1837.] 



Indian Weights and Measures. 



35 



The following table shews the alteration that this would effect in the Maund and Candy, as well as other 



particulars. 





© 



Proposed weight. 

 Grains. 



Old weight. 

 Grains. 



New weight, 

 less in lbs. 

 and grains 

 avoirdupois. 



1 Pullum 



f 1 Small seer} 

 {40 to a maund 5 

 Seer of 25 pullum 

 1 Viss of 40 do. 

 1 Maund 



1 Maund(Bengal) 



540 



4320 



13500 

 3 Ifes. 600 grs. 

 24 lbs. 4800 „ 

 493 ft>s. 5000 „ 

 77 lbs. 1000 „ 



1 



547 



4375 



13672 

 3 lbs. 875 grs. 

 25 lbs. 

 500 lbs.. * 

 80 lbs. 



7 grs. 



55 „ 



172 „ 

 275 „ 

 2200 ,, 

 6 fts. 2000 ,, 

 2 lbs. 6000 „ 



Water. 



1 Alakoo= 



1 puddi = 54 /. 



weighs 



1 Marcal = 



1 Garce == 



Rs. 18 



144 

 1152 

 4,60.800 



Paddy. 



1 Alakoo 



1 Puddi wejghf 



1 MarcaJ, 



1 Garce 



Rs. 11 

 112 



960 

 3,60,000 



A. 1 

 8 

 0 

 0 



"Were these adopted, the measures at Madras might remain the same, 

 and the weights would be altered so little that I apprehend trifling 

 inconvenience would be felt there. 



There would be, perhaps, some disadvantage in the weights not re- 

 maining equal to even numbers of pounds English. The rupee f is 

 not an even measure of the avoirdupois pound of 7,000 grains, and, with- 

 out relinquishing it as a standard, it appears to me that this cannot be 

 effected. 



The weight of the 4 pice piece T * ¥ of a rupee, is about 1341 grains \% 

 a weight, however, less* convenient than that of the rupee as regards 

 English measures. 



Should a decimal system be introduced, coins as well as weights must 

 be altered. The unit might then conveniently be the English pound 

 sterling ; the rupee being one tenth, and smaller coins, tenths and 

 hundredths of it, the latter very nearly corresponding with the English 

 farthing. The foot would be the unit of length, the rupee's diameter 

 being one tenth. The weight of one pound sterling, or ten rupees in 

 silver, might be the unit of weight, and the quantity of water weighing 

 ten rupees the unit of quantity. The advantage of the decimal system, 



* It may be remarked that the Candy being fixed at 500 lbs. English, and the Maunds at 

 25 lbs. and 80 lbs. shew European alteration already effected. 



+ The Company's rupee weighs 180 grains, or 3 drams apothecaries weight ; 32 rupees 

 weigh one pound apothecaries or troy weight ; — 350 rupees weigh 9 pounds avoirdu- 

 pois weight. A cubic foot of water weighs 1,000 ounces avoirdupois, or 437,500 grains, 



or 2,430 5 Rupees. 



9 



It is much to be regretted that the Commissioners in England should have preserv- 

 ed the two different pounds weight, or at least that they should not have made the troy 

 pound and avoirdupois pound to bear a more convenient proportion to one another than 

 5,760 to 7000. 



. 1, 



X If the alloy of the rupee is copper, the value of that metal appears to be 3 g th part of 

 that of silver— and the rupee worth 6,450 grains of copper nearly. 



3 



