3208. Government Land Measure

A township, 36 sections, each a mile square.

A section, 640 acres.

A quarter section, half a mile square, 160 acres.

An eighth section, half a mile long, north and south, and a quarter of a mile wide, 80 acres.

A sixteenth section, a quarter of a mile square, 40 acres.

The sections are all numbered one to thirty-six, commencing at the northeast comer, thus:

6

5

4

3

2

NW

NE

SW

SE

7

8

9

10

11

12

18

17

16

15

14

13

19

20

21

22

23

24

30

29

28

27

26

25

31

32

33

34

35

36

The sections are all divided in quarters, which are named by the cardinal points, as in section one. The quarters are divided in the same way. The description of a 40 acre lot would read: The south half of the west half of the southwest quarter of section 1 in township 24, north of range 7 west, or as the case might be; and sometimes will fall short, and sometimes overrun the number of acres it is supposed to contain.

3209. A Mile Measure

A standard English mile, which is the measure that we use, is 5,280 feet in lengtn, 1.760 yards, or 320 rods. A strip one rod wide and one mile long, is two acres. By this it is easy to calculate the quantity of land-taken up by roads, and also how much is wasted by fences.

3210. The following table shows the length of miles in different countries, compared with the English mile:

Scottish (ancient}..................... 1 m.

224 yds.

Irish (ancient}............................ 1

480

German (short}........................... 3

1,570

German (long}............................ 5

1,326

Hanoverian................................... 6

999

Tuscan.......................................... 1

48

Russian......................................... 4

1,197

Danish........................................... 4

1,204

Dantzic.......................................... 4

1.435

Hungarian............ 5

313

Swiss............................................... 5

353

Swedish'................ 6

1,140

Arabian............... 1

380

Roman (modern), 132 yards less than the English mile. 3211. A League Measure.

English league............. 3m

French league.............. 3

French posting league.. . 2

743 yds

Spanish judicial leagu. . . 2

1,115

Spanish common league. . 5

376

Portugal league......... . 3

1,480

Flanders league......... . 3

1,584

3212. Other Measures.

Russian werst........... 1m

1,167 yds.

Turkish bein.......... 3

. 66

Persian parasang.......3

806

"A Sabbath day's journey,' 1,155 yards; which is 18 yards less than two thirds of a mile.

"A day's journey," 33 1/8 miles.

"reed," 10 feet 11 1/8 inches.

"A palm," 3 inches.

"A fathom," 6 feet.

A Greek foot is 12 1/2 inches.

A Hebrew foot is 1,212 of an English foot.

A cubit is two feet.

A great cubit is 11 feet.

An Egyptian cubit is 21.888 inches.

A span is 10.944 inches.