"hereby declared to be, the original and genuine standard measure of weight, and that such brass weight shall be, and is hereby denominated, "the Imperial Standard Troy pound, and shall be, and the same is hereby "declared to be, the unit or only standard measure of weight, from which "all other weights shall be derived, computed, and ascertained; and that "one-twelfth part of the said Troy pound shall be an ounce; and that "one-twentieth part of such ounce shall be a pennyweight; and that one "twenty-fourth part of such pennyweight shall be a grain; so that 5760 "such grains shall be a Troy pound; and that 7000 such grains shall be, "and they are hereby declared to be, a pound Avoirdupois; and that one"sixteenth part of said pound Avoirdupois shall be an ounce Avoirdupois ; "and that one-sixteenth part of such ounce shall be a dram." Troy Weight is used in the weighing of gold, silver, and precious stones, except diamonds. It is also used in ascertaining the strength of spirituous liquors, in philosophical experiments, and in comparing different weights with each other. For scientific purposes, the grain only is used; and sets of weights are constructed in decimal progression, from 10,000 grains downwards to T of a grain. The Troy pound is equal to the weight of 22.815 cubic inches of distilled water, weighed in air at 62° F., barometer being at 30 inches. DIAMOND WEIGHT.-The weight of diamonds is estimated by carats, each of which is divided into four grains, and each grain into 16 parts. The diamond carat weighs 3 grains Troy nearly, or 0.20522 French grammes. The Troy ounce is equal to 1514 carats; and the Avoirdupois ounce, 138 carats nearly. The term carat is also used to express the fineness of gold, and has a relative meaning only. Every mass of alloyed gold is supposed to be divided into 24 equal parts; thus the standard for British gold coins is 22 carats fine, that is, it consists of 22 parts of pure gold, and two parts of alloy. What is called the new standard, used for watchcases, &c., is 18 carats fine. 1 Scruple, 1 Dram,. ...0.06477 0.000142857 1.. .20. ..1 1 Ounce, 0.068571429 1 Pound, .60.. This weight is essentially the same as Troy Weight, but differently ..3 ..1. ..1. 1 divided. It is chiefly used for medical prescriptions; but drugs are mostly bought and sold by Avoirdupois Weight. 1 Quarter, 1.77115 QuarTroy Pounds. Drams. Ounces Lbs. Cut. .0.004747 .1 28.33843 ......0.075955 ..16 453.41480 ...1.215278 ..1 ...256 .16 ..1 ters. . 12695.6144...34.027778..7168 .448..28 1.. ...4. 1 Hundred Weight,.. .. 50782.4576 ..136.111111 28672..1792 112, 1015649.1520 2722.222222 573440 35840 2240..80.. 20 1 Ton, Ton. By Act 5 and 6 Will. IV. cap. 63, all local or customary measures were abolished under a penalty of 40s., and all contracts, made after the passing of that act, by heaped measure or by the use of lead or pewter weights, are null and void. It was enacted that coals shall in all cases be sold by weight; that, with the exception of gold, silver, platinum, diamonds, and other precious stones, (which may be sold by Troy Weight,) and drugs, (which may be sold by retail by Apothecaries' Weight,) all other articles sold by weight shall be sold by Avoirdupois Weight only; and that a stone shall, in all cases, consist of 14 lbs. Avoirdupois; a hundred weight of 8 such stone, &c.; but nothing prevents any bargain, sale, or contract being made by any multiple or aliquot part of a pound weight. TABLE OF IMPERIAL LIQUID AND DRY MEASURE, Deduced from the Standard Gallon, containing 10 lbs. Avoirdupois of distilled water, temperature 62° F., barometer 30 inches. DENOMINATIONS. 1 Imperial Gill,.. 66 Pint,.. 66 .5 oz... ..21 1 1 Quart,. ..20 Contents. . 8.665 in. 0.14198306 .1 34.659 " 0.56793225 .4 69.319" 1.13586449...8..2..1 277.274 ".. 4.54345797..32..8..4 554.548.. 9.08691594..64 16..8 2 1.28368 ft. 36.34766376 256 64 32 8 41 5.1347145.39065504 1024 256 128 32 16 4 1 10.2694" 290.78131008 2048 512 25664328 21 The last four denominations are used for dry materials only; the others are employed in measuring liquids. Flour is sold, nominally, by measure, but actually by weight, reckoned at 7 lbs. Avoirdupois to a gallon. TABLE OF IMPERIAL LIQUID AND DRY MEASURE, Compared with Wine and Winchester Measures of the United States. N. B.--For the reduction of prices by the above table, the numbers must all be reversed. The old Ale Gallon contained 282 cubic inches. The old Wine Gallon contained 231 cubic inches. The old Winchester Bushel contained 2150.42 cubic inches. The Imperial Bushel contains 2218.192 cubic inches. The relative quantities of the weights and measures, as given in these tables, are deduced from the report of M. Mathieu, to the Royal Academy of Sciences of France, on the British "Act of Uniformity," passed May 17th, 1824, and was subsequently published by the Royal and Central Society of Agriculture of Paris, in the Annuaire for 1829. