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r'.si^K'?^'?^'^^^^^^*^'''''"***'^***"' 
 
^ 
 
 Article 1. — Weights and Measures. — By B.. S. 
 M. Bouchette, Esq., Commissioner of Customs, 
 Associate M mber. 
 
 [Head before the Society, 18th March, 1863.] 
 
 ' vi- 
 
 i' 
 
 There is a branch of Political Economy Vnich, although 
 one of the most important in its application to the dealingg 
 between man and man in the prosecution of foreign or 
 domestic commerce, seems, nevertheless, to have, in a 
 great measure, baffled all attempts hitherto made to 
 give it that fixity and uniformity in practice which 
 are, theoretically, its essential elementc. • I refer, as you 
 liave no doubt already anticipated, to the subjei^t of 
 weights and measures, which yon have kindly permitted, 
 that I should examine and discuss before the Society 
 this evening. I have not the pretension to believe that, in 
 treating a question upon which philosophers and states- 
 men have diflered, I am going to relieve it of its 
 difficulties, and throw any new light on the subject; but 
 having, in the course of my reading in connection with 
 a branch of my official duties, collected some facts and 
 opinions in reference to weights and measures, in Great 
 Britain, in France, and in other countries, I thought the 
 Society might not deem it wholly uninteresting to have 
 those facts and opinions brought under its consideration, 
 in the manner in which I am about to submit them, 
 and I beseech the indulgence of the Society, for the 
 imperfect manner in which I may perform the tasfe 
 I hare undertaken. 
 
 I 
 
The terms weights and measures, in their familiar 
 import, narrow down our ideas to the daily business tran- 
 sactions of life, in which respect, however, from the multi- 
 tude and variety of those transactions, the subject assumes 
 a vast practical importance. But its scope is not confined 
 to the operations of the mart ; it bears upon far loftier 
 objects, and embraces the arts and sciences. The dimen- 
 sions of the globe we inhabit, those ot Jie spheres which 
 form part of our solar system, their distances and their 
 density, are all computed by the same general rules by 
 which we measure the distance between Quebec and 
 Toronto, the cubic contents of a cylinder, or weigh an 
 
 ounce of bread. 
 
 My present purpose aims at no higher ambition than 
 Bimply to explain the system of weights and measures, 
 . as it prevails in each of those countries with which wa 
 are most intimately connected by commerce; and there- 
 fore, to consider those systems as they are found in France, 
 in England, and in the United States, with the second of 
 which, our metropolitan country, and with the United 
 States, an aggregate tra^e in imports and exports is car- 
 ried on by this Province, amounting annually to about 
 
 $80,000,000. . . 
 
 I will also point out what is our own position with 
 regard to the subject under consideration, and will offe. 
 a few general remarks upon existing systems of weights 
 and measures, in relation to their bearing and influence 
 on domestic trade, and on foreign or international 
 
 commerce. 
 
 Frakce. 
 
 In France, before the Kevolution of 1789, which 
 
 ^as one of those upheavings of the social fabric, the 
 
 vibrations of which were felt in almost every civilized 
 
 ftation of the world, the weights and measures were- 
 
 ■^-.t'tkiXHt^'X-Mim-l^lf^X^''- 
 
i 
 
 
 found to bo In the greatest confusion. Reform seemed 
 indispensably necessary ; but the bit by bit reform which 
 is characteristic of the wisdom of modern legislation, 
 did not suit that period of bold and sweeping innovations, 
 and the whole system of weights and measures, then exist- 
 ing in France, was suppressed, to give place to a new- 
 metrology established by the law of the Tth April 1795.^ 
 
 This, however, was not don« lightly. Tire subject 
 underwent the gravest examination, and the decision 
 appears to have been based upon very enlarged views and 
 philosophical considerations. 
 
 With tho Bishop of Autnn, better known as Prince 
 de Talleyrand, originated the idea of a new system of 
 weights and measures, founded upon the principle of 
 a single and imimrsca standard, and it was he, it appears, 
 who first submitted to the National Assembly in 1790, the 
 project of a decree upon the subject. Foreign nations, 
 and especially the British Government, were invited to 
 co-operate in tho measure, and it was suggested that com- 
 missioners, choseu from the Royal Society in England, and 
 fromthe Academy of Sciences in France, should meet to 
 confer together on the subject, and carry out tho design 
 of fixing a common international standard for the weights 
 and measures of both countries. To this invitation, how- 
 over, the Government of England did not respond, and 
 the National Assembly of Franco was left to prosecute 
 alone a scheme which seems to have originally aimed at 
 tlie establishment of an international as well as a domestic 
 
 Bvstem.. 
 
 " The adoption of a unit, which would at once furnish 
 a standard for measures of length, weight, and capacity, 
 BUggested itself as the great desideratum, and tho mUre 
 was chosen as that unit, with its decimal parts, the metre 
 Itself being the standard of mcaaure of length, surface, and 
 
i 
 
 flolidity ; the cubic decimetre or tenth part of the metre, 
 of distilled water, weighed in vacuo, at the temperature 
 of its greatest density, being the kilogramme or standard 
 of weight, whilst the space occupied by the cubic decimetre 
 of water became the litre or standard of capacity. 
 
 The momentous question, however, the key-stone of the 
 whole fabric, was to fix the length of the metre upon some 
 more philosophical basis than that upon which some parts 
 J of the old system rested, in which, the standard of lengtli, 
 for instance was, it is stated, taken from the length of 
 Charlemagne's foot, as the Greeks had before them adopted 
 as their standard of that measure the length of tJie foot of 
 Hercules. 
 
 Opinions were divided as to the best mode of obtaining 
 the metre — some advocated as the most accurate test, the 
 length of tlie pendulum vibrating seconds in a given 
 latitude, or at the equator ; others preferred the fractional 
 part of a terrestrial meridian. 
 
 To examine into this important question, a commission 
 was appointed by the National Assembly, composed of 
 some of the most eminent members of the Academy of 
 Sciences of France. Borda, La Grange — who has been 
 designated as the JSTewton of France,— La Place, Monge 
 and Condorcet, composed this commission, which, on the 
 19th March, 1791, reported in favor of selecting the frac- 
 tional part of the meridian, i. e. the 10-millionth part of the 
 quarter of the meridian, instead of the length of the pen- 
 dulum, as the standard unit souglit for. 
 
 Tlio thrilling events which immediately followed 1791, 
 a period historically known as the Eeign of Terror, for a 
 time eclipsed this learned Commission, several of tlie mem- 
 bers of which were dismissed by the Committee of Public 
 Safety, as not being thorough Kepublicans.— /Za etaieni 
 
 .s 
 
soupgonn4s d'etre suspects — but in 1795 all the operations 
 which had been commenced under the direction of the 
 Academy of Sciences, in reference to the standard of 
 weights and measures, were resumed, and the National 
 Convention which had succeeded to the National Assem- 
 bly, prosecuted the original plan to its final accomplish- 
 ment. The admeasurement of the arc of the meridian 
 was at once resumed, and eventually completed by 
 Delambre and Mcchain. The accuracy of their respective 
 operations will readily be conceived, when it is stated that, 
 after a series of triangulations and levels, over a country 
 upwards of 600 miles in extent between Dunkirk and 
 Barcelona, upon two bases, the one oi 6075.90 toises, the 
 other of 0006.25, the latter base, though at a distance of 400 
 miles from the former, when calculated by inference from 
 the chain of triangles between them, differed from its 
 actual measurement less than one foot. 
 
