MEASURE. 
they agree “ within a ui)it in the last place 
of the decimals expressing their magni- 
tudes, or one ten thousandth of an inch.” 
At the freezing point, the standard of plati- 
na becomes equal to 39.S7S80, and that of 
iron to 39.37370 English inches on the scale 
of brass at 55°, and the mean of these to 
39.37100 English inches at 62"j the tem- 
perature constantly adopted in the compa- 
rison of English standards, and particularly 
in the recent trigonometrical operations. 
This result corresponds in a most surprising 
manner with Mr. Bird’s determination ot 
the lengths of the toises sent to Dr. Maske- 
lyne by M. Lalande, the mean of which was 
76.734 inches, consequently the metre 
having been proved to contain 36.9413 
French inches, appears to be equal to 
39.3702 English inches, or rather either 
30.3694 or 39.3710; as either of the two 
toises may have been more correct than the 
other, it will therefore be perfectly safe to 
give . the preference 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 a- 
mounts to 24853.43 English miles, and its 
mean diameter 7911.73. 
The nineteenth volume of the Biblioth^- 
que Britannique contains a description of 
Eenoir’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, carry- 
ing a vermier, and pointing out on a gradu- 
ated arch the divisions of a scale which by 
this contrivance is considerably extended in 
magnitude.” It does not appear, at first 
sight, to be certain “ that the difficulty of 
fixing the axis of the lever with perfect ac- 
curacy, and of forming a curve for the sur*. 
face of the shorter arm, or of reducing the 
gradation of the arc to equal parts of the 
right line in the direction of the substance 
to be measured, might not in practice more 
than counterbalance the advantage of this 
mechanical amplification of the scale over 
the simpler optical metliod employed in the 
English instruments.” 
We shall conclude this article by giving 
the following useful tables, compressed from 
the work already mentioned, as the most 
recent and valuable authority. 
ENGLISH MEASURES. 
'Inche.s. 
A foot is 12 
A yard 36 
A pole, or rod ...... 
A furlong..... 
A mile 
A link 
A chain 
792 
A nail of cloth 
' 
A quarter 
9 
A yard 
An ell... 
45 
A hand 
An acre 
Square yards. 
The wine gallon is fixed at 231' cubic 
inches by an act pas.sed in the reign of 
Queen Anne, consequently 
Cuhic inches. 
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 9.588. - ' 
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 268.80, 
A peck 537.60 
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 
hush^l of wheat, 50 of barley, and 38 of 
oats. 
Thirty-six heaped bushels niake a chal- 
dron of coals, which generally weigh aboqt 
2988 pounds. 
An inch pipe, ten yards in length, con- 
tains precisely an ale gallon, weighing 1.^ 
pounds. 
The ancient standard wine gallon pf 
Guildhall contains 224 cubic inches. 
It is imagined, that previous to the “ Con- 
quest, a cubic foot of water weighed lOOjp 
ounces; 82 cubic feet weighed 2000 poupds, 
or a tun ; tiiat the same quantity was a tun 
of liquids ; and a hogshead 8 cubic feet, dr 
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 
