The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-10-21
MONEY SUBSTITUTES.
Queer Mediums Of Exchange Used
In Many Countries
Articles of Every Description Converted
Into Currency by Races Which
Hsye No Civilized Form
OF Government

Eggs are about the oldest form
Of currency. Tschudi, a sober aaC
painstaking Teuton, whose evidence i.
not to be questioned, declares that hs
found hens eggs the only money
throughout the Province OF JANA. il
Peru; that would be some so years ago
The people transmitted them by thou
sands to the provincial capital ant
made their purchases Herewith at the
rate of 10 or so to the dollar. We are
to understand that the country people
had little use for cash among them
selves. In Manchuria brick tea and
floss silk represent money; but the
latter is going out of fashion. The
usual brick of tea, 10 inches by inches
~ inches thick, is equivalent in trade
with Russians to 60 kopecs $50 pence)
1t is divided 10 make any change nee
lessary. Russian merchants have tried
to introduce a paper currency, the
notes representing 60 kopecs and parts
thereof. but Tartars reject them. Wher
brick gets discredited, that is, to<
much worn by long circulation, it il
consigned to the teapot.
Several old travellers assure ustha
cats eyes were employed in the grea
Indian kingdom of Vijianagar; else
where iron worked into the form o.
large needles, cakes of salt, or again
rays Nicolo Cont, cards inscribed witt
the name of the king. The Abyssinians
also use cakes of salt in remote dis
tricts. Various negro tribes have 6
currency of iron hoes. Nongua she'll:
were the money of the Indians in Brit
ish Columbia, one string representing
the value of one beaver. In Australia
rough slabs of freestone, to be fash.
toned into katchets, represented cash,
The men who hawked these slabs from
tribe to tribe were sacred, passing IN.
harmed through oil the districts. even
at war. Marco Polo reckoned bank
notes among the oldest substitutes for
money; his account of the notes issued
by Kublai Khan and his reflections on
the system are peculiarly delightful
He tells of people in the great province
Of Thibet who use coral. but we must
ask where they got it. Had he said tur-
quoise it would have been quite intel.
Ggible, for the Thibetans still employ
that stone at need. Elsewhere Marco
speaks of 'sprigs of gold" and "porce.
lain." In the latter case, also, an erro,
may be suspected. Our word is adapted
from the Portuguese, signifying hogs
back" their name for cowry shell.
Excepting regular coinage, no "cir.
culating medium" has vogue to com.
pare with that of the cowry. Perhaps
it would not be inexact to say thatevery
people in whose territory the shell ex.
lists once used it for cash. But thi.
seems very strange, opposed to common
sense and political economy, when we
hear the supply is unlimited. Over
gather a sacl1ful in an hour. But the
fact is indisputable, however il be ex-
planned. The value huctuates enor-
of course, over such an i'm
mense area, but in a very rough way,
we believe, African traders used to es-
innate 1000 cowries at shilling. An.
glo-Indian traders had no need 10 make
a reckoning, probably, for the shell,
though very largely current among
the natives, was never reckoned into
their transactions. Mungo Park count
ed go oowries to the shilling in his day
and in the countries where he travelled.
But the bar" was Afungo's cur
rency. In the beginning it was liter.
ally bar of iron imported from Eu-
rope, but as the trade developed it be
came merely word Of value. Twenty
leaves OF tobacco mnde 'bar," a gal
lon of spirits bar" and the natives
would not willingly allow any fuctna,
ion In quantity, whether more OF
less. If an energetic newcomer tried
70 push business by offering more rum
,r tobacco to the 'bar," he was regard.
ID with suspicion; no old hand ven-
.ured TO offer less. In all parts of Bor. |
leo, probably. one may still hear prices |
in brass guns-that is, can
lon; but man who has transactions Of |
.ha: importance willinstantly translate |
he sums into dollars Mt the presen. |
ime. There was an age when ten or /
wenty Founders did actually pass
rom hand to hand. The Malay empires
we're rich then, and made such o show
IS astonished the early navigators- But
or long while past, even IN the do
ninions OF the sultan of Bruni, brass
'uns have been merely an expression OF
alue. the article itself being practical
= nonresident. There are great stores,
owever, quite useless now, at Bruni,
'hich was the mint, so to speak.
Not dissim;lar is the practice OF the
ed Karens in Burnsh, who reckon
lrge sums in kycezees. OF drums OF
opper; but they always had a currency
I silver ingots. The drums are Pc
uEar. however, in the respect that
heir value does not lie in the weigh. Of
letal or even in the excellence of work
ianship, though they are adorned
nth figures OF birds. animals and fish
is the quality and volume Of sound
hey emit which decide their worth:
5jects not visibly differing may be
stimated at G5 20 $50. One might
link that connoiSseurs would disagree
po1 the quality OF the scuod, but 4
rum. 10 doubt. IS more easily valued
! that respect than any other musical
,struuent. Since British trade has
pproacbed their territories. however
the Red Karens are not yet annexed
e believe - and the en1rp-ixing
hinam2n has permezted Il. this pic
-rasnr,a fisara l. 5r-ir- or. faSf Thf