MEASURES OF LENGTH AND WEIGHT. 
177 
granting (if in their power) the title of “ Fellow” to the examined, or as a 
pecuniary compensation to admit them as life members, either freely or at a 
reduced rate. 
Yours faithfully, 
“ Fiat Justitia Euat C<elum.” 
The Council have no power to create a new title.— Ed. Ph. J.] 
THE DECIMAL SYSTEM. 
TO THE EDITORS OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL. 
Gentlemen,—As our members are a commercial body of men, I was interested 
to read Air. Ernest Agnew’s able reply on the above subject, in your notes to 
correspondents. 
The indifference of Englishmen to decimal currency arises from the difficulty 
of the knotty question, whether the penny or the florin is to give way. 
It is well known that the English currency is not incompatible with the 
decimal system ; and, if ever it is adopted, it must be decided on the rough 
principle by which Columbus is said to have settled the egg controversy. 
I confess that it appears to me, that the penny must always be retained. If 
ever adopted, the difficulty of calculating interest would be done away by the 
decimal system. 
I am, Gentlemen, etc. 
J. Leay. 
Chilcompton , Bath, August 5th, 1868. 
MEASURES OF LENGTH AND WEIGHT. 
The Standards Commission have agreed to the following first report:— 
“ 1. The Commission appointed by your Majesty under date of the 9th of May, 1867 
for inquiry into the condition of the Exchequer Standards, and for other purposes, 
included six members of the present Commission, cited by name in the body of the war¬ 
rant of the 4th day of May, 1868, together with William Earl of Rosse and John Baron 
Wrottesley. Upon the decease of those noblemen your Majesty was pleased to revoke 
the warrant of the 9th day of May, 1867, and by warrant of the 4th day of May, 1868, 
to reappoint the six surviving members nominated in the former warrant, with the ad¬ 
dition of Reginald Charles Edward Baron Colchester and the Right Hon. Stephen 
Cave; the duties of the Commission being defined in the same terms as in the former 
warrant. We have therefore considered that the new Commission is deemed to be in 
reality a continuation of the former Commission ; and the details of the report now to 
be submitted apply to the proceedings of both Commissions. 
“ 2. We have held six meetings, and we have been in constant communication with 
the Warden of the Standards, from whom we have received several elaborate and im¬ 
portant statements, which, when more complete, we propose to submit to your Majesty. 
The materials of the following sections of this report are derived in great measure from 
those statements. 
“ 3. On the condition of the official standards we have to report:—first, that the War¬ 
den of the Standards has, by use of the most accurate balances, and with the best mo¬ 
dern appliances and methods, compared the official standards of avoirdupois weight with 
the gilt bronze standards, whose authenticity is derived from the imperial standard by 
comparisons made by Professor Miller at the time of construction of the imperial stan¬ 
dard. And the result is that the official standards of avoirdupois weight have been 
found to be considerably in error, the deficiency of weight in the official standard of 
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