The Sun.
London, England, 1826-01-13 00:00:00

WEIGHTS AND MEASUREi.

This subject is one, which more than any other
has at different times employed the attention of
the Legislature, though with little ur no locid
sive result. indeed, when the: good or ill effect
which the proper or improper regulation Of
weights and measures has upon society is consi•
tiered, we need not wonder th:►t they have itt all
ages and countries heen deemed an object of the
first importance.

Weights rind measures, with the ancients, were
thought from their great consequence to, have
been under the special protection of Mercury
and Hercules, %hose busts wore frequently
stamped on the former. In the cabinets of
Portici and S. Genevieve are weights of all kinds.
Two at Portici shall be mentioned. They are
of lead. Their form is flat, anolar, and oblong.
Upon one side is ?Al E on the other HA BEBIS.
The rings, accompanying man,/ ~mall beads or
butts; of deities, show that thy have been used
as %eights. Fabretti, an 1 Moutfaucon,
have published numerous weight., mostly formed
like the lower half of a pear. but others are
cubes, parallelograms, &c., inscribed and plain.
La 'this country they .a t r L.: coeval with the
aborigines of the island. The British weights
were of stone ; and in a barrow, of the Roman
British era, were found one mall pair of vales,
a touchstone weight of S dwts. 2 gri. ; and a
nest of heights piled in one another, in a wooden
case decayed. They sere marked with the
names of Trajan, Constantius, Bz,c.
luding says that !weights for money are first
mentioned 6111 John, though probably earlier.
One of James I. engraved " Robinson'S Et?,
field," has the figure and resemblance of a coin,

To the -;attonigonarchs they were well known,
William the'Contjueror ordered stamped Weights
and measures to be used throughout the kin ;elate,
as his gond predecessors had dene. Sicut Boni
predecestures 4tatuerrolt.
They are kUbjetq of various statutes in the stic-
reeding reigns. By Magna Clittr'ta it was or.
dahn,d " that one measure of wine should be
throughout the realm, and one measure of (flee
and one measure' of corn, that is.to say, the quar-
ter of LOndOn; and Otte beeadth of dyed clothe
rusSetts, end haberjeets, that is to say, two 'yards
within' the And it shonld be of weights Its
it was of measures."
The'statute 14 Ed wanl ill. cap. 12. notiess
this-enaetineitt of the great charter, atid adds
other regulations to . •
Item. Where it is contained in the (lreat
Charter,' that Otte eneatull• and OUP %Voiglit Ut
throughout 'England, and also it i, comaißed iu
a stature made in the titre of King Edward,
grandfather of the King that now is, that mane
shrill .by the bushel, if it
the King's -sera, and that it he rice (rr`llittY t(, the
King's fitamlard. And it. was ilk() contained,that
he which should be attuloted of Iltuving double
measure, that is to Say, one greatur iii „buy, and
another kse tt) sell,- should Ile, imprisoned
little, and grievously punished, which things had
nut been holden .nor used after the ..,10
mew, to the
_great grief of the people. Be it
thei'mfure ordained—That from henceforth, one
nteasure and one weight shall he used through.
out England, and that the treasurer shall cause