Parliamentary Committees,

1758 to 1821.

custom been with the people; and even at the present time, notwithstanding the best intentions of the Legislature, we have not quite obtained uniformity throughout the United Kingdom.

Probably it was not only the want during the last century of a uniform system of weights and measures in the internal trade of the country which brought about the legislation of 1824, but also the growing demand for higher accuracy in scientific research, a demand which helped in France to develop the introduction of the metric system.

The legislation of 1824 was indirectly the cutcome of important reports made by Committees of the House of Commons, particularly the report of a Committee of 1758 of which Lord Carysfort was chairman. The latter Committee recommended in their reports of 1758 and 1759 that a "troy pound" (5,760 grains), and a yard measure (36 inches), made according to their directions, should be adopted as new standards, but their recommendation received no legal recognition until 1824. Previously to 1824, and from 1588, the legal standards in use had been those made during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and until 1588 the standards in use had been those of Henry VII.

Much of the legislation of 1824 was also based on the recommendations of Committees of the House of Commons, and on the reports of Commissioners of Weights and Measures, appointed by the Treasury (1814-21), particularly on the recommendations of a committee of 1816, who examined Dr. W. H. Wollaston, the Secretary of the Royal Society, and Dr. Playfair, F.R.S.; and on the recommendations of commissioners appointed to ascertain the standards of the country, who reported in 1819, 1820, and 1821.

Exchequer In 1825 the Treasury Commissioners called in the Standards. assistance of Dr. T. Young, F.R.S., Captain H. Kater, F.R.S.,

and other eminent scientific authorities, under whose directions brass copies of the new Imperial Standards, or Secondary Standards, were made and deposited at the office of the Receipt of Exchequer, and they became known as Exchequer Standards." Copies of the Exchequer Standards were also sent during the same year to the three Metropolitan Cities, London, Dublin, and Edinburgh. The Exchequer Standards of 1825 are now included with the Board of Trade Standards. Some copies of the Exchequer Standards are still in the custody of the Town Clerk at the Guildhall, London; the Edinburgh copies are in the Museum of Weights and Measures at the City Chambers, Edinburgh; and the Dublin copies are deposited at the City Hall, Dublin.

tion of

The Standards legalised in 1824 were injured or Destrucdestroyed at the burning of the Houses of Parliament in Standards 1834, they having remained in the custody of the Clerk of in 1834. the House of Commons since 1758-60 in accordance with a resolution of the House dated 2nd June 1758. The legal life of the first Imperial Standards was, therefore, short as compared with the old Winchester Standards, which lasted from 1588 to 1824. The yard of 1760 was constructed by Bird, the optician, and was based on a brass yard constructed by Graham for the Royal Society in 1742, which was derived from the yard measure of Queen Elizabeth. The Troy Pound of 1758 was originally verified by Mr. Harris, the King's Assay Master, by comparison with the Exchequer Troy Weights of 1601. After the burning of the Houses of Parliament certain of the Standards of 1758-60 were found in the ruins, particularly the yard measure of 1760. These ancient standards have now, under the care of Sir R. Palgrave, K.C.B., been placed in the lobby of the residence of the Clerk of the House of Commons leading from the official corridor at the back of the Speaker's chair.

New

of 1855,

In 1838, at the instance of the Chancellor of th› Imperial Standards Exchequer (Right Hon. T. Spring Rice, subsequently Lor Monteagle), a Commission was appointed to consider th steps to be taken for the restoration of the standards. The Commission made a report in 1841, and in consequenc of their report a Committee was appointed in 1843, who reported in 1854, and new Imperial Standards were mad under their directions, which standards were duly legalize by an Act of 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c. 72). The new Ac substituted the Avoirdupois pound of 7,000 grains for the Troy pound of 5,760 grains. The yard and pound o 1855 were verified by comparison with standard weight› and length scales, which had been compared with authenticated copies of the original standards of 1758-60 by the Rev. R. Sheepsbanks, F.R.S., Mr. F. Baily, F.R.S. and Professor W. Hallows Miller, F.R.S. The scientific methods by which the legal standards of 1855 were verified have been described in two classical papers, published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London in 1856-7. There appears to be no doubt tha the present Imperial Standards have been accurately derived from those of Queen Elizabeth, and that thes latter were derived from those of Henry VII.

Copies of the new Imperial Standards were deposited in 1854 in the Houses of Parliament, at the Royal Observatory, in the Royal Mint, and with the Royal Society. Such copies are legally known as " Parliamentary Copies," and in event of the original standards at the Standards Office being lost or injured, new standards can, under the Weights and Measures Act, 1878, be created by reference to or by adoption of such Parliamentary Copies.

The Standards Act of 1855, was repealed by the Weights and Measures Act, 1878, now in force, but so much of it as particularly described the existing Imperial Standards was re-enacted in the latter Act.

The following is a plan and section of the Imperial Standard Yard bar :

Distance a a' = 36 inches.

Section = 1 x 1 inch.

a a'. Wells sunk to the mid depth of the bar, at the bottom of each of which is inserted a gold stud, having the defining line of the yard engraved on it.

FIG. 2.

The bronze is composed of copper 16, tin 2, and zinc 1, ounces avoirdupois.