73 
No. XLL—MEASURES AND WEIGHTS. 
By HYDE CLARKE, Esq. 
As a rudimentary institution, measures and weights derived 
from the parts of the body or from natural objects are widely 
recognized. Their multiples and mutual relations are partly 
dependent on the system of numeration derived from the fingers 
or other members. 
Measures. —1. Is there a measure recognized corresponding 
to the nail or finger-joint P 2. Thumb? 3. Finger? 4. 
Span of hand? 5. Foot or hand in length ? 6. Pace or stride 
of the feet ? 7. Ell or cubit, from elbow to tip of finger ? [If 
cloth be measured by women.] 8. Yard, from shoulder to 
shoulder? 9. Span of both arms ? 10. Height of man? 11. 
Spear’s length ? 12. Spear’s throw ? 13. Bowshot ? 14. 
Length of a rope ? 15. Day’s journey ? (Cloth, &c., is measured 
by the hands and arms, but distance by the length of the foot 
or stride.) 
Surface. —16. Is there any uniform size of a mat, hide, cloak, 
or field recognized as a superficial measure ? 17. Is land 
measured by a rod ? 18. How is arable land apportioned out 
for crops in the season ? 
Weight. —19. Is weight recognized by grains, &c. ? 20. Is there 
an equivalent of the weight of a man ? 21. Ditto load of a 
waggon, man, or beast ? 22. Is weight determined by the hand ? 
23. Is there any balance ? 24. Are stones used for weights ? 
Capacity. —25. Is there a measure equivalent to the hollow 
of the hand ? 26. Handful ? 27. Armful ? 28. Load of a waggon, 
canoe, man, or beast ? 29. Contents of a jar ? 30. Basket ? 
Multiples. —31. Are there any recognized multiples or larger 
Pleasures of length, surface, weight, or capacity, as of an inch 
to a hand, hand to an ell ? 32. Are the multiples by doubling, 
by the hand of 4 fingers, by the hand of 5 fingers, by 10, by 12, 
by 4 hands of 4 fingers, by 4 hands of 5 fingers, by 4 scores of 
16, by 4 scores of 20, by hundreds of 5 twenties ? 
Standards. —33. Are any standards used, as rods for measur¬ 
ing, stones for weighing, &c. ? Are any of these standards 
divided for smaller measures ? 
Tallies. —34. Are tallies kept of numbers of articles? 35. 
How are they notched ? 
Counters. —36. Are counters, as stones, seeds, &c.,used in num¬ 
bering ? 
