Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1823-12-04
Outlines Of u proposed .4ci of Congress
10 REGULATE
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
BY THOMAS cOnpL,D

The great confusion OF Weights and M,,s,res /,
,.'g.l, gave rise :" the frs, Parliamentary motion
On ,se subject, by Sir John Riggs Miller Feb 5th
itn. l" that county, however, the predomiunn,
influence of hnance politics and marty n
srn'r" any ehecinai attention 10 rhe subject, iii iii,
au''ess oi the House of Commons TO the Prince r.
g"n, an the 18th August, 1876 pray,nu ib,, H.
WONT" give directions 10 ascertain the Iene,b or
"'a'"n vibrating seconds o time in the latitude of
i-o"uh' AS compared with The standard measure il,
possession of this house, &c I'm .on.enuence -,
'his address, the subject referred Ia comm,,a
o, me royal o0cieiy (Sir Geo. Clark Davis GiIb-rt
~ III NoIaston, Dr Young, and Capt. Kaier)
uhaer whose sanction, Capt Kaier made The num..
ious anu accurate experiments Of winch an accom-,
~ gwen IA the Philosophical Traus,ctions oc th.
WyR ooe'r'y Tor the year 1919. In the moan m-
vi, o''' was engaged IA similar experiments auper-
nu's 10 MS measurement ofthe use Of the re i.u
rou ""ere Mscia'rs And De Lamb, had left of T..
~ tno most noriher'y of the Shetland Isles
D'o, dscerlained the length Of the seconds. pen,ln
"" ~ 'atious stations, tIom FOIme Rtsra i'm lnt AZ
nrS; o9n'. o6s TO uu>t in 20 deg 45n, 95s Latter.
~ APT sabine has been engaged in the SAME re-
SEARCHES ~ stall higher northern latiiudes he having
"cconipHn,ed captain Parry's expo,luiou in search
"s N1rih-West Passage. Mr.. Goldingham and
APP warren have been engaged in similar pursuits
d' ni'aris, ih the East Indies
He nnmber Of those experimeDts-ihe unexam
r'eu perseverance and accuracy with which they
nave o" all tands been conductad-,be Minute de-
t,lis ct The methods OF conducting them snLo,eJ IN
The pubc-their wonderful aunrox;w,tin 49, -
olner' aud to the results OF calculation from theo,.t-
GU 'ofm"ii-loTn altogether, a set OF conciu.,ue,
pn,G n aS'a1iNhed an era in the history of the
lrn'"iun' The opportunities of comparing the one
u'""S n' captains haier aud Sabine with those of
Hntu', Bot, Arago. aud Slauhieu, have occurred
a''e"t S'n|s the publication Of MIR. j. q Adams'
report on Weights aud aIrasares
hHer Chp' Natrr had finished the expcroent. bx
wn'cn hr Determined the length Of the seconds pen-
'i"'um al London, the Boards Of Longitude al Lon
"on hSu dTIs aware, that I've had varied IN The min
c'p'e oil construction OF the instrument, .u,uInveJ
from 'he French experiments, employed NJ Ar,eo
10 ascrrl''" me correctness Of Kaers experiments
Nv urans OF Sordat's mcthod. A,aga was ioine, lac
Tumboiui aud Bot. rh- result was, n variation Of
''''1, ,ho"Sand'h part of inch Il quantity Too
small 10 be appreciate IN practice
1he Committee of the Roy.l Society will, these
r, oe'ore ihem reported March 3isl, 1921 as
I'''~s: (lhiS IS their third and final report
S so;pHn'g summary OF their conclusions, which
"e uf'ioer 1te result OF the best heads in that
ronn"' qualed 10 pass upon the question will o(
esl on the snbsct) NV " ' '""''
d. Inc Committee propose TJiomso,,s 9anals Of
i""OSV"yJOr tug. 1921 p. l59) that tie Patlia-
meniary standard yard msde Nv Bird in 1850 lao
heh'Sorth The legal standard Of The British Emnro
a"u 'ha " he ideniiiied hy declaring that 80 1895
moves OF this siand3rd Of the teuper;,,rrn of "a az
tnhienben's THERMOMETERS have been fn,nJ s,,I W.
