The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-06-20 00:00:00

►AY, JUNE 20.

WdejlilhaldlOomsmattee. •ppninted to consider of the several
7411flida which Lave been laid before this House, relating
Is Weights sad Measures, and of the Proceedings which
have takes place for determining the length of the Pen-
dulum vibe Zing Seconds, and to report their oh floc,.
and opinioes 'hereupon to the Honse—hava considered
the mitres referred to them, and have agreed to the fol-
lowing Report:—
Timer Committee concur entirely in opinion with the Com-
nsissiomers us Weightsamd 111C11.11 le4, as to the inexpediency
of ehningiag any standard, either of length, supeoficies. ca-
pacity, or of weight, which already exists in a Elate of ac-
knowledged arenrney; sod whe.e diserepsneees are found
between models equally aothentic, they deem it right that
sock a selectium should be made as will prove utmost accordant
with generally received Inner, and wells such analogns at
may enamel the deffereet quasitiliert in the most simple
tittles.
They also concur in recommending, that the subdivisions
of weights and measures employed iu this country be re-
tained, as being far better adapted to common practical
porposes than the decimal scale.
For the 'camas assigned by the Commissimers, your Comm.
mister recommend that the parliamentary brass standard of
three feet, wow in the possessiou of the MOW' of Commons,
and made by Bird, in 1760, be henceforth considered as the
authentic legal standard of lestgth of the British empire, so
that the distance between the centres of the two gold pins
inserted in that scale, the brass bring at the temperature of
sixty-two degrees by Fahrenheit's thermometer, he one yard :
amid it appears from She experiments male for determining
the length of the pendulum vibrating second* at London a
a vacuous, and reduced to the level of the sea, that the
distance from the axis of amospensi 0000 to the reedier of osefl-
latiom of ouch a pi utlialion, is 39.1393 incites of the above
standard distance: and that the length of a plasma metre at
the temperature of thirty-two degrees of ralsieuheit's (her.
msemeter, supposed to be the ten-millionth part of the
quadrant of the meridian, correspoudii with 39.3708 inches
of the said distance.
Tour Committee recommend that superficial measures res-
main as they are now olrfiur.ll by law, ..sourly, that the peach,
pole, sir rod, he a square of 16$ feet, that the acre consists
of 140 such perches, and so of the rest

They further recommend, that the mender(' beam weight
of two pounds, ■lso in the posoeseion of the House of GM-
mune. aril made ow 1758, he considered 44 antheutie; that
one-half tb,reof, as gravitating io air iii the memo height of
• the barometer sail with the thermometer at 82 de•'ro es, he
lieseefierth the kgal troy pouted of the British empire, con-
tain's' 6,780 ensues; •ad dud 7000 grams key be'declaied
to moistitwie • pound svoirdispois.
And it appears that • cubic isch of dmtilled water weighs
in a mu, opposed to brass weights, in • vacuum also, ■t'
the temperature of 82 degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer,
252.72 sock grains; amid consequently • cubic foot of ins.
tilled water, wader aimil.r eircumiesuces, will weigh 62 368
puma& :avoirdupois.
In proceeding to measures of capacity. which, for comet.-
Metier, your Committee have postponed to thuse of weight,
they find themselves embarrassed, as the Commiseiimers lies•
bees, nut only by visions measures desigeated by the mime
name, but ley a discrepaste iii the multiply and sub-msl-
siples of the same Osesawre. They are on the whole, bow.
ever. induced to believe, that the gallon of Euglasol was ori-
ginally identical fur all Nan; mid that die variations have
arisen in some eases from accident, amid in others from fraud.
The definiiiuu of a Winchester bushel, iu the Art of Klux
Wdlians fur laying a duty issi malt, seems to have hero made
for the purpose of facilitating the coortriertion of cylindrical
measures by a near coincidence, without minute fractious.
From this definition, the dry gallon would consist of tea 835
cubic inches.
The gallon measure in the Exchequer, contains 270 4
cubic inches ; and derived fruits the pint, quart, &c. the gal-
lon will *mud as follows :
From the bushel..
From the definition by King Wil-
liam ....268 8
From the gallon measure 270 4
Fruits the•pint .... 9
From the quart .
By as Act of Pmliernent made for
revenue purposes, the beer gal-
lon 282
By as Act 42 Gets. 111. the Wiii-
chester gallon is estimated at _272!
The wine gallon is supposed to have c ..... jutted eradually
shrinkiag in dimeisaimes, till its progress was a ..... ed by a
timid definition at 231 cubic inches.
This last measure differs sit materially from all the test,
that is must either be retained as one quite distinct, and ap-
plicnble to its peculiar uses, or, at .revers mod expedient, it
mum tie abolished. Bnt, amidst the variations and 'sneer.
of the remainder, your Committee agree with the
Coniesissioners, in re, ..... weeding that they may lie all
brought back to an equality, and at time some time made to
bear a simple relatiou to the standard of weight, by taking
the pint tor a basis, which emblems 20 ounce* of distilled
water avoirdupois, at the temperature of 62., as nearly as it
is possible to ascertain by experiment, oti a vessel of that
consteuctiou and wurk;ttaaship•
If then the pint be committed as equal in bulk to 20
owners of distilled Water, at the temperature mil 62., the
cubic inch weighiug 252 458 grains in sir, at the mean hi laid
of the barometer, the imperial gathio will cuntaiu 277.276
cubic in'Elees, weighing exactly ten pintails.
If Ike proposition now ►ubmitted should he sanctioned
by the Hoare, your Committee recounneud that leave be
given to bring iu m Bill foe declaring these *imolai-Jo of
length, of capacity, amid of weight, so be the imperial
stauthsede fur Great Britain and Ireland, mud foe it. *demi, s
110 do tomilencies; awl they recommend that severed copies
of the .teudnrda Ise made with the utmost possible areitiacy
foe the use of the Excheqaer, for the three capitals, for the
principal foreign posseasions, fur the Guvrimeneut of France,
in return fur the enninumicalion of their standards; and
I especeselly for the United States of America, where your
Cwitinitiee have femme to leetteve shat t'sey will be adopted,
anal thus tend, in nu small degree, to fSeilltute the roamer-
ei•l iutercourse, and by so dome to consolidate a lasting
frieadship between the two great nations of the world mat
assimilated by their language, their laws, leGgiuu, emstfie#ll,
•ud matinees.