 Such were the means by which the length of the metre, 
 
 the fundamental unit of the French metrical system, was 
 
 established ; and if I have dwelt upon this branch of the 
 
 subject longer than is consistent with the humble practical 
 
 view which, at the outset, I professed to take of the 
 
 question, I shall perhaps be forgiven on ac ount of the 
 
 deep interest we must all feel in the triumphs of science, 
 
 and in the contemplation of those large and ennobling 
 
 conceptions which are so well calculated to impress us 
 
 with the vast resources and elevation of the human mind. 
 
 The standard metre thus definitively adopted is equal to 
 
 433tVoV li^es or 36^^^ inches of tlie old French measure, 
 
 and corresponds nearly to 39tV^ inches English measure. 
 
 The length of the pendulum vibrating seconds at Parist 
 
 that is 86,400 oscillations in 24 hours, is 440^^^^ lines 
 
 old French measure, or ^'^^U-iv of ^^^ metre, and there- 
 
 I 
 
6 
 
 fjre -nre-fffrr shorter thuti tho motro as deduced from the 
 meridian. The attempt to regulate the length of the pen- 
 dulum by a given number of decimal oscillations, that 
 is 100,000 in 2-1 hours reduced its length in the same 
 latitude to .^^^ of the metre. 
 
 The metre is the centre of the Frencli system of -weights 
 and measures. From it are formed in decimal ratios two 
 scales, the one ascending, the other descending, and it 
 furnishes the standard not only for linear, superficial, and 
 solid measure, but it also, with its decimal parts, becomes 
 the standard of weight and capacity, as I have had already 
 occasion to mention. 
 
 This ascending and descending scale has its application 
 to all the forms of measurement, and by means of Latin and 
 Greek prefixes you at once know whether you are dealing 
 with multiples or divisions of the standard, the Latin 
 Prefixes being indicative of the des3ending scale, whilst the 
 Greek are applied to the ascending scale. Thus we have, 
 with reference to measures of length, capacity, and 
 weight, the following nomencl'Uure. 
 
 LEXGTH. 
 
 Tlie Millimetre or .001 of the Metro. 
 
 " Centimetre " .01 
 
 " Decimetre " •! 
 
 « Metre " l.=-39^ Eng. Inches 
 
 " Decametre " 10. 
 
 " Hectometre " 100. 
 
 " Kilometre " 1,000. 
 
 «' Myriametre " 10,000. 
 
 CAPAcrrY. 
 
 The Millilitro or .001 of the Litre. 
 
 « Centilitre " .01 
 
 « Decilitre " .1 
 
'I 
 
 7 
 
 H LiTBH " : 1 — 26418 of Wine 
 
 " Decalitre " 10. gallon, rathet 
 
 « Hectolitre " 100- ino^e than a 
 
 " Kilolitre « 1,000- q^^rt 
 
 <' Myrialitre " 10,000. 
 
 ■WEIGHT. 
 
 The Milligramme or 001 part of the 
 
 '' Centigramme" 01 Gramme> 
 
 " Decigramme " •! 
 
 •'Gramme " 1.-15.43 grains 
 
 " Decagramme "... 10. 
 
 " Hectogramme" 100. 
 
 f « Kilogramme " l,000.„about 2^. lbs. avoir- 
 
 « Myriagramme " 10,000. dupois. 
 
 And then, with respect to solidity and surface, the 
 following, viz: — 
 
 BOLIDITT. 
 
 The Decistere . . .1 of Cubic Metre. 
 
 35.3160 cub. ft. « Stere 1. or a Cubic Metre. 
 
 " Decastere . . 10. or 10 Cubic Metres* 
 
 LAND MEASURE. 
 
 The Centiare . . .01 of the are or square 
 
 metre. 
 
 4 sq. perches )« Are ...... . 1. one hundred square^^ 
 
 nearly. j 
 2^ acres nearly " Hectare... 100. 10,000 square ^ 
 
 metres* 
 
 It would be impossible to devise a decimal system more 
 perfect and harmonious in its parts, coupled with a nomen* 
 clature so expressive J the multiple or division of the unit 
 of weight or measure it represents : as remarked by Mr. 
 Adams in his admirable report to Congress on this subject,, 
 in 1821 ; " no two words express the same thing ; and no 
 ^o things are signified by the same word." 
 
8 
 
 Beautiful, howovc,-, as this system is admitted to be in 
 tl'eory jt was, from i„ incoptio., mot witl, >],» ,"Z 
 overwhelm,,,,, difflcltic, i„ practice. A popalatio " „ 
 H>.ll,ons, accastomcd for ages to a particular mode of 
 
 and tl,ey so ,,ert,nac,ously clung to their old system, tl,a 
 he Gove,.n,ncnt of France ,vas forced to .nake, at dither™ 
 ..nes such concessions to popular usages, and so to modify 
 the aws, that the result, for nearly forty years was to 
 produce enhanced confusion in refe,-ence Z7l Zk^ 
 and measures of the countiy. "e,„nt3 
 
 great metr,cal system may be said to have been, a, a 
 -hole, .mposed „po„ Prance. The law of the 4 Zy 
 183,, winch abrogated the decree of the 13th Februa,7 
 18U, pe,™,tt,ng uuder certain rest,-ictions theuse of old 
 ye,g hts and measures with their former designations! 
 utte,-ly swep aw-ay the old system, so far as a legal onae 
 n>ent could do it, and bodily substituted in its^placelho 
 (lecmal metnc system, which I have j„st described. The 
 
 until thlTrV'' "" °" ""■"''*' ""-^ "■'^""- «-"^ '°l-»'od 
 nntil the 1st Jannary I SiO, after which date heavy penal- 
 t.es were attached, not only to the use of such old wLghts 
 and measures, but even a rcfe,-cncc to them in concracts was 
 p.olub.ted and a notary who should i„ any deed of eon- 
 veyanee describe lands by the ab,-ogated tenns ofmea- 
 m-ement instead of nsing the language of the new metro- 
 logy, was not only fined, but the deed itself was declared to 
 be null and void. Such is the present stringency of the 
 law npon th.s subject in France. 
 
 Measures w^,-e, however, immediately taken to facilitate 
 M far as possible the dissemination of the system. On tha 
 
i 
 
 d to be in 
 the most 
 elation of 
 mode of 
 ISO of tlio 
 familiar^ 
 tern, that 
 t different 
 to modify 
 , was to 
 3 weights 
 
 that this 
 3en, as a 
 tth July 
 ''ebruary 
 30 of old 
 ^nations, 
 d enact- 
 ilace tlio 
 I. The 
 olerated 
 7 penal- 
 weights 
 Lcts was 
 of con- 
 ot'mea- 
 
 mctro- 
 ared to 
 
 of the 
 
 cilitate 
 Onthff 
 
 i7th August, 1830, waspromnlgated the " Ordonnance du 
 Jioi sur la ver if cation desmoids ct mesures." The surjeiU 
 lance of the vci'ification is by it assig!iod to i\\(iprcfcts and 
 sous 2^r^fets ci Departments into which Franco is divided, 
 but the venficateurs or Inspecturs are appointed by tho 
 Minister of Public Works, Agriculture and Commerco. 
 It is ])rovided that eacli Department should bo put in pos- 
 session of a complete assortment of standard weights and 
 measures, duly stamped in tho Department of tho Proto- 
 types, and these standards are to bo verified every ten 
 years, 
 
