R. Pictet & Co. had offered to make the test at their own expense; it was not until this had been completely successful, on the 22d of July (when it was found possible to lower the temperature of the room more than 20° in a few hours) that the bureau concluded the following contract:

Supplementary contract between the International Committee of Weights and Measures and the firm of Eaoul Pictet & Co.

statement.

The apparatus introduced by Messrs. Pictet & Co., in the building of the International Bureau of eights and Measures, according to the contract of November 27, 1876, having been found unsatisfactory, the committee orders of the firm (which accepts) the new apparatus which is described in detail below.

Article 1. The price of the modifications to be made by common consent is fixed between the parties at 15,600 francs.

The new apparatus is to be entirely finished and in working-order in all the rooms twenty days after the signing of this contract, at the latest.

Messrs. Pictet & Co. engage to cause the work to be overseen daily by their engineers, in order to secure its completion at the time fixed.

Art. 2. The said apparatus is intended to bring in from the ice machinery and the calorifere, currents either of cold or of warm water, so that at least one room may be heated and the other cooled simultaneously.

The currents of water are to fall from a pipe going round the rooms by way of the ceiling, between zinc-walls, with which Messrs. Pictet & Co. engage to furnish the four walls of the six rooms and the wall of undulated zinc with which they are to be furnished according to the old system.

The water is to be collected at the bottom, so as to return either to the ice-machine or to the calorifere.

It is understood that this circulation of water shall be entirely separated from the interior of the rooms, by hermetical closures of the two zinc-walls; the upper closure shall be so arranged that it may be possible to inspect and clean the pipes which lead the water in.

Art. 3. The apparatus shall consist of, 1st, two principal lead conductors, going from the machinery building to the six observation rooms, and of two return conductors with the necessary cocks; 2d, two exhausting and force pumps to maintain the two circulations in any room; 3d, a condensing apparatus for warming water by the steam of the boiler; this apparatus shall consist of a cast-iron tube or of a copper-worm, in which the steam shall circulate; the dimensions shall be sufficient to raise the temperature of two rooms to thirty degrees, simultaneously at any season of the year; 4th, the upper closure, by means of cemented glass and the zinc of the ceiling, so as to send back the water against the inside face of the partition of undulated zinc, and so as to render it possible to open the glasses and clean the holes of the pipe that may happen to be stopped up; 5th, the gutters of zinc,, forming a socket (socle), and situated below the zinc partitions to collect the circulating water; these gutters shall be hermetically soldered; 6th, the zinc basins with two pipes leading to the external conductor and stop-cocks; two conductors with branches to receive the voidance of each room; 7th, two filters of 0mq.25 each, of wire gauze, placed between the pump and the rooms, and so arranged that they can be cleaned; 8th, for each room, two cleansing cocks at the extremity of each lateral branch, with a descent pipe in the emptying basins; 9th, a joining of strong zinc placed between the ice-receptacle (which is to be constructed by the side of the machinery buildings) and the cold-air pipe; this joining shall have a paddle-door and a lateral tube closed with a lid, so that tile outside air or the air from the ice-house may be admitted at will.

Art. 4. The old cold and hot air apparatus, in the rooms and behind the zinc partitions, shall remain intact, so that the circulation of air and water may be used at will.

The payment shall take place as follows: 5,000 francs at the time of signing this contract; 5,000 francs on the examination (reconnaissance) of the work, which shall take place in the month of September, 1878; and the rest in the month of February, 1879, at the latest.

Done in duplicate at Paris, July 31, 1878.

For the International Committee, the president:

General IBAÑEZ.

The secretary:

Dr. AD. HIRSCH.

For the director of the bureau:

Dr. PERNET.

For the firm of R. Pictet & Co., by authority:

TURRELTINÉ.

The bureau not being able to submit this contract to the committee beforehand for its approval, asked for bill of indemnity for the initiative taken, which the committee granted, after experiments made during the session had demonstrated that it was really possible to refrigerate (cool) a room in a short time, while heating the next room to 30 degrees. The building commission, in proposing in its report that the bureau and Dr. Pernet should be thanked for the painstaking zeal manifested by them in solving this difficult problem, showed at the same time that the expense incurred for this apparatus and for the investigations made to insure its proper working were not at all unreasonable.

The committee, on its part, in acknowledging the success of this enterprise, declares that it is indebted therefor in a great measure to the disinterested perseverance of the builders, who, as scientific mechanics, made it a point of honor to prove that desired temperatures can now be produced and maintained in large spaces. We feel confident, moreover, that the slight defects of execution that have been revealed by experiment will soon disappear; not until these defects have been remedied, and the leaks which still exist have disappeared, as well as the obstructions of the draining holes, will the whole thing be finally received.

II.—Instruments.

Three of our large comparing instruments, that of Baron Wrede for measuring dilation, that of Messrs. Brurmer Brothers for comparing meters (à traits) and finally that of Mr. Stollenreuther for comparing meters (à bouts) according to Steinheil’s system, have been received, and will be put in place as soon as the drying of the rooms, which is now going on, shall be completed.

For the fourth, the universal comparing instrument, we have at length been able to conclude the following contract with Messrs. Starke & Kammerer, of Vienna, which guarantees its construction in a year and a half:

Contract between the International Committee of Weights and Measures, on the one hand, and Messrs. Starke and Kammerer, constructing mechanics, at Vienna, Austria (No. 11 Wieden Karlsgasse), on the other, for the construction of a universal comparator for the International Bureau of Weights and Measures at Paris.

Article 1. Messrs. Starke & Kammerer agree to construct a comparator for the purpose of comparing line and end standard (etalons à traits et à bouts) of different lengths, up to and including the length of two metres, according to the drawings submitted-by the constructors, which have been adopted by the committee with some modifications, and appended to this contract.

Art. 2. The comparator shall be furnished with two micrometric microscopes, movable and susceptible of being fixed at any desired distance upon a prismatic stone bench. The dimensions of these microscopes shall be nearly the following: distance of the microscopic threads from the optical center of the objective, 0m.5; distance of the objective, 0m.08; amplification of the objective, 6m.25.

A slide (chariot) with a transverse movement on shove-boards contains two light buildings (bâtis) furnished with all necessary corrections, and intended to carry the two comparing standards; it contains, moreover, a bronze measuring-bar two metres in length, divided, on the neutral plane, in centimetres throughout its entire length, and at one of its ends by a length of 0m.l, divided into millimetres; the lines of division shall be drawn on flies (mouches) of gold, and, for the last decimetre, on a lamel of gold. This measuring-bar shall be furnished with three thermometers, the reservoirs of which shall be inserted in the body of the measuring-bar.

