M E A S U R E, 
594 
jafling the weights and meafures that are made for com¬ 
mon ufe. There are feveral itandards of this kind botji 
In England and Scotland. 
If any one of the Itandards above mentioned be juftly 
preferved, it will ferve as a foundation for the others, by 
which they may be corrected if inaccurate, or reftored if 
entirely loth. For inltance, if we have a ftandard foot, 
we can eafily obtain an inch, and can make a box which 
fliall contain a cubical inch, and may ferve as a ftandard 
for meafures of capacity. If it be known that a pint con¬ 
tains ioo cubical inches, we may make a vefl'el 5 inches 
fquare, and 4 inches deep, which will contain a pint. If 
the ftandard be required in any other form, we may fill 
this vefl'el with water, and regulate another to contain an 
equal quantity. Standards for weights may be obtained 
from the fame foundation ; for, if we know how many 
finches of water it takes to weigh a pound, we have only 
•to meafure that quantity, and the weight which balances 
it may be aflumed as the ftandard of a pound. Again, if 
the Itandard of a pound be given, the meafure of an inch 
may be obtained from it; for we may weigh a cubical 
inch of water, and pour it into a regular vefl'el; and hav¬ 
ing noticed how far it is filled, we may make another 
vefl'el of like capacity in the form of a cube. The fide of 
this vefl'el may be aflumed as the ftandard for an inch ; and 
Itandards for a foot, a pint, or a bufhel, may be obtained 
from it. Water is the molt proper fubftance for regula¬ 
ting Itandards ; for all other bodies differ in weight from 
others of the fame kind ; whereas it is found by experience 
that fpring and river water, rain, and melted fnow, and 
all other kinds, have the fame weight; and this uniformly 
holds in all countries when the water is pure, alike warm, 
and free from fait and minerals. 
Thus, anyone ftandard is fufficient for refloring all the 
reft. It may further be delired to hit on fome expedient, 
if poflible, for reftoring the Itandards, in cafe that all of 
them fliould ever fall into diforder, or ftiould be forgotten, 
through the length of time, and the viciflitudes of human 
affairs. This feems difficult. Meafures, aflumed from 
the dimenfions of the human body, as a foot, a hand- 
breadth, or a pace, mull nearly be the fame in all ages; 
and therefore, if we know how many fquare feet a Roman 
acre contained, we may form fome judgment of the nature 
of the law which reft rifted the property of the Roman ci¬ 
tizen to feven acres; and this is fufficient to render hiftory 
intelligible; but it is too inaccurate to regulate meafures 
for commercial purpofes. The fame may be faid of Itand- 
ards deduced from the meafure of a barley-corn, or the 
weight of a grain of wheat. If the diftanceoftwo moun¬ 
tains be accurately meafured and recorded, the nature of 
the meafure ufed will be preferred in a more permanent 
manner than by any ftandard; for, if ever that meafure 
fall into difufe, and another be fubltituted in its place, 
the diftance may be meafured again, and the proportion 
of the Itandards may be afeertained by comparing the new 
and ancient diftances. But the moll accurate and un¬ 
changeable manner of eltablifliing Itandards is, by com¬ 
paring them with the length of pendulums. The longer 
a pendulum is, it vibrates the flower ; and it muft have 
one precife length in order to vibrate in a fecond. The 
flighted difference in length will occafion a difference in 
the,.time; which will become abundantly lenflble after a 
number of vibrations, and will be eafily obierved if the 
pendulum be applied to regulate the motion of a clock. 
The length of a pendulum which vibrates feconds in Lon¬ 
don is about 39^ inches, is conftantly the fame at the 
fame place, but it varies a little with the latitude of the 
place, being fiiorter as the latitude is iefs. Therefore, 
though all Itandards of weights and meafures were loft, 
the length of a fecond-pendulum might be found by re¬ 
peated trials; and, if the pendulum be properly divided, 
the juft meafure of an inch will he obtained ; and from 
this all other (iandards may be reftored. 
