among themselves only by Way of Bartering or Exchange, one Sort of Goods for another, for trifling Things of the Product of other Nations, or of the Manufactories of other Nations: They make Payment commonly with fmall Pieces of Gold by Weight, and where they have not the Art of melting it down, they make their Payments in Gold Duft; and in the Neighbourhood of Mina, they pay each other with Kacorawns, which is Gold drawn out into a small Wire, and cut afterwards into very fmall Pieces. In fome Places they make Payments one to another with fmall Pieces of Iron ftamp'd with particular Marks. About the River Niger, Fish-Shells, or Blackmoor's Teeth, goes for Money; and in Æthiopia Pepper paffes for the fame. When the Europeans deal with these People, they commonly make Ufe of their own Weights and Measures, unless it be for Gold; the Europeans do then make Use of a Weight called an Akey, being the 24th Part of an Ounce. However, fome Authors do say, that the black People have peculiar Weights to themselves, which pass under the following Denominations, viz. A Benda, which is their largest Weight, and weighs about 2 Ounces. A Benda Offa is half a Benda, and weighs one Ounce. An Egebba is half an Ounce. A Pifo, or Eufanno, is of ditto. A Seron is I Pifo. A Quinto is Pifo. Pifo. An Agiraque is And And it is faid by those who have made Trial of the above Weights, that one Pound by their Weight weighs of an Ounce heavier than the Pound Troy of London. Their Measure for Cloth is a Jacktam, reckoned with us 12 Feet, or 2 Fathom, which they cut the one from the other, and fell their Linen in thofe fmall Quantities; but in Woollen Goods, they feldom measure to one another Pieces above a Hand's Breadth, which they cut for Girdles. CHA P. I. Examples of the English Exchanges. L ONDON remits to Holland 4781. 145. 6 d. Sterling, the Exchange at 35s. 6d. per L. Sterling. I would know what must be paid in Holland for this Remittance. Anfwer 5104 Guilders, 16 Grotes or 8 Stivers. To know the Profit or Lofs per Cent. upon the Rifing or Falling of the Exchange. EXAMPLE. London remits to Holland at 35s. 6d. to the Value of 150. Sterling: In one Month afterwards London draws upon Holland at 34s. 6d. the Query is, what does London make per Gent: by this Negociation? Then £. 102.898 amounts to 102 l. 175. 11 d. § London gains by the above Negociation about 24 175. 11 d. per Cent. the Charges included. A Table, England lofes, &c. per per £. À Table, shewing what England lofes or gains per Cent. by Holland, at the following Courfes of Exchange. England Price lofes, Price per £.. per per £. Sterl. Cent. Sterl Cent. c. per per £. c. per Sterl. Cent. Sterl. Cent. The fame Explained. Suppose the Price of Exchange between London and Amfterdam fhould be at 33s. 5d. the Table fhews, at that Price, England is a Lofer about 107. 16s. per Cent. because if the Exchange were to be always made at a certain Price or Value, for Value, according to the above Par, Cc 2 Holland |