1860.] Asiatic Sovereif/ns and Paper Currency. 187 



The Jesuit, Du Halde, in his " Description de 1' empire de la Chine," 

 states that a fevv of the notes which were issued under these early 

 Chínese kings, are still in existence,* and they are regarded with 

 superstitious reverence. They are greatly prized as talismans to 

 protect houses from evil, and ib is held as an ornen of the greatest 

 good fortune, if, in buikling a new house, they can get one to hang to 

 the main beam. He gives a picture of one of these notes, on which 

 we find the word tschao as the current name.f The following is Da 

 Halde's translation of the Chinese inscription, " La cour des trésoriers 

 ayant presenté cette requeste, il est ordonné que la monnoye du papier 

 ainsi marquée du sceau imperial des Ming, aye cours et soit employée, 

 de mérne que la monnoye de cuivre. Ceux qui en feront de fausse, 

 auront la teste coupée. Celui qui les aura accuséz et amenéz, sera 

 recompensé de deux cent cinquante Taels. De plus on lui donnera 

 les biens meubles et immeubles du coupable. Fait á telle année, tel 

 mois, tel jour du regne de Hong vou." 



We now turn to Persia, where we shall find a similar but less suc- 

 cessful attempt to have been made. 



In the dissolution of the empire whicli folio wed Chenghiz Khán's 

 deatb in 1226, and its división among bis sons, bis grandson Hulákú 

 Khan turned his arms to Persia, and after completing its conquest by 

 the taking of Baghdad and the overthrow of the Abbaside dynasty 

 of Caliphs, established himself on the vacant throne, founding the 

 Il-khání dynasty. Pie died in 126á¡ and was succeedecl by his son 

 Abáká Khan, who governed wisely and Consolidated his father's 

 conquests. But after his death, in 1283, a scene of discord and con- 

 fusión ensued, until Ky Khátú sueceeded to the throne in 1291. He 

 found the finances in great disorder, but instead of attempting to 

 restore them by economy, he plunged into áll kinds of excess, and left 

 everything to a Wazír who was himself as extravagant as his master. 

 At length in 1294 affairs appear to have reached a crisis, and the 

 minister, at his wits' end to provide for the current expences of the 



* There is an interesting communication in the Royal Asiatic Society's 

 Journ. Vol. XIII. on the prívate paper currency now in use in some parts of 

 China. 



t Tschao is found in De Guignes' Chinese Dict, where it is explained, " papy- 

 rus sigillata quá olim sinenses loco argenti utebantur." 