The comparator shall he inclosed in a wooden cage, furnished with glasses on its upper surface, and on the longitudinal surface turned in the direction opposite to the observer, so as to permit the interior to be lighted; nothing shall come out of it save the micrometers of the two microscopes, the three reading glasses for the thermometers, and the keys for making the movements and the necessary corrections.

Art. 3. The comparator shall be accompanied by the following auxiliary apparatus:

1st. An apparatus for comparing end standards (étalons à bouts) with line standards (étalons à traits), and for comparing end standards with one another; also for copying line standards.

2d. Two auxiliary apparatuses for examining errors in division, the construction of which is indicated in the annexed description, one of which shall be furnished with two micrometric microscopes which can be placed at distances varying from 0m.025 to 0m.5.

3d. A copper trough with double sides and double bottom for making comparisons in a liquid whose temperature can be varied.

Art. 4. In case Messrs. Starke & Kammerer shall, during the construction, meet with unexpected difficulties in certain details, as they are indicated in the annexed drawings, they reserve the privilege of making such alterations as may he found necessary for the better attainment of their object.

Art. 5. Messrs. Starke & Kammerer agree to deliver the comparator and the auxiliary apparatus in the space of one year and a half from the day of the signing of this contract.

Art. 6. The price of the comparator and its auxiliary apparatus is fixed at the sum of 30,000 francs, which is divided as follows:

	Francs.
The comparator, with its microscopes, stone prism, cage, &c., 18,000 francs	18,000
The divided measuring bar, with the thermometers and reading glasses	5,000
The auxiliary apparatus, described in article 3	7,000
Total	30,000

Nevertheless, in view of the complicated construction of the instrument, Messrs. Starke & Kammerer reserve the right to ask, in case of need, for an addition to the stipulated price of 30,000 francs, such addition not to exceed 20 per cent. of the entire amount, provided that they shall furnish evidence, to the satisfaction of the committee, that special difficulties of execution warrant this increased charge.

Art. 7. The payments shall be made at Vienna, as follows: 10,000 francs when this contract is signed; 10,000 francs when the instrument is received; the remainder three months after the receipt of the instrument.

Done in duplicate at Paris, the 28th day of August, 1878.

The above writing is approved.
For the International Committee of Weights and Measures, the president:

General IBAÑEZ.

For the constructors:

STARKE & KAMMERER.

The secretary:
Dr. Ad Hirsch.

The geodesic comparator now alone remains, for which Messrs. Brunner Brothers have submitted plans and estimates, which have been approved by the committee with some modifications, so that it will not be long before the bureau will conclude the contract with these constructors.

As to the scales the bureau has already received the largest of these for the transposition of weights, by Mr. Ruprecht; the three others, by the same constructor, will be delivered soon.

The bureau also possesses three balances of Mr. Sacré, one of which is for hydrostatic weighing. These have already been tested, having been used by Messrs. Stas, Broch, and Deville.

After Mr. Foerster had ascertained that his balances for weighing in rarified air worked remarkably well, he was authorized to conclude the following contract with Mr. Bunge, in the name of the International Committee.

Contract between Dr. Foerster, of Berlin, acting in the name of the International Committee of Weights and Measures, on the one hand, and Mr. P. Bunge, a mechanician of Hamburg, for the furnishing by the latter of a philosophical balance for weighing in vacuo, to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures at Paris.

• Article 1. Mr. Bunge agrees to construct a philosophical balance of a capacity of from 1,000 to 1,200 grammes for each basin, according to the designs annexed to this contract, reserving the privilege of modifying certain details during the course of the construction, after obtaining the consent of Dr. Foerster. The balance is to be completed in time to be put in place, in working order, by April 1, 1879, in the building of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
• Art. 2. The construction of the balance and of its auxiliary apparatus is to comply with the following essential conditions:

  1st. Under the maximum charge, and under the most favorable external conditions that the auxiliary apparatus will render it possible to realize, the deviations of the results of numerous successive weighin gs are to be comprised within such limits that the probable error of any weighing shall not exceed 0.05 of a milligramme.

  2d. The cover (cloche) of the balance must close so tightly that the manometric measures of pressure existing on the inside will show, during one working day, only such variations as can be explained by the changes of temperature that have taken place.

  3d. It must be possible to evacuate the cover to such an extent that the tension will correspond only to the height of a few millimetres of mercury.

  4th. The construction of the balance must be such that the oscillations can be read with the aid of a glass at the distance of about two metres and, moreover, it must be possible, at the same distance, by means of suitable keys:

  a. To “déclancher,” and stop the balance;

  b. To change the weights from one basin to the other;

  c. To add small supplementary weights in either basin; yet, notwithstanding these manipulations, the tension under the coyer (cloche) must not vary in a manner appreciable by the manometer, and, in order to change the weights, it must not be necessary to have recourse to auxiliary basins.

  5. Besides reading the oscillations it must be possible to read, with the aid of the glass, the thermometer and hygrometer which are placed under the cover (cloche).

• Art. 3. For furnishing this balance at the specified time, there shall be paid to Mr. Bunge the sum of 7,000 marks, or 8,750 francs, in the following installments: 3,125 francs at the signing of the contract; 2,500 francs on the delivery of the balance; 3,125 francs three months after the delivery.

Mr. Bunge, in case he shall not deliver the instrument at the time agreed upon, consents to a reduction of the latter installment, the amount of which deduction shall be fixed by the president of the International Committee.

Moreover, if the balance shall not perfectly fulfill the conditions enumerated in article 2, Mr. Bunge agrees to take back the defective parts, and to replace them by serviceable ones which shall insure hermetical closing.

In case of a difference of opinion, Mr. Bunge declares in advance that he will submit to the decision of the president of the International Committee.

Done in duplicate at Paris and Hamburg, October 15, 1878.

Dr. W. FOERSTER.

PAUL BUNGE.

The committee has already purchased two series of weights of iridized platinum from the kilogramme to the milligramme, by Mr. Oertling, and a series of quartz weights, from Mr. Laurent.

It has also procured the essential accessory instruments, such as barometers, thermometers, manometers, cathetometers, &c.; others have been ordered, and the committee has just decided upon the purchase of a certain quantity of apparatus which is required by the philosophical and chemical laboratories.

Finally, the bureau received, in the month of July, Mr. Laurent’s apparatus for measuring dilation according to the Fizcau system; this appaiatus is now undergoing an examination.

