

oinporo ali 



' -ailed a M i 



ialiMii which, in the ! 



. 



further pruved, ir> -;il and nmthc- 



i-rinciples, thut t must always be exactly tho 



\ootly tho same 



.to and scientific method, however, as 

 , was not the way in which a measure ol 



n.ni.. i. A certain meoHuro called a 

 .:itf been establi-ln d, and this yard divided into 'M equal 



lied inches, it was found that tho length of the 

 tlnlnm oscillating in one second of time at Greenwich contained 

 v.' thus HCO that wo have a means ol 

 L\ time, tho measure of the yard. 



actual standard yard was lived, liy Act .-.( 1'a; 



passed 1835, to be "tho straight lino or distance between tho 



of the two points in the i/old studs in the straight brass 



rod now in tho custody of tho Clerk of tho House of Commons, 



"ii tho words 'Standard Yard, 1760,' ore engraved." Tho 



Act further states that in tho latitude of London tho pendulum 



vibrating seconds of mean time i/i vacua at the level of tho sea 



is 39-1393 inches. 



This standard, however, was, in fact, destroyed in 1834, at 

 the fire of tho House of Commons, before tho Act paused. The 

 Astronomical Society, however, had carefully prepared a standard 

 yard, which is calculated to differ from tho old one by not more 

 tlian i> () th of an inch. 



Wo cannot hero touch upon the ingenious and refined processes 

 by which measurements arc mode when extreme accuracy is 

 required, as, for instance, in determining a new standard length 

 from the old one, or in finding to what amount of variation a 

 given measured length is subject, from unavoidable external 

 causes. The reader may consult tho article Standard in tho 

 " Penny Cyclopaedia," wliich will give him a good general idea 

 of tho subject. 



SUBDIVISIONS OP LENGTH, OR LINEAR MEASURE. 



5. The smallest measure is a barleycorn, or one-third of an 

 inch; so called because, originally, tho inh was obtained by 

 placing together lengthwise three barleycorns taken from the 

 centre of tho ear. Little more, however, than tho name of this 

 subdivision remains, measurements being generally conducted in 

 decimal or fractional parts of an inch. 



TABLE OF LINEAR MEASURE. 



3 barleycorns 1 inch written 1 in. 



12 inches = 1 foot 1 ft. 



3 feet = 1 yard 1 yd. 



5^ yards =* 1 rod, perch, or pole 1 r. or p. 



40 rods, or 220 yards = 1 furlong 1 fur. 



8 furlongs, or 320 rods = 1 mile 1 m. 



3 miles 1 league 1 1. 



60 geographical miles, or ") 



69.J common miles j ' 1 de *"** l ** or l ' 



360 degrees - 1 great circle of the globe. 



Other measures of length are sometimes used, having reference 

 to special descriptions of magnitudes. For instance, 12 lines 

 make 1 inch ; 4 inches make 1 hand ; 9 inches 1 span ; 18 inches 

 1 cubit ; 6 feet 1 fathom. In measuring roads and land, a chain 

 22 yards or 4 rods long is used, called, from its inventor, ' . 

 <-hni,i. It is divided into 100 links, each of which therefore 

 contains ^ of a red, or 7'92 inches. 



CLOTH MEASURE. 



In tho measurement of cloth, linen, etc., the following lengths 

 arc sometimes used : 



2$ inches 1 nail written 1 nl. 



4 nails, or 9 inches - 1 quarter (of a yard' 1 qr. 



3 quarters m 1 Flemish !! 1 Fl. e. 



5 quarters = 1 English ell 1 E. e. 



6 quarters = 1 French ell 1 Fr. e. 



Tho last three measures arc now very seldom used in Kngland. 



