THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



diately settled by a reference to different countries. An 

 English statute mile is eighty chains, or 1760 yards, that is, 

 5280 feet ; but reckoning in geometrical paces (60,000 of 

 which make a degree of the equator), it stands thus in relation 

 to tliat of other European countries; England, 1200 paces; 

 Scotland and Ireland, 1500; Italy, 1000; Russia, 750; 

 Germany, 4000 ; Hungary, GOOO. Thus, a friend of mine, 

 travelling in Germany, arrived in a town, at the edge of night, 

 by a diligence, on his road to visit a friend ; and on being 

 informed that liis house was only a " mile distant," he set off 

 to walk. Guess his surprise, then, on finding that he had 

 to walk nearly four miles of the measure of liis own country. 

 There were no less tlian four distinct French leagues, varying 

 from 1500 to 8000 paces; neither of them, I believe, adopted 

 now. Nevertheless, ask twenty Frenchmen what is the extent 

 of a modern French league ? and nineteen of the twenty will 

 be unable to tell you. It is generally supposed to be 3000 

 geometrical paces, or three English miles, but I believe the 

 case to be this : — twenty-five French leagues make seventy 

 miles, which renders the length of ground five miles less, in 

 that given number of leagues, than if the leagues were exactly 

 three English miles. Then, again, among the ancient Romans 

 there was the like confusion respecting this measure of distance, 

 commonly called a mile. It was generally expressed by the 

 words 'tnille jjassus, a thousand feet ; but the extent of it is by 

 no means defined. One author makes it to consist of seven 

 stadia ; Plutarch, little short of eight ; Strabo and Polybius, 

 just eight. The reason of this discordance seems to be, the 

 difference between the Grecian and the Roman foot, the first- 

 named being the greatest. The Romans, however, had a 

 stone (" lapis ") — which we call the " nnle-stone," at the end of 

 each mile, the number marked on it denoting the distance 

 from Rome. . Augustus, indeed, erected a gilt pillar in the 

 forum of that city, at which all the public roads, or " ways," of 

 Italy, distinguished by stones, were terminated ; and the same 

 was afterwards done in the provinces. Hence the traveller 

 would find tertius lapis on one denoting three ; centesimiis 

 lapis, a hundred miles, etc' 



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