Publication InformationWashington May 8 '49

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Dear Baird

In the 9' Ed. of Conv. Lex. (Mass und Gewicht) 1846 it is said In Sachsen ist der (Dresdner) Fuss = 125.5 Pariser Linien, oder, 0.283 metre; nach dem neuen Masssystem, dessen Einführung in , ist der Fuss = 3/10 metre, in 12 zol zu 12 Linien getheilt. Die Meile hat 25000 Fuss.

Now which of these measures your author uses I wot not, but when

in English we speak of the diameter of the earth as being 7925 miles, we mean Eng. Stat. miles. The common German Meile is a little greater (4 3/5 Eng. miles) than the Ger. geog. Meile of 15th the equatorial degree of latitude. By comparison of the dimensions and distances of particular objects given by your author with those given by good Eng. authorities of the same you will see what measure he uses.

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Greet thy rib kindly-

Yours trulyG P Marsh