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Measures and Weights: Spanish
Accounts are kept by the Government in sterling, but by the mercantile classes in scudi of 12 tari, each of 20 grani. 21½ scudi = 1 pezza or Sicilian dollar = 3s. 11/2d.; whence the Maltese scudo = 19 pence; but the pezza is commonly estimated at 4s. 2d., and the Maltese scudo at Is. 8d. The other monies consist chiefly of Spanish and American dollars, valued for ordinary purposes at 4s. 4d., and of British silver and copper. Notes are issued by two banks (established en commandité), but to a small extent, not amounting to £20,000, while the coin in circulation has been estimated at £150,000. Bills on London are commonly drawn at 30 and 60 days' sight. The canna of 8 palmi = 82 Imp. inches, but 3½ palmi are commonly reck- The oned equal to 1 yard. The salma of land of 16 square tumoli 4.44 Imp. acres. barile of wine = 9+ Imp. gallons; the caffiso of oil = 438 Imp. gallons; and 2 caffisos I barile. The salma of corn (stricken measure) = 77/8 Imp. bushels. The cantar of 100 rottoli or pounds = 1742 lbs. avoirdupois, but is commonly reckoned at 175. The pound of 12 ounces, used in weighing gold and silver = 4886 troy grains.
MAURITIUS.
Accounts are kept by the colonial Government in sterling, and by merchants in dollars of 100 cents or 10 colonial francs. The circulating medium is composed of notes issued by the treasury, and by the Mauritius Bank and Commercial Bank; and of a variety of coins. The current dollar of the colony is at par = 4s. 2d., rating the Spanish dollar 4s. 4d. Bills on Europe are drawn at 90 days' sight. The Imperial measures and weights are employed in government transactions, but the old system of FRANCE is that in ordinary use. The common practical equations are I5 French feet = 16 Imp. feet ; 7 aunes = 9 Imp. yards; I arpent = I Imp. acre, 7 perches; I velt = 2 old English wine gallons, and 30 velts = I cask; the quintal of 100 lbs. French poids de marc = 108 lbs. avoirdupois, and 20 quintals = 1 French ton. Coffee is sold per bag of 100 lbs. (net French); cotton, per bale of 250 lbs.; and rice, per bag of 150 lbs.
MEXICO.
The principal money of account in Mexico, and throughout Spanish America, is the piastre or dollar ($), which is divided into 8 reals, or 100 centavos. The coins are, -In silver; the peso, which is minted at 902 m. finė, and pieces of 5, 10, 25, and 50 centavos. Gold pieces of 22, 5, 10, and 20 pesos are also coined at the standard of 875 m.
The dollar of account, or current dollar, is reckoned both in the small base coins (which form the ordinary currency of the Spanish-American States), and in hard dollars; the latter occur chiefly in foreign trade. The usual exchange of the hard dollar is about 48d.; or what is the same, $5 per £1, or $500 per £100. Remittances to Europe, however, are commonly made in specie. The French metrical system, decreed 1857, was made obligatory 1862, but with little effect, The measures and weights continue Spanish with English for some foreign goods. The fanega of cocoa = 110 Sp. lbs.; tercio of indigo or tobacco lbs.; corn barrel = 196 lbs. = MONTEVIDEO.
The current dollar is divided into 100 centesimos, being coined at 25 gr. of the standard of 900 m., and is valued at 5 francs, or about 3s. 11/2 d. sterling. The metric system of measures and weights has been officially adopted, but, the old Spanish measures and weights are still in general use. Id.
MOROCCO.
MOGADORE.
The money of account is the mitkul of 10 ounces, 40 blankeels, or 960 flues. As 80 blankeels are reckoned equal to the Spanish hard dollar, the mitkul is worth 2s. The currency is composed chiefly of dollars, doubloons, and madrids; the madrid, which is a gold coin minted at Madrid for the Emperor of Morocco, is valued at IO dollars, 4 silver ounces = I franc. The canna, cloth measure = 21 Imp. inches. The rottolo or commercial pound = 8330 troy grains, and the quintal of 100 commercial lbs = 119 lbs. avoirdupois; the market pound for provisions, and by which also iron and bees' wax are sold, is 50 per cent. heavier. The measures of capacity, though nominally those of Spain, are variable and uncertain.
