a measure of capacity for things dry; as grains, pulse, dry fruits, &c. containing four pecks, or eight gallons, or one eighth of a quarter.

Du Cange derives the word from buffellus, bustellus, or bifellus, a diminutive of bux, or buza, used in the corrupt Latin for the same thing; others derive it from buffellus, an urn, wherein lots were cast; which seems to be a corruption from buxulus. Buffellus appears to have been first used for a liquid measure of wine, equal to eight gallons. Octo librae faciunt galonem vini, et octo galones vini faciunt buffellum London, quae est octava pars quarterii. It was soon after transferred to the dry measure of corn of the same quantity.

Pondus octo librorum frumenti facit buffellum, de quibus octo conficit quarterium.

By 12 Henry VII. c. 5, a bushel is to contain 8 gallons of wheat; the gallon 8 pounds of wheat troy weight; the pound 12 ounces troy-weight; the ounce 20 shillings; and the sterling 32 grains or corns of wheat, growing in the midst of the ear. This standard bushel is kept in the Exchequer; when being filled with common spring water, and the water measured before the house of commons in 1696, in a regular paralleloped, it was found to contain 2145.6 solid inches; and the said water being weighed, amounted to 1131 ounces and 14 penny-weights troy. Besides the standard or legal bushel, we have several local bushels, of different dimensions in different places. At Abington and Andover, a bushel contains nine gallons: at Appleby and Penrith, a bushel of peas, rye, and wheat, contains 16 gallons: of barley, big malt, mixt malt, and oats, 20 gallons. A bushel contains, at Carlisle, 24 gallons; at Chester, a bushel of wheat, rye, &c. contains 32 gallons, and of oats 40: at Dorchester, a bushel of malt and oats contains... BUSHEL contains 10 gallons; at Falmouth, the bushel of stricken coals is 16 gallons, of other things 20, and usually 21 gallons; at Kingston upon Thames, the bushel contains 8½; at Newbury 9; at Wycomb and Reading, 8½; at Stamford, 16 gallons. Houghton, Collect. tom. i. n. 46. p. 42.

At Paris, the bushel is divided into 2 half-bushels; the half-bushel into 2 quarts; the quart into 2 half-quarts; the half-quart into 2 litres; and the litre into 2 half-litres. By a sentence of the provost of the merchants of Paris, the bushel is to be 8 inches 2½ lines high, and 10 inches in diameter; the quart 4 inches 9 lines high, and 6 inches 9 lines wide; the half-quart 4 inches 3 lines high, and 5 inches diameter; the litre 3½ inches high, and 3 inches 10 lines in diameter. Three bushels make a minot, 6 a mine, 12 a septier, and 144 a muid. In other parts of France the bushel varies: 14½ bushels of Amboise and Tours make the Paris septier. Twenty bushels of Avignon make 3 Paris septiers. Twenty bushels of Blois make 1 Paris septier. Two bushels of Bourdeaux make 1 Paris septier. Thirty-two bushels of Rochel make 19 Paris septiers. Oats are measured in a double proportion to other grains; so that 24 bushels of oats make a septier, and 248 a muid. The bushel of oats is divided into 5 picotins, the picotin into 2 half-quarts, or 4 litres. For salt 4 bushels make a minot, 6 a mine, and 320 a muid. For lime, 3 bushels make a minot, and 48 minots a muid. Such were the measures by bushel before the revolution; for the changes that have since taken place, see MEASURE and WEIGHT.