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Measures and Weights: Government

Smaller payments are made in copper pice, half annas, and quarter annas. The principal gold coin is the mohur of the same weight and fineness as the Government rupee, and worth 29s. 27/2d.; it is a legal tender for R. 15. Gold, however, being undervalued at this rate, is not demandable in payment, and is rarely in circulation. Silver is therefore the general medium of exchange and standard of value. ( The Government rupee is declared to be in value equal to the former Madras, Bombay, Furruckabad, and Sonat rupees, and to of the Calcutta sicca rupee. This last coin (= IS. was formerly the integer of account at Calcutta; though prices were commonly reckoned according to an ideal standard called the current rupee. S. R. 100 = Cur. R. 116; the difference per cent. was termed batta. Banks exist in the chief towns, mostly with head-offices in London; but the three Banks of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay alone issued paper until 1862, when it was confined (through them) to the notes of the Government for R. 10, etc. In Indian notation, large sums are divided into periods of two figures only, except the last three; and 100,000 rupees are termed a lac, ten millions a crore, and 100 crores a mas. Hence a sum containing nine figures is pointed thus, 56,84,93,327; and read fifty-six crores, eighty-four lacs, ninety-three thousand, three hundred and twenty-seven.

These vary greatly in different districts, and the only general standards are the following weights derived from the new tola, and now used in the Company's table of duties: 8 rutees = 1 musha = 15 troy grains. 12 mushas = 1 tola = 180 troy grains. 80 tolas = I seer = 21/2 lbs. troy or (2,057), nearly 2 lbs. 145/8 drams avoird. 40 seers = 1 maund = 100 lbs. troy, or 824 lbs. avoird. Grain is usually sold by weight, as also liquids, except at Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay, where wines and spirits are sold by Imperial measure. The following are the principal local standards :- Calcutta. The guz of 2 cubits = 1 Imp. yard. The corge of cloth is 20 pieces. The Bengal coss or mile = 2000 yards. The biggah of 20 cottahs = 1600 sq. yards; or 3014 biggahs = 10 Imp. acres, The factory maund of 40 seers or 640 chittacks = 74% lbs. avoird., and 3 factory maunds = 2 cwt.; the bazaar maund, similarly divided, = 821 lbs. avoird.; 10 bazaar maunds = 11 factory maunds. Bombay. The guz = 28 inches. The maund of 40 seers = 28 lbs. avoird.; the candy of 20 maunds = 5 cwt., reckoned for grain at 25 Winchester, or 2474 Imp. bushels.

At Surat the candy of 20 maunds, each of 40 seers = 74625 lbs. avoird. Madras. The covid = 18 inches; but the cloth measure is the Imp. yard. The cawney of 24 maunies = 57,600 square feet, or about 1 acre, 1 rood, 11/½ poles. The garse of 80 parahs, 400 marcals, or 3200 measures = 300,000 cubic inches or about 1676 Imp. quarters, estimated by weight at 9256½ lbs. avoird. The maund of 8 vis, or 320 pollams = 25 lbs. avoird.; and the candy = 20 maunds or 500 lbs. avoirdupois.

ITALY.

The monetary unit is the lira Italiana (or French franc) of 100 centesimi, represented by gold and silver coins of equal weight and standard to those of FRANCE. A depreciated paper currency is in general circulation. The legal measures and weights are also those of the French metrical system, under Italian names. JAPAN.