STANDARDS COMMISSION. 
237 
scales, the Commission have had under their consideration the question of the discon¬ 
tinuance of troy weight. They refer to the opinions expressed by the Standards Com¬ 
mission of 1841 and 1854 in favour of the simplification of the British system of weights 
by the abolition of the troy scale. Apothecaries’ weight based on troy weight has since 
been legally discontinued under the authority of the Medical Act, 1858, and avoirdu¬ 
pois weights have been substituted in the dispensing of medicines. Much of the diffi¬ 
culty of the discontinuance of troy weight is thus removed, its use being now limited to 
manufacturers of and dealers in gold and silver wares and bullion. Still these form a 
numerous class, and the Commission feel that they cannot make any definite recom¬ 
mendation for abolishing troy weight, without having first inquired extensively into the 
practice and feelings of persons who now use that system. The assay of the precious 
metals, the ascertaining the standard of gold and silver, the operations of coinage, and 
the levying the duty on gold and silver plate, all are now based by statute on troy 
weight; and in the event of its abolition, it will become necessary to make further pro¬ 
vision by law for the weights to be used for these purposes. It may also be a matter 
deserving consideration how far it may be expedient to substitute metric weights. The 
Commission will give their careful attention to these points, and the results of their 
labours must be deferred to a future Beport. 
14. Passing now to the consideration of our transactions with foreign countries, the 
Commission express their full belief that the foreign commerce of this country, especially 
with France, and with other countries which have introduced, or propose to introduce 
the metric system, has in late years increased much more rapidly than the home trade, 
though in what proportion it is difficult to ascertain. But, great as that foreign com¬ 
merce undoubtedly has become, it is small in comparison with the home trade. From 
the report of the Postmaster-General in the year 1864, it appears that the number of 
foreign letters (requiring apparently to be doubled for proper comparison of the number 
of transactions) was about ^ of the number of home letters. If we refer to the acces¬ 
sible returns relating to money transactions, the amount of stamp-duty levied on foreign 
bill-stamps, about £350,000 annually, implies foreign transactions to the amount of about 
£600,000,000; while the amount of cheques and bills passed at the London Clearing 
House (in which many of the London bankers take no part) is about £3,300,000,000; 
and the transactions in the manufacturing districts and the interior of the country generally 
multiply this in an unknown ratio. Still, the existence of this large foreign trade is an 
argument for the permissive adoption of the system which agrees with that of so many 
of our foreign trade correspondents. And great advantage will evidently be introduced, 
unaccompanied (so far as can be remarked) with any bad effects, by giving the ordinary 
statistical publications relating to foreign trade, and in some instances to home trade 
also, on the metric as well as on the imperial system. 
15. As bearing upon all parts of this inquiry, the Commission think it their duty to 
call attention to the advantage of establishing in this country a decimal system of 
coinage. The decimal division gives the greatest facilities for the gradation of prices, 
and for the great number of additions, multiplications, and divisions continually present¬ 
ing themselves in money affairs, but more rarely occurring in the combination of the 
several denominations of weights and measures. And the Commission think it probable 
that extensive familiarity with decimal coinage would materially tend to facilitate the 
introduction of a decimal scale of weights and measures, where it can be useful. The 
Commission do not disguise their apprehension that a chainge of coinage would produce 
for a time some confusion. At the same time they observe that it is absolutely in the 
power of the Government to effect the change without any risk that the resistance 
which might be made by those who preferred the old system could ultimately prevail 
against it. 
16. Guided by the preceding considerations, the Commission have unanimously agreed 
upon the following resolutions:— 
(1.) Considering the information which has been laid before the Commission,— 
Of the great increase during late years of international communication, especially in 
relation to trade and commerce; 
Of the general adoption of the metric system of weights and measures in many 
countries, both in Europe and other parts of the world, and more recently in the North 
German Confederation and in the United States of America; 
Of the progress of public opinion in this country in favour of the metric system as a 
uniform international system of weights and measures; 