 (Ireat pains were evidently taken in the framing of this 
 ordinance, the details of which appear amply to provide 
 for the effectual admim'stration of this important branch 
 of domestic national economy. Whether the law of 1837 
 and the ordinance first referred to, have wholly succeeded 
 in the establishment of the new system throughout France, 
 may yet bo problematical. It has unquestionably tri- 
 umphed in all the great centres of commerco of the 
 Empire, but I have heard it stated that some deviations 
 from it still exist in other parts of the country, notwith- 
 standing the stringency of tho law, so much is tho via 
 incrtuc oi {\\Q human mind opposed to chanrrc 
 
 It would appear from evidence given before the Com- 
 mittee of a Dritish House of Commons last year, that tho 
 French metrical system prevails or is about being adopted^ 
 in tl'3 following countries, viz: 
 
 France, 
 
 Holland, 
 
 Belgium, 
 
 Italy, 
 
 Spain, 
 
 Portugal, 
 
10 
 
 Switzerland, 
 Greece, 
 
 And part of South America. 
 Havirifr tlius given you a brief account of the decimal 
 system of the French metrology from its origin in the 
 days of the Eevolution to its linal cstablislimeut under 
 Louis rhili]>, a? the only legal pystem recognised or tolera- 
 ted in France, I shall now cross the British Channel and 
 inquire into the system of weights and measures which 
 prevails among a people so famed in the annals of the 
 world, not only for their indomitable courage in war, and 
 their profound knowledge of tne science of government, 
 but for their pr^-eminent skill in the industrial arts and 
 the world-wide scope of their commerce, the result at 
 once of the wisdom of their commercial laws and of that 
 enterprise which has in all directions extended the boun- 
 daries of the British Empire. 
 
 England. 
 The j)olicy of all communities that have grown sufS- 
 eicntly large to have commercial dealings, Avhcther it be in 
 the sale or barter of commodities, or of lands, will natu- 
 rally be to adopt some nni/Gor/i weight or measure by 
 which quantities may bo ascertained. Tlio wisdom of thiS' 
 policy appears to have been felt at an early period of the 
 history of the British people, and the records of Parlia- 
 ment of the remotest dates bear evidence of the attempts 
 made through legislation to establish uniformity in weights 
 and measures ; but whether the defects were in the legisla- 
 lion itself, or whether there are any inherent obstacles in 
 the nature of things to bafdo the attainment of this uni- 
 formity, certain it is that later enactments on the same 
 subject do not appear to have been more successful in- 
 reaching the goal than the primitive laws, framed age* 
 ago for the accomplishment of that momentous object. 
 
 * 
 
 ii 
 
 M 
 
ft 
 
 "We find fri the great Cliarter of Henry TIT, which wa* 
 
 n confirmation of the famous ]\Xagna Charta of King John» 
 his predecessor, an express enactment Jiaving for it8 
 object the establishment of uniformitu in ■weights and 
 measure:?. This Avas in 12G0. Avoirdupois and Troy 
 weights do not at this time appear to have been tlio stand- 
 ards of v/eight hi Enghmd. The first mention of avoirdu- 
 pois weight in the lilnglish statutes is to bo found in u 
 statute of Edward IIT, anno 1335. 
 
 The weight of tlie silmv j>^nny sterling, was it seems, 
 the basis of the M'hole fabric of the system of 12(JG. 
 This penny Avas the -^.^-^ili part of the Tower pound, and 
 was equal in weight to SSkernels of wheat. (51 Henry 
 III.) But' the langrtago of the law itself is so singularly 
 precise, and the system of uniformity as to coins, weights 
 and measures, v.diich it prescribes, is so ingenious, that I 
 must quote the words themselves. 
 
 '•' By the consent of the whole realm of England, tho 
 *' measure of the King was made ; that is to say ; that 
 " an English penny called a sterling round, and without 
 " any clipping, shall weigh 33 wheat corns in the midst 
 " of tlie ear, and 20 pence do make an ounce, and twelve 
 ^' ounces one pound, and eight pounds do make a gallon of 
 *' wine, and eight gallons of wine do make a London bushel 
 " which is the eighth part of a quarter." 
 
 It would, perhaps, bo impossible to lay down in fewer 
 words so complete and congruous a system as that here 
 defined, and it shows how much in all ages, and wo might 
 say in all countries, the tendency was to borrow standards 
 of weight and value from the cereal products of tho 
 €arth, and how wheat especially was considered as tho 
 basis of values. 
 
 It would involve a lengthy enquiry, and excoed the 
 
12 
 
 legitimate limits of the present paper, if I were to trace 
 iLe various phases of the English system of weights and 
 measures, as found in the statutes at largo. I can only 
 invite those whose curiosity may tempt them fully to 
 investigate the subject, to consult the report of Mr. Adams, 
 which I have already referred to, a report full of profound 
 research and of most philosophical views on this important 
 question. 
 
 It will suffice for me to state that, despite of the efforts 
 of statesmen and legislators to impart uniformity and per- 
 manency to the system of weights and measures within 
 the British realm, that system at this day would appear to 
 be in a staie of imperfection and confusion, which modern 
 enactments have in vain endeavoured to remedy. 
 
 The fundamental law of weight and measures in England 
 at this day is the statute 5 Geo. IV cap. 7-i, wliich is in a 
 great measure a declaratory act, but of wliicli the provi- 
 sions are so Important, that at the risk of appearing to you 
 somewhat tedious, I would solicit your permission to 
 dwell upon it with some particularity. 
 5 Geo. IV, Cap. 71. 
 1. — From and after the 1st May, 1825, the straight lino 
 or distance between the centres of the two points in the 
 gold studs in the straight brass rod now in the custody of 
 the Clerk of the House of Commons, whereon the words 
 and figures " Standard Yard 1760" are engraved, shall be, 
 and the same is hereby declared to be, the original and 
 jrenuine standa'-d of that measure of length or lineal 
 extension called a yard ; and that the same straight line 
 or distance between the centres of the said two points in 
 the said gold studs in tlie said brass rod, the brass 
 being at the temperature of 62 ^ of Fahrenheit's thermo- 
 meter, shall be and is hereby denominated the '"'•Imperial 
 
13 
 
 Standard yard^ " and shall be, and is hereby declared to 
 be, the unit or only standard measure of extension where- 
 from or whereby all otlier measures of extension whatso- 
 ever, wliether the same be lineal, superficial, or solid, shall 
 be derived, computed and ascertained ; and all measures 
 of lengtli shall be taken in parts or multiples, or certain 
 proportion, of the said standard yard, and that one third 
 part of such yard shall be a foot, and the 12tli part of such 
 foot shall bo an incli, and that tlio polo or perch shall 
 contain five such yards and a half, the furlong 220 such 
 yards, and the mile 1700. 
 
 3.— This section provides tliat tlic yard, if lost, &c., 
 may be restored by reference to the lengtli of a pendulum 
 vibrating seconds of mean time in the latitude of London, 
 in a vacuum at the level of the sea, in the proportion of 
 3G inches to £9 inches and VSth part of an inch. 
 
