3G2 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814. 



Your Committee cannot con- 

 clude without stating the opinion 

 of Professor Playfair, with regard 

 to the necessitj' of adhering strictly 

 to one simple and general view, in 

 appointing the standards, without 

 departing from it for the sake of 

 accommodating individuals, or 

 particular classes of the commu- 

 nity. The advantage of the public 

 «at large cannot be consulted, un- 

 less this rule is rigorously observed. 

 The simplicity and accuracy of the 

 system would be sacrificed by any 

 partial exceptions; and it maybe 

 considered as certain, that unless 

 the rules are simple, and the con- 

 structions independent of minute- 

 ness of division, an opening will 

 be left for fraud, and for all the 

 perplexity in which the standards 

 of the country are at this moment 

 involved. 



1. Resolved, That it is the opi- 

 nion of this Committee, that it is 

 necessary, in order effectually to 

 ascertain and enforce uniform 

 weights and measures to be used 

 for the future, thnt all former Sta- 

 tutes relating thereto should be 

 repealed, 



2. That it is the opinion of this 

 Committee, that the distance be- 

 tween the two points in the gold 

 studs in the brass rod, described 

 in the Report of the Select Com- 

 mittee of 17'58, and preserved in 

 the custody of the Clerk of the 

 House, ought to be the length 

 called a yard ; and that one third 

 part thereof should be a foot, 

 and the 12th part of the foot one 

 inch. 



3. That it is the opinion of this 

 Committee, that the length of a 

 pendulum vibrating 60 times in a 

 minute of time, in the latitude of 

 London, has been ascertained to 



be 39.1.3047 inches, of which tlie 

 standard yard contains 36. 



4. That it is the opinion of this 

 Committee, that all measures of 

 length whatsoever should be taken 

 in parts, multiples, or certain 

 proportions of the said standard 

 yard. 



5. That it is the opinion of this 

 Committee, that a cubic foot of 

 pure water, at the temperature of 

 56 i degrees, has been ascertained 

 to weigh exactly .1,000 ounces 

 avoirdupois. 



6. That it is the opinion of this 

 Committee, that all measures of 

 capacity should be ascertained, by 

 the weight of water therein con- 

 tained, as well as by the number 

 of cubical inches. 



7. That it is the opinion of this 

 Committee, that all measures of 

 the same denomination, whether 

 of liquids or of dry goods, ought to 

 contain the same weight of water, 

 and the same number of cubical 

 inches. 



8. That it is the opinion of this 

 Committee, that the gallon ought 

 to contain 10 pounds of pure water, 

 or 270.48 cubical inches ; that 

 the quart, or 4th part of the gallon, 

 ought to contain 40 ounces of 

 water, or 69.12 cubical inches; 

 that the pint, or half of the quart, 

 ought to contain 20 ounces of 

 water, or 34.56 cubical inches. 



9. That it is the opinion of this 

 Committee, that the bushel ought 

 to contain 8 of the said gallons, 

 or SOlbsof water, or 2211.84 cu- 

 bical inches ; and that all other 

 measures of capacity ought to be 

 taken in parts, multiples, ^or pro- 

 portional parts of the said gallon. 



10. That it is the opinion of this 

 Committee, that the standard of 

 weight ought to be the pound 