NORWAY.
The unit of account since January, 1877, has been the krone divided into 100 öre. The rate of exchange is 1814 kr. for £1 sterling, making the value of the krone about Is. 114d.
The Norwegian measures and weights are the same as those of Denmark. Deals are generally shipped by the hundred of 120 pieces, each 12 Imp. feet long, 3 inches thick, and 9 inches broad; the contents being 270 Imp. cubic feet. PERSIA.
The common integer of account is the toman, an imaginary money, divided into 8 reals, ro sahib-karauns, 20 panabats, 50 abassis, 100 mamodis, 200 shahies, or 10,000 altens; in some places accounts are kept in piastres, of 4 shahies or 40 paras. 50 piastres = 1 toman of account = 10s. sterling. The purse is 50 tomans, about £25.
The Persian coins are too variable to admit of being reduced to any certain or uniform standards; the principal are,-in gold, the mahomet-shahie, worth about IOS. 6d., and the bijaclie 9s.; in silver, the sahib-karaun, and the panabat; gold tomans and silver rupees of different values also circulate near the sea-coast. A variety of foreign coins are, besides, in circulation, chiefly ducats, Spanish and German dollars, and Russian rubles or manêts; the latter current only in the districts bordering on Turkey and Russia. Large payments are generally made by weight. The measures and weights vary not only in different places, but also according to the purposes for which they are employed. The common cubit or guz = 25 Imp. inches; the royal guz = 37½ Imp. inches; the Tabriz archin =44 Imp. inches. The league or Parasang = 2th of a degree of the equator, or 3 Imp. miles, 3 furlongs, and 25 poles; but distances are commonly measured by the augage or fursoch, the space walked over by a horse in an hour, estimated by travellers at 4½ Imp. miles; great distances are reckoned by the day's journey of a caravan, about 30 miles. The artaba corn measure, of 25 capichas, 50 chenicas, or 200 sextarios = 2 Winchester, or 1.939 Imp. bushels nearly. The principal commercial weight is the batman, of which there are innumerable varieties; the batman of Tabriz of 6 rattles, 300 derhams, or 600 miscals = 6.34 lbs. avoirdupois; 2 batmans of Tabriz = 1 batman of Cherray. Gold and silver are weighed by the derham = 150 troy grains nearly; but the miscal or 1½ derham of Bushire is only 71½ troy grains, or about 3 dwts. The abas, pearl weight,= 21/4 troy grains.
PERU.
The monetary unit is now the piastre or peso of 100 centimes, represented by the silver sol, a coin of the same weight and fineness as the French piece of 5 francs. The silver coinage includes pieces of 1½ sola, etc. In gold there are pieces of 1, 2, 5 and IO sols.
The French metric system of measures and weights was established in 1860, but the old standards are still in frequent use. IOO libras = 1011/2 lbs. avoirdupois; and 100 varas = 101.4 Castilian varas. 100 libras = 1011½ lbs. avoirdupois; PORTUGAL.
Accounts are stated in reis or reas; and 1000 reis are termed a milrei, which in accounts is denoted thus, 1.$000. The milrei, valued from the gold half crown of 5 milreis, is equal to 4s. 514d. sterling; and a million of reis (1000 $000) are termed a conto, equal about £222.
The gold coins, now the standard, consists of pieces of 10,000, 5000, 2000 and 1000 reis, all minted of the fineness of 91625.
The full weight of the gold piece, or half crown of 5000 reis, being 8.868 grammes, is equivalent to 225. 27/½d. sterling. The silver coins are of the same fineness; but, being about 8 per cent. under weight, are not legal tender for sums above 5 milreis; they consist of pieces of 500, 200, 100 and 50 reis. The piece of 500 reis, weighing 12.5 grammes, is worth about 2s. sterling. The copper coins consist of 40, 20, 10 and 5 rei pieces. Usance of bills, from London, 3 months' date; from Spain, 15 days' sight; from France, 60 days' date. Days of grace: on inland bills, 15; on foreign bills, when accepted, 6, but when not accepted, they must be either paid or protested when due.