38 
REFORM  IN  WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES. 
10  grains  ■     equal  1  scruple. 
10  scruples  "  1  dram. 
10  drams  "  1  gill. 
•  10  gills  "  1  pint. 
10  pints  "  1  gallon. 
10  gallons  "  1  anker. 
10  ankers  "  1  tun. 
— thus  making  the  pound-unit  scale  to  equal,  in  distilled  water 
at  60°  F.,_ 
1  grain  equals  1  grain. 
1  scruple  "  1  scruple. 
1  dram  u  1  dram. 
1  ounce  "  1  gill. 
1  pound  "  1  pint. 
1  stone  "  1  gallon. 
1  hundred  weight  "  1  anker. 
1  ton  "  1  tun. 
Now,  to  establish  a  similar  uniformity  between  the  standard 
of  measure  and  the  grain-unit  system,  it  requires  that  we  should 
have  a  minim  measure,  corresponding  in  distilled  water  at  60° 
F.,  with  the  weight  of  the  grain,  and  that  this  minim  be  the 
unit  for  measure — the  scale  and  names  as  follows : 
IN  WEIGHT.  IN  MEASURE. 
1  standard  grain  =    1  grain  =  1  minim. 
10  standard  grains  =    1  scruple  =  1  fluid  scruple. 
100  "  =1  dram  =  i  fluid  dram. 
1,000  "  =1  ounce  ==  1  fluid  ounce. 
10,000  "  =1  pound  =  1  pint. 
100,000  "  =1  stone  =  1  gallon. 
1,000,000  "  =1  hundred  weight  =  1  anker. 
10,000,000  "  =    1  ton  =1  tun. 
It  is  an  advantage  to  have  the  number  of  divisions  in  the 
scale  of  measure  correspond  with  the  number  of  those  in  the 
scale  of  weight,  and  Hhat  the  corresponding  divisions  of  both 
should  weigh  alike  in  water,  from  the  fact  that  most  liquids  in 
common  use—milk,  wine,  oil,  etc., — are  of  nearly  the  same 
specific  gravity  as  water  at  its  ordinary  temperature — near 
enough  for  commercial  purposes, — while  expensive  liquids,  of 
varying  specific  gravity,  and  powerful  liquid  medicines,  should 
be  bought  and  sold  by  measure  only.  It  will  be  noticed  that, 
in  the  last  table,  the  minim  is  preserved  in  the  scale  of  measure 
and  made  a  fraction  over  .5  of  a  grain  heavier  than  the  standard 
minim  (Apoth.)  while,  in  the  previous  one  the  drop  or  minim  is 
discarded.  I  deem  the  minim  an  important  item  in  the  scale  of 
measure  ;  and,  when  made  to  correspond  with  the  grain  in  weight, 
quite  as  appropriate  to  adopt  for  a  unit  of  measure  as  the  eighth 
