NOTES AND QUERIES 285 



3. The K'uan Yung (f^ jfe) cash are interesting. They were 

 minted in Japan from A.D. 1624 to 1643, and as, in the middle of the 

 following century, they were found to be flooding the market ; it was 

 directed that they were to be bought up and sent to Peking to be 

 re-melted. 



4. It is a remarkable fact that in every string of 1,000 cash in 

 current use at Swatow, one may find 8 or 9 specimens of great age 

 e.g. K'ai Yuan (ffl j%) 7th century A.D. ; Yuan Feng (7c H) 

 A.D. 1078 — 1085: (of the latter almost inevitably several are found); 

 Huang Sung (^ $fe) A.D. 1038—40; Shao Sheng (& ^) A.D. 1094—98 

 etc., etc. 



A curious fact is the scarcity of Southern Sung coin and the 

 presence of many Northern Sung coins. Ming cash are rather scarce. 

 The cash are usually in good condition and the inscription quite legible. 



A recent examination of 1,500 cash from Kaifeng, Honan, reveals 

 that about 95 per cent, are of the Ch'ing dynasty, with 3 per cent. 

 pre-Manchu, from 2 to 3 per cent. K'uan Yung. Of the Ch'ing cash 

 over 4 per cent, belong to Ch'ieng Lung, something over 25 per cent. 

 Chia Ch'ing, and something under 25 per cent. Tao Kuang, with 

 a few Kang Hsi and Kuang Hsii. and hardly any of the other 

 Emperors' mintage. 



It would be interesting to the writer to know in what part of 

 China the Southern Sung and Ming cash are to be found in current 

 use, and also those of the smaller dynasties, such as the Liao, Liang 

 (Posterior) and Ts'in (Posterior) and why those of the Yuan are 

 scarce. The above-mentioned coins are of course small, not including 



any £ ^ ." 



N. S. 



The London University has conferred the Doctorate degree on the 

 }{ ev .) |\ Bruce M.A. one of our members. The thesis presented 

 by Dr. Bruce was on the Sung philosophers, which will soon be 

 published. Dr. Bruce has worked for many years in Shantung as 

 a missionary in connection with the Baptist Missionary Society. 

 Another member of the same Mission, Rev. H. K. Williamson has 

 just passed the m.a. degree with distinction in the same University. 



