ON A SIMPLE DECIMAL SYSTEM FOR ENGLAND. 
265 
to uniformity. Chinese money and liquids have, however, from 
time immemorial, been decimally reckoned — 
10 kops = 1 shing-tsong. 
10 shines = 1 tan. 
10 tans = 1 hwuh. 
The nearest approach to this at present attained is the pint, 
containing 20 ounces, half a pint 10 ounces. But our usual 
liquid and dry measures know no such law. 
Since the gallon weighs exactly ten pounds, it ought to be 
divided into ten pints, the pint into ten ounces, the ounce into 
ten drams, and the dram into ten karats. There would then 
be a most perfect coincidence (for distilled water) between both 
weight and capacity. 
An ounce would mean either the tenth part of a pound or of 
a pint, and would really represent also 100 karats, of 7 grains 
each, of distilled water. 
The dram, the tenth part of the ounce, would be 10 karats, 
or 70 grains. In short, the measures of capacity would exactly 
correspond decimally with avoirdupois weights. The ounce is 
already used as a measure of liquids in medicine, and one 
dangerous source of mistake and confusion would thus be 
annihilated. 
Economy of labour in practical arithmetical calculations is 
the indefeasible principle upon which a new national metrical 
notation should be framed. 
The writer, after some consideration, recommends to the 
attention of practical men the following scales of measures of 
capacity and length. 
MEASURES OE CAPACITY. 
1 pipe = 100 gallons. 
1 gallon = 10 pints = 100 ounces = 1,000 drams. 
1 pint = 10 ounces. 
1 ounce = 10 drams. 
1 dram = 10 karats, of 7 drops or grains each. 
1 karat = 7 drops, of a grain each. 
In this case, 1 drop or gutta would equal in weight exactly 
the standard grain, and the dram would contain 70 drops or 
grains. In medicine, the weight of a drop, as well as its 
magnitude, has great variety, according to the nature of the 
liquid and form of the lip of the dropping-vessel. (App. No. 
MEASURES OF LENGTH. 
It may be remarked that the tenth part of a foot has already 
been adopted on the breadth of the British penny; and the 
