432 Report J rom the Select Commitlee 



shrinking in dimensions, till its progress was arretted by a fiscal 

 definition at 231 cubic inches. 



Tliis last measure differs so materially from all the rest, that 

 it must either be retained as one quite distinct, and applicable to 

 its peculiar uses, or, as seems most expedient, it must be abolished. 

 But, amidst the variations and uncertainty of the remainder, your 

 Committee agree with the Commissioners, in recommending that 

 they may be all brought back to an equality, and at the same 

 time made to bear a simple relation to the standard of weight, 

 by taking the pint for a basis, which contains 20 ounces of di- 

 stilled water avoirdupois, at the temperature of 62*^, as nearly as 

 it is possible to ascertain by experiment, on a vessel of that con- 

 struction and workmanship. 



If then the pint be considered as equal in bulk to 20 ounces 

 of distilled water, at the temperature of 02", the cubic inch 

 weighing 252 456 grains in air, at the mean height of the baro- 

 meter, the imperial gallon will contain 277'27t) cubic inches, 

 weighing exactly ten pounds. 



If the proposition now submitted should be sanctioned by the 

 House, your Committee recommend that leave be given to bring 

 in a Bill for declaring these Standards of Length, of Capacity, 

 and of Weight, to be the imperial Standards for Great Britain and 

 Ireland, and for its colonies and dependencies ; and they recom- 

 mend that several copies of the standards be made Vvith the ut- 

 most possi!)!e accuracy for the use of the Exchecjucr, for the three 

 capitals, for the principal foreign possessions, for the Government 

 of France, in return for the communication of their standards ; 

 and especially for the United States of America, where your Com- 

 mittee have reason to believe that thev will be adopted, and thus 

 tend, in no small degree, to facilitate the commercial intercourse, 

 and bv so doing to consolidate a lasting friendship between the 

 two great nations of the world most assimilated by their language, 

 their laws, religion, customs and manners. 



Your Committee cannot close their Report, without adverting 

 to the extraordinary knowledge and ingcnuitv, and to the inde- 

 fatigable industry displayed by Captain Kater, by whom all the 

 experiments have been gratuitously conducted, for ascertaining 

 the various standards, and for determining the length of the Pen- 

 dulum by a jnethod peculiarly his own, and by which he has ar- 

 rived at a degree of acciuacy and precision, that, but a few years 

 since, was declared to be utterly unattainable. 



This gentleman, in compliance with His Majesty's directions, 

 given in pursuance of an address of this House, has also observed 

 tlic variations of the Pendulum on the principal stations of the 

 Trigonometrical Survey j and from these observations, deductions 



have 



