It works out to 14 pounds per stone, Liz. It appears that the avoirdupois measurement of pounds is used on both sides of the Atlantic for some odd reason. Why the colonies rid themselves of stones is something about which I can only offer conjecture. It is my belief that the stones were used as ballast for the return trip of the ships that brought us across. Otherwise, without the weight of the former passengers the ships would have bobbed erratically and most certainly would have capsized. Napoleon used a similar tactic when he first crossed the Rockies.

History as told by Allan...