a Standard of Weight and Mia/we, " 203 



they were, were transferred, by a dividing knife, to the reverfe fide of my brafs fcale made 

 by Mr. Troughton, the thermometer being at 63° ; and, at my leifurc afterwards, I found 

 as follows. 



The ends of thefe venerable ftandards having been bruifed a little, or rounded, in the 

 courfe of fo many years' ufage, I conceived a tangent to be drawn to the moft prominent 

 part, which was about the centre or axis of the bar, and this point being referred to Trough- 

 ton's fcale, between 6 and 42 inches, the entire yard of 1588, meafuring from one extremity 

 to the other, was found to be fhorter than this, by —,007 inch: but thefe comparifons will' 

 be better exhibited in a table. 



(§. 40.) It appears then, from the above table, that the ancient flandards of the realnjr 

 differ very little from thofe that have been made by Mr. Bird, or Mr. Troughton, and confc-i 

 quently, even in a finance view (if one might look- fo far forward), nothing need be. appre- 

 hended, of lofs in the cuftoms, or excife duties, by the adoption of the latter. 



(§. 41.) I (hall now endeavour to fhew the proportion of the weights that I have ufed, 

 compared with the ftandards that were made by Mr. Harris, aflTay mafter of the mint, under 

 the orders * of the houfe of commons, in the year 1758. They are kept in the fame cuftody - 

 with Mr. Bird's fcales of length, and appear to have been made with great care, as a mean 

 refult from a great number of comparifons of the old weights in the exchequer, which have 

 been detailed at length in that report. Mr. Harris having been of opinion that the troy 

 pound was the heft integer to adopt, as the ftandard of weight, I venture to conclude that 

 this was the moft accurate, and moft to be depended upon, of all the various weights and 

 duplicates that he made for the ufe of this committee ; for he made them of i, 2, 4, S, 16, 

 lb. and of t» •» 2, 3, 6 ounces. It will therefore be fufficient for my purpofe, Xo compare 

 the 1 and 2 pounds troy, and their duplicates, with the weights of Mr. Troughton. 



I did this, June 2d, 1797 ; the barometer being at 29,72 inches, and thermometer 67°. 



• See thexeport referred to in the note of page 106. 



The 



