Weevil
a popular name for a large number of beetles, marked by the prohead into a beak or proboscis, generally longation of the anterior part of the used by the females as an ovipositor, and by both sexes as a boring organ. They were formerly ranked in one family Curculionidæ, but Le Conte constituted them a special group with the title rhynchophora, and divided them into several families-Curculionidæ, Scolytidæ, Brenthidæ, and Anthribidæ. According to some authorities there are about 30,000 species; and most would allow at least half that number. With few exceptions the footless grubs are destructive to plants. with very hard wing covers, and with The Curculionidæ are compact weevils, with very hard wing covers, and with a downward-pointing beak or proboscis, bearing the antennæ on its sides and the mouth parts at its end. Their scales are often very brilliant. tions they devour plants-roots, stems, leaves, fruits, seeds, or, in fact, any tions they devour plants-roots, stems, often very brilliant. With few exceppart. Large appropriations have been With few exceptive to the cotton plant. Its ravages have caused great losses to the cotton crop. made in recent years to exterminate the caused great losses to the cotton crop. the earliest standards of length the principal were the palm or handbreadth, the foot, and the cubit (from elbow to tip of mid-finger). There were two leading foot, and the cubit (from elbow to tip cipal were the palm or handbreadth, the cubits: the natural cubit in Egypt, Chaldea, Phoenicia, and Greece 6 palms=2 spans 1½ foot= Babylonia and Chaldea 20.89 inches.
The Gree royal cubit of Memphis, found also in WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. Of foot-
18.24 inches; and the The Greek foot (=12.16 inches) passed WEIGHTS AND MEASURES WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. into Italy and unciæ (inches); it was afterward short- The Romans used a 3-foot ulna. The Saxmodifications occurring in the ell. Henry by the Normans in England, various VII. and Elizabeth made standard yards of 36 inches: Henry's was 35.924 inches ened, becoming as small as 11.65 inches. of the present standard; Elizabeth's was ons used an ell or yard of 36 inches, based yard. In 1742 the Royal Society of Lonon the Roman foot. This was continued don made a standard 42-inch 1760 Mr. Bird made for a Weights and Commons a copy of an old yard measure found in the Tower. In 1824 (5 Geo. IV. chap. 74) this copy was legalized as Measures Committee of the House of about 1-100 inch more than the present the standard yard, with the direction that in the event of its being lost, the standard was to be recovered by making the length of a mean-time seconds penstandard was to be recovered by making that in the event of its being lost, the the standard yard, with the direction chap. 74) this copy was legalized as found in the Tower. In 1824 (5 Geo. IV. Commons a copy of an old yard measure Measures Committee of the House of inch scale; in inches. In 1834 the standard was devacuum at sea-level equal to 39.1393 stroyed in the fire at the Houses of Parand was there divided into 12 pointed under Mr. Airy, astronomer vacuum at sea-level equal to 39.1393 royal; in 1841 they reported against inches. In 1834 the standard was dein 1843 they were appointed as a commission to restore the lost standards; this they did between 1843 and 1854 by taking the best secondary evidence, and they produced a standard bar of gun metal, the distance between two lines on which, crossing two gold studs, is one yard, at 62° F. and 30 inch bar. pressure. mission to restore the lost standards; they produced a standard bar of gun taking the best secondary evidence, and and Measures Act of 1878 (41 and 42 metal, the distance between two lines on ders all old local or customary weights and measures, other than imperial ones, ing from $25 to $250. unverified weights and measures varythis they did between 1843 and 1854 by made a "foot"; a "cubic foot" of water.
Two-thirds of a cubit, we have seen, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES WEIGHTS AND MEASURES pearls; the latter are weighed in carats (=3.1683 grains), which were originally weighed a talent. When the "foot" was 2-3 the royal cubit, the talent was 655,- 566 grains; this was the Egyptian, the Alexandrian ounce (the twelfth Hebrew, and Olympic monetary talent, later known as the great Alexandrian talent of brass and the Egypto-Roman talent. A talent half this weight was known as the Alexandrian talent of silver, or 327,783 grains; this was divided into 60 minas of 5,463 grains each; these are the origin of the Saxon moneyer's pound of 5,400 grains Mint pound or Tower pound old apothecaries pound of Germany; one such pound, in silver coins, was the original form of "one & sterling," and was divided into 20 "shillings," or 240 "pence" or pennyweights; each pennyweight was divided into 32 monetary grains. (wheat grains), each equal to 0.703125 modern grain.
