iar with the variety of weights which, under the names of English Troy, Avoirdupois, Scotch Troy or Dutch, and Tron weight, were currently in use throughout the kingdom.

Such numerous and useless diversities gave rise, as might have been expected, to great confusion, and to numerous frauds in commercial dealings; and the necessity of establishing some uniformity was brought at different times under the consideration of the Legislature, without, however, leading to any result; till at length, upon a revival of the measure in 1818, Commissioners were appointed to consider of some remedy for the evils of the system then existing; and the act 1824 was passed in conformity with their reports.

As a first step towards any improvement, it was indispensable to abolish entirely all local distinctions in weights and measures, and to establish one uniform set of standards for the whole empire. This, it appeared to the Commissioners, required to be done with great caution, and by making as little alteration as possible upon the weights and measures in general use. With that view, it became necessary for them to select, from among the former weights and measures, those which were most generally employed, and of most convenience in practice, and where an alteration became unavoidable, to adapt it as nearly as possible to the medium of the prevailing standards. Proceeding on these principles accordingly, they reported :

1. That there did not appear to be any sufficient reason for altering the English lineal measures, which are at present generally employed.

2. That the subdivisions of weights and measures now in use appear to be more convenient for practical purposes than the decimal division; as it is of advantage to be enabled to express a third, a fourth, and a sixth, of a foot, in inches without a fraction;—and, for the operations of weighing and of measuring capacities, the continued division by two, renders it practicable to make up any given quantity with the smallest possible number of standard weights or measures.

3. That the most authentic standards of English lineal measure had been found to vary so very little from each other, that it would not make any sensible difference in common cases,

which of them was preferred. The Commissioners, however, gave the preference to the Parliamentary Standard-yard, made by Mr Bird in 1760, and they further proposed that it should be declared, for the purpose of identifying or recovering the length of this standard, in case it should ever be lost or impaired, that the length of a pendulum vibrating seconds of mean time in London, on the level of the sea, and in a vacuum, is 39:13929 inches; and the length of the French mètre 39-37079 inches; the English standard being employed at 62° of Fahrenheit.

4. That a cubic inch of distilled water at the temperature of 62o, weighs in a vacuum 252-458 grains, of which 5760 make a pound Troy, and 7000 a pound Avoirdupois.

5. The standard measures of capacity were found to be considerably at variance with each other, and upon a careful examination of them, the Commissioners suggested that it would be of advantage to make the gallon, both for dry and liquid measure, contain exactly 10 pounds weight of distilled water, at the temperature of 62°, which in bulk would be equal to 277-274 cubic inches.

The alterations suggested in these reports are, perhaps, under all circumstances, the most judicious that could have been devised, and afford a sufficient foundation for a very important improvement, with the least change in existing habits and usages. It remained only to carry the alterations into effect; and we come now to give a short abstract of the statute passed for that purpose, and to consider how far its provisions have already accomplished, or are likely to accomplish, the end for which they were intended.

In conformity with the Reports of the Commissioners, it was enacted by the statute 5th George IV. cap. 74,

§ 1. That from and after 1st May 1825 (afterwards extended to 1st January 1826), the yard described in the reports of the Commissioners shall be the unit and only standard measure of of extension, from which all other measures of extension, lineal, superficial, or solid, shall be derived. That 1-3d of the standard yard shall be a foot, 1-12th of the foot an inch, and that

the pole or perch shall contain 54, the furlong 220, and the mile 1760 standard yards.

§ 2. That all superficial measure shall be computed from the standard yard; that the rood of land shall contain 1210, and the acre 4840, square yards, being equal to 160 square perches, poles, or rods.

§ 3. Provides for restoring the standard yard, should it ever be lost, by referring to the length of the pendulum given in the report of the Commissioners.

§ 4. Enacts, That the standard brass weight of 1 pound Troy, made in the year 1758, and now in the custody of the Clerk of the House of Commons, shall be the unit or only standard of weight, from which all other weights shall be derived: That 1-12th of the pound Troy shall be an ounce, 1-20th of an ounce Troy a pennyweight, and 1-24th of a pennyweight a grain; so that 5760 grains shall be a pound Troy. Further, that 7000 such grains shall be a pound Avoirdupois, 1-16th of the pound an ounce Avoirdupois, and 1-16th of the ounce a dram.

§ 5. Provides for restoring the standard pound Troy from the weight of a cubic inch of water, as given in the report of the Commissioners.

