70 



ORIENTAL COMMUTE K 



[lied Sea. 



Coins. — The monies coined in the country are commassees and carats, 

 seven of the latter being equal to one of the former. The commassees con- 

 tain but little silver ; they are used for small payments, but they rise and 

 full in value; sometimes 80, and occasionally only 40 pass for a dollar. 



Accounts are kept in piastres, or Mocha dollars, consisting of 80 ca- 

 vears current. The piastre is an imaginary money ; 121 £ being equal to 

 100 Spanish dollars, in which payments are mostly made. The piastre is 

 thus worth nearly 3s. 8'd. : other coins pass according to weight and fine- 

 ness. The Venetian sequin commonly passes for two piastres, 25 cavears. 



Cotton is sold by the haraff, an imaginary money, value 1 piastre, 22 

 cavears: thus 9 ha raffs are equal to 1H Mocha piastres of account, as at 

 Beetlcfackie. A tomand is equal to SO larins, each worth 80 carats. 



Weights. — The small weights, by which gold and silver are weighed, 

 consist of the following : — 



ox. dwtB. gr*. 



16 Carats equal to 1 Coflbla = 0 2 0 . 912 troy. 



>2\ Ditto I Miscal = 0 3 1 . 368 



10 Coffblas I Vakia = 3 0 9 . 12 



1$ Vakia * 1 Beak =1 10 13 . 68 



87 Vokioa . 100 Spanish Dollars' weight. 



The large or Custom-house weights are these : — 



1 .5 Void as equal to 1 Battle. 



l a Difto , 1 Maund = 3 lbs. avoir. 



lo Maund*.... - 1 Frazil, or Farcvl = 30 lbs. 



LA Frazils 1 Bahar = 450 lbs. 



In Coffee 14$ vakias are reckoned equal to a rattle, two rattles to a 

 maund, and 10 inaunds, or 290 vakias, to a frazil. The rattle is only a 

 bazar weight. 



Some difference exists in the reports of the Bahar s weight, which is 

 variously represented, as 437 i lbs. 445 lbs. and 450 lbs. The weights at 

 the Custom House are generally found to be heavier by two or three pounds 

 than the regular weights; and in the interior the difference is still greater. 



Measures. — The tomand, or teman, dry measure, contains 40 mec- 

 medas, or keltas, and weighs, of rice, lGSlbs. avoirdupois. 



The cuddy, or gudda. liquid measure, contains about two English gal- 

 lons, and weighs 181bs. It is divided into eight noosfias, each subdivided 

 into 16* vakias, as at Beetlefakie. 



The long measures are the eobido, or covid, of 19 inches, and the guz, 

 of 25. The baryd is fourfarsakh, or 12 miles. 



