Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 42
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications
View full book text
________________
APRIL, 1913.)
THE OBSOLETE MALAY TIN CURRENCY
101
3. The information gathered by Mr. Skeat in the various districts and States of the Malay Peninsula affords another important historioal deduction. The scales of the tin currency prevalent on the East Coast, that is, away from European influence until quite recently, conformed to the old Dutoh scale, showing that that scale was based on the old tin currency systems of the Peninsula The scales of the tin currency now prevalent on the West Coast, long subject to European influences, conform to the introduced European monetary scale of 1000 cash (Portuguese pese) to the dollar. The old Dutch reckoning was :25 cash (pese)
make
1 kěnděri (silver). 2 konděri
1 tali, 8 tali
1 dollar of 100 doits (cents). 400 cash to the dollar. The East Coast Malays still reckon on this system, but they make scalo 4 kõndări to the tali,72 and vary the number of cash to the kënděri locally. On this explanation, a comparative table of reckoning in the Eastern Malay States can be readily made out from Mr. Skent's notes, showing the descent of the old Dutch schle.
East Coast Currency System. State or Distriot.
Number of cash"
Number of cash to kend&i.
to dollar." Old Dutch
25
40076 Kelantan
15
480 Patani70 Jering present
640 former
480) Teluban present
8842 former J
10 S
320 S Ligeh
320 Trengganu
10
. 320 Patalung77
12
384 Mr. Skeat also quotes in his notes Klinkert, Nieuw Maleisch-Nederlandsch Woordenboek, 1893, which gives s.v. tali, the following scale of 600 cash to the dollar, thus:75 pitis (cash)
make
1 tali. 4 tali
1 guilder (jampal). 2 guilder
1 dollar.
15
12
10
600 cash to the dollar The actual origin of the existing European scale of 400 cash to the dollar can be ascertained from Marsden's Sumatra, 1811, pp. 171-2:-"Spanish dollars are everywhere current and acconnts are kept in dollars, suku (imaginary quarter dollars),79 and kopeng or copper cash,
Called kupang in Kelantan, E. Coast, and synonymously ku pang and tali in Nogri Sembilan, W. Coast. "Arrived at by multiplying the number of cash to the këndiri by 32 (4 dnddri by 8 taui -1 dollar). ** Callod pitis and kopong in Patani and Patalung, and tra (stamp) in Setul: leping in Kedah.
16 25 cash by 16 hindäri-1 dollar. This soalo is added for comparison. The British soalo is also worked out to 100 cash to the dollar.
T6 Differences stated to be due to changes in the price of tin. TT Siamese territory beyond Singora
• Maradon's sonlo (1811) for Sumatra is 50 cash to the tali : 8 talk to the dollar-100 carb to the dollar. Klinkert's solo seems to show the depreciation of cash between 1811 and 1898.
"In modern terminology "money of acount."