 4. — Standard brass weight of one pound Trov weiixht 
 made in the year 1758, shall bo the Imperial standard 
 Troy pound, and is declared to bo the unit or only stand- 
 ard measure of weight, from which jiU other weights 
 shall be derived, computed and ascertained; L part an 
 ounce, -.-V of the ounce 1 pennyweight, and ,^\ of such 
 pennyweight shall be 1 grain, so that 5760 such grains 
 shall be a Troy pound, and 7000 such grains shall bo a 
 pound avoirdupois, ^- of the said avoirdupois pound 
 shall be 1 ounce, and ^L of the said avoirdupois ounce 1 
 dram. 
 
 5.— Standard pound Troy if lost, ttc, to be restored by 
 reference to a cubic inch of distilled water weighed 'n air, 
 by brass weights at the temperature of 62° Fahrenheit's 
 thermometer, the barometer being at 30 inches, tiie 
 weight of which is equal to 252 grains ^U of a grain, of 
 which the Imperial Troy pound contains 6760. 
 
14 
 
 6. The measure of capacity as well for Hqtiids as for dry 
 goods, not measured by heaped measure, shall be the gallon 
 containing 10 pounds avoirdupois ^veight of distilled water 
 weighed in air, temperature 02'^ Fahrenheit's thermometer, 
 barometer oO inches— unit of all standard measures of 
 capacity the Imperial standard gallon, as well for wine, 
 ale, beer, spirits, and all sorts of liquids, as for dry goods 
 not measured by heaped measure— and parts and multi- 
 ples —quart \, pint i— 2 such gallons n peck, 8 such gal- 
 lons a bushel, and 8 such bushels a quarter of corn or 
 other dry goods, not sold by heaped measure. 
 
 11, —Copies and models of the said standards to bo 
 deposited in tlie office of the Chamberlain of the Ex- 
 chequer at AVestminster, and to be sent to the Lord 
 Mayor of London, elx. 
 
 12._Magistrates in Counties, Cities and Towns, etc., in 
 Enf^land, Scotland and Ireland, to purchase models, etc., 
 fur their ro'^pective Counties, etc. 
 
 14.._Bulk of 10 lbs. avoi'.dupois weight of water equal 
 to 277 cubic inchc?, und_:7g'jths of an inch, constituting 
 the capacity of a gallon, and ;^o forth for parts and mul- 
 tiples. 
 
 23.— 50 Acts or parts of Acts relating to divers weights 
 and measures in Great Britain repealed. 
 
 This act was followed by tlie ith and 5th William IV. 
 Cap. 40,-:^- which appears chieliy to have been intended 
 
 • 4 & 5 Will. IV, Cap. -13. 
 
 4.-neaped Measures abolished. . , . . i „f 
 
 5 -Justices in Quurtor Session in England to detorminc number of 
 «nnies of Imperial standard weights and measures which they may deem 
 rcHuisite for the comparisons of all weights and measures in use m 
 counties, &c., and shall direct that such copies, vcrihed and stamped at 
 the Exchequer, shall be provided and deposited under care of Inspectors, 
 to be appointed or valued by them. 
 
 12 —Stone to consist of 14 standard pounds avoirdupois the cwt. to 
 consist of 8 such stones, and the ton of^'^iO Buch cwt. Contracts made 
 by any other stono, cwt. or ton, after Ist January 1835 , null and vo:J. 
 
15 
 
 to provide for tho means of distributing standard weights 
 and measures ; but its proviaions seem to have been in- 
 sufficient or imperfect, since it was repealed the following 
 year by the 5th and 6th William IV. Cap. G3, (1835.) 
 This last act renders unnecessary identity of shape or Torm 
 in standards, and provides for their adjustment. One of its 
 most important features is that it abolishes, the Winchester 
 hushel, (t) the Scotch ell, and all local and customary 
 measures. Imperial measures as established by the 5th 
 George lY, are the only legal measures recognized or 
 " parts and multiples thereof." Tho binary division is 
 affirmed, and the -k i -k tV ^"^^ tV ^^'^ specifically design- 
 sited as tho only legal aliquot parts. But there is a some- 
 
 13. — All articles to be sold by avoirdupois nvciglit except pold, silver 
 platina, diamonds, or other precious stones and drugs, which may bo 
 sold ?/i retail by Troy weight. 
 
 14. — Weights and measures in use to be stamped. I'enalty £5 and 
 forfeiture. 
 5 & G William IV, Cap. C3, 1835.— EEraALs 4 & 5 William IV, c. 49. 
 
 4. — Abrogates necessity of identity of sliapo or form in standards. 
 
 5. — Copies of III) pcriul standard.'; to be sent when defective to the 
 Exchequer at AVestniin.ster, to be again compared and verified, on pay- 
 ment of fees of verification only. 
 
 6. — IVinchcater bushel, Scotch ell, and all local and cnslomary measures 
 abotif:hcil. Penalty for selling by any other than Imperial measures or 
 
 multi[)Ies tlureof, 
 
 It! 3i 
 
 40s. " Provided always that nothing 
 
 lierein contained shall prevent tlio sale of any articles in any vessel 
 where sucli vessel is not represented as containing any amount of Im- 
 perial measure, or of any fixed local or customary measure heretofore 
 ill use. 
 
 7. — Heaped measures, abolished. 
 
 8. — Coals to be sold by weight and not by measure. 
 
 9.- All articles to bo sold by avoirdupois, except gold, iSrc., which may 
 bo sold in tlio retail by apothecaries' weight (Troy ?) 
 
 12. — Contents of weights and measures to bo stamped on them. 
 
 13. — No weight of lead or pewter to be stamped unless cased in brass, 
 copper or iron, luid so marked " cased." 
 
 21. — No weight above 56 lbs. to be stamped. 
 
 22. — Expenses of providing copies of standard tvcights, and the re- 
 muneration to Inspectors to be defrayed out of county rates. 
 
 (t) This measure is traced back to tho reign of Edgar, anno tti^ 
 and it derives its name no doubt from the fact that tho standard wa« bjr 
 law kept at Winchester. 
 
 I 
 
16 
 
 what singular proviso attaclied to the 6th clause, it is 
 this :__" Provided always that nothing herein contained 
 " shall prevent the sale oi any articles in any vessel where 
 *' such vessel is not represented as containing any amount 
 "of Imperial measure, or of any fixed local or customary 
 
 " measure heretofore in use. 
 
 AVhether this proviso was artfully introduced with a 
 view of rendering the act in some degree nugatory, or 
 whether the hearing of the proviso was not weighed or un- 
 derstood, certain it is that it opens a wide door for the 
 evasion of tlie otherwise stringent provisions of the law, 
 audit appears in fact to liave had that effect. 
 
 The evidence given hefore the Committeo of the House 
 of Commons, the report of which Coiumittce was present- 
 ed to the House so recently ns the 15th July last, (1862,) 
 would tend to the inference that notwithstanding the 
 strenuous efforts of all legislation to reduce weights and 
 measures to positive and practical uniformity, extreme 
 in-egularitv and disorder still prevail upon this subject in 
 Great Britain. It is stated, for instance, by one of the wit- 
 nesses examined before the Committee, that wheat is sold 
 
 bv the bushel of ICS 
 
 80 
 70 
 63 
 
 lbs 
 
 lbs. 
 
 lbs. 
 
 lbs. 
 
 lbs. 
 
 It is sold also by the bushel of S gallons at Saltash, and 
 of 20 stones at Dundalk. 
 
