#tunnage

Just a little but perhaps useful info. Today, tonnage refers to the displacement of a ship in the water or the gross pounds of cargo it can carry. In the 17th and 18th centuries this was not the case. In the eighteenth century this was not the case. Tonnage was called "tunnage" and referred to the number of tons a ship could carry. A ton was a barrel, usually used for wine, and tonnage indicated the number of barrels that would fit in the ship's hold.

thanks hugo.