Indian Antiquary Vol 48

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

Page 115

JULY, 1919 ] NOTES ON CURRENCY AND COINAGE AMONG THE BURMESE
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in the calculation, and no doubt also the reason for the great variation in the relative values above stated, is, as Stevens says, that "the Achineers do so adulterate the Coin." 67
In 1889 I procured some bazar ratios between silver, copper and lead, as current in Mandalay, and, though I do not place complete faith in them, they are interesting and instructive in the present connection. My informant called all the silver ywenige, but divided it into eight qualities from ywetní to "ywetni-50-geo": the lead he called simply kyi. and the oopper pains dmbydo, i.e., copper coins, pice. Of the first standard, ywetni, he says that "it was current in the time of Pagan Min, 1206," i.e., B.E.=A.D. 1844: and of the second, yweini-10-geo, that "it was current in the time of Mindon Min, 1214," B.E., i.e., A.D. 1852. The third standard is ywetni-15-gè, i.e., 85% of ywetni, say, 70% of bò, and is, from his statement, the current silver of the bazars, which cannot, therefore, be much better than that of Pegu in Hamilton's time. 68
BAZAR STATEMENT.
10%
w
30% 40% 50%
Number of Silver.
Weight.
Lead in bulk : Copper coins : standard
viss tickals. tic.mî ywe ywetni 27 mû 2 50
15 6 0 " 2 25
7 0 "
4 15%
2 0
4 1 8 20%
2 0
3 1 3 25%
1 60
2 0 0 1 50
1 5 0 150
1 1 1 1 50
0 8 0 RATIOS. Standard.
Silver. Copper.
Lead. 62. 4
1,000 28.13
900 16.6
800 12.5
800 8
640
600 4.53
600 3. 2
600 69 The above figures indicate considerable laxity in estimating ratios in so gross a form of currency as lead, and the following example as to how bazar dealers work out "change" in lead, given me by the same informant, shows it further
Ex: A man goes to the bazar to buy oil: he has I mi weight of silver: 12 vwês = 1 md. He buys 8 yrês worth of oil. The bazar dealer has no change in silver for the 4 ywês due to him. Two vise 50 tickals of lead -l matí = 21 md tiokal), The bazar dealer must therefore give in exchange 31 tickals, 4 pes of lead, which is the equivalent of 4 yrês of silver. The sum is however worked out wrongly. Thus
(a) 4 ywe = 1/3 mg 1/3 x 1/10 tiokal-1-30 tickal. (6) 1 tickal silver 250 X 4 =1,000 tiokals lead.
(c) Therefore, 4 ywe silver =1,000 by 30 tickals lead == 33 tickals, 3 mo, 4 ywe lead. 67 Compare Lookyer's remarks, Trade in India, p. 396.
Sos ants, p. 49. $ These figures argue that these people do not know much about copper, which is the fact. The ancient ratio in India seems to have been 84 to 1 and it was the same in the days of Akbar. Colebrooke Essays, Vol. II, p. 533, note, and Thomas, Ohronicles, pp. 407 ff. ; 70 to 1, however, in Akbar's time acoord ing to Thomas, note to p. 22 of Prinsep's Unful Tablos
0 JOOT ON
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