JULY— SEPT. 1857.] for India. 189 
40 PoUums = 1 Viss = 120 Tolas = 3 08571bs. avoir. 
3 Viss = 1 Maund = 960 Tolas = 24-68571bs. avoir. 
This " Table" was sanctioned for Madras by the Government of 
India, and is, as will be seen on comparison, entirely different, with 
the exception of the tola unit, from the Weights adopted for Cal- 
cutta. 
The above remarks are* made with the view of dissipating the 
illusion that a Metrical system has already been defined by law, 
and is actually in use to a considerable extent. The universal in- 
troduction therefore of the Calcutta Table, although easier than 
that of any othe)^ would still not be quite so simple a matter as 
some persons have b(#en led to expect. In the Madras Presidency 
it certainly would be difficult to get rid of the present Native sys- 
tems of Weights, which in general correspond with the Table pro- 
mulgated by the Government of that Presidency. 
It will be observed that the Madras Government Table does 
not acknowledge the " seer" weight at all ; but still a seer weight 
of 80 tolas, known as the " pucka" seer is met with all over India. 
It is not much in use in Southern India, where the " seer" of 24 
tolas, called the " cutcha" seer, is more common.^' There are also 
*' seers," both in Madras and Bombay, of 84 Rupees weight. Still, a 
seer of 80 tolas could no doubt be more easily introduced through- 
out India than any other weight. 
The Calcutta Official " mun" or maund, is 827lbs. avoir., and 
is not known in any part of the Madras Presidency, except at 
the Government Salt Depots, and in the Coast trade of grain to the 
port of Madras. The Madras maund is 251bs ; the Bombay maund 
is 281bs.; and the Surat maund in use on the Western Coast is 
31ilbs. 
* The original unit of Weight in Southern India, seems to have been the gold 
coin called by the English, a " pagoda." It is now unciirrent, but was about 52J 
grains weight. 80 pagodas weight is, according to the Native Tablgs, a " seer" 
(cutcha) of 24 rupees weight. This corresponded with the average weight of the 
old Native rupees of 175 grains; but since the introduction of the " Company's ru- 
pee" of 180 grains, the *' pagoda weight" is 54 grains generally. The same 
confusion formerly existed in Bengal, between a Sicca weight of 179§ grains, 
and a Sicca rupee of 192 grains. 
1 
