THE STATURE OF GOTAMA BUDDHA. 85 



has contributed not a little to confound all calculations 

 upon the basis of the natural dimensions of the hdstha. 



Jt is, therefore, I apprehend necessary that we should 

 fall .back upon angula finger's breadth.'' Upon this too, 

 no accurate calculations can be made. For that too must 

 have varied according to the size of the men of a particular 

 age or local sty-. Treating on this subject, says Thomas in his 

 Useful Tables 



" The gaz, or yard, now in more general use throughout India, 

 is of Muhammadan introduction: whether this is derived also from 

 the cubit (for the Jewish cubit is of the same length) is doubtful; 

 but, like the haslet, it was divided into 24 lasus, or i digits,' corres- 

 ponding more properly to inches. 



"Abu-'l-Fazl in the ' Aym-i Akban,' gives a very full descrip- 

 tion of the various gaz in use under the emperors, as compared 

 with the earlier standards of the Khalifs. He expresses their 

 correct length in finger's-breadths, which may be safely taken a& 

 three-quarters of an inch each. 



" For facility of reference, his list is here subjoined, with the 

 equivalents in English measure at this rate : — 



ANCIENT GAZ MEASURES ENUMERATED IN THE * AYl'N-I AKBARlV 



The Gaz -sauda of Harun-al-Rashid = 24§ (some MSS. 



have 25§) fingers of an Abyssinian slave, the same English* 



used in the Kilometer of Egypt* = 18jin„ 



The Kasbah gaz, of Ibn Abililah = 24 fingers = 18 „ 



The Yusufi gaz, of Baghdad = 25 „ = 18| „ 



1 The cubit of the Milometer is supposed to be the same as that of 

 the Jews, which is exactly two feet English:— if so, the 24 digits will be, 

 precisely, inches. Volney, however, makes it 20| French, or 22 English 

 inches. Some allowance must probably be made for the broad hand of 

 a negro, but (he other measures will not be affected by the same error, 

 as they must be referred to the ordinary delicate hand of a native of Asia, 