The Tower weight was abolished in 1527.
The Saxon ounce contained 416.5 grains nearly, Roman uncia=1-12 libra; the libra (5,015 grains) was the Greek- Asiatic and Persian mina of 5,015 grains. The Troy pound is 5,760 grains =12 ounces of 20 pennyweights each.
Troy weight is now restricted to gold, silver, and jewels, except diamonds and part of the mina of silver). Various larger pounds were early used for merchandise; in 1303 the "avoirdupois" pound (7,000 grains) was in use. The Troy pound standard made by Mr. Bird in 1758 for the Weights and Measures Committee was legalized in 1824; in 1834 the standard was destroyed; the Standards Commission replaced troy weight by avordupois, and the standard pound is a mass of platinum weighing 7,000 grains in vacuo, copies of which are distributed as in the case of standards of length. The standard of capacity is the gallon, which was in 1824 adjusted so as to contain 70,000 grains, or 10 pounds avoirdupois of water at 62° F. and 30 inches bar. pressure; this gallon occupying 227.274 cubic inches, instead of the old Winchester gallon of 2744 cubic inches. The French or metric system of weights and measures is based on the decimal system. (See METRIC SYSTEM.) The metric system was legalized in the United States on July 28, 1866, when Congress enacted as follows:
The tables in the schedule hereto annexed shall be recognized in the construction of contracts, and in all legal proceedings, as establishing, in terms of the weights and measures now in use in the United States, the equivalents of the weights and measures expressed therein in terms of the metric system , and the tables may lawfully be used for computing, determining, and expressing in customary weights and measures the weights and measures of the metric system. The following are the tables annexed to the above:
Metric Denominations and Values.
Myriameter Kilometer Hectometer Dekameter Meter Decimeter Centimeter Millimeter Equivalents in Denominations in Use. 6.2137 miles. 0.62137 mile, or 3,280 feet 10 inches. 10,000 meters. 1,000 meters. 100 meters. 328 feet 1 inch. 10 meters. 393.7 inches 1 meter. 39.37 inches. 1-10 of a meter. 3.937 inches 1-100 of a meter. 0.3937 inch. 1-1000 of a meter. 0.0394 inch.
MEASURES OF SURFACE.
Metric Denominations and Values.
Equivalents in Denominations in Use.
Hectare Are Centare en 10,000 square meters 2.471 acres. 100 square meters. 119.6 square yards. 1 square meter. 1,550 square inches.
MEASURES OF CAPACITY.
Metric Denominations and Values.
Names.
Kiloliter or stere..
Hectoliter.
Dekaliter.
Liter Deciliter.
Centiliter Milliliter.
Number of Cubic Measure.
Liters 1,000 1 cubic meter. 1-10 of a cubic meter 10 cubic decimeters. 1 1 cubic decimeter. 1-10 of a cubic decimeter 10 cubic centimeters. 1-1000 1 cubic centimeter.
Equivalents in Denominations in Use.
Dry Measure. 1,308 cubic yards.... 2 bush. and 3.35 pecks 9.08 quarts. 0.908 quart. 6.1022 cubic inches. 0.6102 cubic inch.... 0.061 cubic inch...
Liquid or Wine Measure. 264.17 gallons. 26.417 gallons. 2.6417 gallons. 1.0567 quarts. 0.845 gill. 0.338 fluid oz. fluid dram.
WEI-HAI-WEI WEIGHTS.
WEIGHTS.
WEISSENBURG Metric Denominations and Values.
Equivalent in Denomi- nations in Use Number of Weight of What Quantity of Avoirdupois Weight. Names Grains Water at Maximum Density Miller or tonneau. 1,000,000 1 cubic meter.
Quintal.. 100,000 10 liters Myriagram.... 10,000 10 liters.
Gram 1,000 1 liter..
Hectogram. 100 10 cubic centimeters Dekagram. 10 10 cubic centimeters.
Gram. 1 Decigram. 1-10 1-100 1-1000 Centigram.