Your Committee cannot elate their Report without advert-
ing to the eztrauroinary knowledge and tageweety, and to
the indefeligehle industry displAyed by Captain Ritter. by
whom all the experiments have been gratuitously conducted,
fur ascertaining the various standard., and for detettotaieg
the le♦jih of the peodulunt by a method Ireceliarly his own,
and by which ►e has arrived at a degree of accuracy and
tweeistum that, but $ few years since, wee declarod to be
utterly saattainable.
This Gentleman, in ranspliance with ►is Majesty's diree.
flans, given in pur.uauce of an Address of this Honer, has
alas observed the variations of the pendulous on the petted-
ciral stations of the trigonometrical survey i sod from these

samplariab r•

stsr.l

r.t
-
q4or,sedl
all

eaSitery.
nit? ORS
lb rielif ;

wniion• I any oil . measures, est
local (-mown. or loestied Os. special ogrirrin,cl, that 'dive
may arhrt ; provided always, that the r duo or proportion of
•uch local measures, to Ampe eldsibitiaird by lan, May be
rustier or runitnnoi soloriety ; and that io the ram of • arr.
coal serreatent, the ratio or propnilioin be thereat* expressed.
*bur Coutmotire subjoin iu au SPpeodis, mote comps in-
liolg and proportions. which they *hulk way be er I
um —2Bth May, MIL

20! 1821 • . - •-li M Ilehr;Atte* sttewri sni a irs::,edis es cis •
. _
. Pteso a 7d. •
N. WOODFORD. ESS EX.— To be SOLI) bY • .1'
''''' '1.... d'4l.clitte. have 1)".".a.i1e idrlgreal null." 1"
. ~ With respen to the general Attire atilt e-farik. de 4leneitt a
V V PRIVATE CONTRACT, • capital NOV .
'menial c•mstrlietiee. do th,t y.mr Committer. me Aces,"
nely piesumt le a terrier masintr, mid. fit for the rrsidericr. of
streina that it will be itighli prOPPThie,"."I6IWIL4T '
flilial, of the Ilrat respectability • • it is reale'', wills
realdmace of +vim,* ever a still larger sloGre, so as to reulirei I
modes and unites aeon a satiable Geste; 'pullets) and
nreinrat• and estresenesteal ohaeryahoLs made h 1
ware grounds, hot b0n..., tar. with r‘cellesit grasa'
ctfulir ism- erect 111111ultiuf Errupe,,as mach as pussible„ UlOO
titirlsed. The Estate is Freehold. mod uno tif the lr.
'et they he" 'NW* rwaideacee withia the liaLie di•lance frliali 1081
and eaten practicable method of Maiming ite loollnial ti'
1 Tour Cessistittre linyipg directed their attendee to tire h
DitrAs yte. vvsEgict
...App1.....y to Mr. Thomas Allan, Solicitor, Frederinee
ceetries, Old JaweY. ' sates into gewe.al ea% beg leave to.tl.er to reitomaseut
Legislative esiaesoutaist, by *hint it shall be ii. Hired, that
so two doors WILIGHTS AND MEASUKL3'. baivi4s sell pales. where °mining •uir'sr• to the tolliftl
large reties • .11.11 lw deemed mid Ibbeth to be made in ceafuernity ti
—ne•—:
.....41,.m.; Sine tit F440411.111.41.111.40.51P0 Brink rapgaisy, •mi sine one staircase, .
esieneraitil tug 5.. , .. ;.;,,,••••• Igniterr..•_ls/4„4/t","! --,72' • li•t tlinl for a time to be 'Mutts,. it albeit be semprire" fiw
:.. . ,ir •-•- perann• in deal by any other measures, ert•blivhed either
wasese - ' '-- . ^ - . _ . _