MEASURE. 
nics, is its weight; it being apparent, that all the matter 
which coheres and moves with a body, gravitates with 
it: and it being found by experiment, that the gravities 
of homogeneal bodies are in proportion to their bulks : 
hence, while the mafs continues the fame, the abfolute 
weight will be the fame, whatever figure it put on.: but, 
as to its fpecific weight, it varies as the quantity of fur- 
face varies. 
Measure of Velocity , in mechanics, is the fpace pa fled 
over by a moving body in any given time. To meafure a ve¬ 
locity, therefore, the fpace mull be divided into as many 
equal parts as the time is conceived to he divided into. The 
quantity of fpace anfwering to fuch an interval of time, is 
the tneafure of the velocity. See the article Mechanics. 
Measure, in Music and Poetry. See thole articles. 
Powder-Measures, for the artillery, are commonly 
made of copper, holding from an ounce to twelve pounds. 
Thefe are very convenient in a liege, when guns or mor¬ 
tars are to be loaded with loofe powder, efpecially in 
ricochet-firing, &c. The French recommend meafures 
that are made of block tin, fuch as are ufed for meafuring 
out fait, viz. i ounce, z, 3, 4, 8, which make the half- 
pound ; and, laftly, of 16, which make the pound. Thefe 
quantities anfwer every fort of ordnance. 
Diameters and Heights of Cylindric Powder-Meafures, holding 
from i to 15 Ounces. 
Ounces. 
O 
I 
2 , 
3 
4 - 
5 
O 
O 
1-256 
1-583 
i-8i 1 
I- 994 
2-148 
1 
2-760 
2-793 
2-876 
2-953 
3-027 
3-098 
Diameters and Heights of Cylindric Powder-Meafures, holding 
from. 1 to 1 5 Pounds. 
Pounds 
O 
I 
% 
3 
4 
5 
O 
O 
3-165 
3-988 
4-565 
5-024 
5-412 
I 
6-890 
7'°39 
7‘ 2 45 
7 ' 44 2 
7-628 
7-805 
Measure, in a legal and commercial fenfe, denotes a 
certain quantity or proportion of any thing bought, fold, 
valued, or the like. 
As weight and meafure are things in their nature arbi¬ 
trary and uncertain, it is therefore expedient that they be 
reduced to fome fixed rule or ftandard : which ftandard it 
is impoflible to fix by any written law or oral proclama¬ 
tion ; for no man can, by words only, give another an 
adequate idea of a foot-rule, or a pound-weight. It is 
therefore neceflary to have recourfe to fome vifiblo, pal¬ 
pable, material, ltandard ; by forming a comparifon with 
which all weights and meafures may be reduced to one 
uniform fize; and the prerogative of fixing this ftandard, 
our ancient law veiled in the crown, as in Normandy it be¬ 
longed to the duke. This ftandard was originally kept at 
Winchefter: and we find in the laws of king Edgar, near 
a century before the conqueft, an injunflion that the one 
meafure, which was kept at Winchefter, fhould be ob- 
ferved throughout the realm. Mod nations have regulated 
the ftandard of meafures of length by comparifon with the 
parts of the human body; as the palm, the hand, the fpan, 
the foot, the cubit, the ell, {ulna, or arm,) the pace, and the 
fathom ; but, as thefe are of different dimenfions in men 
of different proportions, our ancient hiftorians inform us, 
that a new ftandard of longitudinal meafure was ascer¬ 
tained by king Henry the Firft; who commanded that 
the ulna, or ancient ell, which anfwers to the modern yard, 
fhould be made of the exaft length of his own arm. And, 
one ftandard of meafure of length being gained, all others 
are eafily derived from thence; thofe of greater length 
by multiplying, thofe of lefs by dividing, that original 
ftandard. Thus, by the ftatute called compofitio ulnarum. 
Vol. XIV. No. 997. 
