Bantam, a town of Java Major, stands in latitude 6° S. and the variation here is 3° W.[142] It is a place of great resort by various nations, and where many different commodities are to be bought and sold, though of itself it produce few things, besides provisions, cotton-wool, and pepper. The quantity of this last at the yearly harvest, which is in October, may be about 32,000 sacks, each containing 49-1/2 Chinese cattees, and each cattee 21-1/2 rials English.[143] A sack is called a _timbang_, two of which are one _pekul_, three pekuls a _small bahar_, and 4-1/4 pekuls a _great bahar_, or 445-1/2 _cattees_. As the Javanese are not very expert in using the beam, they mostly deal by means of a weight called _coolack_, containing 7-1/4 cattees. Seven _coolacks_ are one _timbang_, water-measure, being 1-1/4 cattees more than the beam weight, although there ought to be no difference; but the weigher, who is always a Chinese, gives advantages to his countrymen, whom he favours, as he can fit them with greater or smaller weights at his pleasure. [Footnote 141: This subdivision is likewise a continuation of the Observations of Saris, while factor at Bantam, and is to be found in the Pilgrims, vol. I. p. 390.] [Footnote 142: The latitude of Bantam is 6° S. as in the text, and its longitude is 106° 10' W. from Greenwich.--E.] [Footnote 143: This seems a mistake for English ounces. If so, the sack weighs 1065-1/2 ounces, or 66 libs. 6-1/2 ounces.--E.] In the months of December and January, there always come many junks and proas to Bantam laden with pepper, from _Cherringin_ and _Jauby_,[144] so that there is always enough of pepper to be had at the end of January to load three large ships. There is no money coined here, all the current coin being from China, called _cashes_, which are made from very impure brass, in round thin pieces, having holes on which to string them: 1000 cashes on a string is called a _pecoo_, which is of different values, according as cashes rise or fall in demand. Their accounts are kept in the following manner: 10 _pecoos_ are a _laxsau_, 10 _laxsaus_ a _cattee_, 10 _cattees_ an _uta_, and 10 _utas_ a _bahar_. There are two ways of stringing the _cashes_, one called China_ chuchuck_, and the other Java_ chuchuck_, of which the Java is the best, as there ought to be 200 _cashes_ upon a _tack_, but in the Chinese _tacks_ you will only find 160 to 175; and as 5 tacks make a _pecoo_, you may lose 200 _cashes_, or 150, on each _pecoo_; which in extensive dealings will rise to a considerable matter. By the law of the country there ought to be just 1000 cashes upon a string or _pecoo_, or they must give _basse_, which is allowance for the deficiency. On the departure of the junks, you may buy 34 or 35 _pecoos_ for a dollar; which, before next year, you may sell at 22 or even 20 pecoos for a dollar; so that there is great profit to be made on this traffic; but the danger of loss by fire is great.