It is thus seen that the International Bureau is already provided with the instruments and apparatus which are essential to enable it speedily to begin its metrological labors. Unfortunately the time cannot yet be foreseen when the committee will receive the prototypes that will permit it to begin the principal work, i. e. the comparison and verification of the new prototype line meters and of the prototype kilogrammes.

III.—Prototypes.

The important question of the manufacture of prototypes, as set forth by us in de tail in article III of our first report, has not yet been definitely settled.

To this effect, the following correspondence has passed between the French government and the Bureau of the International Committee.

In the first place, we received the following reply to the last letter that we had the honor to address, in 1877, to the French Government:

“Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
“Direction of Consulates and Commercial Affairs,
“Paris, January 14, 1878.

“Mr. President: You were pleased to communicate to my predecessor, on the 4th ultimo, the observations which have been suggested to the International Committee of Weights and Measures by the arrangements made for the manufacture of metre and kilogramme prototypes. The minister of agriculture and commerce, to whom these observations were transmitted, informs me that he has brought them to the notice of the French section.

“Mr. Teissereno de Bort adds that, as regards the kilogramme, the French section, anticipating the desire of the International Committee, has recently decided, with the approval of the minister, upon the preparation of three kilogrammes of iridized platinum. An arrangement has been concluded for the purchase of the metals necessary for the preparation of these kilogrammes and of the new metres.

“Accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my high consideration.

“WADDINGTON.

“To General Ibañez,
“President of the International Committee of Weights and Measures, Madrid.”

Early in the month of July we wrote to the French Government as follows:

“International Committee of Weights and Measures,
“Madrid and Neucâtel, July 6, 1878.

“Mr. Minister: Your excellency was pleased by your communication of October 6, 1877, to inform us that the French Government had requested the French section to prepare three new metres of pure iridized platinum, and, by your communication of January 14, 1878, we were informed that the preparation of three kilogrammes of iridized platinum had been decided upon.

“The International Committee of Weights and Measures, which will meet on the 16th of September next in reglementary session, would be glad to receive at that time these three metres and these three kilogrammes in order to subject them, at the building of the International Bureau, to the necessary examinations and comparisons.

“Be pleased to accept, Mr. Minister, the assurance of our high consideration.

“The president:

“General IBAÑEZ.

“The secretary:
“Dr. Ad. Hirsch.”

In reply to the above letter, we received the following communication:

“Paris, September 6, 1878.

“Mr. President: By the letter which you did me the honor to write me on the 6th of July last, you informed me that the International Committee of Weights and Measures, referring to the instructions which had previously been given to the French section for the preparation of three new metres and three kilogrammes of pure iridized platinum, would be glad to receive these prototypes at the time of its next meeting in ordinary session, on the 16th day of September, so as to be able to subject them, at the International Bureau, to the necessary examinations and comparisons.

“I hastened to communicate the wish of the committee to the minister of agriculture and commerce, who addressed a communication in this sense to the president of the French section. It appears from the reply of Mr. Dumas that Messrs. Matthey &Co. have already prepared the three kilogrammes, that they have also prepared the metric measuring bars, and, finally, that they have examined and adopted a process suitable for the construction of X metres. Mr. Dumas adds, however, that, in consequence of an observation made to Messrs. Matthey & Co. by the French section with a view to avoiding all difficulties, those gentlemen have decided to recast the three kilogrammes as well as the experimentary measuring bars, so that all the standards delivered to the French section may be obtained from the same casting.

“As soon as the kilogrammes and the first measuring bars shall have been delivered the president will inform the French section, so that it may in turn inform the International Committee.

“Accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my high consideration.

“WADDINGTON.

“To General Ibañez,
“President of the International Committee of Weights and Measures.”

This letter having been communicated to the International Committee during its session of September 23, the bureau replied as follows:

“International Committee of Weights and Measures,
“Paris, October 2, 1878.

“Mr. Minister: We have had the honor to receive your communication of September 6, whereby you were pleased to inform us that the construction of the three metres and the three kilogrammes of iridized platinum is well advanced, and that the International Committee will be informed as soon as the kilogrammes and the first measuring bars shall have been delivered.

“The International Committee of Weights and Measures, which is now in session at Paris, has instructed us to thank the French Government for this information. It affords it the more satisfaction to learn that the standards will soon be delivered to it, inasmuch as the buildings of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures are completed, and the apparatus has, for the most part, been put in place so that work can shortly be commenced. The demand for new definitive metric prototypes is, moreover, so general and pressing, especially for metres, that it is important to satisfy it as speedily as possible.

“Be pleased to accept, Mr. Minister, the assurance of our high consideration.

“The President:

“General IBAÑEZ.

“The secretary:
“Dr. Ad. Hirsch.

“To His Excellency Mr. Waddington,
“Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Paris.”

Happily the efforts of the scientific manufacturers to whom the French Government has had recourse and the conclusive experiments of our type commission have demonstrated the possibility of manufacturing prototypes of pure iridized platinum. We have even learned that one of the three meters is already entirely finished, prepared, and polished, as well as the three kilogrammes.

As, moreover, the apparatus of the French section for the tracing of metres, which the International Committee, in pursuance of a courteous invitation, recently had occasion to see at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers appear to be pretty well advanced, it would seem that no more technical or scientific difficulties stand in the way of the satisfactory accomplishment of the task which the French section has undertaken to perform.

In order to bring to the solution of the problem the co-operation for which the Metric Convention provides, the International Committee has instructed a special commission, composed of two of its members and of that distinguished chemist, a member of the French section, who has done most for the examination of platinic metals, to procure for us two metres and two kilogrammes (types) of pure alloy. This commission, with the assistance of the manufacturers who furnish prototypes to the French Government, has accomplished its task in a very complete manner; it has discovered new methods of analysis and of purification, and in a memorandum which will be annexed to our reports, it has discussed and elucidated the methods of manufacture which render it possible to give to the standards the form prescribed by the International Committee, without the introduction of iron and without endangering their homogeneity; finally, by its care, the committee is now in possession of two metres and two kilogrammes (types) which will not only be utilized for the examination and rectification of our instruments, but which, pending the delivery of the prototypes which has been announced by the French Government, may be used in important metrological researches.

