The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1816-05-25 00:00:00

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

Earl STAN HOPE, in ;pursuance of his notice, re-
called to their Lordships recollection, that they had
decided, a few days ago, upon a subject of great
import:ince, that of a Bill fur effecting uniformity
in Weights and Measures. Their Lordships had
dealt with that Bill as all rational men unglit to
have done, by putting it off for six months. But
they did not meals by that decision that the present
system was to continue. it Noble Friend of• his
(the Marquis of Lusatian) had buigKeNtrJ, that ra
Committee of scientific men should be appoiiited
for the purpose of considtitog Lie &abject more
carefully and he had takan it up with 'the con-
courtier of his Noble Friend. If any plan of his
was adopted, it would be a plan founded on nature.
It would not, like the prcarlit, be determined by
the length of barleycorns, score**, or horse-cliesituts.
Was the barleycorn a standard lit to be established

in the country of Newton, of Simpson, of Napier,
and Maelsliven 1755, what was called the
new style. was introduced here, it was resisted at
fir* by some iuciivids ls, on the Noittpusititati that it
ToMed the people of seems days. for the purpose
of making them a present to the Hanoverian*. Ha
knew that the old style we. still continued ie *sale
plucts, and if their Lordships thought limper that
the introduction of a new standard of Weights and
Measures *knish( also be adopted gradually, lw went
persuaded that it might be done without any incon-
venience to the !nubile. if they referred to the
Report of the C mittee of the Hume of Cum-
'nom, in the mouth of April last, they would liiid
that there was a politic office where all Weights
tool Meastirt-, that were brought to it received the
stump, without being examined or put into the
scale on inertly rating the fee. What a acaittlit7
loos practice was this. with regard to the public!
Ile had taken the tomilile to look into the At t of
I'utl►amesit, 141111 he t*.itifitl that they had no right
to take the he for stalliping, but for adjusting and
stamping. Else wetness Upon whose testimony the
fact of the improper stwitiiiiiio of weights awl tura-
tiartS hy this office was proved-, hall Offered 141raisUrea
under size, for the purpose of ascertai iiiii it, moll

they were stamped. The itquituor cooseipieiscts
of H practice or ihis moon., he nerd riot dwell
upon—the lon, to the I.lollw—the ilitory of chae4c..
_ .

ter moil of bminetMs to shopkreperA, who miG6t linve
used them. without a kilowlctige of diva tietici-

ester. 116 intention was topropose ins Address to
the Crown, pruyiiig that au appuisitinent of proper
scientific pervious might Ise smote, for the porpoise of
considering what alteration it.llll:4ltt be desirable to
make in the forewent *pigeon. Ile did nut mean to
Stlggest who the precise persons sliould be, but he
felt himself culled Upon to give the (louse to uo-
derstaud of what description of persons lie thought
the commission should he composed—three mein-
lwrs of each House of Parliament. One Peer from
each part of Seotland mail Ireland, represented in
that llomre, from respect to the different parts of
the United kingdom. Among the Irish Represen-
tatives in that Ilritise, wee the Earl of Ross, whose
niformation Toddled him cession-only for the task.—
lie would also toev. leave In moue the of Aber-
dress. Aliiiiiig the other sciesitilic men coolie-ctrl
with thooversities nod !while estalili•listwols, he
should mime Doctors llutton. Woolssimoi Hull
Gregory. Colonel Mudge, I)octiir Rolieitson, of
Oxford, 1)0o-tor Vnrer, of Cuoisiortde, and Air.
Play fair, of Edinburgh.
Loid K EN yea observed, that the Noble Earl
laid omitted the Universities of Glasgow cod
Earl STANHOPE SHOI dint the list lie bad made,
was only immodest to describe the class of iier„ons
that, in his opinio', should be on the
task. There um. moodier point to which lot should
anode before he sat down. It would, lie believed,
be very disagreeable to koine men of seiviace, to be
called op mill examined upon oath. 11 Mit course
was pursued, he should evionme the :oils out of
*mire of them-1,1 I 'ugh.) cow:
chided with lug for ion Address to his liuiad
flightless the Prince Regent, pro, hog for the up-
litUlUttnt:Ut of a COUILIII36IOU of scientific pt;isor.s, to