 The load consists in some places of 5 quarters, in othera 
 of 5 bushels, in others of 3 bushels. 
 
 At Keystone, or Stowemarhet, it is composed of 48S 
 quarts, and at Ulverstouc of 144 quarts. And so it is 
 with weights and land measures- 
 
17 
 
 The cwt. may contain 100 lbs. 
 
 112 lbs. 
 130 lbs. 
 
 As to superficial measure, it is stated that at Falmouth 
 an acre of land consists of 4,840 square yards. * 
 At Preston of. . . 10,240 square yards. 
 And 9,000 square yards. 
 
 The instances here mentioned are simply given as illus- 
 trations of the diversity of weights and measures stated to 
 exist in England ; but if the extent of that diversity bo 
 estimated by the fact stated by Dr. Kelly, before a Com- 
 mittee of the IIoiiso of Lords in 1823, that 200 laws 
 had been enacted to secure uniformity in weights and 
 measures without success, and that 500 various measures 
 have been adopted in defiance of those laws,t one would 
 almost be led to the inference that the subject matter is 
 one which naturally eludes legislative subjection. With 
 these alleged facts before ns how idle, however wise, 
 seems to hive been the injunction of Magna Charta, 
 nearly six centuries ago, that there should be but ono 
 weight and one measure throughout the realm. 
 
 There is reason, however, to believe that this statement 
 of the extraordinary variety of weights and measures 
 in use in Great Britain, is in some degree, if not greatly, 
 exaggerated. It is not at all improbable that many of the 
 alleged dififerences in weigiits and measures are moro 
 apparent than real, and result more from the modes of 
 expressing, and perhaps of combining them, than from 
 any difference in the weights and measures themselves. 
 Their basis or fundamental valu9 as a weight or a mea- 
 sure might still be referable to some recognized legal stan- 
 
 • That is tho legal acre ia square yards. 
 t London Morning Chronicle, Majr 1838. 
 
18 
 
 dard, and the difference of expression would probably, as 
 remarked by Mr. Franklin before the Committer, be ana- 
 logous to a difference of dialect between two counties. 
 
 I have now given you a brief, and I ::m afraid but a very 
 imperfeot, outline of the history of weights and measures 
 in England, and have specially drawn your attention to 
 the Imperial acts which define what are at the present 
 day the standards of weights and measures in the United 
 Kingdom. We have seen that the standard yard of 1760, 
 "the Imperial standard Yard " is declared to be the -imiiJ 
 or only standard measure of extension, and here it may 
 be observed that, although the act declared that "one 
 third part" of the said standard yard shall be a foot, and 
 the " twelfth part of such foot shall be an inch," the yard 
 itself is the o\\\y standard, the foot and the inches being 
 but a designation of the parts into which the yard may 
 be legally divided. Then as to weight. The Imperial 
 standard Troy povMd isdcclar^jd to be the wm^of weight, 
 ^V part of which is an ounce, ^^^ of the ounce one penny- 
 weight, and h 0^' such pennyweight one grain— 5760 
 such grains being a pound Troy, and 7000 a pound 
 
 avoirdupois. 
 
 The standard unit of all measures of capacity is the 
 Imperial standard gallon containing 10 pounds avoirdupois 
 weight of disHlled water, weighed in air at the temperature 
 of 62« Fahrenheit's thermometer. This is enual to 277i 
 cubic inches, or about i more than the old wine gallon. 
 
 To those who, like oui-selves, are familiar with the 
 English system of weights and measures, the act cited of 
 5 Geo. IV, will appear simply declaratory of pre-existing 
 standards,butithastheoretically,nay legally, doneaway with 
 
 distinctions which had for ages, I may say, existed between 
 the Winchester bushel and the Imperial bushel, the wine 
 
 y 
 
.flR^ 
 
 19 
 
 gallon and the ale gallon, the Bcotch ell and EnglJah 
 yard, and abolished all local weights and measures. 
 
 It may bo ques^'-oned, however, how far the uniform- 
 ity aimed at by this law is perfectly consistent in all it3 
 relations with the nature of things. The Imperial gal- 
 lon, for instance, is made a common standard measure 
 for' liquid and dry substances— for wine or for wheat. 
 But in these are foimd an inherent difference of 
 
 specific gravity, 
 
 and the metallic weight which would 
 
 be equiponderant to a gallon of wine, would not be equi- 
 ponderant to a gallon of corn. Thusin the difference be- 
 tween the specific gravities of the wheat and the wine, 
 nature seems to have indicated two standard measm-es of 
 
 capacity. 
 
 It is not, however, my province to discuss just now the 
 merits of particular 'systems. My purpose is chiefly 
 to state what those systems actually are, and consistently 
 •with that viev- of the task I have assumed, I now pass from 
 the consideration of weights and measures in ^ Great 
 Britain, of which I have given but a very general idea, to 
 thefewremarlvslhavo tomake upon the same subject in 
 reference to the 
 
 United State"^ of America. 
 When British settlers colonized Virginia in the reign 
 of Elizabeth, and the Pilgrims emigrated to New England 
 in 1620, they carried with them the laws and institutions 
 of England, so far as those laws and institutions were 
 applicable to their new condition, and among these the 
 weights and measures of the parent state were naturally 
 imported by them. 
 
 The weights and measures thus introduced were after- 
 wards universally adopted in the then North American 
 Colonies, and although partial modifications appear to 
 
 I 
 
 
20 
 
 have been from time to time mode by the local legislatures, 
 or to liavo been introduced by usage, yet the standards 
 of British weights and measures were, in general, the only 
 legal standards recognized in the Colonies, most of which 
 had procured duly stamped r.nd authenticated copies of 
 those British standards from theEnglisli Exchequer or from 
 Guildliall, in the City of London. 
 
 Deriving their system from such a source, it is scarcely to 
 bo ex])ccted tliat any wide difi'orences should exist between 
 the British and the American systems of weights and mea- 
 sures — indeed both countries have a common standard of 
 extension, the yard, and a common standard of weiglit, 
 the pound Troy of 5TG0 grains, and the pound avoirdu- 
 pois of 7000 such grains, tJie parts and multiples of such 
 standards being the same in the two countries. 
 
 They had also a common standard oi capacity until 1826, 
 when an act of the Britisli Parliament, excluding all- 
 other measures of tii'^ order, adopted as the standard unit 
 of capacity the " Imperial standard gallon," equal to 277 
 —^ cubic inches, both for liquid and dry substances, 
 thus doing away with the wine gallon of 231 cubic inches, 
 the ale gallon of 282 cubic inches, and the corn gallon of 
 272 cubic inches. 
 
 Tlie old English wine gallon is the only recognized stan- 
 dard of liquid measure in the United States. It contains 
 8,339 pounds avoirdupois of distilled water, at the tempera- 
 ture of about 3P - . Fahrenheit, its capacity being as before 
 tated, 231 cubic inches, which is almost exactly equal to 
 a cylinder of 7 inches in diameter and G inches deep. 
 
