The mile, originally 5000 Roman feet, became 5000 English feet, divided into 8 road-furlongs.
_Surface._—The acre was one-tenth of the square furlong.
_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.
_Length._—The Foot, approximately the side of a cubic vessel containing 1000 ounces of water. The yard of 3 feet or 36 inches.
10 chains of 66 feet or 22 yards, or 40 rods of 5-1/2 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.
_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.