Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-12-06
9ailnR Eagle,
Address all business letters TO
ROLAND p. MURDOCH, Manager.
The on'y Associated Press Dispatch Paper in the
Soufhresf
CHINESE CURRENCY.
riS EARLIEST EXPRESSION OF
MONEY IN A PERMANENT FORM.
Clay Money Used Over Two Thousand
Years Before Christ-when Paper
Currency Was First Issued
Chopped Trade Dollars
CHINESE CURRENCY.
New York Times Book Review.l

New York Times Book Review.l
Mr. Del Mar, former director Of the bu-
reau of statistics OF the United States, in his
'Hit tory OF Money" says that the earliest
expression OF money in a permanent form Is
supposed to have been dus to a Chinese
primes of2ll9 B. c., sho took earth united
with glue and STAMPED it This method OF
manufacture does not seem rational one,
or some OF the details have escaped US The
glue might have been a fiux, and through
heat the clay might have been converted
into some low, coarse grade OF pottery.
After tho clay money, whatever 1t
might be, whether fired or not, came
copper money, which has been in use in
China from the remotest antiquity. China
being poor in silver, this metal does
not seem TO have been ever adopted as
standard Mr.. De! Mar believes that an at
tempt may have been made to use gold as a
standard. because as early as the reign OK
Sung, 22257 b. C., there are coins on which
the legend reads "Tong king 70" or, Good
for gold
o: the early commercial character Of the
Chinese evidences are constant. Mr.. Del
Mar writes of their irterchanges with the
western world, and mentions Chinese vases
and bottles found in Egyptian tombs
Of the eighteenth dynasty at Thebes.
That there was intercourse between
China and Egypt is highly probable, but it
can not lie demonstrated by the Chinese bot
ties, as these have been declared by Chinese
experts TO have been quite modern produc-
tons and by no means contemporaneous
with the Egyptian monuments. That the
Greeks and Romans traded with the Chinese
can not, however, bs doubted, but any evi-
dence Of Chinese products in old Europe is
wanting.
Mr.. Del Mar, who has certainly devoted
a great deal OF time to this most interesting
subject. the history of Chinese money, men,
tons collection of various coins, now IN
San Francisco which an expert declares has
pieces which date back from b. {. 2251.
Eumismatist, who only collect Greek and
Roman CONS will from their own experience
express their surprise at tho lasting qualities
Of Chinese pieces which have resisted the
corrosive action OF time during T. li2 years.
These ancient coins have been submitted
to the inspection Of Chinese numismatists
and antiguarians both in Chinese Europe
and Ameri n, and by them pronounced gen
nine In short, there reason
able grounds for impeacbiny their validity,
and until such grounds are discovered these
coins must be accepted authentic monu
mcnts.'
One hundred and forty years before
Christ Wuti is said TO have first issued pa
ger. According to some authorities white
stag skin, a Chinese foot square, was a rep
Te-entative OF money, AMI was worth 900
chaea. The first Chimes coins having i'm
pressed On them the name Of an emperor,
were the pieces of Hooking, A ID. 400 la
SJ1 thore was scarcity of copper and pa
-
continued for several centuries. In the
eleventh century iron was used for money.
Paper issues were again used to represent
the iron currency, and these were
emitted by a private banker, and
made payable in three year. This
banker found many initiative finan-
ciers, and with the natural result Of
the failure of the bankers to redeem their
paper. Counterfeit notes seem to date in
China rs far back as the year 1888 but
probably rascals were well versed in such
Gefarious transactions long before
Passing over a century or two we come
- the time of Marco Polo, who describes the
Chinese notes. Sir John Vaudeville, who
was the Chinese traveller of 1927, writes of
the money "of leather imprinted or If pa
PERI With the advent of the first Eu-
ropeans into China there was change in
their money. Silver and gold mines. which
had been closed by imperial orders. were
opened in 1896, probably at tine instigation
OF the Portuguese. The Chinese govern
mont do not make silver or gold coin TO-
day though i'm 1915 some silver dollars
were issued by them Silver bullion is
cast into ingot' in shape resembling a
shoe. Native silver is called sycee, and it
differs in purity. The purest is the Kivan-
leang, which has from " to % per cent OF
silver.
OF foreign silver the Spanish and Span
iSh-Auierican pieces OF s. with American
dollar; and the trade dollar. ara in circula-
ton. They are not taken, however, with
cut certain precautions, and must be
stamped or chopped with the seal Of the
last mercantile house issuing them; hence
the name chopped dollar When these
chops quite cover the piece. SO that there is
no room for IA new brand, the piece il con-
vorted into bullion. This method of re-
marking n coin i well known TO collectors
of oh Greek money. \ state would adopt
the money OF another state, and give it
value or render it current by putting it,
private stamp ON it The quality OF gold
and silver actually mined in China seems
insiynificant Mr.. Del Mar believes it to
nm 1unt in all 10 s., 90 year.
in Japan coins were Used in go B. c.
Rice has been in Japan the standard of
value, and notes We're issued in the fifth and
sixth centuries, the same redeemable in
rice. The discovery Of copper and gold
stated tn have been made at the beginning
Of tie eighth century, may DO questioned
But that copper and gold, certainly silver.
were found combined, admits of no doubt
I,a I,nansS. nm IA tha last can,ury wara
not Skiiiml enough to separate these metals,
but the thrifty Dutchman knew all about
it. hence the enormous quantities of copper
TIE Hollanders exported for many years
.--,'s, .Ianan.