The committee adopted the following resolution, on motion of one of its members, during its session of October 8th:

“Whereas the construction of the new metric prototypes requires more time than was originally expected, and the committee has caused to be constructed certain measuring bars and killogrammes of pure iridized platinum, which may be used as temporary standards; and whereas the buildings are finished at the International Bureau, and the principal apparatus will be ready for use before the close of the year:

“Therefore, be it resolved that the committee authorizes its bureau to inform the high government that, at the beginning of the coming year, the International Bureau will be ready to compare old standards of the metre (à traits) with its temporary standards, for the benefit of the weight and measure services of the contracting States.

“It is understood that such comparisons cannot give the equations of the old standards as regards the definitive metric unit, which will be fixed hereafter by the sanction of the new prototypes now in course of construction; but, in the present state of uncertainty as to the precise length of the metres which are used as standards in different countries, it will be a great advantage to be able to have the old metric standards (à traits) of the various weight and measure services compared, at least with one another, by the International Bureau, by means of one and the same temporary standard belonging to the International Bureau,

“The same is the case with the kilogramme standards which the governments of the contracting States may desire to have compared by the International Bureau by the aid of a temporary standard of the kilogramme, constructed of pure iridized platinum under the direction of the committee, and belonging to the International Bureau.”

On bringing this resolution, by our circular of December last, to the knowledge of the high governments, we added:

“The discussion that has taken place in the committee on this proposal has clearly shown that there would be a great advantage in thus being able to furnish to the contracting States the relative equations at least of their present metric standards, until they can be put in possession of the new prototypes.

“Those governments that may desire to avail themselves of this advantage are requested to send their standards to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, which will be able to compare them early next year.”

IV.—Appointments.

Two adjuncts have been appointed according to the regulations, as appears from the two following circulars:

“Madrid and Neuchâtel,
December 10, 1877.

“Highly Esteemed Colleagues: In its session of the 21st of September last, the committee decided to appoint, in three months, by correspondence, two adjuncts for the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.

“Consequently, we have the honor, by this circular, to open the vote for this appointment. In order that the balloting may take place with the necessary secrecy, we propose to you to send your letter, signed, to the secretary, but to inclose in that letter a slip, in a closed envelope, without any address on the outside, containing your ballot, without signature. The secretary will thus collect all the closed ballots and will send them together, unopened, to the president, who will open them and ascertain the result, which will immediately be communicated to the committee.

“During the same session of September 21, the bureau communicated, in alphabetical order, the following list of the candidates inscribed:

• “1st. M. René Benoît, doctor of medicine and doctor of sciences, of Paris.
• “2d. Mr. Wenzel Marek, assistant professor of astronomy and geodesy at the polytechnic school of Vienna, and adjunct of the Austrian bureau of weights and measures, at Vienna.
• “3d. Mr. Rozé, instructor in geodesy at the polytechnic school of Paris.

“Since then no new candidacy has occurred.

“The committee having decided that the adjuncts should be appointed at the be ginning of the new year, it is necessary to fix a time for them to enter upon the discharge of their duties. Now, not only will the apparatus and instruments not be delivered sufficiently by the 1st of January, 1878, to give occupation to the adjuncts, but it is probable that the observation rooms will not be ready before the 1st of April. It therefore seems that, for the time when the adjuncts are to enter upon the discharge of their duties, we must choose between two dates, viz, January 1 and April 1, 1878, and your bureau submits this question also to the vote of the committee.

“Consequently, you are requested to write upon your ballot, first, the two names that you select for the two adjuncts, and, next, the time which you prefer for their entrance upon the discharge of their duties, whether January 1 or April 1, 1878, so that your vote may be sent in the manner described to the secretary as speedily as possible.

“Be pleased to accept, highly-esteemed colleague, the assurance of our highest consideration.

“The president:

“General IBAÑEZ.

“The secretary:
“Dr. Ad. Hirsch.”

“Madrid and Neuchâtel,
“January 31, 1878.

“Highly Esteemed Colleague: We have the honor to communicate to you the result of the vote asked for by our circular of December 10, 1877, for the appointment of the adjuncts.

“It appears that eight members voted for M. Benoît as first adjunct; eight members voted for M. Marek as second adjunct; 1 member voted for M. Pernet as first adjunct; one member voted for M. Benoît as second adjunct.

“General Morin thought proper to abstain from voting, refusing to make any selection, which, for the present, he considered premature.

“Consequently, Dr. René Benoît, of Paris, is appointed first adjunct; M. Wenzel Marek, of Vienna, is appointed second adjunct of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, both according to article 6 of the regulations adopted in the session of April 29, 1876, for one year, and, if they perform their duties to the satisfaction of the committee, they will be confirmed for the same time as the director.

“April 1, 1878, has been fixed upon as the time for the adjuncts to enter upon the discharge of their duties by eight votes against one, which was in favor of February 1.

“Be pleased to accept, highly-esteemed colleague, the assurance of our highest consideration.

“The president:

“General IBAÑEZ.

“The secretary:
“Dr. Ad. Hirsch.”

These gentlemen have performed their duties remarkably well, and have shown great scientific ability and zeal, so that the committee, in pursuance of the recommendation of its bureau, resolved, in its session of October 9 last, to make their appointment permanent on the 1st of January next.

Inasmuch as the international establishment will, with the incoming year, enter into the phase of its full scientific activity, it seemed to the committee that the time had arrived to appoint, at least temporarily, a director of the International Bureau. Consequently, the committee unanimously resolved, in its session of October 8, to appoint one of its members, to wit, Dr. Broch, of Christiania, as director ad interim of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.

Dr. Broch announced his acceptance of the office, subject to the approval of his government;^* as, however, he cannot enter upon the discharge of his duties before ebruary 1, 1879, the committee has decided that Dr. Pernet shall continue to act as director until that time. In recognition of the services rendered by Dr. Pernet in this capacity, a gratuity of 2,000 francs has been allowed him in addition to his regular salary.

In order to retain the useful assistance of Dr. Pernet at the International Bureau, the committee has decided that Dr. Pernet shall remain attached to the bureau in the capacity of scientist having charge of special work, according to the provision contained in article 6 of the regulations of the convention. He is to receive a salary of 25 francs per diem.

Finally, we think it proper to mention in this paragraph, that the international committee unanimously resolved, in its session of September 27, on motion of the president, to complete the number of its members by the choice of two gentlemen as such, in lieu of Messrs. Chisholm and Bosscha, who declined to serve when their governments refused to adhere to the convention.

It has seemed to the committee that it would be well to exercise the power granted in this respect by article 14 of the regulations of the convention, at the time when the building and the apparatus of the International Bureau being finished the scientific work is about to begin.

In pursuance of the provisions of the article referred to, and of article 10 of the regulations, this election of two members will take place by correspondence three months after all the members of the committee shall have been notified by the bureau.

