17 JUNE 2006, Page 30

French feet

From David Watkins

Sir: A large part of the difficulty in estimating the heights of historical figures (And another thing, 10 June) arises from ignorance of the fact that pieds and pouces, the units of length used by most French people at least until the mid-19th century, are significantly larger than English feet and inches. English and American writers often confidently assert, for example, that Napoleon was 5ft 2in. But he was definitely at least 5ft 6in probably average for French soldiers of his time, though perhaps a little short for an officer.

David Watkins

Cardiff