2S2 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 



for informing. I noticed that the translation of the inscriptions on 

 the note, furnished by Du Halde gave the reward to the person who 

 should inform and bring in or produce the culprit, while Morse in his 

 translation gave it to the informer, saying nothing about the arrest. 

 At my request Mr. Drew kindly examined the Chinese characters in 

 the representations of notes furnished by Du Halde and by Morse, 

 and assured me that Du Halde's translation was undoubtedly correct, 

 that the informer had to bring in his prisoner to secure the reward, 

 and further that on the Morse note, while there was required of the 

 informer in order that he should reap his reward, the performance of 

 a similar service, the character used to express this service was differ- 

 ent from the one used on the Du Halde note and involved the idea 

 of sending the prisoner in rather than of bringing him in. 



Edkins says of the Mongol notes, that each province had a bank for 

 their manufacture. It probably was true of the Ming notes, that they 

 were emitted from various provincial sources. 



The quality of the paper on which the notes were printed had to do 

 with the facility with which they could be counterfeited. There were 

 times when the government left the manufacture of the paper in the 

 hands of private individuals, apparently without supervision, with the 

 natural consequences of a degradation of quality which finally com- 

 pelled intervention. Marco Polo tells us that the Mongol notes were 

 made from the inner bark of the mulberry tree. There has been some 

 discussion as to the probability of this being true, since mulberry trees 

 were of so much value to those who cared for the silk w T orms, and the 

 conclusion generally reached was that the tree must have been some 

 other species of mulberry than the one which furnished food for the 

 silk worm. In 1217, Edkins savs there was a discussion as to the 

 emission of notes. It was stated that there was a scarcity of mulberry 

 tree bark and the question was asked, " How could the notes be made 

 without it?" Certain notes then in circulation were known as "the 

 mulberry bark old paper money." The testimony as to the use of the 

 bark of some mulberry tree for the manufacture of the notes seems 

 conclusive of that fact, but whether or not, some other bark may after- 

 ward have been availed of does not appear. It seems, however, quite 

 clear that the paper of the notes was made from some vegetable fibre 

 pulp. In addition to this there are records of attempts to circulate 

 notes printed on silk. They do not appear to have been successful. 



The value of the notes was as a rule stated to be in copper although 

 there were some that were based on silver. The dynasty is conspicu- 

 ously set forth on the face of the note, oftentimes more than once, 



