1832.] On the Standard Weights of England And India. 449 



On the single troy grain, — 0.0019 grain. 



the sixty pound troy, . . . . ■ — 1.90 



the one pound avoirdupois, — 0.04 



the fifty-six pound ditto, . . -f- 0.71 



the sicca weight, -f. 0.003 



the maund, -j- 0.2 



A brief description of the principles of the construction of these 

 balances, and of the improvements introduced by Mr. Bate, was giv- 

 en in the Gleanings, vol. iii. p. 220.* 



Since the examination above alluded to, the standard measures of 

 capacity have also been verified, and have been found equally credi- 

 table to Mr. Bate, their maker. They are brass cylindrical vessels, 

 covered with flat glass discs pierced through the centre with a small 

 aperture, so that the quantity of distilled water contained in them 

 may be ascertained with perfect accuracy : ivory handles are attached 

 to them, to prevent an undue influence on the temperature of the me- 

 tal from the contact of the hand. With due allowance for the tem- 

 perature of the water used in the experiments, the trifling errors of 

 capacity, expressed in weight of water, were as follows : 



Names of 



Weight 



Tempera- 



Calculated 



Observed 



Error of capacity in 



measure. 



avoirdupois. 



ture. 



excess in grs. 



excess in grs. 



grs. of water. 





lb. oz. 



o 









Gallon, .. 



10 



77.4 



95.97 



93.4 



+ 2.57 



Half gallon 



5 



77.3 



47.59 



47.8 



— 0.21 



Quart, .... 



2 8 



77.3 



23.78 



26.3 



— 2.52 



Pint, .... 



1 4 



77.2 



11.80 



8.0 



+ 3.80 



Half pint, 



10 



77.0 



5.80 



6.2 



— 0.40 



Qr. pint, .. 



5 



76.9 



2.87 



2.7 



+ 0.17 



The only material error is in the pint measure, where it is equal to 

 0.015 cub. inch or about three drops ; in all the others but the quart 

 the difference is much within what would be caused by a single degree 

 of temperature higher or lower, and consequently within the limits of 

 experimental error. We hope soon to see the liberal intentions of the 

 home government in supplying these splendid instruments of comparison, 

 followed up by a gradual review and reform of the existing multifarious 

 system of weights and measures in their Indian possessions. 



* It is recorded in the Ayeen A kbery, that the great Akber caused the royal stand- 

 ard weights of his empire to be made of polished agate, from the barley-corn up 

 to the 140 tank weight (about 1 lb. troy). His example is worthy of imitation 

 everywhere, but more especially in a country where metals are so liable to injury 

 from damp, and acrid perspiration. The new standard weights, although doubly 

 gilded, already exhibit incipient specks of oxidation. 



2 l 2 



