WEIGHT

WEIGHT, in commerce, denotes a body of a known weight appointed to be put in the balance against other bodies whose weight is required.

The security of commerce depending, in a good measure, on the justness of weights, which are usually of lead, iron, or brass, most nations have taken care to prevent the falsification thereof, by stamping or marking them by proper officers, after being adjusted by some original standard. Thus, in England, the standard of weights is kept in the exchequer by a particular officer, called the clerk of the market.

Weights may be distinguished into ancient and modern.

1. Those of the ancient Jews, reduced to the English troy weight, will stand as in the following table:

2. Roman weights, reduced to English troy weight, will stand as in the following table:

The Roman ounce is the English avoirdupois ounce, which they divided into 7 denarii, as well as 8 drachmas.

1. English Weights. — Mr Renardson, in a paper published in the Philosophical Transactions, has proved, that at first there was but one weight in England, and that this was the avoirdupois. Troy weight was introduced in the time of Henry VII: At present, both the troy and avoirdupois weights are used in England. Troy weight seems to have derived its name from Troyes, a town in France, where a celebrated fair was kept. It is used for weighing gold, silver, jewels, silk, and all liquors. The avoirdupois is used for weighing other things.

The troy pound in Scotland, which by statute is to be the same as the French pound, is commonly supposed equal to 15 ounces and three quarters troy English weight, or 7560 grains. But by a mean of the standards kept by the dean-of-guild of Edinburgh, it weighs 7599$\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$ or 7600 grains.

The avoirdupois pound is equal to 7004 troy grains, the avoirdupois ounce to 437.75 grains; and it follows of consequence, that the troy pound is to the avoirdupois pound as 88 to 107 nearly; for as 88 to 107, so is 5760 to 7003.636: that the troy ounce is to the avoirdupois ounce as 80 to 73 nearly; for as 80 to 73, so is 480 to 438. An avoirdupois pound is equal to 1 lb. 2 oz. 11 dwts. 20 gr. troy; a troy ounce is equal to 10 z. 1.55 dr. avoirdupois; an avoirdupois dram contains 27.34375 grains; 175 troy pounds are equal to 144 avoirdupois pounds.

The moneyers have a peculiar subdivision of the grain troy: thus,

The English weights are used in the United Provinces of America.

2. French Weights.—Different weights were formerly used in most of the different provinces of France: we believe that they have lately undergone several alterations; a project of this kind is given in the article REVOLUTION of France. Be that as it may, a knowledge of the ancient weights of that country is of importance on account of the books in which they are used. The Paris pound contains 16 ounces, and is divided two ways.

The weights of the first division are used to weigh gold, silver, and the richer commodities; and the weights of the second division for commodities of less value.

The Paris 2 marc, or pound weight, is equal to 7560 grains troy, and the Paris ounce equal to 472.5 grains troy.

But the pound was not the same throughout France. At Lyons, c. gr. the city pound was only 14 ounces: so that 100 Lyons pounds made only 86 Paris pounds. But beside the city pound, they had another at Lyons for silk, containing 15 ounces. At Thoulouse, and throughout the Upper Languedoc, the pound was 13 ounces and a half of Paris weight. At Mariseilles, and throughout Provence, the pound was 13$\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$ ounces of Paris weight. At Rouen, beside the common Paris pound and marc, they had the weight of the vicomte; which was 16 ounces, a half, and five-sixths of the Paris weight. The weights enumerated under the two articles of English and French weights are the same that are used throughout the greatest part of Europe; only under somewhat different names, divisions, and proportions.

French weights are used in all the French American settlements.

3. Dutch Weights.—The weight used in Amsterdam and all over Holland is called Troy weight, and is exactly the same with that used at Brussels. The Dutch weights are as follows:

The marc is equal, according to M. Tillet, to 4620 French grains.

The Amsterdam pound used in commerce is divided into 16 ounces, 32 loots, or 128 drachms. This pound contains 2 marcs troy, and ought therefore to weigh only 10240 as: but it weighs 10280; so that it is a little heavier than the troy pound of Amsterdam: 256 lb. of commerce are equal to 257 lb. troy of Holland. Two different pounds are used by apothecaries; the one containing 2 marcs, the other only 1$\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$. The first is called arsenic pound weight;

Weight. weight; it contains 16 ounces, the ounce 8 drachms, the drachm 8 scruples, the scruple 20 grains. The second is called the apothecary's pound; it is divided into 12 ounces, or 24 loots. Three apothecary's pounds are equal to 4 apothecary's pounds.

