English, a German, and an American measure.
We are using the French metric system. It was intended to be a neutral
system, but it is a French system. We adopt it because it deserves our
admiration, but it is not a neutral system. The various nations of the
world might meet and agree upon some slight modification of this
metric system which would agree with the results of all scientific
investigations, and thus make it international instead of French; but
we do not care to do that, and are willing to adopt one system, taking
the standard of Paris as our standard. How shall we determine a
neutral system of longitude? The expression "neutral system of
longitude" is a myth, a fancy, a piece of poetry, unless you can tell
precisely how to do it. He would vote for a neutral system if the
French representatives can tell the Conference clearly how to decide
that it is neutral, and satisfy them that it is not national in any
way.

Mr. JANSSEN, Delegate of France, said:

I perfectly understand the objection of my honorable colleague, Prof.
ABBE. He asks what is a neutral meridian, and adds that the metre
itself does not appear to him to be a neutral measure, but to be a
French measure. He relies upon the consideration that if the English,
the Americans, and Germans, in adopting a definition of the metre, had
measured it for themselves, they would have arrived each at a slightly
different result, which would have given us an English, American, and
German metre; nevertheless, he adds, we use the French metre, because
we find it so admirable.

I would answer, first, that the metre, as far as the measure is
derived from the dimensions of the earth, is not French, and it was
precisely to take away this character of nationality that those who
fixed on the metre sought to establish it on the dimensions of the
earth itself. What is French is the particular metre of our national
archives, which exhibits a very slight difference from that which our
actual geodesy would have given us. Also, I think that if, at the time
of the adoption of the Convention du Metre, in which the nations of
Europe participated, we had slightly changed the length of our
standard to make it agree with the result of actual geodetic
measurements, we should have done an excellent thing in depriving this
measure of any shadow of nationality. I agree with my honorable
colleague that if a few slight changes adopted by common accord could
perfect the metrical system