59S 
et perticarum, five yards and a half make a perch ; and the 
yard is fubdivided into three feet, and each foot into 
twelve inches 5 which inches will be each of the length of 
three grains of barley. Superficial meafures are derived 
by Squaring thofe of length 5 and meafures of capacity by 
cubing them. The ftandard of weights was originally 
taken bom corns of wheat, whence the lowed denomina¬ 
tion of weights we have is dill called a grain-, 32 of which 
are directed, by the ftatute called compofitio menfurarum, to 
cdmpofe a pennyweight, whereof 20 make an ounce, 12 
ounces a pound, and fo upwards. And upon thefe prin¬ 
ciples the firft ftandards were made; which, being origi¬ 
nally fo fixed by the crown, their fubfequent regulations 
have been generally made by the king in parliament. 
Thus, under king Richard I. in his parliament holden at 
Wellminlter, A. D. 1197, it was ordained that there fhould 
be only one weight anti one meafure throughout the king¬ 
dom, and that the cuftody of the aflife, or ftandard of 
weights and meafures, fhould be committed to certain 
perfons in every city and borough ; from whence the an¬ 
cient office of the king’s aulrtager fee ms to have been de¬ 
rived, whofe duty it was, for a certain fee, to meafure all 
cloths made for fale, till the office was aboliflied by the 
flat. 11 and 12 Will. III. c. 20. In king John’s time this 
ordinance of king Richard was frequently difpenfed with 
for money; which occafioned a provifion to be made for 
enforcing it, in the Great Charters of king John and his 
fon. Thefe original ftandards were called pondus regis, 
and menfura domini regis 5 and are directed by a variety of 
fubfequent ftatutes to be kept in the exchequer-chamber, 
by an officer called the clerk of the market, except the 
wine-gallon, which is committed to the city of London, 
and kept in Guildhall. The Scottifh ftandards are diftri— 
buted among the oldeft boroughs. The elwand is kept 
at Edinburgh, the pint at Stirling, the pound at Lanark, 
and the firlot at Linlithgow. 
The ftatute of Magna Charta, cap. 25, ordains, that there 
fhall be but one meafure throughout England, according 
to the ftandard in the exchequer; which ftandard was for- 
merly kept in the king’s palace; and in all cities, market- 
towns, and villages, it was kept in the churches. 4 Injl. 
273. By 16 Car. I. cap. 19. there is to be one weight and 
meafure, and one yard, according to the king’s ftandard j 
and whoever fhall keep any 6ther weight or meafure, 
whereby any thing is bought or fold, fhall forfeit for every 
offence 5s. And by 22 Car. II. cap. 8. water-meafure, 
(viz. five pecks to the bufhel,) as to corn or grain, or fait, 
is declared to be within the llatute 16 Car. I. and, if any 
fell grain or fait, Sec. by any other bufhel or meafure, 
than what is agreeable to the ftandard in the exchequer, 
commonly called Winchefter-meafure, he fhall forfeit 40s. 
See. 22 Car. II. c. 8. 22 Sc 23 Car, II. c, 12.. Notwithftand- 
ing thefe ftatutes, in many places and counties there are 
different meafures of corn and grain ; and the bufhel in 
one place is larger than in another; but the lawfulnefs. 
of it is not well to be accounted for, fince cuftom or 
prefeription is not allowed to be good againll a ftatute. 
Dalt. 250. _ ' 
By the Articles of Union, the Englifh ftandards are 
eftablifhed by law over all Great Britain. But the force., 
of cuftom is fo ftrong, that the numerous ftatutes we have 
quoted have been ill obferved. The Scottifh ftandards 
are ftill univerfally retained for many purpofes ; and like- 
wife a variety of local weights and meafures are ufed in. 
particular places of both countries, which differ from the 
general ftandards of either. Yet certainly it is very de¬ 
ferable, for the convenience of commerce, that an uni¬ 
formity fhould be obferved in weights and meafures, and 
regulated by proper ftandards. Thus, a foot-rule might 
be ufed as a ftandard for meafures of length, a bufhel for 
meafures of capacity, and a pound for weights. There 
fhould.be only one authentic ftandard of each kind, formed 
of the molt durable materials, and kept with all poflibls- 
care. A fufficient number of copies, exaftly correspond¬ 
ing to the principal ftandard, may be diftributed for ad-. 
7 M jutting 
