Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 48
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications
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________________
MAY, 1919)
NOTES ON CURRENCY AND COINAGE AMONG THE BURMESE
53
90
1
.
100 100
?
The Lists as respectively given me are as follows:
Taungwin Mingyi's List. Looking on b'd as pure silver 32 and on dain and ywetní as nearly pure, the Minister proceeded with his list thus:Tamátké
.. Rs. alloy in Rs. 10 silver (bo) 971 % Ngâmûgi .. ” » » » 10
95 Thông: màuke ...»
10
92), Tasège
.. . 10
100 Ngậmatke .. , 13 , „ 10
87}, Sòngâjàtkè .. 16 , , , 100
85 , Tajátko'ni'mâge
17 mûs, , 100 m Nasège
20 , ,,Rs. ] Asekké
25 ,, ,, ,, Thôngzège
30
] Thôngzèngage
35 , Lêzège
40 ) ► Lêzêngâge Ngâzégè Ngâzèngagé
» » 100 Chauksège
60 , 1 100 Chauksengagé
65 »
109 Ko'ui'sège
.., 70, 7 100 Ko'ni'sèngâgè
. .. » 76 ) » 100 Shi'sège .. 80 ,
100 Shi'sengage
05
) Közégè
.. , 90 , ,
Traders' List. The eight kinds of silver used ordinarily in the bazira are, in terms of bò silver, as follows: Tamàtké -971 % Ngâmûgè - 95 %
Thôngmatk = 92 9%. Tasège 99 % Ngâmátké = 871%
Sèngâ játké 85 %. Nasège = 80 %.
Tajatko'ni'mûge 83 %. The shi'sègè, or 80 % alloy, quality is, however, pot uncommonly met with.
“Rupee silver" is chaukmúgè, i.e., 6 mús alloy in 100 mús, or 94 per cent. of b'o silver. Of this fact we have two very interesting proofs. In Judson's English and Burmese Dictionary, 1849, we have rupee-chau lema: dinga," i.e.; "six-mú coin: "and in Lane's English and Burmese Dictionary, 33 1841, we have precisely the same info mation : while in Judson we have also "tickal-akyat," showing that the rupee was then differentiated from the tickal and reckoned chaukmúgè: silver.
Yule says, Ava, p. 261, in noticing the low classes of silver above mentioned, that all below 50 per cent. silver were liable to confiscation by the King, and that they were practically confined to the provinces. He says further that before the War of 1824, the currency at Rangoon, which was then a mere provincial seaport, had only 25 per cent. of silver in it, and after the War but 10 per cent.34
32 Which it is not, by the way. See Prinsep, Useful Tables, p. 50.
» I cannot help thinking, on a careful comparison of the two books, that Judson is more indebteri to Lane than the absence of acknowledgment would lead one to infer.
34 See also Symes, Ava, p. 387.
