ME A
M E A
431
Measures of Capacity, or Cubical Measures.English Liquid Measure. The English liquid measures wereDri ginally raised from troy-weight: it being enacted by severalStates, that 8 lb. troy of wheat, gathered from (he middle of thec ? r » and well dried, should weigh a gallon of wine-measure, thet * lv isions and multiples whereof were to form the other measures;?J- the same time it was also ordered, that there should be but one‘'Hukl measure in the kingdom: yet custom has prevailed, and,er c having been introduced a new weight, viz. the avoirdupois,i Vc have now a second standard gallon adjusted thereto, and there-0r e exceeding the former in the proportion of the avoirdupois-" e 'ght to troy-weight. From this latter standard are raised twoSev eral measures, the one for ale, the other for beer. The sealed|allon at Guildhall, which is the standard for wines, spirits, oils,is supposed to contain 231 cubic inches; and on thissupposi-i “ the other measures raised therefrom will contain as in the tablej 'derueath : yet, by actual experiment made in 1088, before the0r d mayor and the commissioners of excise, this gallon was found0 contain only 224 cubic inches: it was however agreed to con-'nie the common supposed contents of 231 cubic inches.so that ailcniputations stand on their own footing. Hence, as 12 is to 231,o is 14A_i lo 2811 the cubic inches in the ale-gallon : but in effect“e ale-quart contains 1\ cubic inches, on which principle the ale■Hi beer-gallon will be 282 cubic inches. The several divisions and. Multiples of these measures, and their proportions, are exhibited1 the tables underneath. The barrel for ale in London is 32yuons, and the barrel for beer 30 gallons. In all other places of"“gland, the barrel, both for ale and beer, is 34 gallons.
., foreign Liquid Measures of Capacity. In foreign nations,n etr sevtral vessels for wine, vinegar, &c. have also various deno-■ ‘'nations, according to their different sizes and the places where-” they are used. The woeders of Germany , for holding RhenishjT* Moselle wines, are different in their guages; some containing“tunes of Amsterdam measure, and others more or less. Thef 0 n ' e ‘ s reckoned at Amsterdam for 8 steckans, or 20 verges, ory/.s °f a ton of 2 pipes; or 4 barrels of French or Bourdeaux,h 1 ! ci ‘ 6 at this latter place is called tiercon, because three of (hemlg e . a pipe or two barrels, and six the said ton. The steckan isjjl “'uigles, or 32 pints; and the verge is, in respect of the said^' ei ?' s h and Moselle , and some other sorts of wine, 6 mingles;is i-"! measuring brandy, it consistsof 6& mingles. The aumej^Ttyided into 4 ankers, and the anker into 2 steckans, or 32tel-. es ' The anker is taken sometimes for ^ of a ton, or 4 bar-Aih’ 011 "diich footing the Bourdeaux barrel ought to contain atjqUsterdam (when the cask is made according to the just gauge)ly| st( : c kans, or 200 mingles, wine and lees; or 12 steckans, orLin "““S^s, racked wine ; so that the Bourdeaux ton of wine Con-or steckans, or 800 mingles, wine and lees; and 48 steckans,a, Kl 8 m ‘ugles of pure wine. The barrels, or poin^ons, of Nantes ,(j ai ot ' ler places on the Loire , contain only 12 steckans Amster-ar >(l ,i measUre - The wine ton of Rochelle, Cognac, Charente ,“Del le ^ s ' e °f Rh6, differs very little from the ton of Bourdeaux,t hal£ n,e ? uentl y from llie barrels and pipes. A ton of wine ofs teck° SSe ’ Bayonne, and the neighbouring places, is reckoned 60ofp ans > ami the barrel 15, Amsterdam measure. The late muidiV* contained 150 quarts, or 300 pints, wine and lees; or 280've f( . c ‘ ear wine; of which nniids three make a ton ; the fractions
The muid h
The setier j g
The quart ! g.
