524 
~ Fhe twenty-thirdbolauseenumerates fifty- 
six sstatutes; ordimandes;,>"and:! aetsidn «the 
ofoweights: ands: ewhich 
omtenent tote eithertin! Bngland;!: Scotland, 
onireland,:fotsthe purpose: of ascertaining 
» Jors establishing standards:of weights and 
amepsures; bor establishing: “orirecognizing 
certain weights ahd: measures)of the same 
‘denomination, sofmwhiehvit/wholly repeals 
twentyfour;1and the:remainder in part: 
/ By ithe twenty-fourth clause, the right: of 
appointing:<arv officer to::seize and seal :all 
weights and measures to be used in the City 
of Westminster, is continued to the Dean, 
High Steward, or his deputy, and the bur- 
gesses of that city. The twenty-sixth 
clause makes also a like reservation in fa- 
vour of |the, Mayor/and, commonalty. and 
citizens of London, as it continues to them 
ull. their present rights and privileges in and 
concerning ‘the office of guager of wines, 
.oils, honey, and. other .guageable liquors 
imported and landed. in. the city of London 
‘and its liberties. And the twenty-fifth 
“clause directs, that all tuns, pipes, tertians, 
dhogsheads,_or other ‘vessels of wine, oil, 
honey, .or other guageable liquors, import- 
ed into; the port. of London, and landed 
within the said! city and liberties, shall be 
liable to. be.guaged as heretofore, save and 
except that-the contents of such vessels are 
to. be ascertained by the standard measure 
of. capacity-for liquids directed by this act, 
aandthesmultiples thereof; and that all such 
iwessels found wanting of the true contents 
which such)vessels ought to contain, to be 
ascertained: as aforesaid, shall be subject 
andiliable to the like seizures and forfeitures 
as are pproyided for by any act heretofore 
made for ascertaining the true contents of 
» such vessels; 
,. In ordersto render some of the provisions 
‘of this act perfectly intelligible to all appre- 
hensioss, remark or two seem necessary. 
. Ist. (That the proportions and denomi- 
sation of «the old and new lineal or super- 
(ficial nieasures are the same, viz., that a 
“yard consists of three feet, and the foot of 
twelvelinches.  The'perch. still consists of 
+54 yards, the furlong of 220 yards, and the 
‘mile of1760 yards, 
. 2dly! The proportions and denominations 
of the troy weight remain precisely as they 
oavefe, and»but a yery trifling alteration has 
been made'\in the avoirdupois weight, the 
‘pound Sof “which in future is to contain but 
7,000 grains ‘instead of 7,002, according to 
the! old) standard i in, the Exchequer. 
. 3dly) As‘the 15th clause of the act enacts, 
that in alleases where. a, customary local 
-measiire, .whether of extension, weight,. or 
eapacity, different from the standard weight 
‘or nedsure /ascertained by this. aet,,is em 
0 played} the:same shall be ‘specified: .in the 
:agreenient,étogether with the) ratio or pro- 
© pottio# which it bears.to some one or other 
(of the nes Standard weighits or. measures, 
‘or Sotlierwise the agreement: shall be. Void ; iy 
Abstract of the Act relating to the 
other things.:are:intended toube 
soldjconideased,oaecordingnto Anyiolecal 
measures orweights, iparticularlytoospe- 
ify ‘the local custom: im :thesdeed,oaS' no 
sevidence;:of ‘the: custom orm intention cwill 
ee inany ‘action at law jor ssnit 
ne 5 10 ,vtiosqso lo sivessm 
yar thiy.. That the:general difference 
‘between : the: old and: new-weiglitsds)a§ fol- 
dows: the’ new wine) measuredexceeds; the 
old byonearly, one-sixth, :andthe new:beer 
measure-falls short-of the old by. one=sixti- 
eth; while the newicdry measune cisone 
thirty-second part larger than the old. But 
their specific differences are stated in the 
tables which close this article. 
Such are the provisions of the recent 
statute om the: subject «of weights and; mea- 
sures: that they will occasion some tem- 
porary inconvenience and ee ment 
in their use and application in aeehhining 
the - proportionate quantity . _and , lue apt 
commodities, must be admitsed, ae 
it must readily acknowled ged, 
advantage and benefit they, are..su OF to 
those which they have su eet 
they bear_a confanity an erie 
proportion in the weights’ and Sh mg eo 
the empire ; and what is of far greater im- 
portance, they furnish standards of gravity, 
of capacity, and of extension, four d. on’ 
the fixed and immutable laws 0 nature, 
and therefore more correct and ‘universal 
than those hitherto in use. — 
Having detailed the provisions of this 
much-wanted and long-talked-of act, ‘and 
briefly described the benefits it affords to 
the population of the British empire,. we 
shall probably not be demed tedious by. our 
readers, if we say a few words on the sys- 
tem of weights and measures in use ; jin 
France. 
This system is founded on the wait, 
which is adopted as a general standard yand 
the divisions and multiples. of the respegtive 
weights and measures are regulated aceord- 
ing as such unit can be decimally divided 
and multiplied. As a fixed basis or element 
for a natural and uniyersal_ standard,, the 
French academicians adopted the tenqpil- 
lionth part ofthe quarter of the terrestrial 
meridian, which they denominated the) me- 
tre. (This metre ier Gv and Tmuti- 
plied | desi 5 3} he ower. 
9oss 2250 ee 
Saree aines to co name of. the enh 
unit forthe lower: those ‘of f deca, hecto, #elio, 
&e., forthehigher. | Each of the lowerate- 
nominations decreases 1-10thvof «that deno- 
mination: . which prec at; ‘the, jhigher 
increasing ina tenfold ratiosthat which pre- 
cedes, it; conse quently , thee millimeters 
1-1000th ofjthe foetre, and he myniametre 
ten thousand times, more 
By this method, the use ofthe compgand: 
quantities and tional divisions, which 
- occasions althe error and-confusionof=the 
: 