 The dry measure is the Winchester bushel. It contains 
 2,150.42 cubic inches, and holds 77.6274 pounds avoirdu- 
 pois of d;stilled water at the temperature of its greatest 
 density, and with the barometer at 30 inches. Its capacity 
 is represented by a cylinder 18,iS inches in diameter and 8 
 inches deep. 
 
 t 
 
 
2% 
 
 Tlie liundred-weight has been reduced, as in Canada, to 100 
 pounds, and the ton to 2000 pounds, but tlio old hundred- 
 weight of 112 pounds, and ton of 2240 pounds, seem 
 still to bo used under the designation of the long hundred 
 weight and the long ton / but tliese it is presumed arc 
 merely permissive, the reduced weights being the standards. 
 
 With the few differences pointed out, resulting from 
 comparatively recent legislation in both countries, the 
 weights and measures of the United States arc similar to, 
 and it may be said identical with, those of England.. 
 
 Both countries have the same mile, yard, foot, and 
 inch, the same acre, tho sumo pound avoirdupois, and 
 pound Troy. 
 
 And although the measures of capacity have since 182G 
 been changed in England, tire Winchester bushel and wine 
 gallon, the standard measures of capacity in tho United 
 States, arc mere copies of English prototypes. 
 
 Canada. 
 
 We now come to the weights and measures as established 
 by law in Canada. The leading statute upon this subject 
 is an act of the Legislature of Lower Canada, the 39th 
 George IIL cap. 7, whicli is to be found in the Con- 
 solidated Statutes of Lower Canada, cap. G2. Under 
 this, three sets of various kinds of beams and scales, and 
 four sets of standard weights and measures were imported 
 from England, and these were declared to be the standard 
 weights and measures of the province. 
 
 The weights and measures thus imported, were all made' 
 of brass and consisted of: 
 
 1. — Avoirdupois weights in sets as follows : 
 Prom one dram to four ounces, 
 " \ ounce to 4 pounds and 
 
 4 lbs. to 56 lbs. the standard being res^ 
 
 (( 
 
 •.^.i.:__1_ A H -t A AO 1 liO 11.- 
 
 I 
 
22 
 
 2. — ^Troy weights, ia sets. 
 From i a grain to 1 ounce, 
 « i of an ounce to 64 ounces, and 
 Tibs, to 28 lbs. in weights of 
 7, 14 and 28 lbs. 
 3.__ Wine measures, in sets from 1 gill to 1 gallon. 
 4,,^ Winchester measures, in sets from 1 gill to 1 
 
 gallon. 
 6.__ Winchester bushels and | bushels. 
 6.— Canada measures (old French measures) from 
 
 a poisson to a, pot. 
 t. — The minot and ^ minot. 
 8.—" The English standard foot rule." 
 9.—" The Paris standard foot rule." 
 XO.— The " English standard yard." 
 11. — ^The " English standard ell." 
 1.— The pound avoirdupois " with its parts, multiples 
 and proportions," was made the standard weight " for 
 weighing all goods, wares, and merchandise, butcher's 
 meat, flour, meal, bread, biscuit and other commodities 
 whatever, commonly sold by weight " (" gold, silver, 
 coin, bullion, drugs and precious stones only excepted.") 
 2.— Thejpo««i<? Trotj was the standard for weighing gold, 
 silver, bullion, drugs and precious stones, as above excep- 
 ted, from the applications of the avoirdupois weight. 
 
 3, ^The wine gallon was made the standard liquid 
 
 measure of Lower Canada, for " wine, cider, beer and 
 " spirituous liquors of all kinds, ti'eacle and molasses, and . 
 " all other liquids commonly sold by gauge or measure 
 
 " of capacity." 
 
 4.— The Canada minot was the standard for measuring 
 " all rents, payable in wheat or otlier grain, and also for 
 measuring all grains or seeds, fruits or roots whatever, in 
 cases in which no other special provision is made in any 
 
23 
 
 act, and likowiso for lime, sand, ashe^, or any other kind 
 of commodity, usually sold by measure of capacity, where 
 no special contract is made to the contrary." 
 
 5. ^Tho English Winchester bushel* is made the 
 
 standard for measuring salt, wheat, oats, peas, barley and 
 other grains or seeds, in cases mily when such articles 
 have heen ejpecially sold or contracted for by such measure, 
 and in cases in which no special provision is made for the 
 mode of sale in any other act. 
 
 6. — The Paris foot was applicable to the measurement 
 of lands, or lots granted or sold by the arpent or foot, md 
 also, to the measurement of all kinds of wood, timber and 
 stone, and " all maimer of masons', carpenters', and 
 joiners' work, or any other article or any other kind of work 
 commonly measured by the foot or other measure of 
 length, etc., where no special contract exists toj^the 
 contrary." 
 
 7. — The English foot is applicable to the measure of 
 lands granted by the British Crown, and also to the 
 measure of wood, timber, etc., as above ; provided a special 
 contract hasheen made for that purpose. 
 
 8. — The English yard is made the standard for mea- 
 srring all kinds of cloth or stuffs made of wool, flax, 
 hemp, silk or cotton, or any mixture thereof, and all other 
 kinds of goods, wares and merchandise commonly sold by 
 measure of length. 
 
 ^.—The English ell, " containing 3 feet 9 inches of the 
 standard English foot " above mentioned, is declared to be 
 the standard measure by which cloth or stuffs of wool, 
 flax, &c. may bo sold when specially sold or contracted for 
 hy that measure, 
 
 * 18J inches diamiter, 8 inches deep. Contents 2 1. "0.42 cubic inches. 
 The present imperial bushel contains 2218.1907 cubic inches. 
 
 — (SlMMONDS.) 
 
24 
 
 We thus find that the legal weights and measures af 
 Lower Canada have been borrowed from the old Eiigb'sh 
 standards as they existed antecedently to 1825, with the 
 addition of certain French measures of length and capacity, 
 i. e. the Paris foot, the minot^ and the pot, x>i:ite^ cJwpine and 
 poisson. But the law is silent as to the cases in which the 
 latter measures of capacity are to be applied, and wo are 
 left to believe that they are merely legalized as measures 
 by which Tupids may be sold in retail, althongh the 
 declared standard measure of capacity for all liquids, is the 
 wine gallon. 
 
 In Upper Canada the measures of length, weight and 
 capacity a^'O the same as in Lower Canada, being derived 
 from the same source, except that no French measure 
 whatever is recognized in the former. 
 
 Under the system just described, grains were uniformly 
 sold by the Wiuchester busuel, or by the minot, as 
 measures of capacity, the cwt. was 112 lbs. and the ton 
 2,240 lbs. More recent enactments liave changed the law 
 in these respects and by acts passed in 1859, to be found 
 in the Consolidated Statutes of Canada, cap. 53. tho 
 following is declared to be the standard we'nhts which 
 in all cases shall be held to be equal to the Winchester 
 bushel of grains and seed, viz : — 
 
 Wheat, peas, beans and clover seed... GO lbs. 
 
 Indian corn and rye 56 lbs. 
 
 Barley, timothy seed and buckwheat 48 lbs. 
 Oats U lbs. 
 
 The acts in question do not, however, stop there. Tlio 
 22nd Yict. chap. 21, prescribes the i^v/^A!? which shall bo 
 equal to the Winchester bushel of the following articles, 
 viz: — 
 
 Potatoes, turnips, carrots, parsnips, 
 
 beetw and onions 60 Iba. 
 
 I 
 
25 
 
 Flaxseed. 
 
 60 lbs. 
 
 
 Castor beans 40 lbs. 
 
 Salt 36 lbs. 
 
 Dried apples 22 lbs. 
 
 Dried peaches 33 lbs. 
 
