MEASURE. 



the scale of brass at 55, and the mean of 

 these to 39.37100 English inches at 62, 

 the temperature constantly adopted in 

 the comparison of English standards, and 

 particularly in the recent trigonometrical 

 operations. This result corresponds in a 

 most surprising manner with Mr. Bird's 

 determination of the lengths ot the toises 

 sent to Dr. Maskelyneby M. Lalande, the 

 mean of which was 76.734 inches, con- 

 sequently the metre having been proved 

 to contain 36.9413 French inches, ap- 

 pears to be equal to 39.3702 English 

 inches, or rather either 39.3694 or 39.3710 ; 

 as either of the two toises may have been 

 more correct than the other, it will there- 

 fore be perfectly safe to give the pre- 

 ference to that measuring 76.726 inches. 



Admitting the French measurements of 

 the arc of the meridian to be correct, the 

 complete circumference of the globe 

 amounts to 24855.43 English miles, and 

 its mean diameter 7911.73. 



The nineteenth volume of the Bibliothe- 

 que Britannique contains a description of 

 Lenoir's comparer, written by M. Prony. 

 " Its peculiarity," according to Dr. Young, 

 "consists in the application of a bent 

 lever, of which the shorter arm is pressed 

 against the end of the substance to be 

 measured, while the longer serves as an 

 index, carrying a vernier, and pointing 

 out on a graduated arch the divisions of 

 a scale, which by this contrivance is con- 

 siderably extended in magnitude." It 

 does not appear, at first sight, to be cer- 

 tain, " that the difficulty of fixing the axis 

 of the lever with perfect accuracy, and 

 of forming a curve for the surface of the 

 shorter arm, or of reducing the gradation 

 of the arc to equal parts of the right line 

 in the direction of tjie substance to be 

 measured, might not in practice more 

 than counterbalance the advantage of this 

 mechanical amplification of the scale over 

 the simpler optical method employed in 

 the English instruments." 



We shall conclude this article by giv- 

 ing the following useful tables, compres- 

 sed from the work already mentioned, as 

 the most recent and valuable authority. 



ENGLISH MEASURES. 



Inches. 



A foot is 12 



A yard ......... 36 



A pole, or rod 198 



A furlong 7920 



A mile 63360 



A link 7 92 



A chain 792 



A nail of cloth 2i 



Inches* 



A quarter 9 



A yard 36 



An ell 45 



A hand 4 



Square yard*. 

 An acre 484-0 



The wine gallon is fixed at 23 1 cubic 

 inches, by an act passed in the reign of 

 Queen Anne, consequently, 



Cubic Indies, 



A pint is 28.875 



A quart 57.75 



A barrel 7276.5 



A hogshead 14553. 



A pint of country ale, or beer 



measure, is . . 35.25 



A quart 70.5 



A gallon 282. 



A barrel, beer measure, is . . . 10152. 



ale ditto 9024. 



country ditto 9588. 



A hogshead, beer measure, is . 15228. 



ale ditto ..... 13336. 



country ditto . . . 14382. 



A pint, dry measure, is .... 33.6 



A quart 67.2 



A pottle 134.4 



A gallon 268 



A peck . 537.6 



A Winchester bushel 2150.42 



A heaped bushel is one-third more. 



A quarter 17203.36 



A wey, or load, is five quarters ; and 

 two loads make a last of wheat. 



Sixty pounds is the mean weight of a 

 bushel of wheat, 50 of barley, and 38 of 

 oats. 



Thirty-six heaped bushels make a chal- 

 dron of coals, which generally weigh 

 about 2988 pounds. 



An inch pipe, ten yards in length, con- 

 tains precisely an ale gallon, weighing 

 101 pounds. 



The ancient standard wine gallon of 

 Guildhall contains 224 cubic inches. 



It is imagined, that previous to the 

 * Conquest, a cubic foot of water weighed 

 1000 ounces ; 82 cubic feet weighed 2006 

 pounds, or a tun ; that the same quantity 

 was a tun of liquids; and a hogshead 8 

 cubic feet, or 13824 cubic inches, one 63d 

 of which was 219.4 inches, or a gallon." 



A quarter of a ton was a quarter of 

 wheat, which weighed about 500 pounds ; 

 one eighth of this, or a bushel, was equi- 

 valent to a cubic foot of water. A chal- 

 dron of coals weighed 2000 pounds, and 

 was a ton. 



The French, acting upon a general sys- 