V.—Library.

The request which we addressed last year to the members of the committee, and through them to the governments and learned societies, in behalf of the infant library of our establishment, has not been without effect. We have already received some highly valuable gifts, for which, in the name of the International Committee, we return thanks to the generous donors.

Other works have been purchased, few in number, it is true, and the principal scientific reviews that possess any interest for metrology have been subscribed for.

As, however, we are yet far from possessing the principal works on metrology and its kindred sciences, many of which are official publications, which it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to procure in the ordinary way, we take the liberty to renew our request to the governmental and scientific authorities of the various countries that they will donate copies of such metrological works, monographs, and official publications as have appeared in their countries.

VI.—Ratifications.

With regard to the ratifications, we have to communicate the following documents:

At the beginning of the year, the bureau requested the French Government to grant its mediation with a view to regulating the situation as regarded the two governments whose ratifications had not yet been given.

The following is the bureau’s letter:

“International Committee of Weights and Measures,
“Madrid and Neuchdtel, February 6, 1878.

“Mr. Minister: Among the governments that signed the metric convention, there are two, viz, that of the United States of America and that of Venezuela, that have not yet ratified the convention which they signed May 20, 1875.

“It is not for the International Committee to set forth the reasons which should induce these two governments not to leave those of the other states in doubt as to their final adhesion; the International Committee, however, which has charge of the execution of the convention, is under the necessity, in order that this duty may be performed, of obtaining from the governments interested a speedy solution of this question.

“The delay of the two states referred to has deprived the committee of a large part of the means which were secured to it by the convention, on which it was obliged to rely in making its arrangements and engagement for the building and organization of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, and it will not be possible to divide the deficit among the other contracting states, according to the rules laid down by the convention, until the question of ratification of the two states shall have been settled. Now the committee, being obliged to settle the building accounts of the International Bureau, should be able to dispose of this portion of its resources.

“These considerations have induced the committee to request the French Government, which has taken charge of the exchange of the ratifications, to be pleased to take such steps near the Washington Government and that of Caracas as it may deem calculated to bring about, as speedily as possible, the ratification of the convention of May 20, 1875, and, as a consequence, the payment of the contributions due for the fiscal years of 1876, 1877, and 1878, or at least a final decision that will permit the contracting governments to regulate the situation of the scientific establishment which they have created in common.

“The International Committee would be very grateful to your excellency if you would inform it, as speedily as possible, of the result of the steps which the French Government shall think proper to take, so that the committee may have time to consult as to the adoption of the measures required by its financial situation.

“Be pleased to accept, Mr. Minister, the assurance of our highest consideration.

“The president:

“General IBAÑEZ.

“The secretary:
“Dr. Ad. Hirsch.

“To His Excellency Mr. Waddington,
“Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Paris.”

In reply we received the following communications from the French Government:

“Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
“Paris, February 15, 1878.

“Mr. President: I have received the letter which you did me the honor to address me on the 6th instant in relation to the delay of the Governments of the United States and that of Venezuela in exchanging the ratifications of the metric convention.

“In compliance with the desire expressed by you, I have requested our diplomatic agents at Washington and Caracas to take the necessary steps near those governments to obtain a final decision from them, of which I shall not fail to inform you.

“Accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my high consideration.

“WADDINGTON.

“To General Ibañez,
“President of the International Committee of Weights and Measures, Madrid.”

“Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
“Paris, April 30, 1878.

“Mr. President: As I had the honor to inform you on the 15th of February last, I instructed the minister of France at Washington to make inquiry in regard to the definitive intentions of the Government of the United States in relation to the ratification of the metric convention. I have just received from Mr. Outrey the note addressed to him by the Secretary of State in reply to one from him, and I have the honor to inclose to you a translation of this document. It appears, therefrom, that the attention of the proper committee was at once called to this matter. Mr. Outrey adds, moreover, that he will not fail to request Mr. Evarts to do all in his power to hasten a decision of the matter by Congress.

“As to Venezuela, I shall take care to communicate its reply to you as soon as it shall have been received.

“Accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my high consideration.

“WADDINGTON.

“To General Ibañez,
President of the International Committee of Weights and Measures, Madrid.”

“Department of State,
“Washington, March 25, 1878.

“Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 6th instant, and the copy which accompanied it, of a communication addressed to the minister of foreign affairs of France by the International Committee on Weights and Measures, relative to the apparent delay which has occurred on the part of the Government of the United States in ratifying the metrical convention of May 20, 1875, and requesting to be informed as to the intentions of this government in connection therewith.

“In reply I have to state that on the 10th of March, 1876, the President submitted for the consideration of the Senate, with a view to its ratification, the metrical convention together with certain papers therein referred to. The matter is still pending before that body, no action having been taken thereon.

“I inclose herewith, for your information, a printed copy of the President’s message transmitting the papers to the Senate.

“The attention of the proper committee of Congress will at once he recalled to the matter.

“Accept, sir, a renewed assurance of my very high consideration.

“WM. M. EVARTS.

“Mr. Maxime Outret, &c., &c.”

“Paris, August 5, 1878.

“Mr. President: Referring to the letter which I had the honor to address to you on the 30th of April last, I hasten to announce to you that, on the 2d instant, I exchanged the ratifications of the metric convention with the chargé d’affaires of the United States of America.

“I have, moreover, received the reply of the chargé d’affaires of France at Caracas, to the instruction which I addressed to him relative to the ratification of Venezuela. It appears from the note received by him from the minister of foreign relations of that republic, a copy of which is herewith inclosed, that a new plenipotentiary, Dr. Antonio Parra Bolivar, has been selected to bring this matter to a termination. Dr. Bolivar, however, who is now at Paris as the commissioner of Venezula to the international exhibition, has declared that no communication relative to the metric convention has been received by him from his government.

“Accept, Mr. President, the assurances of my high consideration.

“WADDINGTON.

“To General Ibañez,
“President of the International Committee of Weights and Measures, Madrid.”

[Translation.]

“Caracas, May 9, 1878.

“The minister of foreign relations has laid before the government the communication of the chargé d’affaires of France of the 28th of March, relative to the metric convention signed at Paris, May 20, 1875, which has not yet been ratified by Venezuela.

“As to the letter which accompanied it, the undersigned would refer to the observations made in the reports of this ministry in 1877 and 1878. It is therein stated that when the convention was approved, the term of six months which had been fixed for the exchange of the ratifications having expired, nothing could be concluded. In this state of things, a new article extending the time for the exchange became necessary, and the plenipotentiary who had represented Venezuela was instructed to submit this question to the other parties interested; unfortunately, however, the steps taken by the government have produced no result.

