Indian Antiquary Vol 48

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

Page 60

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
"This table is abstracted from the examination of 35 specimens of silver specially prepared in Ava, in presence of the Resident, purposely for the comparison of the Burmese with the English assay."
The lowest class of silver above noted is that containing 80 per cent. alloy, but Yule, Ava, p. 345, beats even this low rate by stating that, among the Shans, silver often contained fully 100 per cent. alloy. This would, however, mean strictly that there was no silver left, and what he really means, I take it, is a reference to the ngâzège or half silver standard, which of course contained only 50 per cent. alloy.
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The great number of qualities of silver above noted is thus accounted for by Alexander Hamilton, East Indies, Vol. II, p. 43:-" Silver of any Sort is welcome to them (Peguers). It pays the King eight and an Half per cent. Custom, but in lieu of that high Duty, he indulges the Merchants to melt it down, and put what Alloy they please in it, and then pass it off in Payments as high as they can. Rupee Silver which has no Alloy in it, will bear twenty-eight per cent. of Copper-alloy, and keep the Pegu Touch, which, they call flower'd Silver, and if it flowers, it passes current."
The above statement refers to dealings at about A.D. 1700 and proves that the standard silver of the Peguan Kingdom was of a most inferior quality, for assuming rupee silver to have always been about 94 per cent of b'ò, or modern Burmese pure silver, the standard of old Peguan flower'd silver must have been about 66 per cent. of b'. 40
I regret that I have been unable to find anywhere a table of Shan silver standards to compare with the Burmese, because it is pretty evident that the two nationalities have in reality much the same customs as to currency. A search through Cushing's Shan Dictionary would unearth a good many of the terms used by the Shâns for silver and gold in their various forms, but unfortunately he never gives any definite renderings of the words he records. However, for future research it is something to have an idea as to what the terms are, and so I give here such as I have come across in my many wanderings through this valuable work.
K'am is gold, and we find, p. 79, k'amkik, pinchbeck (mojo); k'amyôngpin, very fine soft gold. Ngün is silver, and we have, p. 122, ngünkiû, very ure silver; ngüntêng, dain 1 silver; ngünmuü, alloyed silver in cakes. Kid is described as very pure silver, at p. 29, of two kinds, kiûmais'ê and kidpantang. T'ônk'ò is given at p. 268 as very pure silver, and is (?) thâkwa silver. And at p. 479 we have long-ngün, flowered silver. At p. 375 are given pir "silver from the crucible, Shân silver, pure, "the Burmese b'ò: and at p. 265 we have t' iû, "pure silver:" p. 459, lang, "very pure silver. "
Then there is at p. 284 nárant and háraní, a good variety of gold, evidently the nayàníshwê and nayaka-shwe of Stevenson's Burmese Dict.; but what standard of gold these words represent I do not know.
My own efforts in this direction are hardly more satisfactory, and I merely give the terms for what they may be worth, thus:
Burmese.
b'ò (but ? should be dain).
chaubinbauk (but I think ywetní is meant). chaubaukngwe (chaubinbauk).
ng wêlôn.
majo (bad quality gold, half gold, billon). (lowest quality silver).
[MAY, 1919
Shân.
ngündai. nak'ônbat.
ngüinmal.
mûwain.
taungnâ. 12
ngünpadi, papa.
(To be continued.)
40 On this point see my remarks later on under the head of "lump lead," when comparing lead, copper and silver standards in modern bazars.
Given as daing to me by a Shân from the Thatôn (Sâtûng) State. For (?) taungnam, copper quality or "copper fine."