Indian Antiquary Vol 42

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 137

MAY, 1913.)
THE OBSOLETE MALAY TIN QURRENCY
129
This is very little, but I hope still to get some of the missing links.03
2 buaya = 1 tampang 5 buaya = 1 bidor or suku 4 bidor = 1 dollar of 10 kati
No. VI. Mr. G. M. Laidlaw to Mr. w. w. Sleat. 29th July 1904.
Written from Telok Anson, Lower Perak. I have been able to meet with several buaya, but I have notbeen able to make their owners part with them. So I have tried to make them lend them me till I get them photographed. The first photograph was a failure, so after some days I had others taken. I do not yet know with what success.
I am sending the ayam referred to in my lag: letter, and also, what is of greater interest, an old ayam and gajah found at Pasir Panjang Lant some eight feet below the present surface in making a new well. They were given me by the finder, Mat Nor bin Bilal Yop. I could get no information out of him.
From an old man at Setiawan I got the following facts-by name Haji Mat Said bin Shekh Husin. In the time of Marhum Sebrang Bandar, the ratio of the duit ayam to the wang was 14: 1. In the subsequent changes, other ratios of 20: 1, 28: 1, 36 : 1 were made in the time of Marham Durian Sabatang. I will try and get the sanat (date) of the reigns. It seems that the dowry of the mythical princess Tanjong Baeh was 1000 bidor.06
While he said that the bidor equalled the suku, he also said that the buaya equalled the ponjuru, i.e., 16 wont to the dollar. Other informants give the ratio as 20 to the dollar. Two buaya equal one gajah.
It seems that ten kati of tin were worth one dollar. This level was known, whenever it was reached, as 8a-urup or samurup. In other words the bimetallic currencios of tin and silver were at par whenover tin was 30 dollars per bahara.
The weight of the kati was the same as that of four score dollars (ěmpat lekor ringgit), whereas it is now equal to two score (dua lelor).00
At Janggor, the first distriot opened up, in Butang Padang, 8 koping went to the bahara, whilo in Batak Rabit (practically Telok Anson) perhaps only 6 went to the dollar.
I came across an old trader named Imam Haji Mat Arshat bin Imam Bugis. He did a lot of trading in the bad old days up the Kinta Valley, He said the kēping (slab) was worth four dollars, less one suku, or 37 kati of tin, 100 when tin was at par (samurup); i, e., when tin was at ten kati to the dollar. At the same time this level was very rarely reached at Batak Rabit, although he was able to do satisfactory buginess on the following basis up country. A pitis
* This was, however, not powiblo, m the tin animal ourrency corresponded with the old Dutob scale, and the sondo Mr. Laidlaw was trying thus to get matohod was the modern British soalo.
# The late. " That is, 250 dollars of tin at 10 hati the dollar.
That is, this man wu quoting the old Dutch soale, making the buaya - 6+ (not 5) cente. Probably confusing the buaya of the tin currenoy with the buaya of British silver money. This is the approximate historical ratio.
A dollar weighs 416 grs, and this statemont gives therefore 33,260 grs, as the weight of skats of tin. The standard worked out at p. 91 ante, makes the weight 3120 X 104-37,260 grs. The reduction of the ratio of tin and dollar to all the above is due to depreciation of silver. It may be noted here that the terms Impat lekor for four voore, and dwa lekor for two soore are unusual, and probably dialootio : ordinarily they would mean 94 and 23 respeotively.
100 That is, 31 dollar of 10 kati 37 kati to the köping.