On a Collection of Coins from Malacca. 
By R. HANITSCH, PH. D. 
( With two plates.) 
About three years ago, during some excavations near the 
mouth of the Malacca river, a considerable number of coins 
was found scattered in the mud. ‘These were collected together 
and handed over to the Hon’ble W. Egerton, Resident-Councillor 
of Malacca at the time, and presented by him to the Raffles 
Museum. The collection has proved to be of the greatest in- 
terest. It contains coins of both Asiatic and European origin, 
the European coins, Portuguese, Dutch and English, embracing 
practically the whole history of the various European occupa- 
tions of Malacca, covering thus a period of about four hundred 
years. The most interesting of the coins are those of Portu- 
guese origin, all of tin. They are probably quite unique: the 
British Museum does not possess any, and numerous enquiries I 
have made about them in various places, including Lisbon, have 
remained without result. With regard to their discovery Mr. 
Egerton writes:— 
**The Malacca Coins were found in digging : a channel from 
the mouth of the river seawards. Outside the mouth there is a 
deep pool, and beyond that a bank submerged at high water, 
extending some half mile or moreseawards. It wasin this bank 
the coins were found scattered here and there, not in large 
pockets. The bank contained quantities of household detritus, 
broken crockery and old ironware, bricks, earthenware, etc. I 
think it is quite possible buildings on piles, like those now seen 
on the foreshore, may have been built on this bank, or possibly 
all this rubbish was thrown out of ships at anchor, or washed 
down out of the river. Most of the coins were found in the 
first bundred yards outside the big pool referred to above. 
There must be many still there.” 
I, THE ASIATIC COINS. 
That tin coins, struck by the inhabitants of the place, ex- 
isted in Malacca before the arrival there of the- Portuguese is 
R, A. Soc., No. 39, 1903. 
