210 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [Dec. 



meaning in the above extract is correctly rendered, it will determine 

 many curious points in the history of the early Path an currencies. 



There is, of course, a difficulty in the word ^^^1 the silver, hut 

 taken in connexion with the dirhams mentioned in the same sentence, 

 the dintir can only refer to the gold coin or its representative and 

 equivalent, in short to the sterling dinar, whether estimated in eight 

 silver dirhams or one gold piece. You might imagine that 25 rotis 

 of rice would not be so great a bargain for a gold piece, but the author 

 adds, in the next line, that these are Dehli rotis, and each equal to 

 20 western weights of the same denomination. 



In conclusion, I would again call your attention to a point adverted 

 to above, i. e. Akbar's desire to adjust the exchange to ten. Decima- 

 lization seems to have been a leading idea with the Moslems, from 

 their first settlement in India ; for Altamsh's 100 ratis is clearly an 

 innovation upon the old Hindu theory of 80's in the 80 rati 

 Suvarna and the 80 rati Karsha, which sum (singular to say) is repro- 

 duced in his silver pieces by Muhammad bin Tughlak, for the appa- 

 rent purpose, if we may rely upon the 1 to 8, of securing an exchange 

 of 10 new silver pieces for one old gold one ( : 175 : : 8 : 140 : : 10.) 

 Of course, if the rati is proved to consist of 1.8229 grains, the first 

 item of this estimate will not hold good : as in that case the 175 grains 

 weight must be derived from 3 purdnas of 32 ratis, or 96 ratis in all, 

 constituting the old tola. If you have any MSS. of Ibn Batutah in 

 Calcutta, I should like you to examine this passage. 



Upon the above letter, Major Lees remarked : — 



Mr. Thomas has fallen into error. I did not question his calcula- 

 tions, nor the results he obtained from them. Both are doubtless 

 correct : but what I did question, was the advisability of accepting 

 the results he obtained from these calculations, based as they were 

 upon mint regulations, during a period when the principle of a 

 standard was but imperfectly understood even in Europe, and upon 

 a unit of measure not accurately ascertained. None of the gold coins 

 of Akbar (and they are many) which I have been able to procure, 

 agree exactly with the description of the coins given in Abul Fazl's 

 history, in weight, and few even in device ; and I have grave doubts, as 

 to wlici her the regulations alluded to, or the system of coinage and 

 currency, so elaborate in its details, which he has handed down to us, 



