In 1813 the Coast Survey imported a Trongh ton scale of S2 inches similar to the one used IT Shuekburgh, and Superintendent Hassler made a very complete investigation of this as well R all the other standards which he could get, and finally recommended that the distance from the twenty-seventh to the sixty-third mark on the Troughton scale he adopted as the yard, at 62° F. This was adopted by the Treasury Depart ment. in 1817 Hassler compared this American yard with the meter and toise, with the follow ing result: 1 meter = 39.38024749 inches and 1 toise = 76.74+ inches.
On March 3, 1817, the Senate called upon the Secretary of State for an elaborate report rela tive to weights and measures of this and other countries. John Quincy Adams presented a very complete and exhaustive report, but practically advised that nothing be done at that time. The appendices of this report are very rich in early legal 4.navintents. The matter was taken up again by the Senate in 1830, and again Sir. Hassler undertook a complete investigation of the standards. The Troughton scale of 1813 was taken as the standard, with the following results: Gallatin in 1821 brought over to this country a standard platinum meter and kilogram. In 1827 he brought a troy pound of brass which was made the standard of mass in 1828 and has been the Mint standard ever since. The Treasury
Department in 1830 adopted 231 cubic inches as the gallon and 2150.42 cubic inches as the bushel.
In 1856 the English Government sent to the United States two certified copies of the stand ard of length, and these are now known as `bronze standard No. 11' and `Low Moor iron standard No. 57.' In the same year, in order to encourage uniformity among the States, the Treasury De partment sent to the Governor of each State a set of weights and measures complete. On July 28.1866, the metric system of weights and meas ures was legalized by act of Congress. In 1875 the United States joined with a number of others in the establishment of the International Bureau of Weights and 'Measures at Paris. and as a re sult thereof received in 1889 Standard Interna tional Meters No. 21 and No. 27 and Interna tional Standard Kilograms No. 4 and No. 20. These are made of an alloy of platinum with 10 per cent. of iridium. April 5, 1893, the Treasury Department adopted meter No. 27 and kilogram No. 20 as the standards of the country, and since that time all measures are standardized against these, following the law of 1866 which defined the ratio of the yard to the meter as 3600 to 3937, and the ratio of the pound to the kilo gram as I to 2.2046. For the history and deriva tion of the meter and kilogram, see METRIC SYS TEM.