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Metrology; or, An exposition of weights and measures. [With] Appendix
Metrology or An exposition of weights and measures Appendix - With Author:Patrick Kelly Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: HISTORY ENGLISH WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. J.HE state of English Weights and Measures, before the Norman Conquest, is but imperfectly known ; and even for a con... more »siderable time after that period their history is both vague and inaccurate. What, for instance, can be more uncertain than the mode adopted by Henry I. of making the length of his arm the standard for long measures? A better lawr Jhowever, was enacted by Richard I. who ordered that measures of length should be made of iron, and those of capacity should have brims of the same metal; and that standard weights and measures of every kind should be kept by the sheriffs and magistrates of towns ; but it does not appear that this law was duly enforced or observed. " It is declared by Magna Charta, (says Mr. Reynardson), that there should be This account of English weights and measures is selected from Mr. Reynardson's paper, in the Philoso. throughout the realm, one measure of wine, one of ale, and one of corn, viz. the quarter)" of London ; and that it should be of weights as of measures. This declaration has been repeated in many subsequent laws; ( and, by several of them the treasurer is directed to provide standards phical Transactions of 1749 ; also from Parliamentary Reports, and other authentic documents published since that period. Mr. Reynardson'sjjaper is considered a very valuable dissertation. It was entirely copied by the intelligent Postlethwayt into his Commercial Dictionary, who declares that he should be wanting to his readers, did he omit any part of " the most accurate and satisfactory account of the weights and measures of England ever published." It should be observed, that the numerous refer- ences to acts of Parliament greatly enhance the value of the performance. Bishop Fleetwood...« less