Letter from William Henry Rowlestone Jessop of Grove House, St David's, Haverfordwest, [Pembrokeshire] to an unidentified correspondent, 17 Oct 1855. Accompanying a copy of his work on the decimal system: '... it is the first book which embraces the whole System of Money and Measures that has yet appeared ... You will perceive that this system is very superior to that in France [i.e. to the metric system]'.

Autograph, with signature.

Volume containing the printed reports of the Committee appointed to enquire into the original standards of weights and measures (in 1758 and 1759), Statutes on the same subject, and a report and inquisition on the same, with reference to the county of Renfrew (1827). These printed items are annotated in various hands, including that of John Joshua Probyn, 1st Earl of Carysfort.
The volume also contains two manuscript items, numbered 10 and 14, namely 'Remarks upon some of the practical provisions contained in the Weights and Measures Bill', as amended on recommitment (1 July 1822) and printed, written by A Campbell in 1823; and 'Powers in the Uniformity Weights and Measures Act (5 Geo.4, c.74) and statutes therein referred to for preventing other than legal weights and measures', in the hand of Lord Carysfort, written in 1824.

Draft of a bill 'for the more effectual prevention of the use of false and deficient measures', 1815, with proposals including Justices of the Peace to appoint persons to examine the measures within their districts; a penalty of 5-20s on conviction; proper measures according to the standard made by the Exchequer to be purchased out of the general rate and deposited with the clerks of the peace; some form of conviction to be given. The draft is endorsed '9 March 1815. Copy to Mr [Samuel] Whitbread [M.P. for Bedford] per post'.

Records of the Middlesex County Council Public Control Department, 1904-1965, including personal papers of Chief Officer John O'Keefe (1950-1960) including files on the foods and food standards commission, food labelling, weights and measures regulations, Consumer's Advisory Council, samples sent to the public analyst, articles on food and drugs legislation, correspondence, photographs of the work of the department and examples of labels and forms used by the department.

Papers relating to food standards including files on coffee, gelatine, fish paste, ice cream, margarine, mustard, salad cream and mayonnaise, jams and jellies, beverages, wines, spirits and liquors, bread, milk, butter, cream, yoghurt, confectionary, vegetables, meat, eggs, soups, herbs and spices, cakes, pies and biscuits, slimming foods, vinegars and condiments, cheese, cereals, crisps, honey, soya products, vitamins. Also files on drugs, cosmetics, pollen tablets, and animal fats.

Papers relating to merchandise marks including legislation; notes regarding legal points; and files regarding honey, fruit and vegetables, meat, poultry, butter, turpentine, bleach and fabrics. Papers relating to the interpretation and labelling of poisons.

Papers relating to weights and measures including regulations; notes for the guidance of inspectors; correspondence and enquiries relating to sand and ballast; files regarding coke, coal, liquid fuels and lubricating oils; files regarding weighing equipment and measuring instruments including weighbridges.

Also registers and index cards of infringements; reports of infringements and legal appeals.

Records of the London County Council Public Control Department relating to weights and measures and gas testing, 1888-1972, including records of Daily Gas Testing; Gas Testing Weekly Returns; reports and conferences relating to gas supply; quarterly reports of the Chief gas examiner; quarterly reports by the LCC chemist and reports regarding the Weights and Measures Acts.

Samples of records including journal of weights, measures, weighing and measuring instruments submitted for verification and fees received by the inspector of weights and measures; journal of fines; certificates of measures verified; certificates of weighing on a public weighbridge; certificates for weighing mechanically propelled vehicles; receipts of glassware for testing; glass-testing book; public notice concerning Publicans' Glass Measures; public notice concerning Sale of Bread; standards and testing of gasholders testing sand-blast machines; papers relating to the re-verification of local standards, scale-beams, and so on with the Board of Trade.

Papers, 1839-1863, of William Lockhart, comprising two volumes containing his personal expenses accounts, 1839-1857; notebook, c1845, largely containing Chinese texts, also including notes in English on subjects including Chinese measurements, trades, guilds, religion, and other customs; Chinese passport, 1863.