194 



Weights and Measures [no. 4, new series, 



and accountants in India can divide by 16 as readily as English - 

 men by 12. There are also 16 Annas to the Rupee, which makes 

 the number convenient. With regard to the ^-multiples of the 

 " seer," a coincidence with the smaller English Weights, is not of 

 much consequence in commerce. As regards the multiples, I 

 would propose a " Mun" or maund Weight of 50 " seers," which 

 would be exactly the cwfc. of lOOlbs., which will no doubt, be soon 

 established in England, whatever may be the other decimal multi- 

 ples and sub-multiples.* 



The next point to be considered, is a standard for the Mea- 

 sure of Catacity. It will be observed from what has been stated 

 in paras. 16 and 17, that the Government of India has neither in 

 Act VII. of 1833, nor in the " Table" set forth by them, made any 

 allusion to Measure of Capacity, although it is a matter of more im- 

 portance than the Weights, seeing that by far the greater portion 

 of the domestic transactions in India are in grain. The Calcutta 

 Chamber of Commerce, when on the 19th of May, 1836, they resolv- 

 ed to adopt the Weights of the Government, urged the introduction 

 of the Imperial gallon for Liquids, and proposed that new Measures 

 of capacity for grain, should be regulated by the Weights, but they 

 did not show how this was to be done : nor does it seem at all ne- 

 cessary to make a distinction between " Dry" and " Liquid" Mea- 

 sures. The Government declined to act on the recommendation 

 of the Chamber, and whatever might have been contemplated by 

 Act VII. of 1833, nothing has ever been announced by way of de- 

 fining the capacities of the Grain Measures in Bengal. The only 

 Measures made up (at the Mint) by authority of the Government, 

 are the Imperial gallon and its sub-multiples, for use in the Medical 

 and Victualling departments ; and it seems that the Court of Direc- 

 tors in their Despatch of 17th July, 1833, expected the " gene- 



* It is stated in the Report, dated 1854, of the Commissioners appointed to su- 

 perintend the construction of the new Standards, ' Referring to chapters [named] 

 " of the Report of 1841, and the recommendations hased thereon, tending to di- 

 " minish the confusion between Avoirdupois weight and Troy weight, and to ha- 

 " nish the Stone of 141bs, and the Hundred weight of 1121bs, we have to report 

 u that we adopt in their utmost extent the whole of those recommendations. ' 

 The Committeeof 1841 recommended a "centner" of lOOlbs., and a " stone" of lOlbs. 



