1814 Aug 22 257 Daily Prices of STOCKS, from 21st AUGUST to 20th SEPTEMBER, 1814. 16 11-16 16 13-16 16 13-16 163 162 162 65 65 Omnium 02d193 16p 5p 181813 88111 THE LITERARY PANORAMA, AND National Register: For NOVEMBER, 1814. NATIONAL and PARLIAMENTARY in order to remunerate that labour. Art. Notices, BRITISH and FOREIGN. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. REPORT FROM THE SELECT COMMITTEE, APPOINTED BY THE HOUSE OF COM MONS TO INVESTIGATE THE SUBJECT OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed, July 1, 1814. a and skill, in their progress, demanded further extension of the principle, till at length philosophy, to answer her purposes, divided and subdivided into parts the smallest of those measures which of thousands and tens of thousands, &c. had been found anciently quite sufficient for daily use and employment. Such is the progress of intellect; it multiplied the foot into furlongs and miles-the mile into degrees; till it measured not. the earth only, but also the heavensthe distances of the planets, the sun, and the stars. It also divided the foot into If there were any thing on which be concurrence of mankind might be spected, a priori, conjecture would proably fix on the subject of measures, if it on that of weights; because it seems more than natural to infer, that the ruments of the former, at least, were, jually with those of number, integers the human frame itself, and that from original all examples would be taken roughout the world. But, we have had record deviations from the usual num- the bodily frame of man, nevertheless Those natural measures, taken from of members, in families which have maintain themselves in the dignity of fingers and six toes on each hand denominators at least, if not of regulators: d foot-and we cannot deny the lit- the foot measure manifestly represents conformity that obtains in the gene- the human foot; the yard (or ancient heights of men of different climates ell) represents the length of the arm; races, and in particular members the hand is that of the human hand; ich present themselves as proper to the span marks the extension of the ve the purpose of measures. Preci-thumb and fingers, while the digit is of weight and measure is a refine- named after the fingers solely. Nor is t on the state of nature, and is, in this principle out of use among domestic the offspring of commerce and cal- admeasurements; for our women, when tion. When articles in their natural accidentally without better standards, aswere bartered against each other, certain with sufficient exactness the was no need to measure or weigh length of ribbands, &c. by laying them , or to study greater approxima- from the knuckle of the middle finger to to accuracy than that connected the tip of that member (the nail,)—which, the estimate of the eye, by which is usually equal to the measure called, were considered, and relatively a nail, this they multiply into the d. As commodities increased to yard, &c. Reference to the human fih value had been imparted by human gure, is found useful, also in more conr, greater correctness was required siderable measurements: for a fathom, 1. Lit. Pan. New Srries. Nov. 1. inches and tenths, till the microscope marked spaces equal to the thirty thousandth of an inch; and the dimensions of moving atoms-invisible, how much less than invisible to mortal sight! were subjected to calculation and estimate. G our own inch is composed of three lengths of a barley-corn; as our grain weight refers to a grain of wheat, well dried, taken out of the middle of the ear. But all barley-corns are not of equal length; neither are all grains of wheat of the same weight. Here, then, was no standard, intended by nature, for operations requiring nicety; yet has this notion prevailed very generally, and the principle has been sought in the East, in seeds of pepper, and va rious other grains. It was not, however, till after valuable articles were included among merchandise, that those minor objects were regarded. The ori ginal weight was a stone but this coul only refer to bulky goods :-We hav preserved the term, though we no longe employ the thing; and with a diversity precisely in point, the stone weight i sometimes of eight pounds to the stone and at other times fourteen pounds. contrariety, surely, reducible to no prin ciple of reason whatever.-The cane the reed, the palm, are so many in stances of measure taken from vegetabl productions; but, we can, on this o casion, only mention them. We mo now look homeward. which is nominally six feet, is the ex-getable productions of nature. Hence - tent from tip to tip of the fingers, when the arms are stretched out to their full length, taken across the shoulders; and it corresponds to the height of the figure, which is six times the length of the foot. Nature has even employed some small sleight to equalize these measures, for in extending his arms to the utmost, a man loses two or three inches at the articulations of his elbows. Whatever were the intentions of nature in establishing the rudiments of mensuration in the human frame, certain it is that they have been disregarded by mankind. In fact, the dissimilar proportions of the different races of men, would have rendered them nugatory, beyond the nations which respectively might adopt them. The dwarfish Ethiopian, or Laplander, would have introduced anomaly into a general scale, formed on the average of mankind, had such been instituted six lengths of their feet would reach little above the navel of a tall German, or robust mountaineer of Caucasus; and if there were anciently nations of wonderful height,Giants,-(Rephaim) like the Patagonians of modern days, as tradition insists, what pitiful manakins had the majority of the human race appeared, measured by their enormous standard! Our own country affords sufficient perplexing diversities of weight and me It is, nevertheless, a subject of sur- sure. The Scots