A degree is in reality an angle ; but, in measuring the earth's 

 circumference, we give the name of de^reo to that portion of it which 

 subtends an angle of one degree at the centre. See " Angular Measure," 

 iu Lesson 23. 



l: 



THE early days </ rmp with thorn the return of the 



ujy pcnons tuey ar inor 

 welooui 

 Moonpom th m. < i; ;.! .- i... . .. .. ..., ..,.- t..\..,u..'. j,. . 



time of England. Every rural village has iU pL 

 and oountio* all over the kingdom an. i 



in rivalry for tlio palm of nuj u* gam*. Commencing 



-l-day, tho pastime is often carried on as tho oho**n re- 

 luatnre yean; and with real benefit to him who 

 practises it >-t is a vigorou* and manly game, free 



from abuses that attend BOOM other field sport*, and well ealen* 

 lated to refresh and strengthen the physical power*, * 

 has sufficient science in its elements to give a not unprofitable) 

 o to tho mental faculties also. 



;>al a pastime, is a very modem gam*. 



It owes itn origin, in iU present form, to a meeting in the year 

 t some noblemen and gentlemen, who wished to improve 

 -t and ball" of tho period, and drew up a set of rales to fix 

 tho character of tho implement* employed, as well as the mod* 

 of play. These rules were subsequently amended and mnAfH+4 

 ami they gradually gained general acceptance. The first gnat 

 clnb wan estab'uthed at the close of the last century. 

 It was called the White Conduit Club, from the circnmstoao* 

 of its j.ljiy usual!;. \V~hito Con 



and from this club the far-famed Marylebone Club of the pre- 

 sent day took it- i 



Tlu-re, are two forma of the game of cricket one known as 

 single, and the other as double wicket. For ungl>.- 

 a few players are required ; but for double v. neoes* 



sory, to play tho proper game, that two sides should be formed, 

 with eleven players on each side. Any Urge open field, thst 

 is tolerably level, will do for the practice of the game ; 

 good cricket ground, fit for the set play of club against 

 should be at least that portion of it between the wi 

 as level and as well kept as a good bowling-green, or, as it 

 sometimes said with but little exaggeration, " as a billiard- table." 



Tho implements used in the game ore bats, balls, and wicket*. 

 In single wicket one bat and one wicket only are necessary ; 

 for tho double game there must be at least two of each, an extra 

 supply being always advisable in case of an accident d 

 the game. The form of tho cricket-bat i.-, no doubt, fami- 

 liar to all our readers; its length should be suited to the 

 height of tho player, and such that he may wield it readily and 

 with good effect ; but, by the rules of the gome, no bat must be 

 more than thirty-eight inches long, or moro than four-and-a- 

 quarter inehes in the widest port. 



Tho ball is made of leather, and oa it has to undergo very 

 hard usage, it is best if mode with what is known as the " treble 



im." Its .-ize is fixed at not loss than nine inchce 



than nine-and-a-qiuirter inehes in circumference. It must 

 weigh not less than five-and-a-half ounces, nor more than fin- 

 ounces and three-quarters. Both sides in the game play with 

 the same ball ; but at tho commencement of er.ch : 

 party may call for a new one. The player is i: 

 the precise bat he may use. provided it be a cricket-bat within 

 the dimensions above specified. 



Each wick. .raps, usually made of strong 



and polished wood, and pointed at one end so as to bo firmly 

 fixed in tho ground. The height at which they stand when set 

 is fixed at twenty-seven inches out of the ground. There must 

 bo sufficient space between the stumps to prevent the ball from 

 passing through. Tho top of each stump is grooved, and in 

 the grooves, when the stumps are set, two small piece* of wood 



called bails are hud from stump to stump. The length of tho 

 sails is fixed at eiirht inches. 



These :u-e all tho accessories that arc actually required for 

 ;hc gome. But padded gloves and log-guards are fr*-. 



nsed by the principal players the bitmnsn and tho v 

 cccper to prevent injury to the hands or leg* when playing. 



They ore especially useful when the bowling w of the fast 



which has become so much in vogue in recent times. O: 

 sufficient for a small club, or for a schoel party, for the ccm- 

 iTi u>e <f it* member.--. Imt yt-ung players can do very well 



without them, when they hare only beginners like themselves to 



contend agu:: 



