APPENDIX M.
M emorandum r e s p e c t i n g W eights, M easures, 4fyt&
appendix. ' T he weights and measures not only differ, both nominally and' essentially," in tjie
M. * several districts o f Java, but are often subject «'Such varieties, everi^Within the same
----- district, that the greatest1 confusion' in accounts, and endless-pecMatfobsi,.are'aimosti
ihevithble. J T h e native denominations and divisions are blended with, thti'■Chinese and
European, .and even the latter havé been made to vary so much, that'-itvis difficult to:
refer them to one common standard. The uncertainty o f the native measures' ba s,
however, been considerably removed, by the reference constantly had-TSyVtKe Ch in ed
to the weight o f the article, instead o f the bulk, which is the. usdarffieasuije o f the'
Javans. -
The measure o f weight which m a y ' be considered as the most* general standard
throughput the country, is the Chinese k a t i , equal to about 1 | lb., or about 20 ounces
avoirdupois; 100 M i s make a p i k u k o f 125 lbs. Dutch, or 133^ English;' SO p i k y l s or
3,000 M i s , being 3,750 lbs. Duteh. The Dutch standard h o y a n , however, fis.iTÖiïly
3 }400 lbs., and & general is considered equal to a last, or two to n s ; but this -weight,
by which the rude produce o f the country is generally calcülatedP^sébject'to innumerable
varieties. In order to cover the wastage, it was the rule=of the government
that there should be one rate for the receipt o f goods and another fofHhefrL'delivery.
This varied according as the article was perishable or otherwise, or to the degree o f
peculation established by usage. This applied to a ll measures and weights by which
goods were received and issued at the government stores, and the rates were different
in different districts. A k o y a n among private individuals at Batavia is generally considered
as 27 p i k u l s , equal to 253 g a n to n s , or 2,700 M i s ; at S e m a r a n g as 28 p i k u l s ;
but by the natives generally as 30 p i k u l s . T h e ' k o y a n , however, by which the contingent
was formerly delivered to government, at D e m a k was no less than 4,250 lbs.
Dutch.
P a r i , or rice in the husk, is generally calculated by the a m a i , and in some districts
by the s a n g ’g a . When the p a r i is reaped, which is invariably done by snapping or
cutting each separate straw a few inches below the husk, the sheaf or bundle as it accumulates
is laid in the left hand, between the thumb and middle finger : the quantity
which can be thus held is termed s a a g e m , which is therefore equivalent to a handful.
Three o f these make a p o c h o n g , a quantity which can be clasped between the two
bands.
A.P P E N D T X . cclix
hand s.1 The sheaf i4< then W f f d > Afterwards, wh enthe grain and straw are dry, two
o f th b r e fp o n g s are bound together in one'larger bundle, which is termed g e d e n g
Four.gg&«gs make 6 m h a M n M 'five g e d k 'g / o n e sm g 'g a i three h a w b h make one
wuwa, and two wuwa one M a t -, the gedepg- is- sometimes fotuy m W k h Sometimes
nine .M i s :
M V j t i f e 'B u W t L Mother
abdut l ,0 p p f d p t i s . J^ ^ '^ JO ^ weiveAis the usuaj measure.- *
H B B is general W f o e a measure o f
length, formed o f tfie s \a P f t ic ^ o g th e Jr'm M n f ^ m h .th e B o p a t i or
n a t a v o ^ t e ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ c e i v e j on, his invest&are. The jengjh o f this,stick W h en
d f ^ n ^ iW ^ u m b r e l l a , is termod^ g A ^ M and is from, twelve feet - The
3 l@ , f - t h e former,make a
j u n & ; but these not, only- differ, m size a c c o r d i n g Z M n g k a l , but the
■ ■ « i o n o f the land' and the: nature o f . t h e . s o * e ^ , 10f.Wich'.land, and in the
principal-touw^^beiri^lmubhrsmaHer than the poor- lands situated at a
One j u n g m ^ e m c m m g '^districts fe'-equri- t o - f e o t h e r e t o I M I M
-and even so‘man/(as ■ ten, l « i R H -F r o^ h is-p e rp le x in g -
s « tSm en 1 ^ g s e f:jbrm?rly, in, many u s a n c e s ; f o e . comparative disproportion.(of the
■ to e v e ^ ^ i a s ^ a i w i t K
the f l u e n t o f a fixed contingent. TJTtoany instaficeS the ju n g was rather to be cofi-
sfoereq-thejfteasure,, not; so much o f ther land as, o f its produce.' -
Th e advnnfage-of. fg ff fih in ^ e s e va^iSe and U„certain measures to some fixed standard,
had in some degree attracted the attention oW d ^ f i t c l government, during the
administration ofTMarshal Daendels, whp directed that the lands in several districts
should ibq measured according to an average j ^ g o f two thousand squarerroda or c h a n s -
M s o f twelve feet Butpfif IW m A su r e 'im m tb e ih g generally knoVib as" the government
j a w g ^ t i^ U g h it had only, been yery p a j^ y .jn tio d tic ed -in one or two districts
was made the standard in the recent agricultural survey o f the cmjqtry; and although it
Was not. deemed advisableto introduce at the moment an entire change in the focal
usages pfoeach district, the public officers weCe,directed to refer to it on aU occasions
and i n j i e statistical and other returns, the focal measurement o f, the place has accord *
mgly been invariably reduced Jo tyis stan d a g e ^The government o f twothousandsquare
c h a n g k d s o f twelve feet English, is equal t o S /^ English'aeies'; and the govern
ment g | | g which, the produce is weighed, being fixed at two thousand k a l i s is
equal to two p ik u l s ^ or 2fife lbs. English.
In reducing the coins circulating in Java into English money, in the course o f “this
workj the Spanish dollar has -been considered as equal to five shillings English, mid
the r u p e e to half a crown. In. t h d ^ b c a ^ e n c y o f Java, ten copper doits make one
m n g l y . small silver corn),- and twelve w cm g s one r u p e e .
APPENDIX
M.