JULY— SEPT. 1857.] 



for India. 



201 



in the Government Notification, such a Measure averaging 80 tolas 

 weight of Rice when heaped, is in use in many of the Districts, and 

 the Sepoys of the Native army always buy by the Seer, generally 

 considering it to bef of the Madras " Customary" Measure of 104J 

 cubic inches, which would give 69j cubic inches, or an Imperial 

 Quart. On the 17th July, 1855, the Madras Government, in conse- 

 quence of some dispute on the subject, decided that the Sepoys' 

 " seer-measure" should be 5 J of the " Ollucks" named in their pro- 

 clamation of 1836, or 68f cubic inches. This closely corresponds 

 with the Quart of 69^ cubic inches, which I propose as the stand- 

 ard " Seer-measure." 



The only multiple of the " Seer-measure" that seems necessary for 

 Accounts, is one of 100 seers, which might, as proposed in another 

 place* be called a "Sotee." For s«&-multiples I would propose eighths 

 (atees) as more in accordance with Native usage. It is seldom that a 

 less measure appears in Commercial accounts than single seers, and 

 therefore there is not so much object in a Decimal sw&-division. 



The objection to the " Seer" proposed by the Bombay Govern- 

 ment, which is a vessel holding a Seer of 80 tolas weight of water, 

 or a capacity of 57 cubic inches, is that it is a misnomer. If the 

 Native term " Seer" is to be used at all, it should be the Native 

 idea of a Seer, that is, a vessel containing a seer weight of grain. 

 The new Seer for grain is not what it is supposed to be, and it is 

 no wonder that success has not attended the attempt to introduce 

 what the people consider a deception. A little difference above 

 the usual " Seer," would not have been of so much consequence^ 

 but this proposed Seer only holds 70 tolas of mixed grain, even 

 when heaped. If it were desired to have a Measure analagous to a 

 Seer, to eontain a definite number of tolas weight of water, it 

 surely would have been better to have guaged the Bazaar Seers 

 with water,f and have taken the average weight in tolas, about 

 93, and fixed on that for the standard Seer-measure ; but if the 

 " Seer -measure" is not to accord at all with the Native Measure, 



* Vide page 198. 



f The Bombay Government in their Proceedings of the 30th July, 1849, pro ? 

 posed thia, but it does not seem to have been acted on„ 



