MILE

(Lat. mille pa uum, a you sand paces.) The Roman pace being 5 feet, and a Roman foot being equal to 11 -62 modern English inches, it follows that the ancient Roman mile was equivalent to 1014 English yards, or very nearly ll-12ths of an English statute mile. The English statute mile was defined (incidentally, it would seem) by an act pa ed in the 35th year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, by which persons were forbidden to build within three miles of London; and the mile was declared to be 8 furlongs of 40 perches of 16^ feet each. The statute mile is, therefore, 1760 yards, or 5280 feet. See Measures. The mile is used as an itinerary measure in almost all countries of Europe, particularly those which were formerly under the sway of the Romans; but it is very difficult to conjecture the causes which have given rise to the great diversity of its values. It has been supposed that in some countries the Roman mile was confounded with tlie ancient Celtic league. The following table, given on the authority of Kelly's Cambist, shows the length of the modern mile, and also the league, of various countries, and their relation to the English statute mile. Yds. Stat. Miles. Modern Roman mile - - 1628 — -925 English statute mile - - - 1760 — 1*000 Tuscan mile - - - 1808 — 1027 Ancient Scottish mile - - 1984 — 1-127 Irish mile - - 2240 _ 1273 French posting league - - 4203 — 2'422 742 [s. 755] A Dictionary of Science, Literature, and Art — W. T. Brande (1st Ed.) ana Sözlük (A–Z)