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[JUNE, 1999.
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1885. "Alexandria in Egypt Accounts are kept in Piastres current of 40 Medini. a Griscio or Abuguelp [? Abukulf] at 30 These [Griscio, etc.] are real Egyptian coins." Kelly, Cambist, I. 4. (Apparently the
It was also an actual coin, and as such the quotations show that its value was about two shillings sterling or something under, that being piastre of the XVIII. Cent, was about 2 shillings sterling, [Kelly, II. 168 f. 8.v. Turkey,] and so the evidently also its value in accounts. Griscio would be piastre or about 18. 6d. sterling.)
160
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
The quotations which follow show that the cruse was two-fifths of a commercial dollar or 40 cents, and that the duanee was therefore one cent.
The word in its various forms represents the Arabic word kirsh and its plural kurash.
The term duanee, with its Italian variant medini (medino), I have not been able to trace. But both forms are prima facie from some identical root like the Arabic s dain.
Neither cruse nor duanee are in Yule's HobsonJobson, and oddly enough Kelly's Universal Cambist makes no mention of Jeddah and its money.
1739. "Species of Coins current in Bassora and Bagdat ... 1 Croush is 4 Mamoodies." -Alex. Hamilton, East Indies, II., Appx., 4. 1835. "At Bassora or Bussorah the Mamoudi 3 Grains of fine gold, or 40 Grains of fine silver, or 5d. sterling."- Kelly, Cambist, I. 30. (Therefore the croush= 24 d. or a florin.) 1775. "Judda weight, 100 dollars at 250 Cruse: . Lump silver (if good), 100 dollars at 250 Ditto : Bar silver, 100 dollars at 250 Ditto: Venitians, 100 weigh 29 Secar Rup.
13 Annas 4 Judda Cruse Pice.1 A List of Presents given the Bashaw and his Officers at Judda, with the different Assortment of Goods and the Specie they are to consist of Bashaw 42 Pieces, Value as per Judda Sale of Goods 500 Judda Cruse [total] 281 Pieces Value at Judda Cruse 3000 To the Bashaw's Guard on-board. 1 Cruse per Day till they have cleared the Ship and 20 Cruse his Buczeys. . . . Charges . . Paid Packers for packing ditto [old Copper], viz., 85 Bales at 14 Duanies per Bale 29 [Cruse] 30 [Duanies]." Stevens, Guide to East India Trade, pp. 60-65.
mer
1813. "Accounts are kept in cruse and duanees, 40 of the latter making one of the forVenetians 100 = 22 Sicca Rupees [=]4 cruse it would be best, in making your sales, to fix both the price and value of your silver and gold coin (in cruse) with the merchant.". Milburn, Commerce, I. pp. 87-94. (Milburn has, after the manner of the time, incorporated the whole of Stevens' information, without acknowledgment.)
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1 This statement does not tally with the rest and there must be something wrong here.
I. e., Bakhshi or clerk, see Yule s.v. Buxee.
1884. "Qirs () pl. qurash, piaster." - Steingass, Arabic Dict.
The Italian form griscio for kirsh tempts me, under correction, to connect another Arabic expression kurs with a well known Italian money of account and coin, grosso. It will be seen from the quotations that both were of the value 1d. to 3d. sterling.
1831. "Grosso, a piece of money worth about three pence English." Barretto, ItalianEnglish Dict.
1835.
"Venice
Monies of Account old System Moneta Piccola has been the general money since the year 1750: Valuta Corrente was that which preceded it: and Banco was the money in which the Bank of Venice kept its accounts: it was 20 per cent.. better than Valuta Corrente and 54% better than Moneta Piccola .... the Ducato Corrente is divided into 24 Grossi and each Grosso into 12 Grossetti or Denari di Ducato. The Ducat Banco is also divided into 24 Grossi each of 12 Denari."
Padua. - Accounts are here kept in Ducats of 24 Grossi or 288 Denari."
Bergamo."Accounts are also kept in Ducats of 24 Grossi each Grosso being divided into 12 Piccoli or Denari di Ducato." Kelly, Cambist. Vol. I. pp. 31, 274, 344.
Now Kelly tells us (Vol. I. p. 344) that a Venice "64 Lire Piccole equal the Ducat Corrente and 9 Lire the Ducat Banco: hence 31 of the latter equal 48 of the former," and, at Vol. II. p. 153, he tells us that the Lira Piccola in the old coins of Venice equals in silver 5-07d. So the Ducat Corrente was worth 28. 7d., and the Ducat Banco 48. Hence the Grosso Corrente was worth about 14d. and the Grosso Banco 2d.
In Vol. II. p. 166 we find that at Rome the Grosso or Half Parlo of 1785 was a silver coin worth 2.58d.
See above, n. 1. Milburn has not succeeded in correcting Stephen's mistake.
Clearly an Italian form of kirsh.
