Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1224

 1172 PERSIA

The coins in circulation, with their values calculated at exchange 11. = 50 kran, arc :-

Copper.

PHI .... 0-12d.

Shdhi = 2Pul. . . -2ld. Four Shdhis=(l Abbdsst). 0'96d. Five Sh&hts = 10 Pul = \ Kran l'20d.

Silver.

Ten Shdhts = % Kran. 2'iOd.

One Kran =20 Shdhts. 4 80rf.

Two Kran. . . 9'60d.

Five Kran. . .2s. Q-QOd.

Copper is out of circulation. Inconsequence of an excess of coinage by a former mint-master the copper money greatly depreciated in value since 1896 and was circulating at less than its price of copper, viz. 80 to 83 copper shahis (weighing about i lb.) to one silver kran (4|rf.). The Government then decided to introduce a nickel coinage instead : great quantities of five and ten centime pieces, of same size and weight as those current in Belgium, and of the nominal value of ^ and ^ kran, were coined at Brussels and put into circulation in the autumn of 1900.

Gold coins are : £ Toman, % Toman, 1 Toman, 2, 5 and 10 Tomans, but they are not in circulation as current money, because of their ever- varying value in Kran (silver) and no coins of the higher values have been struck for some years. They are a commodity and are used for presents and hoarding. A Toman in silver is the equivalent of 10 kran (now worth 3s. id. ), but a gold Toman has a value of 22 Kran (7s. id.).

Accounts are reckoned in dinars, an imaginary coin, the ten-thousandth part of a toman of ten krans. A kran therefore = 1,000 dinars ; one shahi = 50 dinars.

The unit of weight is the miskal (71 grains), subdivided into 24 nakhods (2'96 grains) of 4 gandum ("74 grain) each. Sixteen miskals make a sir, and 5 sir make an abbassi, also called wakkeh, kervankeh. Most articles are bought and sold by a weight called batman or man. The mans most frequently in use are : —

Man-i- Tabriz =9, Abbdssis. . . = 640 Miskdls = 6 49 lbs.

Man-i-Noh Abbdssl = Q Abbdssis. . =720 „ = 7 '30 ,,

Man-i-Kohneh (the old man). . . =1,000 ,, = 10'14 ,,

3fan-i-Shdh = 2 Tabriz Mans. . . =1,280 ,, = 12*98 „

Man-i-Rey = 4 Tabriz Mans. . . =2,560 ,, = 25"96 ,,

Man-i-Bendcr Abbdsst. . . . = 840 ,, - 8'52 ,,

Man-i-Hdshemt = 16 Mans of. . . 720 ,, =116 80 ,,

Corn, straw, coal, &c. , are sold by Kharvdr = 100 Tabriz Mans =649 '142 ,,

The unit of measure is the zar or gez ; of this standard several are in use. The most common is the one of 40 '95 inches ; another, used in Azerbaijan, equals 44 '09 inches. A farsakh theoretically = 6,000 zar of 40 "95 inches = 3*87 miles. Some calculate the farsakh at 6,000 zar of 44"09 inches=417 miles.

The measure of surface is jerib = l,000 to 1,066 square zar of 40"9f> inches = 1,294 to 1,379 square yards.

Diplomatic Representatives.

1. Of Persia in Great Britain.

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. — Mirza Daoud Khan, Miftah-es-Saltaneh, K.C.M.G. (appointed November, 1920).

Counsellor. — Mahomed Ali Khan.

First Secretary. — Fathollah Khau Noury, Monazemes-Saltaneh.

Second Secretary. — Mirza Issa Khan, Karimi, Mahamo-Saltaneh.

Secretaries. — Ebrahim Khan Gharugozlou and Abdolhossein Khan Ansari, Modired Dowleh.

Honorary Attaches. — Gholam Hossein Khan Sidri, Farides-Saltaneh, and Prince Auowshiravan Mirza Salour.

OonsuUQ*neral. — H. S. Foster.