§ 6. Enacts, That the gallon, containing 10 lb. Avoirdupois weight of distilled water, shall be the unit or only standard measure of capacity, from which all other measures of capacity, as well for wine, beer, ale, spirits, and all sorts of liquids, as for dry goods not measured by heaped measure, shall be derived: That 1-4th of this gallon shall be a quart, and half a quart a pint; further, that 2 gallons shall be a peck, 8 gallons a bushel, and 8 bushels a quarter of corn, or other dry goods not measured by heaped measure.

§ 7, 8, & 9. Contain certain provisions in regard to heaped measure, which it seems unnecessary to repeat, since it appears, from a report of the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of London, that they have been found ineffective in practice.

§ 10. Contains certain provisions which relate exclusively to

Ireland.

§ 11. Enacts, That copies and models of the standard weights and measures before mentioned, and of their parts and mul

tiples, shall, within three months after the passing of the Act, be made and verified, under the direction of the Lord High Treasurer or Commissioners of the Treasury, and deposited in the Office of the Chamberlains of the Exchequer at Westminster; and that verified copies of these shall be sent to the LordMayor of London, and to the Chief Magistrate of Edinburgh and of Dublin, and to such other places and persons as the Lord High Treasurer, or Commissioners of the Treasury, may from time to time direct.

§ 12. Enacts, That the Justices of the Peace in every county, and the Magistrates in every city, town, or royal burgh, shall, within six months after the passing of the act, purchase, for their respective counties, cities, &c. a model of each of the standards of length, weight, and measure, and of their parts and multiples, which, after being compared with the models in the Exchequer, shall be placed by them for inspection in the custody of such persons as they may appoint, to be produced, upon reasonable' notice, at such time and place, within their respective counties, cities, &c. as any person shall in writing require, the person requiring such production paying the reasonable charges of the same.

§ 13. Provides for the expense of procuring and transmitting the 'models.

$ 14. Points out the means of obtaining a standard gallon, in cases where recourse cannot be conveniently had to the verified models.

$ 15." Enacts, That, after the passing of the act, the weights and measures referred to in all contracts, bargains, sales and dealings, shall be held to be the weights and measures established by the act, unless there be a special agreement to the contrary; and, where a special agreement is made, having reference to local weights or measures, it is enacted, that the proportions which these bear to the weights and measures in the act, shall be expressed in the agreement, otherwise it shall be null and void.

$ 16. Declares and enacts, That it shall be lawful for any person to buy or sell goods and merchandise by local weights or measures, provided that the proportion which these bear to the weights or measures in the act be painted or marked upon

them. But that nothing contained in the act shall be understood as permitting any person, after 1st January 1826, to make weights or measures, which are not in conformity with the established standards.

§ 17. Provides for the conversion of payments in grain, &c. and is confined exclusively to England and Ireland.

§ 18. Provides for ascertaining the amount of stipends, feuduties, rents, tolls, customs, &c. payable throughout Scotland in grain, malt, meal, &c. having reference to the weights or measures heretofore in use. For which purpose it is enacted, That an inquisition be taken before the Sheriff-depute or Substitute in each shire, as soon as conveniently may be, after the expiration of six months from the passing of the act, and sent to the Exchequer at Edinburgh; and the amount to be ascertained upon these inquisitions, it is declared, shall, when converted into the weights and measures established by the act, be the rule of payment for all such stipends, feu-duties, rents, tolls, &c. in time coming.

§ 19. Enacts, That after such inquisitions shall have been made, accurate tables of conversions shall be prepared and published, under the authority of the Commissioners of the Treafor the regulation of all future payments.

sury,

§ 20. Directs tables to be constructed for the collection of the customs and excise, &c.

§ 21. Enacts, That the regulations and penalties of the British Acts 29th Geo. II. c. 25; 31st Geo. II. c. 17; 35th Geo. III. c. 102; and 55th Geo. III. c. 43, for the ascertaining, examining, seizing, breaking, and destroying any weights, balances, or measures, not conformable to the standards, shall be applied to this act.

§ 22. Enacts, That the like regulations and penalties of the Irish Acts, 4th Anne (1.); 2d Geo. II. (1.); 25th Geo. II. (1.); 27th Geo. III. (1.); 28th Geo. III. (1.), shall be applied to this act.

§ 23. Repeals the parts of former statutes, which relate to the establishing of weights and measures.

The remaining sections of the act relate to the reservation of certain privileges enjoyed by the cities of London and Westminster, and need not be here repeated.