urers sadly disagree with each other
in their measurements, which, in fact, vary from some 7500 or 8000
inches to 9000 and upwards. Thus, for example, Strabo makes it under 600
Grecian feet, or under 7500 English inches; Dr. Shawe makes it 8040
inches; Shelton makes it 8184 inches; Greaves, 8316; Davison, 8952:
Caviglia, 9072; the French academicians, 9163; Dr. Perry, 9360, etc.,
etc.

At the time at which Professor Smyth was living at the Pyramids, Mr.
Inglis of Glasgow visited it, and, for correct measurement, laid bare
for the first time the four corner sockets. Mr. Inglis's measurements
not only differed from all the other measurements of "one side" base
lines made before him, but he makes the four sides differ from each
other; one of them--namely, the north side--being longer than the other
three. Strangely, Professor Smyth, though in Egypt for the purpose of
measuring the different parts of the pyramid--and holding that its base
line ought to be our grand standard of measure, and further holding that
the base line could only be accurately ascertained by measuring from
socket to socket--never attempted that linear measurement himself after
the sockets were cleared. These four corner sockets were never exposed
before in historic times; and it may be very long before an opportunity
of seeing and using them again shall ever be afforded to any other
measurers.

Before the corner sockets were exposed, Professor Smyth attempted to
measure the bases, and made each side of the present masonry courses
"between 8900 and 9000 inches in length," or (to use his own word)
"_about_" 8950 inches for the mean length of one of the four sides of
the base; exclusive of the ancient casing and backing stones--which
last Colonel Howard Vyse found and measured to be precisely 108 inches
on each side, or 216 on both sides. These 216 inches, added to Professor
Smyth's measure of "about" 8950 inches, make one side 9166 inches. But
Professor Smyth has "elected" (to use his own expression) not to take
the mathematically exact measure of the casing stones as given by
Colonel Vyse and Mr. Perring, who alone ever saw them and measured them
(for they were destroyed shortly after their discovery in 1837), but to
take them, without any adequate reason, and contrary to their
mathematical measurement, as equal only to 202 inches, and hence "accept
9152 inches as the original length of one side of the base of the
finished pyramid." He deems, however,