446 



Ofi the Sta(is!ics of DuhJiun. 



eis are identioal ; ami w lien i( ilocs ocrur it ninsibe referred to accuUMit. 

 Even the stamping of weiglits and measures by government ollicers has 

 not been elieetual to insure uniformity ; for in a table that I drew up of 

 the disi-repancy between the Aveights and measures of some scores of 

 phices all over the conntry, very many of the weights and measures had 

 the government stamp upon them. 



One feature of the measures of capacity is, that, with some exceptions, 

 those of villages are always larger than those of towns and cities. 'J'he 

 extent to which this fraud has been carried in military cantonments and 

 large bazaars immediately under British control, is shown in the fact of 

 the reduction of the Serroor cantonment seer, one-twentieth below the 

 st;indard v{ Podna city, one-fourth below the standard of Ahmednnggur 

 city, and t\\ o-c!evenths below the measures of neighbouring districts. 

 I?ut in Bombay it is still more glaring, the origin of whose weights and 

 measures is uncpiestionably rcferrible to the Dukhun and Konkun ; and 

 yet the Bombay measure of capacity is 41 pt-r cent, less than that of 

 Poena, and about 33 per cent, less than that at Panwell in the Konkun, 

 the nearest great mart to Bombay on the continent The diminution in 

 the seer of weight in Bombay is even more striking. I found the 

 standard seer of weight in the collector's office in Bombay to weigh 49/0 

 grains troy only, while the Panwell seer weighed 13,110 grains, and 

 the Poona seer weighed 13,800 grains, troy. The Panwell seer there- 

 fore was 163 per cent, an l the Poona seer i77 per cent, larger than the 

 Bombay seer. The knowlclge of these facts is of importance to the 

 Euroj)ean and native merchant, as w^ell as to the general consumer. 



The evil of a progressive diminution in the weights and measures of 

 Dukhun is arrested in the cities of Poona and Ahmednuggur and the 

 neighbouring cantonments, by standards being kept in the collectors* 

 ofl5. -es ; but as they are not founded on any scientific principles by which 

 they could be restored if lost or /cssnicd, their safe custody is of great 

 moment, 'i he seer of weight is directed to be made of a certain num- 

 ber of pieces of tiie current silver coin, and can therefore be tested with- 

 out difficulty ; but there is not any test, saving the solitary standard in 

 the collector's office, for the measure of capacity. It will be seen that I 

 have given the weight of water of a certain temperature these measures 

 contain, and this determination may be of use at a future period. 



Grain measures. — The largest measure of capacity in use is the Ad- 

 holee , of two seers ; its name means " the half,'* it being the half of 

 the Puheeles, of four seers, which is not in use. This measure is in the 

 form of an hour-glass. 1 found the Poona city standard to contain 

 36,400 grains troy, of water, at a temperature of 75° Fahr., or 5 lbs. 

 3 oz. 3dr.5| grs., or 144'4 cubic inches; and at a temperature of 60. 