WEI-HAI-WEI (wi-hi-wi), a port of 1 cubic centimeter. 1-10 of a cubic centimeter. 10 cubic millimeters. 1 cubic millimeter.
WEI-HAI-WEI (wi-hi-wi), a port of tory; about 40 miles E. of Chefoo and 115 miles S. E. of Port Arthur. The harbor, about 18 miles in circumference, is deep, and is sheltered on the N. by formerly a Chinese naval station, was captured by Japan in her war with China in 1895, the land forts being taken Jan. 30 and the island Feb. 7. Admiral Ting, who had supported the forts with the Chinese fleet, offered terms of surrender that were accepted, but he committed suicide, his example being followed by Commodore Liu and the commander of the military garrison, and the Japanese took possession of the fortifications. After destroying the land defenses they withdrew leaving a garrison on the island. Their occupation was only temporary. By a convention signed at Peking, July 1, 1898, Wei-hai-wei was leased to Great Britain as an offset to the concessions granted to Russia in the Liaotung peninsula, the period of occupation to be determined by that of Russia at Port Arthur. In 1905 when Japan took over the lease the British lease was made to run as long as the Japanese oc- took over the lease the British lease was cupied Port Arthur.
WEIMAR (vi'mär), a small but inter- WEIMAR (vi'mär), a small but intertown of Germany; capital of the former grand-duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eiformer grand-duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eigrand-duke; 31 miles E. of Gotha and 155 S. W. of Berlin. It stands in a pleasant environs are in no remarkable, environs are in no way remarkable, and rly the residence built. Though formerly of the court, Weimar carries on neither trade nor manufactures, and seems a dull, provincial-looking town. The luster conferred on it by the residence here, at ferred on it by the residence here, at the close of the 18th and earlier portion Herder, and Wieland, at the court of Karl-August, has faded since that group was broken up by death; and now the was Cyc broken up by death; and now the 2204.6 pounds. 220.46 pounds. 22.046 pounds 2.2046 pounds. 3.5274 ounces. 0.3527 ounce. 15.432 grains. 1.5432 grains. 0.1543 grain. 0.0154 grain. interest of the place (Th pernickel") is almost wholly derived interest of the place (Thackeray's "Pumfrom its monuments, traditions, and as- ( Thackeray's "Pumsociations. The town church (Stadtkirche), dating from the year 1400, has a "Crucifixion" by Cranach, and contains a number of memorable tombs, among and Herder. The ducal palace, rebuilt which are those of Bernhard of Weimar in 1790-1803 after the fire of 1774, is a handsome building, some of the apartments of which are decorated by frescoes ments of which are decorated by frescoes ler, Herder, and Wieland. Ot ings are the Rothes Schloss (1574); the Other build- 000 volumes, and relics of Luther and Grünes Schloss, with a library of 180,- Gustavus Adolphus; the court theater Wagner's "Lohengrin"; and the houses of Cranach, Goethe, Schiller, and Herder.
The park and gardens of the palace, within which is the summer residence of enade. In Weimar in 1919 was held the new constitution for the German Re- National Assembly which formulated a public. (See GERMANY). Pop. about 35,- 000. public. (See GERMANY). Pop. about 35,trian composer; born in Zara, Dalmatia, June 2, 1863. At Graz he studied under Dr. W. Mayer, and at Leipsic, in 1881, obtained a scholarship from the Aus- Dr. W. Mayer, and at Leipsic, in 1881, brought out at Weimar on March 23, obtained a scholarship from the Aus- 1884. From 1884 to 1889 he was conbrought out at Weimar on March 23, burg, and in 1891 was appointed court conductor at Berlin. In 1906 he made his ing the season 1912-1914 he conducted first visit to the United States, and durconductor at Berlin. In 1906 he made his and many songs.
Boston Opera Company. He composed several symphonic poems and operas, a town of France; in the province of Al- Boston Opera Company. He composed sace; at the foot of the Vosges Moun- (vi'sen-börg), Vol. X WELLBECK ABBEY tains; on the Lauter; 34 miles N. N. E. of Strassburg. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 a battle took place here on Aug. 4, 1870, the first important engagement between the two armies, in which the French were defeated. Pop. about 7,000.