________________
OCTOBER, 1897.]
CURRENCY AND COINAGE AMONG THE BURMESE.
from which they were driven by the heavy taxation of the Burman Government; 40, 50 and even 60 tickals of coarse silver being often demanded from one house during the year. Whilst here, under Pha-pho, the whole village, which consists of eight or ten houses, by making a small present of five or six tickals value, are free from all demands, and even this small present seems voluntary." Richardson's Journal in op. cit. p. 112.
255
183,"He complained bitterly against the Myo-woon, who had struck him for presuming to intercede for his men against a demand for two Tickals (sic) per man, which the Myo-woon had that day ordered to be assessed. This is the third demand that has been upon them, and considering the excessive price of provisions, four and five Ticals (sic) per basket, it does seem, even for Burmah, somewhat unjust."- Bayfield in Hill Tracts between Assam and Burmah, p. 208 f.
1837.
"The rupee is current here (Zimmè) as well as the Siamese tical (the round coin), but the money most in circulation is coarse silver of about 8) per cent, alloy, I believe, melted into a circular form one hundred ticals are given for 45 Madras rupees, but
these are only equal to 75 Burmese ticals."
McLeod's Journal in Parl. Pupers, East
India, 10th August 1869, p. 37.
1845. "The weight of a kyat or Tickal is 272-75 grains troy exactly."- Latter, Burmese Grammar, p. 170, quoting Col. Low.
-
1843. "The examination of the coin offered for inspection, [a takal or tickal on 23rd March 1848] may not be without some little interest to the members of the Numismatic Society?" Dickenson, Silver Coinage of Siam, J. Num. Soc. p. 47.
1850.The Siamese Government," says Dr. Morton, "have several hundred men permanently occupied, each of whom, it is said, is expected to deliver one tickal (about one rupee and a quarter) weight of gold-dust per annum." Mason, Nat. Productions of
Burmah, p. 37.
1852."Kyap, a kyat or tickal, a weight equal to four mats."- Judson, Bur. Dict., s. v. 1855. Y. s. v viss."The king last year purchased 890,000 viss of lead, at five ticals for 100 viss, and sold it at twenty tickals.". Yule, Ava, p. 256.
1855. "Tikal is no more Burmese than viss, but its origin is more obscure. The true Burniese name is kyat. Tikal is applied by foreigners also to the Siamese bat, a coin nearly equal in value to a kyat of silver. Perhaps it may be a corruption of the word Taká, which is applied in different parts of India to different coins: in some places to a pice, in some to a rupee. Major Phayre, moreover, believes Tikal to be a conception of Takyat, one kyat."Yule, Ava, p. 144.
1855. "The money that circulates in Siam consists principally of ticals or bats of the value of 28. 6d. sterling. . . . There is a double tical, a half tical tical." Bowring, Siam, Vol. I. p. 257.
a quarter
1864. "My informants, in reference to weight of the articles and weight of silver paid for them, used the Barman unit of a tickal. A tickal is about 1-28th of a pound. A tickal of silver is worth two shillings and sixpence. A viss is 100 tickals, or exatly 3.652 lbs."- Clement Williams, Burmah to Western China, p. 33.
1868.I then proceeded with the expedition, and when I finally returned to Bhamo I found that my wife had been imprisoned for two days and had to pay 10 ticals of silver." Sladen, Bhamo Route, in Parl. Papers, 17th April 1871, p. 143.
1874.
"In weight one hundred kyats (sic) make a Pietha (vis) which equals 365 lbs. avoirdupois. Four Mats make one Kyap (sic).... This weight is always called a Tickal by foreigners: a corruption probably of Ta-kyap, one kyap." Browne, Thayetmyo, p. 60.