“Under these circumstances, the great democrat, the president of the republic, wishing to place no obstacle in the way of these projects, has appointed a new plenipotentiary, viz, Dr. Antonio Parra Bolivar, with instructions to bring this matter to a termination. The delay which has occurred is due to the fact that the time of the meeting of the Venezuelan Congress was not taken into consideration when the date of the ratification was fixed.

“The undersigned renews, &c., &c.,

“S. CASAÑA.

“To Mr. Victor L’Hôte,
“ Chargé d’Affaires of France.

It appears from these documents that the United States of America having definitively adhered to the metric convention, the international organization of weights and measures is thus extended directly over one of the principal; states of the Anglo-Saxon world, which tends to preserve the universal character of the convention of May 20, 1875, and greatly to increase the chances of a final and general unification of weights and measures.

VII.—Accounts and Contributions.

We give, in the first place, a table of accounts for the fiscal year of 1877, as fixed by the commission of accounts, and presented, after a detailed examination of all the accounts and the evidence in relation to them, in the session of October 1, 1878, to the International Committee, which approved it and released the director from further responsibility in the matter.

receipts.

		Francs.
Brought forward from the fiscal year of 1876		180,160 76
Payment of the contributions of—
January 19. Switzerland	467 00
February 2. Italy	7,472 00
February 7. Germany	11,488 00
February 16. Belgium	1,494 00
February 26. Spain	7,172 50
March 1. Norway	374 00
March 2. Sweden	374 00
March 8. Russia	7,192 00
March 15. Portugal	10,958 00
March 15. Austria-Hungary	9,994 00
April 30. Denmark	187 00
July 21. France	11,488 00
September 10. Argentine Confederation	2,741 00
	71,401 50
Interest paid by the “Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations”	3,668 29
		75,069 79

expenses.

I.—Expenses of the establishment.

a.—Buildings and Apparatus.

	Francs.
January 5. To M. Bouchot, architect, third installment	58,240 00
September 22. To M. Pictet, second installment	8,500 00
October 10. To M. Frieländer, for books	165 55
October 10. To M. Meyer, for books	347 00
November 25. To M. Delavigne, for furniture	8,900 00
November 15. To M. Delavigne, for furniture	190 00
December 31. To M. Perrier, inspecting architect	1,250 00
		77,592 55

b.—instruments.

	Francs.
March 19. To M. Sacré, for two balances	2,705 00
April 5. To Messrs. Matthey & Co., for platinum and iridium	1,575 00
May 5, December 17. To the Geneva Philosophical Instrument Company, for the normal barometer	1,200 00
May 16. To Messrs. Matthey & Co., for platinum and iridium for the trivet of the apparatus of Fizeau	642 00
May 19. To M. Stollenreuther, first installment for the Steinheil comparator	4,978 00
August 10. To M. Sörrensen, for the comparator of M. Wrede	3,623 53
September 19. To M. Chevallier, for a glass	70 00
September 20. Expense of journey to inspect the Steinheil comparator	138 00
October 26. To the imperial German commission of weights and measures, for standard thermometers	262 50
		15,194 03
		92,786 58

II.—Annual expenses.

A.—Salary of the Director and Indemnities.

	Francs.
July 11. M. Broch, indemnity and traveling expenses	4,832 00
August 1. To M. Stás	2,450 00
October 1. To the director, from January 1 to October 1	11,250 00
December 31. To the office-boy, from October 1 to January 1	375 00
August 13. To M. Pernet, traveling and lodging expenses	305 00
December 31. To M. Pernet, indemnity for July-December	3,249 95
		22,461 95
March 5, April 2. To M. Gauthier-Villars, for printing reports	886 05
August 9. To M. Waldheim, for printing	93 75
September 15. To M. Hirsch, expenses of secretaryship	696 20
December 31. To M. Hirsch, expenses of secretaryship	427 05
December 31. Office expenses	130 20
December 31. Keeping of buildings, &c., in repair	760 05
December 31. Keeping engine in repair	38 95
December 31. Water for engine (concessions of)	187 80
December 31. Fuel	1,523 70
December 31. Gas	76 05
December 31. Tools	12 60
December 31. Sundries	477 20
September 19. To Mr. Chevallier, for packing, &c	32 00
December 31. Presents	70 00
December 31. Banker	113 12
December 31. Stamps	12 00
		6,634 72

C.—Salary of Secretary.

	Francs.
For the year 1877		6,000 00
Annual expenses, total		35,096 67
Total expenses		127,883 25
Balance		127,347 30
		255,230 55

After having sent, on the 15th of December, 1877, the list of the contributions for the year 1878, based on a budget of 100,000 francs, to the governments of the high contracting parties, the bureau of the committee, with a view to explaining the necessity of having recourse to the maximum of the contributions provided for by the convention, addressed the following statement to the governments:

Statement of the financial situation of the International Committee of Weights and Measures

In its circular of the 15th of December last, whereby it had the honor to communicate the list of the contributions for the fiscal year of 1878 to the governments of the contracting states, the Bureau of the International Committee of Weights and Measures referred to the reglementary report which was to be sent at the same time, by way of explaining the decision of the committee to raise the budget of the present fiscal year to 100,000 francs.

In consequence of unforeseen circumstances the printing of the report was delayed for several weeks, so that it could not be sent until the 12th of January last. As the sending of the volume containing the report of the transactions of the last session of the International Committee, in which the reasons are given for the decision of the committee, is likewise delayed by the printing of the scientific memoranda annexed to that volume, the bureau of the committee deems it its duty to explain to the governments of the high contracting parties the reasons which induced the committee to exercise the right conferred upon it by article 6 of the regulations appended to the metric convention.

We avail ourselves of this opportunity to present, at the same time, to the contracting governments a statement of the pecuniary situation in which the International Committee was placed by the delay which occurred in the payment of a considerable portion of the contributions provided for by the convention of May 20, 1875.

The committee was obliged by the convention to divide the cost of the establishment, as well as the annual expense of the International Bureau, among all the states that signed the metric convention. Now, two of those states, the United States of America and Venezuela, have not yet ratified the convention, and, consequently, have not yet paid their contributions for the fiscal years of 1876 and 1877; and even if, as we hope, the ratification takes place this year, the payment of the contributions now due will probably not be made by those states before the year 1879.

