We all have our odd measurements...
We in Finland lived in a "nature economy" until you americans got found. We
had a common money unit - it was a squirell's fur. 40 furs were coupled
together to make a "tikkuri".
It was not so complicated to use as imperial/US units, but it was very
unuseful as small money - all money automates of 1400-1700 era got stucked
by squirrel4s hair after 2 months of use.
As a matter of fact you could change fox furs to let us say gunpowder so
late as 504s - but I think that was the situation in "scandinvian"
territories in Northern America too?
Larry
from a Capitol near Polar Circle
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jan Eyerman" <jan.eyerman@usa.net>
To: "Bill Mounce" <bmounce@bellatlantic.net>; "Victor Hughes"
<hughes@scides.canberra.edu.au>
Cc: "Jerome Yuzyk" <jerome@supernet.ab.ca>; <Alpines@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 4:28 PM
Subject: Re: [Re: British weight measures]
> Of course we are talking of the old English system here... the rest of
Europe
> each had their own system until Napoleon forced them all to go metric.
Except
> the Russians that is, since they beat him, they got to keep their old
system
> until 1917.... versts, lines, etc.
>
> Jan Eyerman
> 1973 Hillman Avenger DL
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Bill Mounce <bmounce@bellatlantic.net> wrote:
> Vic, convert that to ergs per square acre, and you win the prize! Bill
>
> Victor Hughes wrote:
>
> > Bill, well a pitch is where cricket (no Jan E and Pete C, not Plymouth
> Cricket)
> > matches are played, and a cricket pitch is 22 yards long. Same length
as a
> chain,
> > which is surprising as the timing chain on my Alpine looks nowhere near
that
> long.
> > 10 chains to a furlong (I know it's hard to believe the imperial system
used
> 10 of
> > anything to make up something else), 8 furlongs to a statute mile (one
of
> two miles
> > used, the other being the nautical mile) and 12 furlongs to a league.
> >
> > All of which goes to show that the Imperial system was actually devised
by
> sadistic
> > schoolmasters to torture small children with problems like "If a man had
> enough
> > apples to reach from one end of a cricket pitch to another, and the
apples
> had an
> > average circumference of 3 nails, and were priced 3 shillings, sixpence
and
> 3
> > farthings a dozen, how much would all the apples cost (including VAT)
> (allowing for
> > the curvature of the earth)"
> >
> > Cheers and a Firkin of brown bubbly to all
> >
> > Vic
> >
> > Bill Mounce wrote:
> >
> > > Vic, can you now fill us in on pitches, chains, furlongs and leagues?
> God, I
> > > miss the Imperial system! Bill in plain old Pennsylvania.
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