

226 Ancient Linear Measures. 



which are well represented by some of the measures I have been 

 considering. 



10. Oceania. — From about 20 measures of old stone ruins in 

 Microlesia and Easter Island, as given by Wallace and Palmer, I 

 have obtained an apparent unit of either 8 inches, a probable 

 span ; or else one of about 12 English inches, or very near the Mexi- 

 can foot, neither of which, however, would agree with my pre- 

 historic foot of 1 1 inches. But from a few measures of somewhat 

 similar ruins in the Sandwich Islands given by Ellis, Mr. Petrie 

 obtained a unit of 44.65, which would be a good multiple of that 

 foot. 



P.S. — With reference to the Cincinnati tablet referred to in my 

 first letter, I should have mentioned that there is a very slight 

 difference in the length of the two supposed standard inches, 

 amounting for 3 inches to •§■ of an inch. I fancy this must have 

 arisen accidentally, and was hardly intentional, since, for a half- 

 foot or foot, it is not nearly sufficient to give even the prehistoric 

 foot, much less the Mexican, nor any of Mr. Petrie's. I therefore 

 averaged the length of the two, which gives excellent results, so 

 far as the tablet itself is concerned, and for various mound objects, 

 such as tubes ; and I may add that the 7th larger division of the 

 right hand scale might have been added to fill up the smaller 

 space, as compared with the six rather smaller divisions on the 

 opposite end, meaning merely a seventh prehistoric inch, or J of 

 it. Afoot of 7 x 2 = 14 mound inches would hardly be a likely 

 one, though it would come within J- of an inch of Mr. Petrie's 

 mound builder's foot unit of 12-60, and would fairly measure a 

 very long stone tube of 12-Ls inches in the Salisbury Museum, but 

 no other object that I have come across. 



With respect to Mr. Petrie's unit of 12*60 for the larger mound 

 measures, I am now investigating it more particularly. It mea- 

 sures no small objects, however, and, so far, I think, with a few 

 exceptions, does not give such good results as my own unit of 10*0 

 English inches. Mr. Brinton of Philadelphia states that, in 1881, 

 Prof. McGee applied Mr. Petrie's arithmetical system of induc- 

 tive metrology to a large number of mound measures of Iowa, 

 with the result of a common standard of 25*716 English inches ; 

 that is =32 of my mound inches, or very nearly 10x3 = 30; 

 agreeing pretty well with Col. Whittesley's conclusion that, for the 



