OBSERVATIONS ON THE REPORT OF The Committee of Weights AND Measures; &c. &c. &c. BY CALCULATOR. ORIGINAL. OBSERVATIONS, &c. HAVING AVING seen, through the medium of the newspapers, the substance of the report of the committee appointed to inquire into the original standards of weights and measures, &c. and in the Pamphleteer of August last, two letters on the same subject, addressed to the Earl of Liverpool, by F. Perceval Eliot, Esq.-also, "A Sketch for a new division and sub-division of Monies, Weights, and Coins, by Mercator," and as the committee in the report, as well as Mercator, refers to the French new system, in which these are all combined and connected, I shall venture to make a few observations on these very interesting subjects, and to recommend that, whenever any alteration is made, it may extend to the Assay of Bullion, the Standard of Coin, and the decimal division of money of account. The report notices a remarkable coincidence, that one cubic foot of water weighs exactly 1000 ounces avoirdupoise, and the committee gives a due preference to an unerring standard in nature, (which is also the basis of the French newsystem) to the antiquated and fallacious mode by grains of wheat; the Committee then goes on to recommend some trifling alteration in liquid and dry measures, so that they shall contain integer numbers of ounces, the whole of which appears so well arranged, that it is more than probable the legislature will adopt the report, on account of its greater accuracy, and as a remedy to the irregularities which have been so long complained of, the inconvenience of which, confirmed by the report, has long been felt, and has often been attempted to be remedied by various committees appointed by Parliament, but never yet accomplished, owing, as it evidently appears, to the incompetence of the individuals composing these commit tees, all of which have successively left the matter unfinished. The committee then further recommends that troy weight may be, retained for the traffic in gold and silver, on account of its connexion with the standard of the coin, but the author of the Sketch has so ably, though concisely, developed the subject, and, comparing our, with the French new, system, shown the great inconvenience of the former, as to induce me to try it by the test of the latter, and my investigation has led me to suggest some alterations, but previous to my stating them, and in order to obviate the necessity of reference to the Sketch, and also for the purpose of bringing the whole subject within view of those who may not have read it, it may not be improper to point out that it is proposed, for the Assay, that gold and silver shall be represented Fine by 1000. Standard by 900, Money of Account 1000. = £1. It will be sufficient to state thus far from the Sketch, and, under the supposition that avoirdupoise weight will be preserved, as recommended by the committee, and for the better combination of weights, I would now propose that, for the traffic in gold and silver, a pound weight be adopted, equal to 6300 grains Troy, and that the prices should be regulated upon fine, so that adding one ninth alloy to the pound fine would produce 7000 grains, or one pound Avoirdupoise, whereby the value of the latter, namely one pound avoirdupoise, standard, would be the same as one pound fine bullion weight. lb. Oz. The Pound bullion weight, to be divided thus: -10000-equal to 6300 The following Table to be adopted for the Mint-price of Gold and silver, per lb. of 10000 Decimal grains, equal to 6300 Troy grains. |