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1865.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 215 



in the time of Mahomed Shah Ibn Grhaias-ud-deen Toghlaq, and visited 

 Bengal when Fukhr-ud-deen was quasi Sultan of Bengal. We have 

 rupees of the period : but none of this weight. But again the question 

 arises, what are the dirham mentioned by Ibn Batutah ? It is not clear. 

 I find several, viz. : — 



The old full weightrdirm Q«13 +j&* pi) = about 64 grains. 



The neiv full weight (j*13 ^J^ pi) = 



The short weight (u^li +ji) = 



The Legal (^jA pi) = 



, The Western (^j** pi) = 



The Yamani (^^J pi) = 



The Tabari (Jj*±> p±) = 



And there were no doubt very many others. The ritl of Dehli, if we 

 knew its exact weight, would not help us much in this matter either ; for 

 weights and measures in India, whatever they may have been in books 

 and accounts, in the markets have been so varied and fluctuating, that 

 little dependence can be placed upon them ; and a brochure published 

 lately at Madras, by a Mr. G-over, on this subject, which I trust will 

 attract the attention of Government, discloses such very extraordinary 

 confusion to prevail throughout India, as to render quotations utterly 

 valueless, and to involve all merchants who attempt to act upon them 

 in very serious losses. Ordinarily the Delhi ritl was lib in weight, 

 and supposing the silver dinar to be a rupee, it would make the price 

 of rice about the same as it has been for centuries in Bengal. 



And these fluctuations have been recognized for many ages in India. 

 The gold and silver coins in the time of Ibn Batutah, as Mr. Thomas 

 says, were of identical weights, but I fear we will find it difficult now, 

 without a unit of measure to help us, to come at the exact value in 

 exchange of the precious metals one against the other. Ferishtah 

 even, who lived in Akbar's time, could not ascertain the exact weight 

 of the Chaital of Ala-uddin. He says, " the tankah was 1 tola of 

 coined gold and silver, and every silver tankah was equivalent to 50 

 copper put (pice) which were called chaitals, but their weight has not 

 been ascertained. Some say that they were 1 tola of copper, and 

 others that they were like the puis of this time, which are equal to 

 If tolas," Abul Fazl says that the value of the copper dams fluctuated 

 very much, and that Akbar's valuations were for comparative calcula- 