'pA iensth OF ponJulun, supposed tn vibr,te seq
onsS az tne isve OF The Sra, the latitude OF London
anu ~ vacuum. ''
z. That The Parliamentary e,,,,I,.I ~ ,
Hccor"'T9 to the two pound weight made in I753
'Ie unai'ereo and that seven thousand grams
"'"n 10 constitute tue pound weight ayuirl,,-
pa'' he cubic inch Of distilled wafer he;ng fnnnL
70 Wesh ~ yacno al the Temperature of 60 ,bronIei,
air.) \N'"'' - ~'~''"o !"
s. That the ale aud corn gallon he res,ore, ~ ,a;
orginal equality by taking for The stauialJc o,I,
Oh me BRITISH empire, aieasure that shall hold +,
pounds nVoIrdupois OF conImnn water in ordinary
'"O"ns' 'hfes duh whose contents shall he 277 3
c"o'c INCHES (u Is 277 PIT by caIo ul,ion \ and ,I
So'isG' Salu''dS 81 ils imperial gallon aud of ,h.
"psnii' pfrk. quart, aud pat, derived from j.. and
W. a"." ris, DC procured without delay Tor The OK
lsfig .ps ,f 10,
ns !n'ged mos convenient ~. public tJs.
' report has The MORT of teirg founded on ere.,
3 experiment, aud al ga,yng iiule from
es'iSnsu PRACTICE, that pTeiudres will lac .hork
eh 10y 's Inir oduciOp as was f, case ,v;u lie ~
ter"''oo' made Ia i's French system 5y the in,rter
uon o. u, zen miod'h part Of tue quarter of ne
'''p ron Inc 'pua0r to the poeg as ti,ai, SIAN
N'nu I'''. ne r'9ce OF uoucncllture was a still
Siors "r"id'ble obs''lc than the Introduction of thc
meir: Ise'l n"d ho,h together have nccasoneJ the
priciichl rIycTO1 Of system f,t,udAJ on ,l, -,
beaGuiul SET uf Derinenls evcr under,aten sn,
pospl j. frec 7'''" wv
. 10 ad2p''ss The pendulum rs = Standard G. "a,
- ta'p pa 1sen SINCE tulrred by Denmark and n,
u 'n'nrg The D ,ni-h GovernnIon. I've .,lo,s,,
ne Length ofa pendulum, vibrating secon.;s il, d.
''I""dc, 90 ~ meridian % 5ksgcy - The level
=" 'ps "cs'h ~ varnD. Jis - 20 b. divided iu 3g
fqnh paris, each ~ which is 10 he a D,n;.b ;,cb
OF "hcn - re 20 make Danish loot Tie ,yc,ebi
o. e'n'r 90 Of water il to he the standard Of
weight TIE Senate of UImhnrg have ad,pted tb,
srmr r.sorGons. fhis ,pIorm.I,nn ia. Lsrn co,,,
mnn,c1'ed 20 VI H. 'nde of the Royal fngrifufe by
P,.,fessor Srlpnarker -
me seco l--psRdulnm "a lat IS norih. will. v;.i
" t'rn' IVfOh pirt nf ~ inch, be 80 tGD2 iurhn
= 'siel; ,.r"."Jy. So thdts Daursl ,ucb, viii 10
a'oui "-iVO more than an English nrb unless The
Nl"sslsnsd tenDefsiute should briue them nearer
~ msieao oi % would mike ibenI nearly enn,i
The peiTiuium standard there frre b;,Is Il, -, 4.
rome I've aciOil STANDARD Of hp Commerce., mar, oC
Europe, Notwithstanding The goat merit Of te lesc,
"m execution ri he French experiupnis and tbc |
singular accuracy employed 10 u,,n,n their uo,re =
CnI L"mberi, "lio las heeu employed in q oendcsi
ca survey 81 an arc uf Tie nrriisn in the Et Io
uifs, from latitude deg W. 80 4 TO l,r,nJr Ie |
nrR N - IS iron, Psgna near Cape Como,;, h
~ Fnmerg'Jda in The ztfr's doonions az ,,bi,h -,
account IS gwen ~ Tie PhH Tceas for 1915. ,er6s.
. brass rspands pD0iO4 Tor eacb depfec o. ,1re-i,,.
we Vnieier. Water y Usually considered its presss
's"iion nj 30 q tahepheif perhaps sos ,gonld M
an. Professor Jiohi ~ ~ "VPe
encf brass gallon would vary in lie ~oo,ep,
wen ~ 'n' 20 " FahrenheTs Just 10 Of 4 cubic inch
we gallon al 2I72I7cub inches or 10 lbs OF dis
loq %" water, independents of the containing yesss
aes i' gk between 50 aud 40 Of Faircnhcits somewhat
tess Than g oi cubic inc1. " y "''''
Clear river water weighs In re.rsef or ;.,;ttaa -
OUOs 60 So fst sii,n - ~ e's'lliFo WHter Is
lp ~ ccbic in.h more bss distilled teg "a he sss
.s'hPsftture thtt a., ii viii make difference al r,
- "sserged ~ practice. '1''' ~