?> P i nt • l =
^ J ne cliopm 5'
i ■ ^ lie demi-setier J aq (,a }*<i . *a!so composed of pipes,or poin5ons,quarteaux,queves,
?i °^t 15 ? ueves: t * 10Se poisons of Paris and Orleans contain1 cask I}? c ^ ans Amsterdam measure, and ought to weigh withbv -?, 0Unds ' a littie more or less. In Provence they‘ aiis pj nt ^ milleroles, and the millerole of Toulon contains 66
36 setiers4 quarts2 pints2 chopins2 demi-setierspoissons
Pint
Paris
Loir jd'CjU'ly equal to the English wine-quart. The huts or pipes"Otti (i,‘ l !?< Malaga. Alicant. Benecarlo. Saloe. and Mataro , and
e ,, aga, Alicant, Benecarlo,* Saloe, and Mataro , andu fi, ananes > Lom Lisbon, Oporto, and Fayal, are very dif-t\v 0 .“guages, though in affreightments, they are ail reck-‘ e ton. Vinegar is measured in the same manner as
‘° l “ th,
|| wine; but the. measures for brandies are different: these spiritsfrom France, Spain, Portugal , &c, are generally shipped in largecasks, called pipes, butts, and pieces. In France , brandv is ship-ped in casks, called pieces at Bourdeaux and pipes at llochelie,Cognac, the Isle of Rhe , and other neighbouring places, whichcontain some more and some less, even from 60 Vo 90 Amster-dam verges or veertels, according to the capacity of the vessels,and the places they come from, which being reduced into barrelswill stand as follows, viz.
At Rochelle, Cognac, the Isle of. Rhe, and h
the country of Aunts. 27 Veertels
At Nantes, and several places of Bretagne
and Anjou. . 29 Veertels
At Bourdeaux, and different parts of Gtii- )- g"
ennfi. 32 Verges | ~
At Amsterdam , and other cities of Holland 30 Veertels
At Hamburgh and Lubeck. 30 Verges
At Embden. 27 \ erges J
In the late provinces of Provence and Languedoc, brandy was -sold by the quintal, the casks included; and at Bruges in Flan-ders , the verges are called sesters of sixteen stops each, and (hespirit is sold at so much per stop. Olive-oil is also shipped incasks of various sizes, according to the custom of the places whereit is embarked and the conveniency of stowage. In England it issold by the ton of 236 gallons; and at Amsterdam by the ton of717 mingles, or 1434 pints. In Provence it is sold by millerolesof 66 Paris pints ; from Spain and Portugal it is brought in pipes orbutts, of different guages; at the first place it is sold by roves,whereof forty go to the butt; and ;.t the latter place bv almoudas,whereof twenty-six make a pipe. Train-oil is sold in England by! the ton ; at Amsterdam by the barrel.
Scotch Liquid Measures of Capacity. The Scottish liquid mea-sure is founded on the pint. The Scotch pint was formerly regu-lated by a standard jug of cast metal, the custody of which wascommitted to the borough of Stirling. This jug was supposed tocontain 105 cubic inches; and, though, after several careful trials,it has been found to contain only about 103 inches and a half; yet,in compliance with established custom, founded on that opinion,the pint-stoups are still regulated to contain 105 inches, and thecustomary ale-measures are about 1-loth above that standard. Itwas enacted by James I. of Scotland that the pint should containforty-one ounces Trone weight of the clear water of Tay, and byJames VI. that it should contain fifty-five Scots Troy ounces ofthe clear water of Leith. This affords another method of regu-lating tlie pint, and also ascertains the ancient standard of theTrone-weight. As the water of Tay and Leith are alike, theTrone weight must have been to the Scotch Troy weight as 55to 41 ; and, therefore, the pound Trone must have contained about21 ounces and a half Scotch Troy.
4 gills = 1 mulchkm
2 mutchkins = 1 ciiopin
2 chopins = 1 pint
2 pints =; 1 quart
4 quarts = 1 gallon
The Scotch quart contains 210 inches; and is, therefore, about1 r 10th less than the English wine-gallon, and about l-4th less thanthe ale-gallon.
TABLES OF LIQUID MEASURE.
Beer.
Solid incl
ICS
35£
Pint
282
8 -
Gallon
2538
72
9
Firkin
5076
144
r
IS
- 2
Kilderkin
10152
j
CO ■
CO 1
U
36
4
2
Barrel
20304
'576
72
8
4
2
Hogshead.
Ale;