The SELECT COMMITTEE, appointed to consider of the several Reports which have been laid before this House relating to Weights and Measures, and of the proceedings which have taken place for determining the length of the pendulum vibrating seconds, and to report their observations and opinion thereupon to the House; have considered the matters referred to them, and have agreed to the following Report:

Your Committee concur entirely in opinion with the Commissioners on Weights and Mea sures, as to the inexpediency of changing any standard, either of length, superficies, capacity, or of weight, which already exists in a state of acknowledged accuracy; and where discrepancies are found between models equally authentic, they deem it right that such a selection should be made as will prove most accordant with generally-received usage, and with such analogies as may connect the different quantities in the most simple ratios.

They also concur in recommending, that the sub-divisions of Weights and Measures employed in this country be retained, as being far better adapted to common practical purposes than the decimal scale.

For the reasons assigned by the Commissioners, your Committee recommend that the parliamentary brass standard of three feet,

now in the possession of the House of Commons, and made by Bird, in 1760, be henceforth considered as the authentic legal standard of length of the British empire, so that the distance between the centres of the two gold pins inserted in that scale, the brass being at the temperature of sixty-two degrees by Fahrenheit's thermometer, be one yard. And it appears from the experiments made for determining the length of the pendulum vibrating seconds at London in a vacuum, and reduced to the level of the sea, that the distance from the axis of suspension to the centre of oscillation of such a pendulum, is 39.1393 inches of the above standard distance: and that the length of a platina metre at the temperature of thirty-two degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer, supposed to be the tenmillionth part of the quadrant of the meridian, corresponds with 39.3708 inches of the said distance.

Your Committee recommend, that superficial measures remain as they are now defined by law, namely, that the perch, pole, or rod, be a square of 164 feet, that the acre consist of 160 such perches, and so of the rest.

They further recommend, that the standard brass weight of two pounds, also in the possession of the House of Commons, and made in 1758, be considered as authentic; that one-half thereof, as gravitating in air at the mean

If the proposition now submitted should be sanctioned by the House, your Committee recommend that leave be given to bring in a bill for declaring these standards of length, of capacity, and of weight, to be the imperial standards for Great Britain and Ireland, and for its colonies and dependencies; and they recommend, that several copies of the standards be made with the utmost possible accuracy for the use of the Exchequer, for the three capitals, for the principal foreign possessions, for the government of France, in return for the communication of their standards; and especially for the United States of America, where your Committee have reason to believe that they will be adopted, and thus tend, in no small degree, to facilitate the commercial intercourse, and by so doing, to consolidate a lasting friendship between the two greatest nations of the world most assimilated by their language, their laws, religion, customs, and manners.

Your Committee cannot close their Report, without adverting to the extraordinary knowledge and ingenuity, and to the indefatigable industry displayed by captain Kater, by whom all the experiments have been gratuitously conducted, for ascertaining the various standards, and for determining the length of the pendulum, by a method peculiarly his own, and by which he has arrived at a degree of accuracy and precision, that, but a few years since, was declared to be utterly unattainable.

This gentleman, in compliance with his majesty's directions, given in pursuance of an address

of this House, has also observed the variations of the pendulum on the principal stations of the trigo. nometrical survey; and from these observations deductions have been made of great importance with respect to the general figure of the earth, its density and internal construction. So that your Committee are decidedly of opinion, that it will be highly proper to extend similar observations over a still larger surface, so as to connect the measurements and astronomical observations made by the different nations of Europe, as much as possible, into one whole.

Your Committee having directed their attention to the best and most practicable method of bringing the imperial measures into general use, beg leave further to recommend a legislative enactment, by which it shall be declared, that all bargains and sales, where nothing appears to the contrary, shall be deemed and taken to be made in conformity with these measures of length, super. ficies, capacity, and weight; but that for a time to be limited, it shall be competent for all persons to deal by any other measures, established either by local custom, or founded on special agreement, that they may select; provided always, that the ratio or proportion of such local measures to those established by law, may be a matter of common notoriety; and that in the case of a special agreement, the ratio or proportion be therein expressed.

