Richard Hakluyt, The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques, and Discoveries of the English Nation

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GOA.
The weight, measure, and mony currant in Goa.

THE quintall of Goa is 5 manas, and 8 larines, & the mana is 24 rotilos, so that the quintall of Goa is 128 rot. and every rot. is 16 ounces, which is of Venice weight 1 li. and a halfe, so that the quintall of Goa is 192 li. sotile Venice , which is 26 rotiloes 8 ounces Aleppine, and of London weight 132 li. English, as the weight of Ormuz .

All the marchandize, spices and drugs, are sold by this quintal, except some drugs, as lignum de China, Galanga, & others, whereof they bargaine at so much per candill, advertising that there be two sorts of candill, one of 16 manas, the other of 20 manas, that of 16 manas commeth to be just 3 quintals, and that of 20 manas, 3 quintals, 3 roues. Note that 4 roues make a quintall, and the roue is 32 rotiloes, as in Ormuz .

There is also another weight which they call Marco , which is eight ounces or halfe a rotilo of Goa, & 9 ounces of Venice sotile: with this they weigh amber, corall, muske, ambracan, civet, and other fine wares.

There is also another sort of weight called Mangiallino, which is 5 graines of Venice weight and therewith they weigh diamants and other jewels.

Note that in Goa they use not to abate any tare of any goods, except of sacks or wraps, & therfore it requireth great advisement in buying of the goods, especially in the muske of Tartaria which commeth by way of China in bladders, and so weigh it without any tare rebating.

The measure of Goa is called a tode, which encreaseth upon the measure of Babylon & Balsara after the rate of 17 & one eight part by the 100, so that bringing 100 pikes of any measurable ware from thence to Goa, it is found 17 pikes 7 eight parts, and bringing 100 codes from Ormuz to Goa, there is found but 93 codes and one fourth part.

There is also the vare in Goa, which is just as the vare of Ormuz , and therewith they measure onely things that are of small value.

For the mony of Goa, there is a kind of mony made of lead and tin mingled, being thicke and round, and stamped on the one side with the spheare or globe of the world, and on the other side two arrowes & 5 rounds: and this kind of mony is called Basaruchi, and 15 of these make a vinton of naughty mony, and 5 vintons make a tanga, and 4 vintenas make a tanga of base money: so that the tanga of base mony is 60 basaruchies, and the tanga of good mony 75 basaruchies, & 5 tangas make a seraphine of gold, which in marchandize is worth 5 tangas good money: but if one would change them into basaruchies, he may have 5 tangas, and 16 basaruchies, which overplus they cal cerafagio, & when they bargain of the pardaw of gold, each pardaw is ment to be 6 tangas good mony, but in marchandize they use not to demaund pardawes of gold in Goa, except it be for jewels and horses, for all the rest they take of seraphins of silver, per adviso.

The roials of plate, I say, the roial of 8 are worth per custome & commandement of the king of Portugall 400 reies, and every rey is one basaruchie & one fourth part, which maketh tangas 6, and 53 basaruchies as their just value, but for that the said roials are excellent silver and currant in divers places of the India, and chiefly in Malacca, when the ships are to depart at their due times (called Monsons) every one to have the said roials pay more then they are worth, & the overplus, as is abovesaid they call serafagio. And first they give ye just value of the 100 roials of 8, and 5 tangas 50 basaruchies a piece, which done, they give seraphins 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 12, 15, untill 22 by the 100, according as they are in request.

The duckat of gold is worth 9 tangas and a halfe good money, and yet not stable in price, for that when the ships depart from Goa to Cochin, they pay them at 9 tangas and 3 fourth partes, and 10 tangas, and that is the most that they are woorth.

The larines are woorth by just value basaruchies 93 and 3 fourth parts, and 4 larines make a seraphine of silver, which is 5 tangas of good money, and these also have serafagion of 6, 7, 8, 10, untill 16, by the 100, for when the ships depart for the North, to say, for Chaul, Diu, Cambaia, or Bassaim, all cary of the same, because it is money more currant then any other.

There is also a sort of seraphins of gold of the stampe of Ormuz , whereof there are but fewe in Goa, but being there, they are woorth five larines and somewhat more, according as they are in request.

There is also another litle sort of mony, round, having on the one side a crosse, and on the other side a crowne, which is woorth one halfe a tanga of good money, and another of the same stampe lesse then that which they call Imitivo de buona moneda, which is worth 18 basaruches 3 fourth parts a piece.

Note that if a man bargaine in marchandize, it behooveth to demaund tangas of good money: for by nominating tangas onely, is understood to be base money of 60 basaruches, which wanteth of the good money ut supra.

The custome of Goa is 8 in the 100 inward, and as much outward, and the goods are esteemed justly rather to the marchants advantage then the kings. The custome they pay in this order. Comming with a ship from Ormuz to Goa without horses, they pay 8 in the 100 whether they sell part or all, but if they would carie of the sayd marchandise to any other place, they pay none other custome, except others buy it and carie it foorth of the countrey, and then they pay it 8 in the 100. And if one having paied the custome should sell to another with composition to passe it forth as for his proper accounts to save the custome, this may not be, because the seller is put to his oth, whether he send the goods for his owne account, or for the account of any others that have bought the same, and being found to the contrary, they pay custome as abovesaid. And in this order the marchants pay of all the goods which come from any part of the Indies. But if they come from Ormuz to Goa with horses, they are not subject to pay any custome inward, nothwithstanding if they send all or any part thereof for any other place, or returne it to Ormuz , they pay the custome outward, although they could not sell.

They use also in Goa amongst the common sort to bargaine for coales, wood, lime & such like, at so many braganines, accounting 24 basaruches for one braganine, albeit there is no such mony stamped. The custome of the Portugals is, that any Moore or Gentile, of what condition or state soever he be, may not depart from Goa to go within the land, without licence of certaine deputies deputed for that office, who (if they be Moores or Gentiles） doe set a seale upon the arme, having thereon the armes of Portugal , to be knowen of the porters of the citie, whether they have the said licence or no.