Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 6, 1880
No. 233.
Mr. Noyes
to Mr. Evarts.
Paris, May 10, 1880. (Received May 26.)
Sir: At the request of the International Committee of Weights and Measures, I have the honor to forward herewith, for the consideration of the proper authorities, a lithographed report in relation to the new mode of figuring weights and measures in the metric system, adopted by the committee.
I have, &c.,
Madrid and Neuckdtel, April 24, 1880.
Mr. Minister: The International Committee of Weights and Measures having been requested by the Government of the Swiss Confederation to cause an examination to be made of the question of the unification of the abbreviations used in the metric system, and recognizing the practical utility of such unification, instructed a special commission to examine this question. In pursuance of the report of that commission, and after discussion, the committee adopted, in its session of October 2, 1879, the following resolutions:
- 1st.
- The International Committee of Weights and Measures hereby adopts, for its publications and its official use, the following system (see list) of abbreviations for metric weights and measures.
- 2d.
- The International Committee hereby instructs its bureau to bring, by circular, this system of abbreviations for metric weights and measures to the notice of the governments of the high contracting parties, and to recommend them to favor, by appropriate measures, its general introduction into the different countries.
We have deferred the performance of this duty until the reports of the proceedings of the session of 1879 were printed and distributed, in order that the governments might be informed as to the details of the discussion held by the committee on this subject.
Be pleased to accept, &c.,
The secretary:
His excellency General Noyes,
United States Minister at Paris.
List of abbreviated metrical symbols.
A.—Measures of length:
| Abbrev- | |
| Kilometer | km |
| Meter | m |
| Decimeter | dm |
| Centimeter | cm |
| Millimeter | mm |
| Mikron | u |
B.—Superficial measures:
| Abbrev. | |
| Square kilometer | km2 |
| Hectare | ha |
| Are | a |
| Square meter | m2 |
| Square decimeter | dm2 |
| Square centimeter | cm2 |
| Square millimeter | mm2 |
C.—Measures of bulk:
| Cubic meter | m3 |
| Stère | s |
| Cubic decimeter | dm3 |
| Cubic centimeter | cm3 |
| Cubic millimeter | mm3 |
D.—Measures of capacity:
| Hectoliter | hl |
| Decaliter | dal |
| Liter | l |
| Deciliter | dl |
| Centiliter | cl |
E.—Weights:
| Ton | t |
| Metric quintal | q |
| Kilogram | kg |
| Gram | g |
| Decigram | dg |
| Centigram | cg |
| Milligram | mg |