acre, the Irish acr prise, that among the same nation, (of- and the English acre differ; whoeve ten too under the same dominion), there therefore, would know the true rent should obtain such diversities of weights a farm, in either of what was former and measures, as in fact exist, all the the three kingdoms, for purposes of com world over. The Roman palm and the parison, must reduce its acre to the rel Neapolitan palm are not equal; the tive standard. The miles of some par Rhineland foot and the Strasburgh foot of the island, before the general placing differ, though Strasburgh be situated mile-stones along the roads, were do on the Rhine; the Turkish pike is ble, if not triple, the length they we greater and lesser, and the ell at Ant-in others; and many a weary werp is longer than the ell at Amsterdam, by about an inch. Neither is this diversity of modern origin. The ancient foot is thought to have been different in different places; and that there was some diversity in the cubit is certain, though the learned find difficulties in determining with precision in what it consisted. Perhaps it was to avoid such discrepancies, that certain nations declined taking the standard of measure from the human figure, and sought it in the ve travell has been jaded almost to death, by t "twa miles and a wee bit," of so sturdy rustic, in Westmoreland or Cu berland, whose "wee bit " has pro as long, if not longer, than his "t miles." The mortification of such discrep cies has even penetrated our domes economy. A pound of butter is, in so places, fourteen ounces, in others s teen, and in others twenty; A bushe wheat is almost half as much again some markets as it is at others: have the hundred, or ten times ten; the kundred weight, or one hundred and twelve pounds; and the long hundred, or one hundred and twenty, or six score. Even the dozen is, sometimes twelve, and sometimes fourteen, familiarly called "a baker's dozen;" but no longer acknowledged by bakers, who, in better days, gave cheerfully their seven rolls to the half dozen, when taken together by one customer. Whoever desires to know the vexations to which this want of conformity among us gives rise, may obtain full conviction, by attempting to calculate the average price of corn, as reported from the various country markets. We speak from experience, when we recommend it as a trial of patience no less than of skill; and this, even the State itself finds | to its cost; for hence arises the necessity of an officer appointed to announce this average for England and Wales, for weekly insertion in the Gazette-after having submitted it to calculation. The continuance of these differences is greatly owing to advantages derived from them by dealers in the markets, who found this mystery a source of profit-they bought by one bushel, and sold by another;-by one stone, and sold by another ;-by one hundred, and sold by another. They protested to the consumer, that the commodity cost them "so much per hundred, or per stone;" -and so it did: but not in the sense in which they intended the consumer should understand them: they knew the proportionate prices at the different markets; and this knowledge afforded them gain. That a gain should attend trade, is just-that it should perpetuate such prevarication, is assuredly, something approximating to the unjust. The study of statistics, or the wealth, the power, the productions of a people, is becoming more than ever popular. In fact, all agree that without it, no proper comparison can be drawn on the relative state of nations: we may add, nor on the relative state of distant parts of the same nation. To simplify this study, as much as possible, is the desire of every thinking mind, of every true patriot. An important part of it depends on the knowledge of production and consumption; on correct es timate of the expenses attending cultivation of land, and the value of what land returns. To this the present variations in weights and measures, present an insuperable obstacle. Nor was this vexation unknown to our ancestors, though probably founded on very different feelings; for it was thought of importance sufficient to obtain a place in MAGNA CHARTA itself. In that memorable instrument, it was provided that one weight and one measure should be established throughout the realm: did it prove so? far, far from it. In later ages, Acts of Parliament resumed the subject, and re-enacted-to become obsolete;-again they interposed their authority; and again it slumbered. There must, then, be some inveterate cause for this, a cause that defies the law :-we have been able to imagine none more probable than the diversity of races which in early times peopled our island: some came from the north; others came from the south: some from the opposite coast, in extremely remote ages others in later periods: each horde of emigrants brought with it many peculiarities sanctioned by habit, and endeared by recollection:-superstitions, dispositions, tempers, customs, and-most probably weights and measures. Their superstitions, their tempers, their customs, continue in great part to this day why then should we wonder if their ancient weights and measures are still persisted in? Custom has continued a privilege paramount to law. It might be thought that the different kingdoms into which the island was divided antiently, had each their own system;-or that the succeeding powers and governments, British, Saxon, Danish, Norman, &c. established their regulations, which were more or less firmly fixed, according to the prevalence of their authority, in different parts. Even the names of quantities differ in different places, which seems to imply the esta blishment of various languages, or, at least, of various dialects of the same language, still preserved among the people, though unknown among those of a su perior rank, and extensive education. Again has the legislature resumed this important subject; the Report of |