JULY — SEPT. 1857.] 



for India. 



189 



40 Pollums = 1 Viss =120 Tolas == 3'08571bs. avoir, 

 3 Yiss == 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 other, would still not be quite so simple a matter as 

 some persons have been 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 82|lbs. 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 

 SUlbs. 



* The original unit of Weight in Southern India, seems to have been the gold 

 coin called by the English, a " pagoda." It is now uncurrent, but was about 52J 

 grains weight. 80 pagodas weight is, according to the Native Tables, 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 lSO^grains, the " pagoda weight" is 5i grains generally. The same 

 confusion formerly existed in Bengal, between a Sicca -weight of 179§ grains, 

 and a Sicca rupee of 192 grains. 



