then again into 12 thirds, but these duodecimals are now giving place to decimals. Mechanics often divide it into eighths, quarters, and halves. In measuring cloth, 1 nail is 2 inches, and 4 nails or 9 inches is a quarter, and 5 quarters an ell of 3 feet; 3 quarters is a Flemish ell of 2 feet, and 6 quarters a French ell of 4 feet. 4.-Measures of superficies.-The unit is the yard, subdivided into feet and inches; 144 square inches make one square foot. For land measure, the multiples of the yard are the pole, rood, and acre; 30 (the square of 5) square yards being a pole, &c. Land is usually measured by a chain of 4 poles or 22 yards, which is divided into 100 links, each of 7.92 inches long; 10 square chains make an acre; and 640 acres one square mile. The square foot contains 183.346 circular inches; and a circular foot contains 113.097 square inches. Flooring and roofing are measured by the square of 100 feet; bricklayer's work by the rod of 16 feet or 272 square feet, and 1 brick thick. 5.-Measures of volume.-Solids are measured by cubic yards, feet, and inches; 1728 cubic inches make a cubic foot, and 27 cubic feet a cubic yard. A cubic foot of water weighs 623 lbs.; 108 cubic feet makes a stack of wood, and 128 makes a cord; 40 cubic feet of rough, or 50 feet of hewn timber, makes a load; 18 cubic feet of earth, or 17 of clay, is a ton; 50 cubic feet in English ships, and 40 cubic feet in American ships, are usually reckoned to be a ton of measurement goods. For all liquids, the standard is the imperial gallon, measuring 277.274 cubic inches, and weighing 10 avoirdupois pounds of distilled water. A cubic foot of water weighs 6.232 lbs., and contains 6.232 galls.; 100 cubic inches of air weighs 32.795 grains; wateris 82.0 times heavier than air. The parts of the gallon are quarts, pints, and gills; its multiples are pecks, bushels, and quarters. The following table is according to the new imperial liquid and dry measures, for there is some difference between the new and old: Several other measures are used for liquids, as the ale firkin of 8 gallons, the beer firkin of 9 galls., the kilderkin of 18, and the barrel of 36 gallons; a hogshead is 1 barrel, or 54 galls. ; a puncheon 2 barrels, a butt 4 barrels, and a tun 8 barrels. The old wine gallon of 231 cubic inches was less than the beer gallon by 51 inches; by it 42 gallons made a tierce, 63 gallons a hogshead, 84 gallons a puncheon, 2 hhds. a pipe, and 2 pipes a tun. A rundlet is 18 gallons, and an anker 9; a pottle is half a gallon, and a coom is half a quarter or 4 bushels. A bushel measure is 8 inches deep by 18.789 inches diameter, and contains 2218.192 cubic inches. In heaped measure, the cone on the bushel must be 6 inches high; 3 heaped bushels made a sack of coals, and 12 sacks a chaldron; this usage is now abolished. Comparative Table of French and English Weights and Measures. Useful Weights, Measures, &c., chiefly used in England. 1 tub of butter weighs,..84 pounds 1 firkin of butter,.... .56 .64 .19 to 22 cwt. gunpowder,....24 soap, or tar,....12 feathers,.... 124 sheets of paper,..... .1 quire 12 articles,. ........17 cwt. 1 ton of oil, vegetable,..236 gallons animal, .....252 wool, .28 pounds 1 sack of wool,............364 1 barrel of anchovies,....30 воар, 1 ream 500 fish .1000 "" ........1 dozen 1 score .1 hundred .1 long hundred .........1 quarter 90 words in chancery,.. 80 72 herrings, ..32 gallons 1 pipe of Madeira wine, 115 1 butt of Sherry wine,..100 "" in exchequer,. common law,. 1 folio 5 doz. skins parchment,. 1 roll A ship's log is about.......75 fathoms 1 bale of cotton Brazil average 171 lbs. Sea Island,...330 Upland,.......333 .415 Egyptian,.....215 W. Indian,...166 .20 dickers 1 dicker of gloves,..........10 doz. pair Section 11. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THE federal money is based upon a decimal arrangement, of which the dollar is the unit; the American dollar contains 371 grs. of pure silver, or 416 grs. standard silver. The gold coins are the eagle, double, half, and quarter eagle, and 3 and 1 dollar pieces, respectively equal to 10, 20, 5, 2, 3, and 1 dollars; the silver coins are dollars, half and quarter dollars, dimes, half dimes and 3 cents; with copper cents. The eagle contains 246.1 grs. of pure gold; the double-eagle weighs 516 grains, and the smaller pieces in proportion, the dollar being 25.8 grs. in weight. The law of Feb. 21, 1853, regulating the silver currency, provided that the weight of the half-dollar shall be 192 grains, of the quarter 96 grains, and of the dime and half-dime 38.4 grains and 19.2 grains; this law was passed with the intention of retaining the silver currency in the country, by making the pieces lighter than the proportions of the dollar in other countries. The 3 cent silver piece is ths silver and 4th copper, weight 12 grs. The cent weighs 72 grains, CHAPTER VII. TABLES ON PRICES, EXCHANGES, &c. Section 1. COMPARISON OF PRICES. Table 1.-Tables to ascertain the Cost of China Silk in London. Extracted from the Tables by C. D. Snooke. The following Tables have been calculated upon the basis of the data furnished by the annexed pro-forma accounts, which will be seen to embrace all the charges to which raw silk is liable, from its purchase in China to its sale in London. When any of these charges are not incurred, a small deduction from the tabular price may be readily made; for instance, the omission of the charge for inspection in China will reduce the cost as given in the Tables nearly one per cent., or ld. on 8s. 9d. The following small Table is appended, showing, to the nearest farthing, the charge upon each lb. at the different rates of freight, allowing, as a fair average, 7 bales of 103 lbs. each to one ton of 50 cubic feet; and from this Table the cost, as given in the others, can be corrected for any rate of freight. |