Summary

Sikes hydrometer, normal and A scale, made by T.O. Blake Sikes Hydrometers Ltd, London, England, 1870-1900.
Technical instrument used by Customs officers in the State of Victoria to assess the commercial levels of alcohol in spirits.

Physical Description

1. Brown, rectangular, wooden box with inside lining of blue/ grey velvet material. From inside base of box 10 small, round wooden pegs protrude. Lid an base of box are attached along one side with two metal hinges with a metal clip in the centre of the opposite side used to secure box shut. A white rectangular plaque with a short inscription is attached to the lid. 2. Thermometer-thin, rounded glass tube containing mercury attached to narrow, yellow plastic, rectangular backing. Brown metal grill at the base. Short piece of string runs through two small holes in the backing, attached to a seal. Measuring scale in black ink. 3. Metallic instrument consisting of a hollow brass ball and two protruding stems; the shorter stem becomes gradually narrower, tipped with a diamond shape. Measuring scale is engraved in metal. 4-13. Series of flat, round metal weights of various sizes. Each weigh has a hole in the centre and held in place by a small wooden peg. The weights are numbered. 14. Small, white, rectangular piece of paper, folded in half, typed in black ink, handwritten in blue.

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