Englifh liquid meafures were originally raifed from troy 
..weight; it being enafted by feveral ftatutes, that eight 
pounds troy of wheat, gathered from the middle of the 
ear, and well dried, fliould weigh a gallon of wine-mea- 
fure; the divifions and multiples whereof were to form 
the other meafures: at the fame time it was alfo ordered, 
that there fliould be but one liquid meafure in the king¬ 
dom; yet cuttoin has prevailed ; and, there having been 
introduced a new weight, viz. the avoirdupois, we have 
now a fecond ftandard-gallon adjufted thereto, and there¬ 
fore exceeding the former in the proportion of the avoir¬ 
dupois weight to troy weight. From this latter ftandard 
are raifed two feveral meafures; the one for ale, the other 
for beer. 
The fealed gallon at Guildhall, which is the ftandard for 
wines, fpirits, oils, Sfc. is fuppofed to contain 231 cubic 
inches; yet, by attual experiment made in-16S8, before 
the lord-mayor and the commiflioners of excife, this gal¬ 
lon was only found to contain 224 cubic inches ; it was 
however agreed to continue the common fuppofed con¬ 
tents of 231 cubic inches; fo that all computations ltand 
on their old footing. Hence, as 12 is to 231, fo is 14^- 
to 28the cubic inches in the ale-gallon: but in effect 
the ale-quart contains 70^ cubic inches ; on which prin¬ 
ciple the ale and beer gallon will be 282 cubic inches. 
But Mr. Snart, in a MS. communication of which we 
fliall farther avail ourfelves under the article Mechanics, 
affirms, that the Winchefter gallon-meafure in the Exche¬ 
quer contains no more than 278 - i£69oS 7S79322265625 
cubic inches. 
In the year 1814, the fubjeft of weights and meafures, 
but of meafures in particular, was .taken up by the legifla- 
ture; and a feleft committee was appointed, whole Report 
was ordered by the houfe of commons (July 1, 1814.) to 
be printed. This Report contains fome very ioterelting 
matter, which we fliall lay before our readers. 
The committee, in the firlfc place, proceeded to inquire 
what meafures had been taken toeftablifh uniform weights 
and meafures throughout the kingdom. They found that 
this fubjeft had engaged the attention of parliament at a 
very early period. The ltatute-book from the time of 
Henry III. abounds with acts of parliament enafting and 
declaring that there ft.ould be one uniform weight and 
meafure throughout the realm ; and every aft complains 
that the preceding ftatutes had been ineffectual, and that 
the laws were dilobeyed. 
The feleft committee of the houfe of commons, which 
was appointed in the year 1758 to inquire into the origi¬ 
nal Itandards of weights and meafures in this kingdom, 
and to confider the laws relating thereto, made a very ela¬ 
borate Report on this fubjeft, in which is contained all 
the information that is neceflary with regard to the in¬ 
quiry into what were the original Itandards of weights and 
meafu'es. The committee of 1758 firft give an abridged 
ffatement of the feveral ftatutes which have been enafted 
relating to weights and meafures: ift, fo far as they elta- 
blifli any weights or meafures, or Itandards for the fame; 
and, 2d, as far as any means, checks, or lanftions, are 
provided to compel the ufe of the eftablilhed weights and 
meafures, or to punilh dilobedience. The committee then 
point out what appeared to them to be the principal caules 
which had prevented the attainment of that uniformity, 
fo much and fo wifely delired by parliament. Thefe are 
ftated to be the want of Ikill in the artificers who from 
time to time made copies of the Itandards kept in the 
Exchequer; and, as thefe imperfeft meafures were again 
copied from, every error was multiplied, till the variety 
of Itandards rendered it difficult to know what was the 
real ftandard, or to apply any adequate remedy. Upon 
an accurate coniparifon of the various meafures preferved 
in the Exchequer, and which are direfted to be ufed for 
fizing and adjulling all other meafures, they were found 
to differ materially from each other, and yet (the conir 
mittee obferve), as the law now ftands, all thefe meafures 
muft he underftood to contain the like quantities, are 
equally legal, and may be indiferiminately ufed. Of thefe 
various meafures, the committee recommended the adop¬ 
tion 
