WEIGHING AN ELEPHANT.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 15, 9 April 1892, Page 389

WEIGHING AN ELEPHANT.

ABOUT two hundred years ago there lived a Prince of Mahrattas, in Hindostan. whose name was Shahjee. Princes are numerous in India, but this particular Prince was long remembered on account of his beneficence and great wisdom. He seems to have been the most learned Prince of the time, ami his advice and help were always sought in critical matters. Many stories aie told of Lis ingenious settlement of difficulties, and some of them are certainly curious.

Once a very high official in the court of Prince Shahjee made a vow that if he succeeded in a certain enterpiise, he would distribute to the poor of bis district ‘ the weight of his own elephant in silver.’ Elephants were highly prized by these Princes, and each kept the largest and finest for his own use. The officials vow, if hasty, was generous, ami perhaps the success of his undertaking was worth the price. The undertaking succeeded, but the official, willing to keep his oath, was met by an unexpected difficulty. There was no possible way of finding out the elephant's correct weight. No scales in the country were constructed of sufficient power to weigh such enormous beasts. Elephants were not sold by the pound, and no need had before arisen for scales to weigh them. All the learned and clever men of the court tries! in vain to construct a machine of sufficient powerto weigh the enormous beast. It did seem probable t hat the poor of Hindostan would have to get along without that silver. It is possible that the official had thought of this objection when he made the vow. Indians are crafty, and this one might have been cunning enough to leave himself a loop hole of escape to prevent parting with his money. But if any such notion had occurred to him, he was doomed to disappointment in tbe matter. The question was referred to Shahjee, as all such vexatious questions were. And it did not take him long to find a very simple solution. That is always the way with true genius you know. The solution it finds is so simple that everyone ciies out in wonder:

_‘ Why, of course ! Why didn’t somebody speak of that before ?’

Shahjee commanded the elephant to be conducted along a platform into a flat-bottomed boat which lay by the waterside. When the animal was safely aboard, he desired the attendants to mark upon the boat's side the exact height to which the water reached when the elephant weighed it down. Then the elephant was taken out, and stones substituted, until enough were loaded into the boat to bring it to the same water line, as when the elephant was the passenger. Then the stones were weighed. If the scales conld not hold all at once, part conld be taken at a time, you see, and so the elephant’s weight was correctly ascertained. It is safe to conclude that the poorof Hindostan finally got the silver. A Prince so wise must have also been just. Whether the official who paid the money was quite satisfied, history does not tell ns ; but we will ho|>e, for his charity's sake, he was, and a« a full grown elephant weighs several tons, the amount distributed among the poor of tbe district must have been very large.