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152
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(AUGUST, 1928
In the course thereof he states (p. 778) that Prof. Roberts-Austen referred in 188-163 to "the old custom of slicing circular ingots to obtain the discs," and in connection with the Emperor Akbar he points out that it is still adopted in the mint at Kabul, "which it will be seen was one of the four chief localities for producing the coins of Hindustan in Akbar's time."
The passage quoted is as follows, and is of great interest as showing that the Indian Mint system was practically that of Kabul, and until quite modern times that of Europe and Erglani:
" It is probable that the use of cast globules was followed by that of cast cylindrical rods of approximately the diameter of the coin; pieces cut transversely from these cylinders would, of course, be circular and could be easily adjusted in weight. There is no reason to believe that this method long survived in the English mints, but it is still practised in India, into which country it was probably introduced previous to the invasion by the Greeks. The beautiful coins of the Emperor Akbar were struck by this method. That it is still retained in India is shown by the following description of the process, as conducted at the Kabul Mint.64 'Silver, refined by cupellation, is melted with an equal amount of English rupees, and the mixture is ladled by hand into moulds, which give it the shape of flattened bars, twelve inches long. These bars are taken to a shed to be annealed, and are, by hammering, given the form of slender round rods. These rods are drawn through a perforated iron plate to give them a uniform circumference, after which they are cut by a chisel into short lengths or slices, of a size requisite to form the future rupee, each of which slices is carefully weighed. Those which are too light have a fragment of metal inserted in a notoh, which is then closed up by hammering. The pieces are gently heated and hammered into round blanks, which are pickled in a boiling solution of a pricot juice and salt, then struck by a blow of the hammer from engraved dies. The coins of Edward I. of England were produced by a similar process, but in this case the bars were probably square, and the square fragments cut off were forged round with the tongs and hammer before being struck. This process was used from time to time in England, up to as late a period as 1561".
The ancient European process of minting is clearly shown in Plate VII, which is from a wall found in the Casa dei Vetti at Pompei and is usually entitled amorini monetari. In the picture are shown a number of Cupids going through all the processes of making money, and it very well describes the proceedinga I myself saw in Patiala in 1883. The picture must have been painted about the very commencement of the Christian Era.
I have already referred to Charles Neufeld's account of the proceedings of the Khalifa Abdu'llahi of Omdurman in the Soudan as to his currency. These forced him to try and coin money for himself, and we have an account of his minting operations by Neufeld (Wide World Magazine, 1899, vol. IV, No. 21, Dec., pp. 235-6), which is very valuable, as he was employed in a capacity of inportance at the Mint, and it shows how the Oriental with the best machinery available can make very little way with minting without European assistance.
"It was while the peculiar currency question was at its height that Abbajî came forward with his scheme for a coining press; and, in order that I might assist him, I was transferred to the Khartoum arsenal ... The arsenal was presided over by Khalil Hassanîn, at one time a clerk under Roversi, in the department for the repression of the slave trade. Although ten years had elapsed since the fall of Khartoum, the arsenal must have been in as perfect work. ing order as when Gordon made it into a modern Woolwich workshop. Power was obtained from a traction engine, which drove lathes, a rolling-mill, drills., etc.; while punches, iron scissors, and smaller machinery were worked by hand. In the shops proper were three engines
63 See the same Journal, Cantor Lecture, Alloys used for Ooinaya. 84 Abridged from an account given in the Times, September 10th, 1880 66 Red-book of the Exchequer, quoted by Loake, p. 76,
