the Subject of Weights and Measures. 1 75 



Chester corn gallon, directed by a. statute of King William to 

 contain 269, and by some later statutes estimated at 272.J cubic 

 inches; especially when it is considered that the standards, by 

 which the quart and pint beer measures used in London are 

 habitually adjusted, do not at present differ in a sensible degree 

 from the standard proposed to be rendered general. We appre- 

 hend also, that the slight excess of the new bushel above the 

 common corn measure would be of less importance, as the cus- 

 tomary measures employed in different parts of Great Britain 

 are almost universally larger than the legal Winchester bushel. 



9. Upon the question of the propriety of abolishing altogether 

 the use of the wine gallon, and establishing the new gallon of 

 10 pounds, as the only standard for all purposes, we have not yet 

 been able to obtain sufficient ground's for coming to a conclusive 

 determination; we can only suggest, that there would be a mani- 

 fest advantage in the identification of all measures of the same 

 name, provided that the change could be made without practical 

 inconvenience: but how far the inconvenience might be more 

 felt than the advantage, we must leave to the wisdom of His Ma- 

 jesty's Government to decide. 



• 0. In the mean time it may be advisable to take into consi- 

 deration the present state of the numerous and complicated laws 

 which hive been enacted at various times for the regulation of 

 the weights and measures emploved in commerce ; and the abs- 

 tract of these laws, which we have prepared, will be found in 

 the Appendix (B) of this Report. We must, however, reserve 

 for a future occasion the information which we have procured 

 respecting the customarv weights and measures of the different 

 counties, as we have not yet been able to reduce our abstract 

 into the most convenient form for affording a connected vieu- of 

 this branch of the subject referred to us. 



(Signed) Jos. Banks. Wm. H. Woixaston. 



Grorge Clerk. Thomas Young. 



Daviks GiLBJiUT. Henry Kater. 



Soho-square, June 24, 18H>. 



We think it but just to state, that the main ideas now brought 

 forward by the Commissioners, with a few modifications, were 

 laid Ijefore the public more than two years ago, by a gentleman 

 who, though he is not upon this commission, was recommended 

 to be placed upon it by the late Lord Stanhope, at the time when 

 lie caused to be tiirown out of the House of Lords the absurd bill 

 which had been carried through the House of Commons by some 

 of the gentlemen on the present commission. 



In the Br'ilish Review for February 1S17, there appeared an 

 interesting and elaborate article on weights and measures, which 



has 



