Mints of the Baramahal –
Coins were
issued from the mints of Salem and Krishnagiri by:
|
Europeans |
These two
mints have been discussed by Wiggins [1]. Salem
and Krishnagiri are located in a territory called the
Baramahal, a tract of land about forty miles inland
from Pondicherry. Tipu Sultan
of Mysore ceded the Baramahal to the East India
Company in 1792, at the conclusion of the third Mysore war.
Owing
to the confused monetary systems that were found to exist in the Baramahal [2] [3],
it was decided to establish two mints there, in 1793, at Salem and Krishnagiri, with a view to introducing the Company’s
coinage. It was proposed to strike several of the Company’s coins at these
mints. Gold pagodas were certainly produced but remain unidentified. The coins
that have been identified are the common cash pieces and a rare five cash
piece. Both bear the name Salem and a date. Emissions from the Krishnagiri mint have not been identified although it would
appear that pagodas were issued [4].
The Krishnagiri mint began operations in May 1794
(see end of ref 2) although samples from the Baramahal
were sent to the Assay Master at Madras in March 1793 [5]
and in May 1793 [6]. Both
mints closed in about 1798-99.
Mint/Assay
Masters at the Krishnagiri mint: Robert Hughes
(finished 18th June 1795) followed by T.B. Hurdis
[7]
[1] Paper read by the late Ken Wiggins on
[2]
Letter to Government from Alexander
Read, Collector in the Baramahal,, dated
In reply to your letters of the 30th
May and the 12th instant, I considered the first as an order only,
and that like other orders, the attending to it was all Government expected,
which is the reason for my not having answered it before. It did however occur
that it would be proper, when I might be informed by the Mint Master of the
desired lac of new coinage, or of part of it, being in readiness to send to the
Presidency; & having no authority to require information of him on matters
relating to his department, I concluded that he had instructions to demand of
me the various coins received in the collections, to recoin, and to return me
the proceeds or forward them himself to the treasury, of which I imagined he
would give intimation, when I could inform your government particularly on the
subject. Understanding from your second letter more fully what was expected of
me, I immediately on receipt of it addressed the Mint Master at Krishnagiri requesting to be informed as to the profit or
expense of it. This answer containing all the information he is yet able to
give on those matters, I transmit it herewith on that account; and have to add
, in respect to what has depended on myself, in complying with your letters on
remittance, that since receipt of the first I have remitted 70,000 pagodas
through sources, and the house of Call, Baker & Co, on all of which
(excepting the portion of it which consisted of star pagodas) the Company
receive a premium of 1 ½ per cent; but the bills being payable at 50 days
sight, the greatest part of it will not be received into the treasury till the
end of next month.
You will please to inform the Honble
Governor that all the revenue of the last year being collected and none of the
current year falling due till December except the monthly kists
of the customs, which are inconsiderable, it is necessary to reserve the balance actually in hand, which (as appears by
the accompanying estimate, will be about a lac at the end of this month) for
the ordinary advances to public departments; and that should any more of it be
recoined before January, it will be necessary on the same account to keep it in
these districts.
By the statement accompanying the letter
from the Mint Master, it appears that the loss sustained by the recoinage of
the several coins received in the collections, is from 2 to 5 ¼ percent,
consequently that it is much better to remit the residue on the terms I have
hitherto procured. That may however be a subject of future consideration when I
may take occasion to address Government or the Revenue Board upon it.
There then follows a paper showing the
loss on coining Cantaray or Sultany pagodas, and Bahaudry or Salanny pagodas.
There is then a long letter from the
Mint Master (Robert Hughes) in which he stated:
…Under date the 5th May last
I had the pleasure of giving you notification of the commencement of our
coinage…
[3]
Madras Consultations, 1794. IOR P/241/48, p2367
Letter to Captain Alexander Read,
Collector in the Baramahal, from Government, dated
I am directed by the Honble the
President in Council to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 31st
ultimo and, as you do not appear to comprehend the full extent of his wish in establishing
the mint at Krishnagiri he desires me to inform you
that he has resolved to introduce the Carnatic coins entirely, and to abolish
the numerous coins which were found circulating in the ceded countries when
they were taken possession of for the Company. With this view the President in
Council directs that all money not the currency of the Carnatic, which shall be
received into your treasuries, may be tendered to the Assay Master for
recoinage as fast as the work can be executed.
The President in Council leaves it to
your discretion to retain such part of the balance in your hands, after it
shall be recoined, as shall be sufficient to supply the demands of the Public
Department.
[4]
Madras District Gazetteer, Salem. Madras 1918, vol. 1, part 1, p292.
Letter from Government to Board of Revenue No. 182, dated
There
were three coinages of pagodas at Krishnagiri. The
first issue numbered only 6,788, the second (which contained an excess of pure
gold of the weight of 2 ragi grains) numbered 17,173
and the third (which had an excess of 1 ½ paddy grains above the Madras
standard) numbered 14,875
[5]
Madras Consultations, 1793. IOR p/241/38, p1277
Letter from Government to the Madras
Assay Master (Benjamin Roebuck), dated March 1793
I am directed by the Honble the Governor
in Council to send you five pagodas coined by Captain Alexander Read in the Baramahal country, and to desire you will report, with as
little delay as possible, whether they are equal to the star pagodas coined in
the Madras mint.
[6]
Letter from Government to the Madras
Assay Master (Benjamin Roebuck), dated May 1793
You will be pleased to receive two hundred star pagodas coined in the Baramahal…
[7]
Letter from Robert Hughes to Government,
dated
I do myself the honor of reporting to
you for the present, my having delivered over to Mr Hurdis
the assaymastership of this mint pursuant to your directions,
and whole receipts for the balance of cash etc. I have also the pleasure of
enclosing herein, duplicates of which, together with this lists it specifies
have been forwarded to the Assay Master at this Presidency.
Letter from T.B. Hurdis
to Government, dated 18th June 1795.
I do hereby acknowledge to have this day
received from Mr Robert Hughes late assay master to the mint at Kishnaghery the charges of that employ, the correspondence
and several article belonging thereunto as per separate lists, together with
the accounts complete, and balance of cash remaining on 31st May
last, Viz: Star pagodas (62.1.63) sixty two, one
fanam and sixty three cash.