Proceedings of the Royal Society. 303 



the others having their errors less than a fourth of that 

 quantity. 



The quarts and pints being next disposed of, the author de- 

 scribes the balance contrived by him for weighing the bushels, 

 which proved so delicate as to turn with a single grain when 

 loaded with 250lbs. in each scale. The resulting bushels when 

 finally adjusted, were found to have all their apparent errors less 

 than 6.56 grains of water; while the corrections for temperature 

 and pressure only, amounted in some cases to no less than 13S 

 grains ; but this depending on the figure of the glass used to cover 

 them, it is not to be understood that the contents of the vessels 

 have actually been ascertained to this degree of precision. 



The adjustment of the standard yards is next described, and the 

 author concludes his paper by a summary of the results arrived at 

 in the present inquiry respecting British weights and measures, 

 The length (he remarks) of the pendulum vibrating seconds in 

 London has been found in parts of the imperial standard yard, so 

 that the value of the yard may at any time be known, having been 

 referred to a natural standard presumed unalterable. The length 

 of the French metre, a standard expressing a certain portion of 

 the terrestrial meridian, has also been given in parts of the Eng- 

 lish scale. The weight of a cubic inch of distilled water has been 

 determined in parts of the imperial troy pound, and thus the 

 pound, if lost, may at any future age be recovered. The avoir- 

 dupois pound is now for the first time defined, and the measures 

 of capacity are made to depend on the weight of water they con- 

 tain ; the imperial gallon, containing ten pounds avoirdupois of 

 water, having been declared to be the unit, or only standard 

 measure of capacity from which all others are to be derived. 

 This, it is to be presumed, will tend to produce uniformity through- 

 out the United Kingdom, by putting it in the power of every indi- 

 vidual possessed of standard weights to verify his measures of 

 capacity with the utmost facility. (H.) 



Wednesday, November 30, being St. Andrew's day, the Royal 

 Society held their anniversary meeting. After the auditors had 



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