 Malt 30 lbs. 
 
 It may therefore be considered that, as a measure of 
 capacity, the "Winchester bushel and the minot are abolished, 
 as standards, except in cases where the parties have specially 
 agreed to buy and sell by measure instead of by weight. 
 
 By the same act the hundred-weight of 112 pounds, 
 and the ton of 2240 pounds are abolished, and the 
 hundred-weight is declared to be 100 pounds and 
 the ton 2000 pounds avoirdupois, thus assimilating our 
 hundred-weights and tons to those of our neighbors in 
 the United States, and making one step towards the 
 decimal system of computing weights. 
 
 With regard to the verification of the weights and 
 measures of commerce, we find that at an early period of 
 the legislation of Lower Canada, the law which authorized 
 and directed the procuring of standards from England, pro- 
 vided for the annual inspection of weights and measures in 
 the Province, and assigned that duty to certain public 
 officers then know?^ as Revenue Inspectors and now desig- 
 nated by law as Collectors of Inland Ilevenue. 
 
 At the period referred to, one of these officers resided 
 in each of the municipal districts into which Lower 
 Canada was divided — Quebec, Montreal, and Three 
 Eivers, — and to each of these officers was entrusted 
 one of the sets of standard weights and measures imported 
 under the act ; the 4th and remaining set being confided 
 
 D 
 
 I 
 
26 
 
 to the custody of the siicccssivo clerks of the Legislative 
 Assembly, by whom they were carefully preserved until 
 April 18i9, wlien they were destroyed by the conflagration 
 of the Parliament Buildings at Montreal, thus meetin;^ 
 with the same fate which had twice attended the standard 
 Aveights and measures of England, deposited in the Exche- 
 quer at Westminster. 
 
 We are thus left without reliable standards to resort 
 to for the comparison and adjustment of tlio standards 
 themselves, wliich are now in use in the various districts 
 of the Province, the accuracy of which may well be 
 questioned, wlien it is considered that the original sets 
 from which copies liave been made, and which are still 
 used for the verification of the weights and measures of 
 commerce, have been in use for upwards of 60 years, 
 thus placing us very much in the condition of some of 
 the States of the American Union, in which, until the 
 subject was taken up by Congress after tlie Eeport of 
 1821, the original standards in many instances had notbeeu 
 verified since the declaration of independence, and in some 
 cases, as in Massachusetts, standard weights had been 
 100 years without comparison or verification to test then* 
 accuracy. 
 
 The necessity, therefore, of providing new sets of duly 
 authenticated and reliable English standards, has become 
 paramount, and there can be no doubt that so impor- 
 tant a branch of the commercial economy of the Province, 
 will receive the immediate and earnest attention of the 
 government. 
 
 GENEEA.L KEIIARKS. 
 
 Tlavintr thus considered what are the recognized legal 
 standards of weights and measures in Prance, in England, 
 in the United States, and in Canada ; we are naturally led 
 to the consideration of the systems themselves, which 
 
27 
 
 have been shown to prevail in those countries— systcmg 
 which, in the main, resolve themselves into two— that is 
 to say, the French and the English systems, each of 
 wliicii has its advocates, and both of which are unquestion- 
 ably possessed of great and distinct merits. 
 
 Theoretically, the French metrology is admitted to 
 possess uniformity, symmetry, and simplicity, to perfec- 
 tion. Based as it is on a single fundamental unit, divided 
 or multiplied decimally, and with a nomenclature essen- 
 tially significant of the part or multiple of the thing meant, 
 it cann^'ot be denied that it has great claims upon the 
 serious attention and consideration of civilized nations. 
 
 This excellence, however, of the French system, must 
 be viewed in connection with the decimal currency of 
 the country of which it forms a part, the franc being 
 the standard unit of that currency, its subordinate divi- 
 sions being decimcs and centimes. It is therefore easy in 
 practice to compute prices and keep accoimts, when both 
 the article sold and the money paid are go\ erned by a 
 common rule of dechnal computation, the decimal system 
 being avowedly best for counting or aggregation, although 
 the binary is preferable for segregation or division. 
 
 AVe liave seen that several of the continental powers 
 of Europe have already adopted the French system, and 
 the Committee of the House of Commons ta which the 
 subject was reforred, reported last year in ftivor of the 
 introduction and adoption of the metrical system in Great 
 
 Britain. 
 
 The evidence given before that committee has thrown 
 considerable light upon the respective merits and advan- 
 tages of both the- French and the English systems, and 
 altiiough the majority of the witnesses vouch for the supe- 
 riority"of the former and advocate its adoption, there will bo 
 
28 
 
 found able and weighty arguments in favor of the raainte- 
 nance of the English system, for which strong predilections 
 natur Uy exist in a country so steadfastly attached to its 
 own istitutions. 
 
 It IS easy to discover in the evidence of those who would 
 maintain the existing weights and measures in England, 
 the repugnance with which would be seen any radical 
 change in the English system that would be borrowed 
 from a foreign country, and especially perhaps from 
 France, and it is somewhat curious to find that as early 
 as 1791 the existence of that feeling was foreseen as likely 
 to interfere with the extension of the French system to 
 other nations. In the report of the French Commissioners, 
 to be seen in the " Memoires de VInstitut, Base du sys- 
 ieme metrique,^^ we find the following apologetical language 
 for having selected for admeasurement a meridian in 
 France, and having had tlie operations carried on by 
 scientific men of that country. 
 
 "Enfin nous avons choisi le seul meridi3n ou I'on 
 " puisse trouver un arc aboutissant au niveau de la mer, 
 " coupe par le parallele moyen (45'=) sans etre cependant 
 " d'une trop grande etendue qui en rende la mesure 
 " actuelle trop diflacile. II ne se presente done rien ici 
 " qui puisse donner le plus leger pretexte au reproche 
 " d'avoir voi^lu affecter une sorte de preeminence. 
 
 " En un mot si la memoiro des travaux venait a 
 " s'efiacer, si les resultats seuls etaient conserves, ils? 
 " n'ofFriraient rien qui pilt servir a faire connaitre 
 " quelle nation en a coneu I'idee, en a suivi I'execution." 
 " Discours preUms. 
 
 Apart, however, from any national pride that would 
 reject the adoption, by England, of the French metrical 
 system and revive the cry ndumus Ugea Anglixp mutarij 
 
 
29 
 
 a 
 
 80 famous in the days of Henry III, it cannot be denied 
 that there exist strong grounds for hesitating to subvert a 
 system so closely interwoven with the habits and usages 
 of a great commercial people, as that of the weights and 
 measures that have had the sanction of ages. 
 
