WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, MONEY.
CHINESE.
WEIGHTS,
Chinese weights are mostly decimal. Although English weights and measures are used to a considerable extent in trade with foreigners, being legalised in Hongkong for that purpose, the following are also recognised by Ordinance 22 of 1841:-
or cush
1 li = 1 fan, or candarcen = 1 tein, or niace
1 loung, or tacl
10 li 10 fan
10 tain
16 loung
100 kan
=1tim,
or picul
120 kan
1 shek, or stone
1 kan, or catty
-0013 oz. avoir. 0133 oz. avoir. -1333 oz. avoir.
1 oz. avoir.* 14 lb. avoir. = 133 lb. avoir,
-
160 lb. avoir.
40
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, MONEY.
The Hongkong bronze coinage is always more or less at a discount, which has sometimes been as high as 30 per cent, in the case of cents, and 50 per cent. in the case of cash. Servay's avail themselves of this discount to make a profit whenever they are entrusted with silver for purchasing anything that can be paid for in copper.
4 F'eis
2 Fu'ang
SIAMESE.
MONEY.
make 1 Fu'ang
20
1 Sali'ng
4 Sálü'nga
1 Bät or Tical
4 Bats
"
1 Tümlü'ng
20 Tämlü'ngs
1
Chang
50 Ch'ängs
"
} H)
100 Haps
J
1 Tärn
WEIGHTS.
=
$0 076.
0.150.
0-600.
2,100,
48.000.
JI
12
2,400.000. 24,000,000.
The words candarcen, mace, tael, catty, picul, are not Chinese.
Almost all commodities, even liquids, are sold by the above weights amongst
Chinese.
MEASURES.
English measures are legal, but so are also the following Chinese :-
10 fan = 1 tsün,
10 taun 1 chek,
or inch
or foot
I
about 1.41 English inch. = about 14.1 English inch.
10 chek = 1 ch'eung or fathom 4 yards (nearly).
The Treaty of Tientsin fixes the ch'eung at 141 English inches.
1 li, or milo
mile English.
10 li po, or lenguo = 3 miles English (about),
Land is measured by the mau or acre, equal to about of an English acre.
MONEY.
This is almost entirely represented by weights of silver, accounts being kept in leung, tsin, fan, and li (taels, mace, and candareens) as given above. Their values may be taken to be the following:
1 li
or casht
1 fan or cundareen
=
.06d, or d. .6d. or id.
or niace
1 tsin 1 leung or tael
6d.
= 59.
Not one of these weights is represented by any coin, unless we may take the cash to represent the value of a li of silver.
I
Silver is used uncoined, in ingots or shoes, sometimes called sycee; small sums are paid in what is called broken silver. At the Ports this generally consists of the fragments of Mexican or Spanish dollars, bammered to pieces by the Shroffs in their process of chopping. This broken silver is weighed by means of small steel-yards called li-tang.
Cash may be said to be the only coin of China. The Chinese call them tsin. They are bronze coins, not unlike thin farthings with a square bole in the centre for stringing together. The Hongkong Government cash or mils are smaller, and the hole is round. The value of cash fluctuates greatly, and is very much a matter of bargain. About 1,200 to a Mexican dollar is an average quotation.
HONGKONG MONEY.
A legal tender in Hongkong consists of Bank notes of one of the chartered banks; Hongkong or Mexican dollars; 20, 10, or 5 cent silver picces to an amount not exceeding two dollars; or bronze cents or mils to an amount not exceeding ono dollar. Spanish and South American dollars are also in circulation, as well as Spanish quarter dollars, American half and quarter dollars, shillings, sixpences, francs, the Japanese silver coinage (at present at a discount of about ten per cent. on that of Hongkong), and the 10 and 20 cent pieces of the Straits Settlements, which are accepted indifferently with those of Hongkong.
The value of the dollar during 1883 was from 3s. 7d. to 3s. 9d. sterling. Mexican dollars weighed at 7.1.7. mean coins which contain 7 mace, 1 candareen, and 7 li of silver (see weights given above). Clean coins of this weight command a premium, lighter ones are taken at a discount.
• The Tael actually in use is 1.351 oz.
↑ The li when representing weight in nover spoken of ass esah, but probably the original value of a cash was 1 li of pure silver.
The standard of weight being the coin of the country, weights are designated by the same terms, A Tical weighs 236 grains Troy.
The Siamese standard of weight is just double that of the Chinese, and goods are bought and sold in Bangkok more by the Chinese than the Siamese standard.
1 Niv 12 Niwa
2 K'ú'ps
+ Sawka
20 Wabs
400 Sens
MEASURES.
LONG MEASURE.
ninke
"
+ inch,
1 Kúp 1 Sawk 1 Wah
JJ
J
19) 78
"
1 Sün 1 Yot
"J
D
130 feet.
9f statuto miles.
Note. Timber is bought by the Yök, which is 64 Säwk in length, by 1 Säwk in width=36,864 Siamese inches, being equivalent to 169 sy are feet.
1 Tänan....
20 Tinans make 1 Tầng
DRY MEASURE.
pints. 25 Tänans make 1 Sat 15 "
100 Tángs or 80 Sat 1 Keoan (Coyan.) Note.--A Keean is 20 Piculs, A Picul is 133 lbs. avoirdupois.
TABLE OF EXCHANGE.
FOR $100.
165 TIs. or
CENTS TO
EACH TICAL,
SALUNGS
СЕКТУ ТО
BALUNGS
rou $100.
PER DOLLA E.
EACH TICAL. -
PER DOLLAR.
6-
150 Tls. or
66-66 P T1.
6.6
=
60·60 P TI.
6 025
150-624
66-39
6-625
165-62}
60:37
6:050
151.25
66.11
6.650
166.25
60.15
6:075
151-87
65.84
6.675
166-871
59.92
6.1
152.50
65'57
6.7
16750
59-70
6.125
153-12}
65-30
6.725
168.121
59.48
6.150
153-75
65-04
6.750
169.75
69-27
6.175
154 371
64.71
6-775
169-371
59.0.1
6.2
155.
64-51
6-8
170'
53.82
6.225
155-62)
64.26
6-826
170.62}
58 61
6.250
156.25
64-
6.950
171-25
58.39
6.275
156.87)
63.74
6.875
171.871
68-18
6.3
157.50
63.50
6-0
172:50
57.97
6:325
158.124
63.24
6.925
173-12}
57.76
6:350
168-75
62.09
6.930
173.75
57'55
G-375
159-371
62.7-4
'975
174-37)
57-34
6.1
160-
62.50
7.
175.
57.14
G-425
160·62}
62.26
7.035
175.62}
66 94
6:450
161 25
62.
7.030
176-25
50-73
6-475
161-871
61.77
7:075
176.875
56.54
6-5
162.30
GL:53
7.1
177:50
56.33
6.325
163-12)
6130
7.123
178.123
56-14
6:550
163-7-4
61.07
7:150
178-75
55.94
6.575
164-371
60.83
7.175
179-373
55-74
7.2
180-
55.55
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