Owing to this cause the resources of the committee have been diminished by the following sums:

	Contributions of the United States.	Contributions of Venezuela.	Total.
	Francs.	Francs.	Francs.
1876	46,143	2,958	49,101
1877	7,285	467	7,752
1878	9,714	623	10,337
Total	63,142	4,048	67,190

Moreover, of the states that have ratified the convention, Peru has not yet paid in its contributions for the fiscal years of 1876 and 1877, to wit, 5,479 francs, nor has Turkey paid its contribution for 1877, to wit, 7,285 francs, which together constitute an arrearage of 12,764 francs.

The result is that there is a deficiency of 79,954 francs, upon which sum the committee was, nevertheless, obliged to count in the arrangements made for the construction and organization of the International Bureau. It was not allowable for the International Committee to ask the contracting governments to divide this deficit among themselves, according to the scale fixed by the convention, as long as the two states above mentioned had not definitively refused to ratify that instrument, and before we were officially informed that the payments of Turkey and Peru had not been made at the Paris Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, at the close of the year 1877.

The International Committee, being thus deprived of a large part of the resources secured to it by the convention of May 20, 1875, finds itself in a rather difficult pecuniary situation, which, although temporary, seriously embarrasses it, inasmuch as it is obliged to meet, in the course of this year, the engagements which it has made with the contractors and constructors of the buildings and instruments for the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, and as it is obliged to provide for a supplementary expense for completing the buildings. It consequently finds itself under the necessity of deferring until next year all expenditures that are not absolutely indispensable, among them an order for several much-needed instruments.

Yet, even with the strictest economy, the committee would not be able to meet all its obligations in 1878 if it had not taken the precaution to fix its budget for this year at 100,000 francs, which would certainly not have been necessary if the 80,000 francs of the contributions due had not failed it.

The commission of accounts, on presenting its report to the International Committee in its session of September 15, 1877, showed that the sum of only 59,021 francs was then available. In view of this fact, the director of the International Bureau made during the session of September 21 the following proposition:

“In view of article 6 of the regulations annexed to the convention of May 20, 1875, which provides that the annual budget of the bureau may be modified as need may require by the International Committee on motion of the director, but it shall in no case exceed the sum of 100,000 francs;

“Whereas the sums already pledged for payment for the work of construction and for heating and ventilating apparatus, furniture, instruments, &c., and for the salaries of the employés of the bureau will absorb a large part of the available funds;

“Whereas other expenditures will have to be made for the alteration of certain parts of the building as desired by the committee, and it will be necessary to introduce water and gas into the establishment, &c.:

“I have the honor to propose to the committee that the annual budget for the year 1878 be increased from 75,000 francs to 100,000 francs.”

This proposition was unanimously adopted by the committee.

In order to show how necessary this precaution was, if the committee did not wish to run the risk of being unable to meet its absolutely necessary expenses, we here give a summary of the budget for the year 1878, as we have been able to prepare it according to the situation of the 31st of December last, reserving details for our next reglementary report:

Assets.			Expenses.
		Francs.			Francs.
Balance on hand at the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, December 31, 1877		117,447	I. Annual reglementary expenses:
Balance with banker, same date		11,681	a. Salary of employés	26,000
Contributions for the year 1878	100,000		b. Purchase and keeping in repair of apparatus, fuel, gas, &c	24,000
Deducting the quota of the United States	9,714				50,000
Deducting the quota of Venezuela	623		II. Engagements made by contract and payable in 1878, for buildings and instruments		113,038
		89,663
Probable interest from the Caisse		1,000	III. Supplementary expense for completion of buildings, about		56,000
Total		219,791	Total		219,038

It appears from the above that, even if the payment of all the contributions of the states that have ratified the convention were to be relied upon, the means at the committee’s disposal in 1878 would only be barely sufficient to meet unavoidable expenses.

In conclusion, the bureau of the committee desires to express its confident hope that this precarious situation will be brought to an end by next year, when the question of the ratification will be definitively settled, and when the arrearages shall have been paid, and it thinks it may assert that, being then able to dispose of the 80,000 francs which have hitherto been lacking, the committee will be able to satisfy all demands for the execution of the task intrusted to it by the governments of the high contracting parties.

Madrid and Neuchatel, February 7, 1878.

The President:

General IBAÑEZ.

The Secretary:
Dr. Ad. Hirsch.

The hope expressed at the end of the circular has not been a vain one, for the United States of America, having ratified the convention, have paid in the amount of their contributions for the previous years, and Turkey has paid in a lump the amounts due from it for 1877 and 1878. Peru is now the only state (that has ratified the convention) whose payment is still to be made, and this was promised in the month of February last by a communication from the Peruvian legation at Paris; the contributions of Venezuela will doubtless be paid immediately after the ratification of the convention by that state.

The following list shows the order in which the different states paid their contributions in 1878:

	Francs.
January 10. Switzerland	623 00
January 21. Italy	9,963 00
January 26. Austria	7,472 00
January 31. Germany	15,318 00
February 12. Hungary	5,853 00
February 16. Argentine Confederation	498 00
February 22. Belgium	1,992 00
February 27. Sweden	498 00
February 27. Norway	498 00
March 29. Spain*	8,736 50
April 27. Denmark	249 00
May 29. France	15,318 00
June 28. Portugal	1,992 00
August 12. Russia	9,589 00
August 27. Turkey†	16,999 00
October 8. United States of America‡	63,142 00

In order to reach a thorough understanding of the pecuniary situation of the International Bureau, and in order to be able to fix the budget for the year 1879 on a solid basis, the committee instructed its commission of accounts to prepare, with the assistance of the director, a statement of the condition of its finances at the present time, that is to say, at the time of the session of the committee, together with an estimate of the expense that would be necessary up to the close of the year 1878 and the draft of a budget for the year 1879.

It appears from the labors of our commission, the details of which may be found in the reports of the session of October 9, 1878,^§ that the available balance on hand on the 8th of October, 1878, was 10,324.80 francs, and that, counting the payment of the United states, already announced, the total amount of available resources was 73,462.80 francs. As the necessary expenses until the close of the year for the establishment, or for the service, were estimated at 66,295 francs there remained available at the close of the year 1878 a balance of 7,168 francs.

Now, as we are still obliged to expend on the budget of next year balances of cost of construction and instruments amounting to 45,339 francs, and as the annual cost of the service has been estimated at 61,829 francs, it has been necessary to exercise the right reserved to the committee by the convention, and to raise the budget of the next fiscal year to 100,000 francs.