 There is no doubt that, taking a cosmopolitan view of 
 the subject, it would be desirable, as ancillary to inter- 
 naticynal commerce, that common standards of weights 
 and measures should be recognized and adopted by 
 all commercial countries, and it is not at all surprising 
 that the International Statistical Congresses that met in 
 London and in Paris, in connection with the World's 
 Exhibitions in those two great capitals, should have 
 advocated and recommended the metrical system which 
 they considered as best calculated to attain that desidera- 
 tum. The adoption of a common international standard 
 would unquestionably facilitate the preparation of com- 
 mercial statistics, and might possibly have a favorable 
 influence upon the commercial intercourse of different 
 countries ; but I am inclined to think with Mr. Airy, the 
 Astronomer Royal of England, that the advantage of adopt- 
 ing the French metrical system of weights and mea- 
 sures, on international grounds, " are not worth mention- 
 ing in comparison with the difficulty of introducing it." 
 The French decimal system, combining as it does 
 weights, measures and money, presents certainly a 
 harmonious whole, such as no other known system posses- 
 ses.— As an invention it is unparalleled for its ingenuity ; but 
 it may well be questioned whether its inflexible decima- 
 lization, and its fundamental unit, are in perfect harmony 
 with nature. The duodecimal system, with its four factors 
 and its binary character, seems to offer itself most natu- 
 rally to our adoption. Apart from the mere computation 
 
30 
 
 of numbers, to which decimalism is so' peculiaTlv applica- 
 ble, it is more allied to the nature of things than the 
 decimal system. It is true man has ten digits, but he has 
 eight fingers and two thumbs. His wholo organization is 
 based upon binary principles. His nerves are in pairs. 
 His brain has two hemispheres and six lobes. His teeth 
 are found in two rows of sixteen each. Our globe is divid- 
 ed into liemispheres equatorially or longitudinally. The 
 quadrant is a natural division of the sphere. We have four 
 seasons, and the phases of the moon are computed by quar- 
 ters. Nature, in fact, seems to delight in binary combina- 
 tions, and if we descend to the ordinary operations of the 
 mind in the every day pursuits of life, we find the same 
 tendency to halve or double objects of measurement or 
 of weight, as the readiest way of forming a clear con- 
 ception of quantities. 
 
 Under this aspect the English system possesses, in my 
 humble apprehension, advantages over tlie French, in 
 the every day commerce of life. The French system' 
 is theoretically admirable ; but it is perhaps too artificial 
 to square with the instincts of man, that are so sugges- 
 tive of binary divisions, and therefore favorable to a duode- 
 cimal system, which is practically more susceptible of 
 them than the decimal. 
 
 But this great decimal system which aimed at universa- 
 lity, was repelled by the circle and found unsuitable to the 
 divisions of the day.-Geography and time have retained 
 in France, as elsewhere, their pristine modes of measure- 
 ment and computation; and the language and calcu- 
 lations of science have so far remained universal. 
 
 I have, in the foregoing remarks on weights and mea- 
 sures, abstained from the consideration of the kindred 
 question of a decimal currency. 1st, Because that branch 
 of the subject would be entitled to a fuller examination 
 
31 
 
 than could be gWem to it here ; and secondly, because the 
 decimal system of currency prevails in the United States 
 and in Canada as well as in France, with this differ- 
 ence, that the unit in France is the franc, m this Pro- 
 vince and in the United States it is the dollar. 
 
 Ofthe wisdom or necessity of subjecting weights and 
 measures to the law of decimals, it has been shown 
 that differences of opinion exist ; but it seems to be uni- 
 versally admitted that the decimalization of the currency 
 is everywhere desirable, from the iacilities it affords i i the 
 computation of money, and the simplicity to which it 
 reduces the keeping of accounts. 
 
 That a system of weights and measures, based upon 
 binary and duodecimal principles, can harmoniously 
 co-exist with a decimal currency, is amply shown by the 
 experience of our neighbours, who, as a commercial 
 people, are second in the magnitude of their commerce, 
 but to Great Britain. With us, a decimal currency was 
 legalized in 1852, (IG Vict. Cap. 158,) but it was, and 
 continues to be, not compulsory but pCrmissive, the 
 denomination of money in pounds, shillings and pence 
 being still admitted and recognized. By a subsequent 
 act, however, 20 Yipt. cf.p. 18, passed in 1857, it is 
 directed that all the public accounts of the Province 
 shall be kept in dollars, and cents— the banks have uni- 
 versally adopted the change, and the decimal currency may 
 be considered as generally established, although the prac- 
 tice still prevails in the retail trade of making up their 
 accounts in the old currency of " £. s. d." 
 
 In England the important question of decimalizing the 
 <5urrency has not been overlooked. The commission 
 appointed in 1841-2 to restore the standard measures des-^ 
 troyed in 183-i, point out, in their report, the facility of 
 ,estubli8hing in England a decimal coinage. Their plan 
 
32 
 
 was to interpose a new coin of two shillings between the 
 pound sterling or sovereign and the shilling, and of consi- 
 dering the farthing which is now the ^^ part of the pound, 
 as thr T^VTfth of that unit. It proposed to establish a coin 
 equal to the -^ part of a pound, and of circulating besides 
 these principal members of a decimal coinage, other coins 
 of value bearing a simple relation to them, including 
 coins of the same value as the present shilling and the six 
 pence. 
 
 It was as a part of the! scheme thus proposed that the 
 English florin was coined ; but the system, as a whole, 
 was not adopted, and the new coin does not appear to 
 have gone into very general circulation. 
 
 I feel that I have trespassed so long on your attention 
 in the examination of a somewhat dry subject, that it would 
 be abusing of your indulgence to protract this paper to 
 any greater length. I would, however, before closing my 
 remarks, throw out the suggestion, whether it would not 
 be possible for nations to adopt two systems of weights and 
 measures, the' one of an international and universal cha- 
 racter, which would be applicable to foreign commerce, 
 the other suitable to the genius and habits of individual 
 peoples, thus leaving undisturbed, the weights and mea- 
 sures of domestic trade, the alterations of which oflfer 
 every where such insuperable obstacles. International 
 commercial standards might thus be established as con- 
 tradistinguished from national ones, as the jus gentium or 
 law of nations, is distinct from the jus civile or municipal 
 law. The intelligence and enlightenment of the higher com- 
 mercial classes in all countrieswould, it is believed, render 
 such an object attainable, and obtain for commerce that 
 universal language which, like the notation of music, the 
 nomenclature of botany, and the terms of science, can bo 
 read and understood among all civilized nations. 
 
 ^RMiii 
 
33 
 
 I ciiimot moro happily close this paper, in which 1 have 
 Uwolt upon the French aiidtlio English system of weights 
 and measures, than by quoting from the concluding 
 paragraph of Mr. Adams' report, the following elo(iueut 
 and philosophical language :— 
 
 " Unifoniiitij of weights and measm-es, permanent 
 universal uniformity, adapted to the nature of things, to 
 the physical organization, and to the moral improvement of 
 man, would be a blessing of such transcendent mag- 
 nitude, that, if there existed upon earth a combination of 
 power and will, adeciuate to accomplish the result by the 
 energy of a single act, the being who would exercise 
 it, would be among the greatest of the benefactors of the 
 Inunan race, liut this stage of human perfectibility la 
 yet far remote. The glory of the firat attempt belongs 
 to France. France iirst surveyed the subject of weights 
 and measures in all its extent and all its compass. Franco 
 iirst beheld it as involving the interests, the comforts, and 
 the morals of all nations and of all after ages. In forming 
 her system, she acted as the representative of the whole 
 human race present and to come. She has established it 
 by law within her own territories ; and she has offered it 
 as a benelaction to the acceptance of all other nations. 
 That it is worthy of their acceptance ui believed to bo 
 beyond a question. But 'opinion is the Queen of the 
 world ; and the linal prevalence of this system beyond 
 the boundaries of France's power, must await the time 
 when the example of its benelits, long and practically 
 enjoyed, shall acquire that ascendency over the opinions 
 of other nations, which gives motion to the springs and 
 direction to the wheela of power."