482 
been turned to devife {chemes and plans, 
in order to leffen its preflure and to check 
impofitions ; the Legiflature has laudably 
given attention to the fubject, as well as 
private individuals; and this great body 
of the nation is again to be folicited for 
an aét, which, onthe very firft view, car- 
ries with it a conviction of utility and of 
equity:—I mean the application which 
the Mayor and Corporation of Worcef- 
ter intend to make, for a Bill that fhall 
compel the felling of corn, potatoes and 
turnips, by the pound weight, inftead of, 
as is now practiced, by meafure. ‘There 
is no one that ever purchafed a peck of 
grain who will not approve of the fcheme, 
and even the fellers of corn cannot deny 
the real fairue/s of fuch a method of fale; 
although by the change, if it be adopted, 
they will not be gainers. To fell grain 
by meafure is, in many inftances, as de- 
ceitful, as if a draper-were to cweigh his 
cloth for fale, inftead of cutting it out by 
the yard; for the variation that arifes in 
the quantity gf corn told, as is now the 
practice, in wet and in dry weather, "'s 
confiderable ;—but this will alfo happen I 
know, in fome degree, when “tis weighed 
out; the kwack (as it is termed) of filling 
a peck or bufhel haftily, and throwing 
the grain in lightly, or filling it flowly, 
by a man with a heawy hand, will like- 
wife cccafion a difference in quantity ; but 
no purchafer can attempt to complain of 
any unfairnefs, when he fees that the ful? 
meafure is given for which he pays. The 
quality of grain is almoft invariably 
known when in fample by its weight, and 
_ Goverfment contracts are always made on 
terms to deliver it at per bathel of a 
fixed number of pounds; if then this 
practice is already adopted fer the public 
fervice, why may it not be extended in 
the buying and felling between individual 
| dealers >—Befides, there is much confu- 
| fion now “in reconciling the average prices 
of England, becaufe,-in fome parts, the 
gallon is the meafure’ for fale, in others, 
the fingle- Winchefter buthel, and in others, 
the double-Winchefter bufhel, and the 
prices are inferted in the public papers 
according to thefe different quantities, 
without remarking the ftandard. quantity ; 
and hence, how is a perfon who is unac- 
uainted with this, to calculate with pre. 
cifion, the general fiate of the markets? 
for inftance, in this county the deuble and 
the fingle-Winchefter bufhel is ufed— 
| many do not know what it is, and if one 
*. chance to hear that wheat is fold in acer- 
tain market, at about double what it isin 
Mr. Carey on the Parogogic Nu, 
Cera 
weights. 
[July rs 
his own, he fees the enormity of the 
price, but knows not why: *tis muchthe 
fame with articles that are fold-by the 
pound—which is of 14, 16, or 17 ounces, - 
according to the cuftom of the place: this 
too might be regulated. r 
Perhaps every preduce coming under 
the denomination of grain, fuch as ryey 
peafe, beans, oatmeal,-&c. might be in- 
cluded in the intended regulation; and as~ 
the grofs hundred of 1r2lb. is a fixed 
weight, as well as the ounce avoirdupois, 
it don’t appear likely that much difficulty 
can arife in determining the ftandard by 
which the fale fhall.be. made, or, that it 
can interfere with the ingenious attempts 
to afcertain a common ftandard of 
I apprehend that the Magiftrates of 
Worcefter have very properly invited the 
attention of other Corporations to this fub- . 
ject, and I am induced to fend you this, 
in hopes that fome of your intelligent 
Correfpondents will give attention te 
the fubject ; for furely this is a time when. 
every perfon ought to exert himfelf to pro= 
mote plans which have for their end the 
tendency tocounteraét fraud, and to bene- 
fit the community. I remain 
: Your, &c. &c. 
Exeter, EEEAESS 
oth. Fune, 1803. 
== 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazines 
SIR, 
HOUGH TI do not pretend to take 
any part in the Nuteleutatomachic™ — 
controverfy, I beg Jeave to fuggeft~to the 
combatants on both fides that fome of the 
laborious trifles in the fixth book of the 
Anthologia may tend to throw a little light 
on the fubject, if properly managed by 
more able philologifts than your humble 
fervant. . 
There is, among the icoluge or parinu- 
meral pieces, one epigram, which I will 
here quote, to exemplify my idea. 
Addog amo crarinwy, & 8 as” inspec, O¢ 8 aare 
MOTI, * 
Eumorr, co weeres Swope yevebardia. 
AA EMEQ@EN defar moucwy orTtyov, OCTIC EG 
AIEI 
MIMNOI zas didi ona, war cuvabine. 
** This term is partly borrowed from~-Mr. 
Wakefield’s late publication, the ** WNoéfes 
Carceraria.” 
“Agree- 
