In Annam we found that the ingots of gold and silver, consisting of ten luongs or nails, were called nên. The luong was equal in weight to the Chinese liung, and Cambodian tomlong, and was also called dinh (dinh-bac, nail of silver), thus being identical with the ten denh into which the Cambodian nên or bar is divided.
In Laos7 we again find the Chinese picul as the highest weight unit. It is divided into 100 catties (here called Chang) of 600 grammes each (1⅓ lb. Eng.).
| 1 picul | = | 100 catties . |
|---|---|---|
| 1 catty ( chang ) | = | 10 damling (60 grammes). |
| 1 damling | = | 4 bat (15 grammes). |
| 1 bat | = | 4 chi (3·75 grammes). |
| 1 chi | = | 10 hun . |
All these or their equivalents are used as money of account. “If there is but little coin in Laos,” says M. Aymonier, “there are monies of account in abundance.” In the south-west of the country, Bassak and Attopoeu, Cambodian currency is employed, and they count by the nên or bar of silver.
| 1 nên | = | 10 denhs (money of account). |
|---|---|---|
| 1 denh | = | 10 strings of cash . |
The string is also