The Origin of Metallic Currency and Weight StandardsRidgeway, William
History
The Origin of Metallic Currency and Weight Standards
Ridgeway, William
Money -- Origin; Weights and measures -- History
10 _fên_ = 1 _ch’en_ (mace).
10 _ch’en_ = 1 _liang_, _tael_ or ounce.
16 _tael_ = 1 _chin_, commonly known as catty, = 1⅓ lbs. English.
100 catties = 1 _tan_ or _shih_, commonly known to us as the _picul_
(= 133⅓ lbs. English).
_Cambodia._ Money system.
60 cash or sapecs of zinc = 1 _tien_.
10 _tien_ = 1 string.
10 strings = 1 _nên_ or bar of silver (90 francs).
The _nên_ is an ingot of silver of parallelopiped form, which is
invariably worth 100 strings of zinc cash[215]. This _nên_ is subdivided
for money of account as follows:
1 _nên_ (375 grammes) = 10 _denh_.
1 _denh_ = 10 _chi_.
1 _chi_ = 10 _hun_.
1 _hun_ = 10 _li_.
They employ a coin of silver called a _prac-bat_ or _preasat_, worth 4
strings or ⅟₂₅ _nên_[216].
The Mexican piastre, which circulates also, is worth on the average about
6 strings of cash.
1 gold ingot = 16 _nêns_ of silver.
The half ingot of gold is also used = 8 ingots of silver.
The unit of commercial or _avoirdupois_ weight is the _catty_ (called by
the Cambodians the _neal_) or pound.
1 _neal_ (catty) (600 grammes) = 16 _tomlongs_ or _taels_ (ounces).
1 _tomlong_ (37·5 grammes) = 10 _chi_ (of 3·75 grammes).
1 _chi_ = 10 _hun_.
The preceding weights are plainly borrowed from the Chinese, whilst the
following are regarded as native in origin.
1 _pey_ = 0·292 grammes.
4 _pey_ = 1 _fuong_ (1·174 grammes).
2 _fuong_ = 1 _slong_ (2·344 grammes).
4 _slong_ = 1 _bat_ (9·375 grammes).
4 _bat_ = 1 _tomlong_ (37·5 grammes).
For heavy merchandise they employ the _hap_ or _picul_.
There are three varieties of _picul_: (1) that of the weight of 40
strings of cash (= 100 catties), (2) that of 42 strings, (3) that of 45
strings.
It will be noticed that the first-mentioned is simply the standard of the
Chinese _picul_ of 133⅓ lbs. English, whilst the others are native.
In Annam we found that the ingots of gold and silver, consisting of ten
_luongs_ or _nails_, were called _nên_. The _luong_ was equal in weight
to the Chinese _liung_, and Cambodian _tomlong_, and was also called
_dinh_ (_dinh-bac_, _nail of silver_), thus being identical with the ten
_denh_ into which the Cambodian _nên_ or bar is divided.
In Laos[217] we again find the Chinese _picul_ as the highest weight
unit. It is divided into 100 catties (here called _Chang_) of 600 grammes
each (1⅓ lb. Eng.).
1 _picul_ = 100 _catties_.
1 _catty_ (_chang_) = 10 _damling_ (60 grammes).
1 _damling_ = 4 _bat_ (15 grammes).
1 _bat_ = 4 _chi_ (3·75 grammes).
1 _chi_ = 10 _hun_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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