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES OF FRANCE. The measures of France have been reduced to a scientific standard more than forty years. The ancient system presented no uniformity; there was no relation between the pied, used as the unit of the measure of length, and the livre as that of weight; and even although those measures bore the same denominations in all provinces, they were very differ. ent in their proportions in particular districts. Similar objections lay against the system of weights and measures in England before the introduction of the " Imperial Measure." Local consumers in France, as well as in England, did not feel the whole disadvantage which arose from the variety of measures in the same country. But those who made large purchases merchants, who either sent out their own produce to another part of the country, or imported the manufactures of their distant fellowcountrymen to their own districts-often experienced great difficulties in converting to their own local standard the quantities expressed according to another rate. The proportion which one standard bore to another was not always easily ascertained; and when it was, the calculations to be made were long and tedious, and could not always give a very accurate result. One of the first objects which engaged the attention of the General States in 1788, was to find a remedy for this defect. It was then agreed, that some principle should be established, on which a new system should be founded. It was desirable to find a natural and invariable standard; and it may be observed, that mankind, in all ages, have been endeavoring to obtain some such result, though they may have proceeded without adequate scientific knowledge. Without science it is impossible to find an invariable standard in nature; for there is such infinite variety in the individual character of her productions, that no portions of animal or vegetable matter can be found of equal and unchanging dimensions. It was therefore the object of the French to establish, as the fundamental unity of all measures, a type taken from nature itself, a type as unchangeable as the globe upon which we dwell,-to prepare a metrical system, of which all the parts should be intimately connected, and of which the mul tiples and subdivisions follow a natural progression, which should be simple, easy to comprehend, and worthy of the enlightened age in which they lived." pre The Académie des Sciences was first requested to determine the length of a pendulum, vibrating seconds according to given rules, under certain circumstances. But this was objected to; because it was thought that a result, depending upon the weather and an arbitrary division of time, ( of a day,) was not susceptible of the requisite accuracy. It was then agreed to adopt the ten-millionth part of the fourth part of the me ridian, or of the quadrant comprised between the equator and the north pole, for the unity of this measure of length, and to derive all others from this standard. For this purpose of obtaining the value of the unit, it was resolved, that an arc of the meridian should be actually measured. MM. Mechain and Delambre were appointed to ascertain, with the utmost cision, the length of the arc comprised between Dunkirk and Rhodes in France, a distance of nearly 550000 toises, or about 570 miles. M. Mechain died in Spain from excessive fatigue, in attempting to extend his labors to Barcelona, a distance much farther than had been required of him. The result of the operations in which these savans were engaged, was, that a quadrant of a meridian lying between the equator and the north pole measured 5130470 toises, and that the ten-millionth part of this quantity, which was to form the standard unit, was therefore equal to 443.296 lignes.* The unit of the measure of length thus ascertained was denominated a METRE; and being established as the legal standard, upon which all other weights and measures were to be predicated, the Academy proceeded to devise a new nomenclature. In order to express the deci mal proportion, the following vocabulary of names was adopted, in which the terms for multiplying are Greek, and those for dividing are Latin:For multipliers, the word Thus, the decametre expressed 10 metres; the hectometre 100 metres, &c.; and the metre contained 10 decimetres, 100 centimetres, and 1000 millimetres. Such was the principle of the new system proposed by the Academy of Sciences, the adoption of which was enjoined by a law, enacted 19 frimaire, an VIII., (December 8, 1799,) when the following measures were established: * From the measurement of La Caille at the Cape of Good Hope, it was 443.44 lignes; from the calculations of Arago and Biot, 443.31; and from estimates more recently given, 443.39 lignes. METRE,...... "Decametre, "Hectometre, 46 Kilometre,. Myriametre,.. 64 0.000001 0.00155005914 1076.429956119.603328 10000 15500591.3664 107642.9956 11960.3328 0.0039 .1000000 1550059136.64 10764299.56 1196033.28 0.3861 100000000 155005913664. 1076429956. 119603328. 38.611 MEASURE OF CAPACITY, Compared with English Imperial Measure. Cubic Met. Cubic Inches. Cubic Feet. Cubic Yards. 0.000001 0.0610270533794 0.0000353165 0.000001308 0.001 61.027053379431 0.0353165818 0.001308022 .1 61027.053379431 35.316581817 1.308021549 1000 61027053.379431 35316.581817 1308.021549 .1000000 61027053379.431 35316581.817 1308021.549 1000000000 61027053379431. 35316581817. 1308021549. |