We have given the reasons for this decision in a special report, which the bureau of the committee had the honor to lay before the governments as early as the 21st of October last, and which we think it well to reproduce here.

draft of a budget and tabular statement of the quotas of the different states for the international bureau of weights and measures for the fiscal year of 1879.

The International Committee of Weights and Measures, in its session of the 9th October last, unanimously resolved, on motion of Dr. Pernet, acting director of the International Bureau, and in consideration of the report of its commission of accounts, to fix the annual budget for 1879 at 100,000 francs, according to article 6 of the regulations appended to the metric convention.

The committee at the same time instructed its bureau to bring this resolution, with the reasons therefor, to the notice of the governments of the high contracting parties, and to fix the quotas for 1879 accordingly.

We have the honor to perform this duty and to explain in this special report the reasons which have obliged the International Committee again to exercise the right reserved to it by article 6 of the regulations. In order to be able to send to the governments, with as little delay as possible, the list of the quotas with its justification, we have not thought proper to wait until the general report is ready, which is to be sent by the committee to the contracting states at the close of the year. Nevertheless, we shall refer to that general report and to the reports of our sessions, which will soon be printed, for the details of the information of which we have the honor to give a summary in this statement.

The United States of America having ratified, this summer, the convention of May 20, 1875, and the Washington Government having recently caused to be paid the sum of 63,142 francs, which is the amount of its contributions for the years 1876, 1877, and 1878, the committee is no longer hampered by the difficulties to which it was obliged to refer in the statement of its pecuniary situation which it addressed to the governments in the early part of the year, and it has been able to meet all its engagements and pay the necessary expenses for construction and service; so that according to the accounts prepared on the 8th of October and the estimates made for the rest of the year 1878, by the commission of accounts, which are to appear in our general report, we shall have at the close of the year an available balance of 7,168 francs.

On the other hand, we have not yet received the contributions of Peru, which amount for the three years to 6,475 francs, nor those of Venezuela, amounting to 4,048 francs, which constitutes a deficit of 10,523 francs. Even supposing, however, that these amounts are paid in the course of the coming year, the committee must still ask the contracting states for the entire amount of the contributions provided for by the convention.

The first phase of our international establishment, the phase of construction and organization, is nearly at an end; the buildings are finished, the finishing touches are being given to the heating and cooling apparatus, and the main instruments will shortly be introduced. During this period of construction the annual expenses were, of course, less, having amounted to 18,707 francs in 1876; to 35,097 francs in 1877; and to 49,397 francs in 1878. The number of scientists and of other persons employed was not complete, and the expenses for repairs, fuel, gas, &c., were comparatively insignificant. The committee was thus able, during these first years, by exercising the right of transfer allowed by article 6 of the regulations, to use a part of the annual resources to pay the cost of establishment, construction, apparatus, and instruments, for which the insufficient sum of 400,000 francs had been provided in the regulations, inasmuch as precise data were then wanting for a correct estimate. It was with a view to avoiding the serious inconvenience of just such an insufficiency that a door of safety was reserved for the committee by the allowance of the right of transfer, as appears from the discussion which took place in the commission of special delegates.

With next year the scientific work is to begin; the personnel will be nearly complete $ the experiments will involve expense and the regular service will call for outlays for fuel, gas, &c., so that the estimated annual expenses for 1879, as they will presently be specified, amount to about 62,000 francs.

On the other hand, the committee will still have to meet from the budget of next year a portion of the cost of establishment for the buildings, instruments, laboratory, &c.; the commission of accounts has made a calculation of the expenditures that will be necessary for these things in 1879, and fixes it at 45,339 francs.

On examining and comparing these figures the committee became convinced that it was absolutely necessary to fix the budget for 1879 at 100,000 francs. It will thus be able to meet its engagements and all the demands of the service, as will appear from the following approximative tabular statement:

Receipts in 1879.		Expenses in 1879.
	Francs.
Balance available January 1, 1879	7,167 80	I. —Establishment expenses:
Contributions of the contracting states	100,000 00			Francs.
		a. Buildings		22,075 00
		b. Philosophical heating apparatus		5,000 00
		c. Instrument apparatus, library		14,764 00
		d. Laboratory		3,000 00
		e. Furniture		500 00
				45,339 00
		II. —Annual expenses:
			Francs.
		a. Salaries	27,000 00
		b. Indemnities repairs, &c	28,828 80
		c. Secretary of the committee	6,000 00
				61,828 80
Total	107,167 80	Total		107,167 80

It is, therefore, on the basis of the budget of 100,000 francs that the committee has been obliged to fix the contributions for 1879, which is thus the same as that of last year, and which we have the honor to append to this report.

Madrid and Neuchatel, October 21, 1878.

The president:

General IBAÑEZ

.

The secretary:
Dr. Ad. Hirsch.

Tabular statement of the quotas of the states for the International Bureau of Weights and Measures for the fiscal year of 1879.

Contracting states.		Population.	Coefficient.	Factor of distribution.	Annual expenses 100,000 francs; unit, 124.53 francs.
				Francs.
1.	Germany	41,010,150	3	123	15,318
2a.	Austria.	20,136,283	3	60	7,472
2b.	Hungary	15,508,575	3	47	5,853
3.	Belgium	5,253,821	3	16	1,992
4.	Argentine Confederation	2,000,000	2	4	498
5.	Denmark	2,000,000	1	2	249
6.	Spain	24,236,590	3	73	9,091
7.	United States of America	38,925,598	2	78	9,714
8.	France	40,943,120	3	123	15,318
9.	Italy	26,801,154	3	80	9,963
10.	Peru	2,500,000	3	8	996
11.	Portugal	5,400,000	3	16	1,992
12.	Russia	76,500,000	1	77	9,589
13a.	Sweden	4,341,559	1	4	498
13b.	Norway.	1,795,000	2	4	498
14.	Switzerland	2,669,147	2	5	623
15.	Turkey	39,000,000	2	78	9,714
16.	Venezuela	1,784,194	3	5	623
		350,805,191		803	100,001

In the name of the International Committee of Weights and Measures, the president:

General IBAÑEZ.

The secretary:
Dr. Ad. Hirsch.

1. We learn that Dr. Broch’s acceptance has just been approved by the Norwegian Government.
2. The payment of Spain, in 1878, was 354.50 francs less than its real share, which was 9,091 francs. This was because the payment made by it in 1877 was 354.50 in excess of the amount really due, owing to an error.
3. Contributions of 1877 and 1878.
4. Contributions of 1876, 1877, and 1878.
5. The report of the session of 1878 are now in the press, and we hope to be able speedily to present them to the high governments.