Your Committee subjoin in an Appendix, some computations and proportions, which they think may be of general use.

APPENDIX.

The pendulum vibrating seconds of mean solar time at London in a vacuum, and reduced to the level of the sea, is 39.1393 inches, consequently the descent of an heavy body from rest, in a vacuum, will be 193.145 inches in one second of time. The logarithm 2.2858828.

A platina metre at the temperature of 32°, supposed to be the ten-millionth part of the quadrant of the meridian, is 39.3708 inches. The ratio to the imperial measure of three feet as 1.09363 to 1, the logarithm 0.0388717.

The five following standards have been measured as follows:Inches.

Gen. Lambton's scale used
in the trigonometrical
survey of India..
Sir George Shuckburgh's
scale (which for all pur-
poses may be considered

56°.1.00050

48°.1.00095

58°.1.00035 46°.1.00102

The differences of temperatures between 62° and 39°, where water attains its greatest density, will vary the bulk of a gallon of water, rather less than the third of a cubic inch.

And assuming from the mean of numerous estimates the expansion of brass 0.00001044 for each degree of Fahrenheit's thermometer, the difference of temperatures from 62° to 39° will vary the content of a brass gallon measure just one-fifth of a cubic inch.

It appears, that the specific gravity of clear water from the Thames, exceeds that of distilled water at the mean temperature, in the proportion of 1.0006 to 1, making a difference of about onesixth of a cubic inch, in a gallon.

Rain water does not differ from distilled water, so as to require. any allowance for common pur

tion the existing regulations

relative to the Making and the

Sale of Bread, and to report their observations thereupon to the House,

Have proceeded, in pursuance of the orders of the House, to consider the operation of the act now in force, viz., the 59th Geo. 3rd., c. 36, entitled, "An act to repeal certain acts now in force for regulating the Making and Sale of Bread out of the city of London, and the liberties thereof, and beyond the weekly bills of mortality, and ten miles of the Royal Exchange, where no assize is set; and for establishing other provisions and regulations relative thereto." And they have further taken into consideration the report of a committee dated 22nd May, 1818, to whom the several petitions of country bakers, presented to the House on the 11th February, and on the 3rd and 10th March, of the same year, were referred, to examine the matters thereof, and report their observations thereupon to the House; and your Committee have to express their entire concurrence in the said report, "That under the statutes referred to in the abovenamed petitions, the operation of the said statutes has, in many instances, been made an instrument of oppression against the fair tradesmen, who, by the power given to informers of seizing bread, at any time distant from the period of its being baked, and of keeping it three days after seizure, before he can be compelled to have it weighed before a magistrate, are liable to informations and consequent convictions, from which the necessary waste of the article from keeping, makes it impossible for them to protect themselves, but by baking their loaves of such an excess of

weight beyond what the law requires, as must totally exhaust their reasonable gains, and make their trade no longer an object worth the employment of their time and capitals. From these vexations, aggravated as they have been by the practice of common informers, your Committee feel the country bakers are entitled to the earliest consideration of the legislature to relieve them; and though they do not consider that they have either had time, or that the late period of the session is likely to give them time, to investigate all the minute details of the subject that might be necessary to enable them to recommend any measure of permanent legislation, they see no difficulty or inconvenience that can occur to to the public, if the legislature should think proper to extend to the country bakers the provisions of the act of the 55th of the king upon this point, with some alteration only as to the period within which bread should be liable to be weighed, for a limited term, which would give time for a more full and detailed examination of the subject."

But it does appear to your Committee, that the provisions and regulations proposed by that Committee, and subsequently adopted by the House, with a view to redress the grievances complained of in the aforesaid petitions, and with a view, doubtless, at the same time, to retain for the benefit of the public, those means of protection against imposition in the manufacture and sale of bread which previous acts of parliament were intended to afford, have not been effectual for either of the above-named purposcs. It has, in fact, been prac