________________
AUGUST, 1913.]
THE OBSOLETE MALAY TIN CURRENCY
THE OBSOLETE TIN CURRENCY AND MONEY OF THE FEDERATED MALAY STATES.
BY SIR R. C. TEMPLE, BART.
(Continued from p. 185.)
APPENDIX IV.
Extracts from various authorities relating to the Tin Currency of the Malay Peninsula.
I.
209
Denys, A Descriptive Dictionary of British Malaya, 1894.
S. v. Money. A great variety of small coins of brass, copper, tin and zinc are in circulation throughout all the (Dutch) Islands. The most frequent of these is the Dutch doit, of which about 300 ought to go to a Spanish dollar. The intrinsic value of all such coins, however, has no relation to their assumed one, and being usually over-issued, they are generally at a heavy discount.
The small coins of Kedah are of tin. They go under the name of tra (stamp, impression). Of these 160 are filed on a filament of rattan, of which 8 strings (tali), or 1280 coins, are considered equal to a hard dollar.
Chinese cash are often known as pitis by the Malays. This was the name of the ancient coins of Java, and is a frequent appellation for money in general, as well as for small change. Chinese coins of this description were found in the ruins of the ancient Singapore, of as early a time as the tenth century, and we have the authority of the first European that visited Borneo proper, the companion of Magellan, that they were the only money of that part of the Archipelago The money,' says Pigafetta, which the Moors use in this conntry is of brass, with a hole for filing it. On one side only there are four characters, which represent the great king of China. They call it picis' (Primo Viaggio, p. 121).
The absence of all other current coins than such as are now mentioned, previous to the arrival of Europeans is testified to by the Portuguese historian (Barro), and this even in Malacca, the most considerable trading emporium in the Archipelago. The enterprising Albuquerque, before he quitted that place after its conquest proceeded to supply this deficiency . . 'he ordered money to be coined, for in the country gold and silver passed only as merchandise, and during the reign of the king Muhammad there was no other coined money than that made from tin, which served only for the ordinary transactions of the market. (Decade, II. Bk. 2, ch. 2).
II. Newbold, Political and Statistical Account of the British Settlements in the Straits of Malacca. 2 vols. 1839.
Vol. II, p. 94. The following extracts from treaties made by the Dutch shew that they did not fail to profit by this opportunity of increasing the revenue of Malacca. Article I. of a treaty concluded by the Dutch Governor, West Boelan, in council with the Chiefs of Rumbowe (Rembau) and Calang (Klang) dated Malacca, 24 January 1760:"The tin being the produce of Lingee (Linggi), Rumbowe and Calang, without any exception, will be delivered to the Company at 38 dollars a bahara of three pikule, and this price will always continue without its being enhanced.
p. 96. The Dutch resumed their monopoly, as we find from the 7th article of a treaty, dated, Naning, 5 June 1819, between the Supreme Government of Netherlands India and Rajah Ali, the Panghulu and Ampat Suku, of Rumbowe which ran thus:-Rajah Ali, the Panghulu