4. Spanish Weights.—The marc of Castile, used for weighing gold and silver, is divided as follows:

Weight. At Aleppo there are three sorts of rottos; the first 720 drachms, making about 7 pounds English, and serving to weigh cottons, galls, and other large commodities; the second is 680 drachms, used for all silks but white ones, which are weighed by the third rotto of 700 drachms. At Seyda the rotto is 600 drachms.

The other ports of the Levant not named here, use some of these weights; particularly the ooca, or ocqua, the rotoli, and rotto.

The Chinese weights are the piece for large commodities; it is divided into 100 catis, or cattis; though some say into 125; the cati into 16 taels, or tales; each tael equivalent to $\backslash frac\{1\}\{12\}$ of an ounce English, or the weight of 1 rial and $\backslash frac\{1\}\{12\}$, and containing 12 mas, or masses, and each mas 10 condrins. So that the Chinese piece amounts to 137 pounds English avoirdupois, and the cati to 1 pound 8 ounces. The picol for silk containing 66 catis and $\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$; the bahar, bakaire, or bary, containing 300 catis.

Ponquin has also the same weights, measures, &c. as China. Japan has only one weight, viz. the cati; which, however, is different from that of China, as containing 20 taels. At Surat, Agra, and throughout the states of the Great Mogul, they use the man, or maund, whereof they have two kinds; the king's man, or king's weight; and the man simply; the first used for the weighing of common provisions, containing 40 seers, or ferres; and each seer a just Paris pound. The common man, used in the weighing of merchandise, consists likewise of 40 seers, but each seer is only estimated at 12 Paris ounces, or $\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$ of the other seer.

The man may be looked upon as the common weight of the East Indies, though under some difference of name, or rather of pronunciation; it being called mao at Cambaya, and in other places mein, and maun. The seer is properly the Indian pound, and of universal use; the like may be said of the bahar, tael, and cati, above mentioned.

The weights of Siam are the piece, containing two shans or cattis; but the Siamese cati is only half the Japanese, the latter containing 20 taels, and the former only 10; though some make the Chinese cati only 16 taels, and the Siamese 8. The tael contains 4 baats or ticals, each about a Paris ounce; the baat 4 felings or mayons; the mayon 2 fouangs; the fouang 4 payes; the paye 2 clams; the fompaye half a fouang.

It is to be observed, that these are the names of their coins as well as weights; silver and gold being commodities there sold, as other things, by their weights.

In the isle of Java, and particularly at Bantam, they use the gantan, which amounts to near 3 Dutch pounds. In Goleconda, at Visapour, and Goa, they have the suratelle, containing 1 pound 14 ounces English; the mangalis, or mangelin, for weighing diamonds and precious stones, weighing at Goa 5 grains, at Goleconda, &c. 5 $\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$ grains. They have also the rotolo, containing 14 $\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$ ounces English; the metrical, containing the sixth part of an ounce; the wall for piasires and ducats, containing the 73d part of a rial.

In Persia they use two kinds of batmans or mans; the one called sohi or cheray which is the king's weight, and the other batman of Tauris. The first weighs 13 pounds 10 ounces English; the second 6 $\backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}$ pounds. Its divisions are the ratel, or a 16th; the derhem, or drachm, which is the 50th; the meschal, which is half the derhem; the dubgi, which is the sixth part of the meschal, being equivalent to 6 carat grains; and, lastly, the grain, which is the fourth part of the dung. They have also the vakie, which exceeds a little our ounce; the fah-cheray, equal to the 170th part of the derhem; and the toman, used to weigh out large payments of money without telling; its weight is that of 50 abaffis.

11. Weights at Cairo in Egypt.—Almost every kind of goods has its own weight; these are regulated by the cantaren or principal weight.

The rotel or rotoli is nearly equal to the pound of Marfeilles; 108 lbs. of Marfeilles are equal to 110 rotels. The Marfeilles pound consists of 13 ounces of Paris; so that 100 lbs. of Marfeilles are equal to 81 lbs. Paris, and 100 lbs. Paris = 123 lbs. of Marfeilles.

We shall subjoin here Mr Ferguson's table for comparing the English avoirdupois pound with foreign pounds:

In order to show the proportion of the several weights used throughout Europe, we shall add a reduction of them to one standard, viz. the London pound.

The 100 lb. of England, Scotland, and Ireland are equal to

A curious weighing machine was some time ago invented by M. Hauin of Paris, whereby the weights of the principal

Weight. countries in Europe, and the relative proportions they bear to each other, are shown at one view. For this he received a bounty of 20 guineas from the Society instituted at London for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. We shall insert a description and figure of this ingenious machine.

