CHINESE TKADE. 4^7 



by comparing it with his plates. He thca 

 bruifes on a piece of black marble, a kind of 

 bean, that leaves behind it an oily vifcous 

 matter, upon which he rubs the gold j and 

 by comparing the colour on the marble with 

 the plates of his bracelet} its refemblaace to 

 forae of them appears, which confequently 

 determines the real value of the gold. By 

 thefe means the Ghinefe merchants avoid all 

 deception. 



Gold at Canton is generally valued by 

 the ftandard of an hundred taels : that is to 

 fay, ten taels of gold, of the finenefs of nine- 

 ty*three, is commonly equivalent to an hun-i 

 dred taels of filver j becaufe, in China, gold 

 is fold, or rather exchanged, for filver. 



Weights. 



THE Chinefe weights are the pk^ the 

 catjy and the tael^ which are ufed alfo by 



the 



