238 
On the Measure of Labour in India. 
[Aegt. 
of rest roust lie allowed, as sliall enable the same exertion to be renewed from day 
to day. It Is thus that from experiments of short duration very erroneous measures 
of labour have frequently been made. Even the celebrated Daniel Bernouilli estimat- 
ed the daily work of a man at nearly double what is found bv Coulomb from prac- 
tical inquiries amidst the ordinary kind of labour. Bernouilli’s value is equivalent 
to 2,41,433 troy pounds, raised 10 feet high per diem*. 
The last mentioned philosopher also imagines that human labour always produces 
the same quantity of action, in whatever way it may be employed ; or in other words 
that a certain quantity of work induces a certain degree of fatigue, without regard 
to the force, the velocity, or the time. But in reality there are a thousand circum- 
stances capable of modifying this general axiom — the weight of the body, the posi- 
tion and relative force of the different mnscles, and the rate of motion best adapted 
to each; so that although the daily fatigue of various operations may he the same, 
the effeet produced will hardly in any two cases be found alike ; and further, in each 
case there must be a particular adaptation of the three elements of force, velocity, 
and duration to produce a maximum effect. 
Thus from the constitution of man, it might naturally be inferred, as has been 
proved by experiment, that he can convey the weight of his own body to a far great- 
er height or distance in proportion, than he can the weight of his body plus any 
burden: — but as the quantum of burden only will be the useful effect produced, 
there must be a certain ratio of the burden to the weight of the man which will 
give a maximum. Coulomb makes the largest burden equal to 4-5ths of the man, 
and with this, the work done (including bis own weight) is only one-half what it is 
when he is unloaded ; and the useful effect is only one quarter as much. I am now 
quoting from a small table of human labour, which I have deduced from Coulomb’s 
treatise, “ Sur le Force dcs Hommes and as this table will assist us in judging 
of the comparative labour of Indians, which is the object of our inquiry, I shall here 
introduce it. 
Coulomb, it must be premised, speaks of the strong healthy Parisian labourer, 
whose average weight is stated to he 187,6 lbs. troy, or about 11 stone. 
I have added a column of maunds, each maund being equal to lOOlbs. troy 
which would he the precise value, supposing the seer to consist of 80 Calcutta sicca 
weight or Furukhabad rupee weight. 
Table of Human Labour. 
Nature of work. 
Troy pounds 
raised 10 feet 
high per diem. 
Maunds 
raised 10 feet 
high per diem. 
Mounting stairs, bearing only the weight of the body, 
(lbs. 187. 8) 
180103 
95815 
49226 
66092 
34538 
62877 
101968 
85017 
lad along a pis 
1800 
960 
490 
660 
345 
630 
1000 
850 
lin surface, of 
Ditto, with a burden of 1501bs, 
Ditto, work done, deducting man’s wp.iglitj , 
Ringing, or hoisting a pile driver with a jerk string, 
The same motion applied to the stampers at the Paris 
mint..—. . 
Hoisting water from a well in buckets, 1 
Turning a wheel and pinion or winch, .. 
Another species of labour consists in carrying a 1 
which Coulomb gives the following valuation b 
Troy lbs, car- 
ried 100 feet. 
Maunds car- 
ried 100 feet. 
Walking on plain ground without load, 
iJlU.o with maximum load 1511 lbs, 
Wheel! m/ if, ?° rk <Ion ? ext ' lusive of man’s own weight, 
Wheeling in barrows (work Hnne t 
307664 
175808 
60827 
89bytf 
3080 
1760 
610 
900 
dnpJs raised lo t S»a^ POWer “LVn 6 *™ engine isi e 1 ual to 15,84,000 lbs. aver- 
suppoled toequal aboutfa man ’ s'' " 11,S - 1 feet ^cond.-The horse is 
averdupois per diem ’ femeat0n makes power of a man = 225,000 lbs. 
