Indian Antiquary Vol 42

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

Page 91

APRIL, 1913.)
THE OBSOLETE MALAY TIN CURRENCY
87
English. The advantage is considerable if you pay it in dollars. Here your opium will sell with safety for better than cent per cent. The English and Portuguese country.shipsls generally barter it for tin. The country-ships generally meet oars [E. I. Co.'s ships] and will sell their tin for rupees instead of dollars. But observe to get large slabs [kēping] if possible. If you cannot get all large, you may take everything but their chain-stuff, like jack-chains, and thin stuff of birds194, etc. If you are obliged to take the small stuff, the officers must take care where it is stowed, or the sailors will steal it, for samshow (native liquor or spirits]'s, and keep a good look-out while taking in. If you buy of a country-ship, know whether they sell by the Queda or Salengare bar.14 The first is equal to 419 16., the other not so much."
What Stevens meant by this caution is clearly explained in a useful statement by that accurate first-hand observer Lockyer (Account of the Trade in India, 1711 p. 48). “200 catty Mallay is 1 bahar of 422 lbs. 15 0%. ...it China catty is commonly reckoned 1 catty Mallay, which bringe pecull China equal to a bahar, but should one bay after that rate one should be a Jooser in every bakar, for 3 Chira pecull will not hold out above 396 l. This is a very necessary caution : since I have known several suffer through neglect in examining disproportion in receipt."
Tin Ingot Currenoy and Tin Money. In a dissertation on the Beginnings of Currency, 16 I explained that "barter is the exchange of one article for another : currency implies exchange through a medium; money that the medium is a token," and I differentiated currency and money thug16: _"Currency implies that the medium of exchange is a domestically usable article, and money that it is a token not domestically usable. Under such definitions iron spear heads, cooking pots (Siamese Shans), and ingots of tin (Malays of the Peninsula) are currency. But iron lozenges (Siamese Shans), imitations of iron hatchet (Nassau Islanders), of iron knives (Kachins and Shans of Assam), of iron spears (Nagas of Assam), of ingots of tin (Malayas of the Peninsula) are money. It is on the principle above-stated that I will proceed to examine the evidence at my disposal as to the tin media of exchange formerly in use in the Malay Peninsula.
There are in the Cambridge Museum certain specimens, both of the new obsolete tin ingot currency and tin money, which have been measured and weighed. In both instances the specimens refer to two scales of values.
The description given in the Museum Catalogue, obviously based on information supplied by the donors, is as follows:
17. Tin Currency. 879. One block, very roughly cast, of truncated pyramidal form with string-hole, weight 19 oz., size across base 2".2 x 2".2.
12 Ships owned in Indian ports though officered by Europeans. Yule, Hobson-Jobson, 4 v. Country. They were in severe competition with the East India Company. See Stevens, p. 112, N, Malacon.
189 Stevens means by "thin stoff of birds," small tin gambar model of animal) ingots : se infra p. 92. By * obain-stuff like jaok-chaine" and "small stuff" he apparently means strings of cash, though these are not in the least like jaok-chains (i..., with towelded or unsoldered links at right angle to each other) unless we read the word " jaok" in its sense of smaller than usual." See O. E. D.... jack and jack-ohain.
19 See Yule, op. cit., ..'v. Samshoo.
14 Kedah or Selangor bahara, The modern Malay standard bahara or bahar is approximately 8 owt. or 400 lbs., but it varies looally from time to time in the reports of traders, and one of the difficulties of this enqniry is the gauging of the probable accuracy of reports from all sorts and conditions of men.
18 Ante, Vol. XXIX, p. 38; J. R. 4. I., 899, pp. 99-192. 14 Op. cit., p. 38.