! consoler how far it might he adeisuli le to establish
a snore uniform 'Totem of weighif }4d measures.
The Earl of A talottit thought, that 6061 a re-
gulatiol would he highly detirahle !if it could he
accomplished, but it was metaled:4l with diffieul-
tire that were almost insurmountable: ,fiet hoped
that some snore efficient person would lee monied
in his place, and thought it was deiervinA of cone
sideretion, whether an inquiry which was ;how go.
hog forward on the same subject, could tie ,ont-
hissed with that which vies proposed by the Noble
Earl.
The Earl all Ltvraroor. declared himseif
competent to offer any judgment in a came of this
mitotic: lint he was informed by those who were
capable, that the Bill which was brought herder li
the House was full of imperfections. and liable to
gnat objections. Ile should remark, however,
that the present war not a measure of ‘ciettee only,
though that was the greet foniudationo upon which
it moist proceed. There were ni.o many prurticil
ceesigesetioois that must be inquired into. .14 to
the motion ;fedi', he could have too objection to 1,,
m it war agreed, upon all hands, that the ;boohoos
if preeticable, was desioilile. Ile could assure the.
Noble Earl, that those whole duty it would he to
advise the Crown on the occasion, would have no
other object in view doom that of selecting the
prisons most capable of meting. How for the
C 'tire that existed at present could be com-
bined with the one now proposed, lie was not capa-
ble of judging.
Earl STANHOPE allowed, thud it was a matter
both of science and expediency, and that theeelec-
tiros sl Id be made with both of those views. It
wroth! lw nn object of the greatt3t importance to
this commercial country, if they could establish a
stormier& to be adopted by all Europe. The only
way to accomplish that, would be to have a standard
founded in nature. If that was dorm, there never
was so popper ail opportunity of doing it as now,
when all the countries in Europe were so much in
the habit of communicating together.
The motion was then agreed to.
The Soap I)nty Regulation Bill, the St. James.%
Poor Bill, and several Bulls of a private nature,
weir loought tip from the Commons, end read a
first Lute.—Adjourned till Monday.

iIOCSL OF COMMONS.

ACCealeifl of the amnual of the Tulle of the Royal Mai.
boy Canal were laid on the table.
CHARITABLE DONATIONS

On she motion of Mr. Warrrer.m.tv return,. were ordered
of the amount of Limitable thus:Woos, fur the beuefit of
the Pour, iu England ■ud Wale*.
POOR LAWS.

Mr. CURVIEV postponed until the 2Rth in•t his motion
relative to the Poor Llav, what'll stood fur ills. slay.

ARGYLE. ROAD BILL.
Lord JoU (-40411.8FLL bruuirlit up the mport of the Argyk
Row, Rill —On the motion that it be rtireited,
I.ord CoNtrrou propowed au ainenituieut relative to the
regulatawit of troliterahtpa iro that road.
lord J•H■ CAMPIELL replied.
he unit their divided, wbra the numbers were,

For the Noble Lard'. Amendmeat— el
Agairst it

Majority 4
Ow sue readentabiwo to the l;ellery, we footed Lewd Come-
Wow prwposing reutber antesidien et, which wee lost, the
weather+ being,
For it
Ageiwet It

Majurity
The icport was !bra remit...4l, ~wl agreed to.
CONFERENCE WITH THE: LORDS.

. - -
On the motion of the CanNircuAns of the Ezeurcinrs,
Committee was appointed to mansige the conference with
she Lords, i.O the subject ut the direst of the Statnte Rock.
The ( uminitlee consisted of Str J. Newport, Lord Attliurp,
Land Gower, Lord Clive, Lord Ussiulston, Mr. W. Wynn,
:Writhe, Mr. Loeklirt, M►. Robinson, Mr. Abercroinby, Mr.
Rase, and several other Meml■ rs.
the return of the Comnsistee,
Mr. RIN► appi.ared :It the Bar, and reported, that the
Committee had held tire conference with the. Lord.. on Earl
Sianhope's m0t',,,,, upon the subject of the arestsgetn: sit of
11w Solute linos, nude► distinct and proper heads.
port of tow wits then laid on she tithie,and ordered
W be tsktu IMO consideration on this day se'snoght.