VOL. LXV.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 585 



7000 of those Troy grains are equal to the present Avoirdupois pound of l6 

 ounces, and that 5400 of those Troy grains are equal to the old Saxon pound of 

 12 ounces; consequently, the old Saxon pound was -f-f|. of the present Troy 

 pound, and the old Saxon pound was fA of the present Avoirdupois pound. We 

 know that modern experiment has proved the weight of 1728 cubic inches of 

 wheat, common sort, to be 47-i- pounds Avoirdupois; and of a better sort, to 

 weigh from 48^ to 48-i- pounds Avoirdupois; the difference in their weight is 

 not very great; however I shall take the lowest weight to compute by, the 474. 

 pounds Avoirdupois, which, in Saxon weight, is 614-J- pounds Saxon. And then 

 say, as 6lfi pounds Saxon : 8 pounds Saxon :: 1728 cubic inches : 2244- cubic 

 inches, for the contents of the old Saxon gallon for wine and wheat. But as the 

 old standard wine gallon kept at Guildhall, and found there in 1688, proves to 

 be 224 cubic inches contents, there is reason to conclude it to be of the same 

 standard assize, as was the ancient Saxon gallon for wine and wheat: for, as 

 1728 cubic inches : 224 cubic inches : 6144- pounds Saxon : 7f^- pounds Saxon, 

 which is about 44- penny-weights short of the 8 pounds, mentioned in the sta- 

 tutes for the gallon to contain, and is such a small difference, as may arise in 

 different years, in the weight of such a quantity of wheat. The very near 

 agreement of these computations, gives us sufficient reason to conclude, that 

 the old standard wine gallon, of 224 cubic inches contents, found at Guildhall in 

 1688, was of the same standard assize, as was the ancient gallon measure ordained 

 to hold 8 Saxon pounds of wheat ; and of course then the bushel measure must 

 have been 1792 cubic inches contents, which will appear to hold nearly 64 Saxon 

 pounds of wheat, as by those old statutes it ought to do. For, as 1728 cubic 

 inches : 1792 cubic inches :: 6lf4 pounds Saxon : 63 \*ll pounds Saxon, which 

 is only about an ounce and three quarters short of 64 pounds; and in so large a 

 quantity of wheat, is a trifling difference, naturally arising in weight of wheat 

 of different years. These demonstrations, by figures, sufficiently prove what 

 the cubical contents of those ancient English measures must have been, ac- 

 cording to the old statutes of assize, viz. 



The gallon measure, 224 cubic inches contents, to hold 8 pounds Saxon. 



The bushel 1 792 ditto 64 ditto. 



And as 8 bushels made a quarter, the quarter contained 512 Saxon pounds of 

 wheat. These were the ancient legal measures, according to the old laws of 

 assize. 



It now remains to mention the particular statute of the 12th of Henry vii, 

 under which an alteration was brought about in those ancient weights and mea- 

 sures, without seeming to intend it; as the statute itself differs not in substance 

 from the other old laws of assize, except calling the pound by a new name, 

 Troy. But previously it may be observed, that very probably the unsettled state 

 VOL. xiii. 4 F 



