560 Sino-Iranica 



paper bank-notes. 1 ! The Mongol rulers introduced them into Persia, 

 first in 1294. The notes were direct copies of Kubilai's, even the Chinese 

 characters being imitated as part of the device upon them, and the 

 Chinese word l l ao i£ being employed. This word was then adopted 

 by the Persians as lau or lav? The most interesting point about this 

 affair is that in that year (1294) the Chinese process of block-printing 

 was for the first time practised in Tabriz in connection with the printing 

 of these bank-notes. 



In his graphic account describing the utilization of paper money 

 by the Great Khan, Marco Polo 3 makes the following statement: 

 "He makes them take of the bark of a certain tree, in fact of the mul- 

 berry tree, the leaves of which are the food of the silkworms, — these 

 trees being so numerous that whole districts are full of them. What 

 they take is a certain fine white bast or skin which lies between the wood 

 of the tree and the thick outer bark, and this they make into something 

 resembling sheets of paper, but black. When these sheets have been 

 prepared they are cut up into pieces of different sizes." In the third 

 edition of Yule's memorable work, the editor, Henri Cordier, 4 has 

 added the following annotation: "Dr. Bretschneider (History of 

 Botanical Discoveries, Vol. I, p. 4) makes the remark: 'Polo states 

 that the Great Khan causeth the bark of great mulberry trees, made 

 into something like paper, to pass for money.' He seems to be mistaken. 

 Paper in China is not made from mulberry-trees, but from the Brous- 

 sonetia papyrifera, which latter tree belongs to the same order of 

 Moraceae. The same fibres are used also in some parts of China for 

 making cloth, and Marco Polo alludes probably to the same tree when 

 stating that 'in the province of Cuiju (Kuei-chou) they manufacture 

 stuff of the bark of certain trees, which form very fine summer clothing.' " 



This is a singular error of Bretschneider. Marco Polo is perfectly 

 correct: not only did the Chinese actually manufacture paper from 

 the bark of the mulberry-tree (Morus alba), but also it was this paper 

 which was preferred for the making of paper money. Bretschneider 

 is certainly right in saying that paper is made from the Broussonetia, but 



1 Klaproth, Sur l'origine du papier-monnaie (in his M^moires relatifs a l'Asie, 

 Vol. I, pp. 375-388); Yule, Marco Polo, Vol. I, pp. 426-430; Anonymus, Paper 

 Money among the Chinese (Chin. Repository, Vol. XX, 1851, pp. 289-296); S. Sa- 

 buro, The Origin of the Paper Currency (Journal Peking Or. Soc, Vol. II, 1889, 

 pp. 265-307); S. W. Bushell, Specimens of Ancient Chinese Paper Money (ibid., 

 pp. 308-316); H. B. Morse, Currency in China (Journal China Branch Roy. As. Soc, 

 Vol. XXXVIII, 1907, pp. 17-31); etc. 



2 For details consult Yule, /. c. 



3 H. Yule, The Book of Ser Marco Polo, Vol. I, p. 423- 



4 Ibid., p. 430. 



