SURATTE. 1750- 197 



coins are already fcarce in Indoftan: and the 

 reafon, as I was told, is, becaufe the Moorijh 

 ladies ufe them for necklaces ; which is very pro- 

 bable, confidering the great confidence the Ma- 

 hometans repofe in fafcinatic-n, amulets, the 

 influence of the ftars, talifmans, &c. The 

 rupees are current along all the coaft of Afta 9 

 but under different values. Thus a Bombay 

 or Pondicherry rupee lofes four per cent, in 6V 

 ratte; and on the other hand, a Suratte rupee 

 lofes at Mahee. , The orders of the magiftrates 

 feem to be infufEcient to fettle this diiference, 

 for the Banian will give a greater value than 

 perhaps would be fettled by regulation, if 

 from the purenefs of thefilver he finds he can 

 be a gainer. We new-comers were not the 

 only ones who fuffered inconvenience from the 

 change of value, but even thofe who had 

 already made a flay of fome years here were 

 not free from it. But befides this four per 

 cent, you likewife lofe two, three, up to four 

 per cent, according to the fum, if you give 

 money to your fervant to barter it, or buy 

 fomething with it. This he does not take 

 clandeftinely, but looks upon it as his perqui- 

 fite, which he thinks the buyer or feller rauft 

 pay him without making any difficulties. 



O 3 There 



