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SEPTEMBER, 1897.] CURRENCY AND COINAGE AMONG THE BURMESE.
1878."The Amir of Kashghar has lately supplied the lack of small silver coinage, by issuing silver coins worth a tangah each, and called ak-tangah (white tangahs) after the model of Rokhara and Khôkand coins so called. They are current at a small premium . . . consequently a Khôsan tangah is worth nearly twice as much as a Yarkand or Kâshghar one.". Shaw, Eastern Turkestan, p. 70.
1880."The rupee (dengga, literally a circalar piece of metal, stamped, whether a coin or medal) is in universal use and the names given to fractions of a rapee are derived from the measures of weight." Spearman, B. B. Gazetteer, Vol. I. p. 407.
1881. "Tangka, a rapee as a coin." Cushing, Shan Dict, p. 226.
1882.This system (of assessment) was known under several names. . . . takbandi.. tokábandi.... tok, properly thok, is an un-Sanskrit Marathi word meaning lump or mass; taka, is doubtful; it is said to be Hindustani and to mean both a coin and a measure of land (12 bigha's). In this case takbandi, properly takibandi, would imply that the land had been measured. If so it has no place in this set of terms and must have been confused with or miswritten for tokábandi or thokabandi." Campbell, Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. XIII., Thana,
p. 550.
1882. "The rupee is kyat, sometimes also called dingga, that is, a circular piece of inetal, whether a coin or a medal." Scott, the Burman, Vol. II, p. 300.
1884. share... brokers)."
243
"Taak, Hindi [Pkr. takko, Skr. tankah], a weight of foar måshas. . . . Tang, Hindi [Skr. tangan], a fourth part, a quarter (in the language of Platts, Hindustani Dict. p. 355.
1884.Taka, Hindi [Pkr. takkao; Skr. tankah], a copper coin equal to two pice; two pie; (local) a rupee; money. ... taksal, Hindi [Skr. tanka-śâlâ], a mint, assay office... tank, a weight equal to four mashas, ... a spade, hoe. ... a weight of silver put for a coin.... tankpati, a mint master; taik-éâlâ, a mint." - Platts, Hindustani Dict. p. 357.
1884. "Dang (Skr. dhâṇaka), a small denomination of money, a sixth part of a dinar, a weight, the fourth part of a drachm, a sixth part of anything. . . . danaq, the arabicized form of dâng." 36 Platts, Hindustani Dict. p. 503.
danaq, pl. dawaniq, sixth (or fourth) part of a drachm."
1884. "Danaq, daniq, Steingass, Arabic Dict. p. 351.
1886. "Tanga, Mahratta tank, Turki tanga. A denomination which has been in uso over a vast extent of territory and has varied greatly in application. It is now chiefly used in Turkestan, where it is applied to a silver coin worth about 7 d." - Yule, Hobson-Jobson, s. v.
1886.The Goa tanga was worth (in 1750-60) 60 reis, that of Ormus 62 34/43 to 69 33/43 reis." Yule, Hobson-Jobson, s. v.
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1886. "Tanga.... the obvious derivation is equal to 4 mashas . . . . a stamped coin'. . . ."
the Skr. tanka, a weight (of silver) Yule, Hobson-Jobson, s. v.
1886. Tanka or tanga seems to have continued to be the popular name of the chief silver coin of the Delhi sovereigns during the 13th and 14th centuries, a coin which was substantially the same as the rupee of later days. And in fact this application of the word in the form taka is usual in Bengal down to our own time." Yule, Hobson-Jobson, s. v. tanga.
1886. "The salary of Ibn Batuta, when Judge of Delhi, about 1340, was 1,000 silver tankas, or dinars as he calls them (practically 1,000 rupees) a month, which was in addition to the assignment of villages bringing in 5,000 tankas a year. And yet he got into debt in a very few years to the tune of 55,000 tankas, say £5,500!" Yule, Hobs-Jobson, Supplt., 8. v. Pardao.
36 I think that this is extremely unlikely.
