| Description | The battle of the standards has begun and as favourably as might be expected. He has sent a copy of a latter he sent to Schalch [not present], which he thinks presumptuous, in that his father's letter had not yet reached Strachey. He is glad he did so, however, as it showed that his father had a scheme as good as the French. [Vernon Hugh] Schalch has printed William's letter and placed it in evidence, writing to William to say it had strengthened the hand of those who advocate the English units. A copy of his father's letter, sent to William, has been forwarded to Schalch, and William quotes from a letter by Minchin, the Madras member, on the Committee's work [on weights and measures] expressing the hope that 'we may be in a position to bury the metric system with due form and decency' before Christmas. Michin proposed a set of questions as the skeleton of the Committee's work, which were adopted. He sends a copy of them to his father, saying he does not have time to answer them, but has written to Minchin, quoting this to his father. He thinks that Michin and the Committee will use Sir John's letter, but only as a powerful argument in favour of English units. William wishes to take matters further, by getting his father's units considered by the Indian Government. Sir John Lawrence's government is unlikely to be bold, but might refer the question back to England. Emma should now be back in England. He has had a letter from McNeile, quoting from it, on the state of Alick's health [Alexander Stewart Herschel]. He has heard from New Lodge that Amelia has whooping cough. |