Plate Figure 1. represents the back of the machine, which being suspended by the ring A, and a weight hung to the hook B, the spring C, C, C, made fast by strong screws at g, is drawn downwards; and the bar D, having a rack thereon at e, turns the pinion f, in proportion to the weight of the body hanging thereto. Figure 2. shows the face of the machine, on which are a number of concentric circles, and the weights of several countries of Europe engraved thereon, as expressed by the words on a line with them. In the centre of this face is a ring fixed to the small plate, turned by the pinion f, shown at figure 1. From this ring a hand projects, which, by the turning of the pinion, points to such part of the circle as is marked with the weight, hung to the hook B; and thereby shows what weight of any of the countries mentioned, is equal to the pounds troy of London, which are engraved on the outer circle, or to the pounds avoirdupois, which are engraved on the second circle, and so of the rest. A slider moves on the hand, which may be brought to any of the circles at pleasure, in order to point out the relative weight with greater precision.

Many attempts have been made to introduce an uniformity of weights and measures into the commercial world; but hitherto they have all failed. The accomplishment of such an undertaking would be of infinite advantage to mankind, and certainly claims the most serious attention of those who by their situation can alone bring it about. The undertaking is indeed difficult, but surely not impossible. Something of this kind has lately been attempted in France; and if it succeed, as the method is simple, and exceedingly well adapted for calculation, it surely deserves to be imitated. See REVOLUTION OF FRANCE.

Weights of Air. See PNEUMATICS, n° 14—19.

Regulation of Weights and Measures, is a branch of the king's prerogative. See PREROGATIVE AND MEASURE.

As weight and measure are things in their nature arbitrary and uncertain, it is therefore expedient that they be reduced to some fixed rule or standard: which standard it is impossible to fix by any written law or oral proclamation; for no man can, by words only, give another an adequate idea of a foot rule, or a pound weight. It is therefore necessary to have recourse to some visible, palpable, material standard; by forming a comparison with which all weights and measures may be reduced to one uniform size; and the prerogative of fixing this standard, our ancient law vested in the crown, as in Normandy it belonged to the duke. This standard was originally kept at Winchester: and we find in the laws of king Edgar, near a century before the conquest, an injunction that the one measure, which was kept at Winchester, should be observed throughout the realm. Most nations have regulated the standard of measures of length by comparison with the parts of the human body: as the palm, the hand, the span, the foot, the cubit, the ell (ulna or arm), the pace, and the fathom. But as these are of different dimensions in men of different proportions, our ancient historians inform us, that a new standard of longitudinal measure was ascertained by king Henry the First; who commanded that the una, or ancient ell, which answers to the modern yard, should be made of the exact length of his own arm. And one standard of measure of length being gained, all others are easily derived from thence; those of greater length by multiplying, those of less by dividing, that

original standard. Thus, by the statute called compositio ulnorum et pericorum, five yards and an half make a perch; and the yard is subdivided into three feet, and each foot into 12 inches; which inches will be each of the length of three grains of barley. Superficial measures are derived by squaring those of length; and measures of capacity by cubing them. The standard of weights was originally taken from corns of wheat, whence the lowest denomination of weights we have is still called a grain; 32 of which are directed, by the statute called compositio mensurarum, to compose a penny-weight, whereof 20 make an ounce, 12 ounces a pound, and so upwards. And upon these principles the first standards were made; which, being originally so fixed by the crown, their subsequent regulations have been generally made by the king in parliament. Thus, under king Richard I. in his parliament holden at Westminster, A. D. 1197, it was ordained that there should be only one weight and one measure throughout the kingdom, and that the custody of the assize, or standard of weights and measures, should be committed to certain persons in every city and borough; from whence the ancient office of the king's auditors seems to have been derived, whose duty it was, for a certain fee, to measure all cloths made for sale, till the office was abolished by the statute 11th and 12th William III. c. 20. In king John's time this ordinance of king Richard was frequently dispensed with for money; which occasioned a provision to be made for enforcing it, in the great charters of king John and his son. These original standards were called pondus regis, and mensura domini regis, and are directed by a variety of subsequent statutes to be kept in the exchequer chamber, by an officer called the clerk of the market, except the wine gallon, which is committed to the city of London, and kept in Guildhall.

The Scottish standards are distributed among the oldest boroughs. The elwand is kept at Edinburgh, the pint at Stirling, the pound at Lanark, and the firlet at Linlithgow.

Various statutes have been enacted for regulating and enforcing an uniformity of weights and measures; and by the articles of union, the English standards are established by law over all Great Britain. But the force of custom is so strong, that these statutes have been ill observed. The Scottish standards are still universally retained for many purposes; and likewise a variety of local weights and measures are used in particular places of both countries, which differ from the general standards of either.