WE I

8.52

W E I

WEIGHING, the act of examining a body in the balance to |find its weight.

Weighing Anchor is the drawing it out of the ground it hadbeen cast into, in order to set sail or quit a port, road, or thelike.

Weighing Machine . A curious weighing machine was some-time ago invented by Mr. Hariin of Paris , whereby the weights ofthe principal countries in Europe , and the relative proportionsthey bear to each other, are shewn at one view. For tins he re-ceived a bounty of 20 guineas from the Society instituted atLondon for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Com-merce. This ingenious machine is delineated Plate CLXXYIII.Fig. 1, represents the back of the machine, which being suspendedby the ring A, and a weight hung to the book B, the spring C,C, C, made fast by strong screws at g, is drawn downwards; andthe bar D, having a rack thereon at c, turns the pinion f, in pro-portion to the weight of the body hanging thereto. Fig. 2, shewsthe face of the machine, on which are a number of concentriccircles, and the weights of several countries of Europe engravedthereon, as expressed by the words on a line with them. In thecentre of this lace is a ring fixed to the small plate, turned by thepinion ^ shewn at figure 1. From this ring a hand projects,which, by the turning of the pinion, points to such part of the cir-cle as is marked with the weight, hung to the hook 13; and therebyshews what weight of any of the countries mentioned, is equal tothe pounds troy of London , which are engraved on the outer cir-cle, or to the pounds avoirdupois, which are engraved on the se-cond circle, and so of the rest. A slider moves on the hand,which may be brought to any of the circles at pleasure, in orderto point out the relative weight with greater precision.

WEIGHT, in physics, a quality in natural bodies whereby theytend downwards towards the centre of the earth. Or, weightmay be defined in a less limited manner, to be a power inherentin all bodies whereby they tend to some common point, calledthe centre of gravity, or, to speak more accurately, to one ano-ther: and that with a greater or less velocity, as they are more orless dense, or as the medium they pass through is more or lessrare. See Attraction, Gravity, Mechanics, &c. ,

Weights, in commerce, denote bodies of a known weight ap-pointed to be put in the balance against other bodies whose weightis required. The security of commerce depending, in a goodmeasure, on the justness of weights, which are usually of lead,iron, or brass, most nations have taken care to prevent (he falsifi-cation thereof, by stamping or marking them by proper officers,after being adjusted by some original standard. Thus, in Eng-land, the standard of weights is kept in the exchequer by a parti-cular officer, called the clerk of the market. Weights are dis-tinguished into ancient and modern.

I. Weights, Ancient.

1. Weights, Ancient Roman. The ancient Roman weights, reduced to English troy weight, stand as in the followingtable:

Hi. dwls. gr.

Lentcs.0 O Of fa

Obolus.

Scriptulum.....3 Drachma,

Sextula

Sicilius

Duella,

Unci a

12 Libra

Weights, Ancient, Attic, or Weights, Ancient Gre-cian. The Roman mince is tin; English avoirdupois ounce,which they divided into 7 denarii, as well as 8 drachmas.

English Troy Weight.Ih. oz. dwt. gr.

Drachma.0 0 2 1(3.9

100

Mina,

1

1 10 10

tiOOO

60 Talent

.67 7 5 0

Weights, Ancient Jewish. Those of (he ancient Jews , re-duced to the English troy weight, will stand as in the followingtable:

lb. oz, dwt. gr.

Shekel.0 0 9 2$

j 60 |Maueh.....2 3 6 10^

boOolaOlTalent.113 10 1 I0£

|_I_i

Weights and Measures, New French . See Measure.

II. Weights Modern.

Weights, British Standard ok. As weight and measureare things in their nature arbitrary and uncertain, it is thereforeexpedient that they be reduced to some fixed Vide or standard :which standard it is impossible to iix by any written law or procla-mation ; lor no man can, hv words only, give another an adequateidea of a foot rule, or a pound weight. It is therefore necessaryto have recourse to some visible, palpable, material standard ; byforming a comparison with which all weights and measures may bereduced to one uniform size; and the prerogative of fixing thisstandard, our ancient law vested in the brown, as in Normandy itbelonged to the duke. This standard was originally kept at Win-chester ; and we find in the laws of king Edgar, near a centurybefore the conquest, an injunction that the one measure, whichwas kept at Winchester, should he observed throughout the realm.Most nations have regulated the standard of measures of lengthby comparison with the parts of the human body ; as the palm,the hand, the span, the foot, the cubit, the ell (ulna or arm), thepace, and the fathom. But as these are of different dimensions inmen of different proportions, historians inform us, that a newstandard of longitudinal measure was ascertained by king Henry1 . who commanded that the ulna, or ancient ell, which answers tothe modern yard, should he made of the exact length of his ownarm. And one standard of measure of length being gained, allothers are easily derived from thence ; those of greater length bymultiplying, those of less by dividing, that original standard. Thus,by the statute called compositio ulnarum et perticarum, five yardsand a half made a perch; and the yard is subdivided into threefeet, and each foot into 12 inches; which inchds, will be each ofthe length of three grains of barley. Superficial measures are de-rived by squaring those of length ; and measures of capacity bycubing them. 'The standard ot weights was originally taken fromcorns of wheat whence the lowest denomination of weights wehave is still called a grain ; 32 of which are directed, by the sta*tute called compositio mensurarum, to compose a penny-weight,whereof 20 make an ounce, 12 ounces a pound, and so upwards.And upon these principles the first standards were made; which,being originally so fixed by the crown, their subsequent regula-tions, have been generally made by the king in parliament. Thus,under Richard I. in his parliament holden at Westminster, A. D-1197, it was ordained that there should be only one weight andone measure throughout the kingdom, and that the custody of theassize, or standard of weights and measures should be committedto certain persons in every city and borough; whence theancient office of (lie king’s aulnuger seems to have been de-rived, whose duty it was, for a certain fee, to measure all clothsmade for sale, till the office was abolished by the statute Uand 12 William HI. c. 20. In king John ’s time this ordinance °>king Richard was frequently dispensed with for money; whichoccasioned a provision to he made for enforcing it, in the greatcharters of king John and his son. These original standards were

/ n called