in commerce, are so various, not only in different countries, but even in different provinces of the same country, and this variation is the source of so much inconvenience in trade, that writers on political and commercial economy have proposed various methods for fixing an universal and immovable standard of weights and measures for all ages and nations. Sir James Stewart Denham's speculations on this subject have been noticed in his life published in this Supplement; Mr Whitehurst's ingenious contrivance for establishing a standard of weights and measures has been mentioned under the title Measure (Engel); and the new table of weights and measures, which the French republicans wish to impose upon all Europe, is given (Engel.) under the title Revolution, no. 183.

As these measures occur frequently, even in English translations of French books of value, we shall here give such an account of them as may enable the reader to reduce them with ease to the English standards. They are of five kinds; measures of length, of capacity, of weight, of superficialities for land, and of wood for fuel. For every kind, there are many measures of different sizes, one of which has been taken as the basis of all the rest, and its name assumed as the root of their names. Thus metre is called the principal measure of length; litre, of capacity; gramme, of weight; are, of superficialities of land; and sterc, of wood for fuel. These words being the radical terms of the names of other measures of length, capacity, &c. a relation is hereby preserved between the names.

The measures of length above the metre, are ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times, greater than the metre. The measures of length below the metre, are ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times, less. To form the names of these measures, other words which indicate the relations of ten times, a hundred Weights and measures are placed before the word "metre." The same annexes have been used to form the names of measures, greater or less, than the litre, the gramme, &c. It is necessary, therefore, to state in this place the English equivalents of only the metre, the litre, the gramme, the are, and the acre.

The metre = 3.28084 feet English. The litre = 61.023 cubic inches, or 1.75 pint ale measure.

The gramme, or cubic centimetre of water, at the freezing point, = 1/10 lb. avoird. or 1/9 of an ounce, or 1/8 of a dram nearly.

The are = 107.6 square feet, or 119.5 square yards, or 1/100 of an acre nearly.

The stère, or cubic metre = 35.31467 cubic feet.

The better part of our countrymen, not choosing to adopt the weights and measures preferred to them by the French Convention and the National Institute, Sir George Shuckburgh Evelyn, Bart., turned his attention to this subject, and published, in the Philosophical Transactions for 1798, an account of some endeavours to ascertain a standard of weights and measures. The principles upon which he proceeded are the same with Mr Whitehurst's; but he has carried his experiments much farther than his predecessor, and seems to have conducted them with greater accuracy. His memoir is hardly susceptible of abridgment; and our limits do not permit us to insert it entire. This is indeed unnecessary, if it be true, as another ingenious gentleman alleges, that we are in the actual possession, and the constant use, of a standard both for weight and measure, as invariable as that now used in France. This standard he finds in the foot measure, and in the avoirdupois, or, as he thinks it ought to be called, the decade ounce weight.

The decade ounce weight of pure rain, or distilled water, at 60° of heat, is generally allowed to be equal in bulk to the one-thousandth part of the cubic foot. Were 44.3511 parts out of 10000, or about 1/23rd part added to the present Winchester bushel, that bushel would then contain exactly 10 cubic feet or 1000 oz. of distilled water, at 60° of heat.

Our author then gives comparative tables between this system and that which is now established in France. Taking the metre at 3 French feet, and 11.296 French feet to be the English as 10.65752004 English decades, or tenths of an English foot; hence he calculates the following:

**Comparative Tables, English with French.**

| Long Measure | Metre | Metre | Long decades | |--------------|-------|-------|-------------| | 1 | 0.03047983 fére 1 = 32.808583358, &c. or inches 39.3703 |

| Square Measure | Ares | Ares | Square decades | |----------------|------|------|---------------| | 1 | 0.000092902 fére 1 = 107.6403142, or sqr. inch 155002.05244 |

| Cube Measure | Litre | Litre | Cube decades | |--------------|-------|-------|-------------| | 1 | 0.02831637 fére 1 = 35.3152622, &c. or cub.inch 61.0247727 |

Avoided or decades. Grammes. Gramme. Decade oz. 1 = 28.31637 fére 1 = {0.03151526, &c. or grains, 15.45042625

Long, Square, or reduced to Long, Square, or Cube, and decade ounces are reduced to grams containing {7000} or {5760} to the lb. Avoiding, multiplying the ounce by 437.5 = the number of grains in an avoirdupois ounce.

Our author, who seems to have paid much attention to weights and measures, observes, that a standard measure for the purposes of trade, in particular, as well as for others, that would uniformly give an accurate result, and could be easily made, examined, and ascertained, by common mechanics, which neither our present liquid nor dry measures evidently can, would surely be an acquisition of great value. Such an one, he presumes, would be the following: A square pyramid, whose perpendicular height is exactly thrice the length of the side of its base; for such an one, and every section of it, made by a plane parallel to its base, would, in the first instance, polish, and, in every subdivision, retain these remarkable properties.

1st. Similar comparative dimensions to those above given, for the original pyramid, i.e., every smaller pyramid, formed by the above-mentioned parallel section, would have its perpendicular height twice the length of the side of its base; and,

2ndly. The length of the side of each base will always indicate, or equal the cube root of the solid content of the pyramid; e.g. If the length of the side of the base be 3, the solid content will be the cube of 3, viz. \(3 \times 3 \times 3 = 27\).

We do not perceive very clearly the great value of this standard; but Mr Goodwyn says, that he has been many years in the habit of using a pyramid measure to examine corn; and is perfectly convinced that such a one will indicate a far more accurate result than can arise from the manner in which corn is measured by the buttel. This we are bound to believe; for it is absurd to oppose theories to a fact ascertained by experience.