COMMONPLACE NOTES. 



595 



few pots it is going to be made into ; but, alas ! this certain measure, 

 although the same in each maker's yard, varies very considerably in the 

 different makers' yards. That is to say, Mr. Smith takes a certain measure 

 of clay and makes it into, say, forty-eight pots ; and Mr. Smith's certain 

 measure being always the same it follows that his forty-eights will 

 always be of the same size. In like manner Mr. Jones does precisely the 

 same with the same results : as far as his own pots are concerned, they 

 are always the same size ; but Mr. Jones's "certain measure of clay" is 

 bigger or smaller than Mr. Smith's, and therefore his forty-eights will 

 always be a trifle bigger or smaller (as the case may be) than Mr. Smith's. 

 And the same variation will of course be found, however many or however 

 few pots be made from this "certain measure." For example "a No. 1 

 pot" (i.e. when the whole of the " certain measure of clay" is used up 

 in making only one single big pot) — "a No. 1 " in London is 22 inches 

 in diameter, while at Derby it is only 18 inches. " A sixteen " {i.e. where 

 the certain measure is made into sixteen pots) — "a sixteen" is 9 inches 

 in diameter in London, 8J inches in Derby, 8J at Hertford, 8 inches in 

 Sussex. " A twenty-four " {i.e. when the " certain measure " is made into 

 twenty-four pots) — " a twenty-four " is 7| inches in diameter in London, 

 7^ at Derby, in Hertford 1\, and in Sussex 7 inches. " A forty-eight " in 

 London is 5 inches in diameter, at Hertford 4|, and in Sussex 4^. 



Another source of confusion is that some makers measure the diameter 

 of a pot from outside to outside ; some, from inside to inside ; and other 

 some, from outside on one edge to inside on the other. 



The outcome of the whole consideration is how vast an improvement 

 it would be if all pot-makers would agree to work to a fixed and given 

 standard, and call the pots by the inside to inside diameter measurement. 

 For example, why not fix our present so-called " forty-eight " — -^o^ it at 

 5 inches inside diameter and call it " a 5-inch " instead of " a forty-eight " ? 

 Then the next size larger could be "a 5^-inch pot " instead of "a forty"; 

 the next size " a 6-inch " instead of " a thirty-two " ; the next " a 7-inch " 

 instead of "a twenty-eight," and so on. 



The following is a pretty correct list of the names and sizes of pots in 

 the Midland counties, but let no one be so simple as to imagine it holds 

 good in London or the West or North of England ; and could anything be 

 more ridiculous ? 



A 



" 72 " . 



measures 



2 



inches 



in diameter 



A 



" large 72 " 



>> 



2^ 





>j 



A 



" small 60" 





2| 







A 



" 60" 





3 





>> 



A 



" large 60" 











A 



" small 54" 



>> 



4 





It 



A 



"large 54" 





4} 





>> 



A 



" small 48" 



>> 



4i 





>> 



A 



" 48" 



>> 



5 



>> 



>) 



A 



"40" 



>> 



5i 





)> 



A 



" 32 " 



)> 



6i 





?) 



A 



"28 " 



>> 



7 







A 



"24" 



) J 



Ih 







A 



" 16" 





8^ 







