Indian Antiquary Vol 27

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 21

JANUARY, 1898.] CURRENCY AND OOINAGE AMONG THE BURMESE.
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9. Tháp. This is a most interesting form and in the sense nised by M. Aymonier new to me. It occurs on three pages. Page 309 :-" Ils ont pour monnaies les ticau saimois et les thép (sie) ou pièces anglaises de la Birmanie." Page 321: --" Les monnaies usitées à Dansaï sont les ticaux et les thépe (sic) de Birmarie." Page 329:-"Dans ce pays de transit, les monnaies sont les ticaux de Siam, les thép (sic) ou pièces d'argent de la Birinanis anglaise à l'effigie de la reino Victoria, de la valeur de trois sling, d'un sling et d'un fauong (filang) ... ." Clearly then thép means the current British money of Burma. It is a Shîn numeral coefficient for money (ante, p. 9, n. 71).*
10. Tical, plu. ticaux. - This has now evidently become a French word, as rupee has become an English one. It is the unit used throughout the book, and to it all the currency is referred (p. 18). By it is meant the Siamese money known universally by that name (le tical est une monnaie siamoise d'argent, p. 18).
Besides the statements thus collected, there are several others directly giving the interrelations of the terms for currency and weights, especially at pp. 18, 22, 27, 60, 75, 132, 172, 197, 223, 243 f., 265, 272 and 329; and from the whole we can fairly make out the following tables for 1882-3, in complete confirmation of what has already been written in this section.
Aymonier's Siamese-Shan Weights.
A. - Siam-Cambodian Soale. 4 sling or chi are 1 tical 4 tical
1 damling 20 damling , 1 cattie 50 cattie : 1 pikul
B.- Chinese Decimal Soale. (16 tael are 1 cattie) 20 cattie, 1 moun 5 moun, 1 pikul
Also (10 tael are 1 barre) 160 barrel pikal
.- Relative French and Shan Weights. 1 cattie is 600 grammes
1 pikul .60 kilogrammes At p. 329 M. Aymonier mentions that besides the British money, the théps already noted, there are current in the country he traversed " les at et les fai ou sous siamois." The faï is obviously the " phailung" or p'e of the Siamese, and as to at, it has been above noted (ante, p. 6, n. 44) that Bock, Temples and Elephants, p. 141, gives it as the equivalent of the p'e. But I find in the Report of Mr. T. H. Lyle on the Trade of Mung Nan for 1896o that the scale runs thus:
2 làt are 1 àt 2 at ', 1 p'e
2 på , songpa The Report in question is so much to the point as regards the present enquiry that I give it here in full:
"The country is undoubtedly under the disadvantages which the lack of a medium of exchange entails. Money is scarce, more especially small change, and so unaccustomed are the inhabitants of this district to the usage of money that of the four denominations of Siamese
Cushing, Shan Dict. p. 233, 6. v. tip. An Eastern Shan settled at Maulmain gave me the word w tyap. c. Shan k'ip and kyap = Burmese byát (kyap). Cushing, op. cit. pp. 61, 87.
• Rangoon Gaxette, 37th Sept. 1897, p. 18 f.