_Capacity._—The wine-bushel was the cubic foot, the measure of 1000
ounces of wine or water. 1/8 of it was the wine-gallon = 1728/8 or 216
cubic inches.
The corn-bushel was 1-1/4 cubic feet, the measure of 1000 oz. = 62-1/2
lb. of wheat; 1/8 of it was the corn-gallon = 270 c.i.
_Weight._—The pound was 16 Roman ounces = 6992 grains. Its multiples
were the 16-lb. stone, the wey of 16 stones, and the true cwt. of 100
lb.
This excellent system has become, after many disturbances, the Imperial
system, only differing from the old English system in the following
points:
1. The slight rise of the pound (by 8 grains) to 7000 grains.
2. The rise of the wine-gallon to 231 c.i. as now used in America.
3. The unification of the wine- and corn-gallons (the latter still used
in America at the standard of 268·8 c.i.) in the Imperial gallon =
277-1/4 c.i. = 10 lb. water.
4. The fixing of the mile at 8 roods or field-furlongs of 220 yards.
5. The optional decimalisation of several series:
(_a_) Of the furlong at 10 chains, of the square furlong at 100
sq. chains, and of the acre at 10 sq. chains.
(_b_) Of weights by the 10-lb. gallon and the 100-lb. cental.
(_c_) Of the ton-register of 100 cubic feet = 100,000 ounces of
water.
6. The disappearance of the Troy pound. The Troy ounce must shortly
disappear; the 112-lb. cwt. and its stone-divisions are optional.
The Imperial Standards are now:
_Length._—The Foot, approximately the side of a cubic vessel containing
1000 ounces of water. The yard of 3 feet or 36 inches.
The Furlong is 220 yards, either—
10 chains of 66 feet or 22 yards, or 40 rods of 5-1/2 yards.
The Mile is 8 furlongs = 1760 yards.
The Nautical mile is 1000 Olympic fathoms = 6080 feet or 2026-2/3 yards.
_Surface._—The square furlong is 10 acres; the acre is 10 sq. chains, or
4840 sq. yards, and may be divided into 160 sq. rods.
_Volume._—The cubic foot is approximately 1000 ounces of water, = 62-1/2
lb. The Ton-register is 100 cubic feet.
_Weight._—The pound, of 7000 grains, is divided into 16 ounces of
437-1/2 grains.
The Gallon of water weighs 10 lb.
The Cental is 100 lb.
The Ton is 20 long Cwt. of 112 lb.
_Capacity._—The Imperial gallon = 277-1/4 c.i. contains exactly 10 lb.
of water, or approximately 8 lb. of wheat. It is divided into 8 pints
containing 20 oz. of water or 16 oz. of wheat. The Bushel, of 8 gallons,
contains 64 lb. of wheat.[58] The Quarter is 8 bushels, which is
approximately the quarter, either of a short ton, 20 centals, of wheat,
or of a freight-ton of 40 cubic feet.
Footnote 58:
The system of the United States only differs from the Imperial system
in its retention of the wine-gallon = 231 c.i. and of the corn-gallon
= 268·8 c.i.; and in its rejection of the long cwt. for the cental.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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