Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 48
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications
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________________
JULY, 1910)
NOTES ON CURRENCY AND COINAGE AMONG THE BURMESE
107
50%
an easy matter to deceive you in that Commodity, or put a false Piece upon you: Tho' I must confess ther's no way so sure, certain, and so much to be confided in as an Essay by Fire, both for Gold and for Silver, &c."
From Bock, Temples and Elephants, p. 393n., we get a set of six Siamese gold standards, 61 said by him to date so far back as A.D. 1347 : 1. Nopakun-kow-nam
.. .. .. 90% 2. Nua-peat ..
80% 3. Nua-chet.. .
.., .. 70% 4. Nua-hok ..
60% 5 Nua-ha .. 6. Nua-Sve ..
.. 40% At least, the above is what I gather Bock's informant inealit to convey, because *nopalcuttkow-nam" would mean in Shan nine fine in a hundred," or something like it : and pit, set, hök, ha and si mean eight, seven, six, five and four respectively.
By way of comparison with the above remarks on Burmese gold standards, the following information, culled from Stevens, New and Complete Guide to the East India T'rade, ed. 1760. is of much interest. At Pp. 126-127 he gives a series of Chinese characters Whereby you may form some Judgment on the Value of their Gold." From this can be extracted the following recognised standards, taking "sycee " as pure or 100 touch.68
1. Twanghan: in bars wrapped in stamped paper.. .941 to 95 2. Seong Kutt or Soang Catt.. ..
. .. 90 to 92 3. Tungzee .. .. .. ..
96 4. Tungzee, Yeungzee or Tingwan ..
.. . 95 5. Toozeo or Toujee .. ..
.. .. . 92 6. Cheauzee or Swajzee ..
.. 92 7. Seong Pou or Soang Pau.. 8. Yeukxzee, Seongyeukx or Song Yeux
to 95 9. Pouzee or Seong Po 10. Chuzee or Chuja : in bars .. 11. Chauzee or Swarhzy: in shoes
.. .. 93 12. Ongee
to 93 13. Toozee
.. .. 92 14. Pouzee or Seong Po: in bars
.. .. .. 93 . 15. Cutzee or Songcatt: in shoes
90 16. Yeu kzee : in shoes wrapped in paper, stamped "the
double-ring chop" .. .. .. .. .. 95 to 96 Lockyer is equally interesting on the subject of Chinese gold standards, p. 132ff. :“Gold-makers (as they are commonly call'd) cast all the Gold, that comes thro'their Hands, into Shoos of about 10 Talo weight, 12oz. 2dut. 4gr. of an equal Fineness : As one makes them 93 Touch, another is famous for 94, &c. A private Mark is stamped in the sides, and a
51 In some parts of the Eastern Shan States gold in lump is the curroney. Colquhoun, Amongst the Shans, p. 2. See also Yule, Marco Polo, Vol. II, p. 35, for "gold in rods" in 13th century, and Oathays, Vol. I, p. ccxix, for "gold in rods" in the 16th century.
On p. 125 he has the following remarks "China Weights .... The finest gold among the 100 touch, called syoso, that is pure gold without any allay in it.... gold bought touch for touch ia when ten tale weight of syose silver is paid for one tale weight of gold . . . . the syose gold ...."
