Page 368 - 3 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 1_Neat

[ ir ]
The four-gallon Vorosinc oil (in is used as a measure of capacity; it in chiefly used for the sale
of water, hut clarified butter, fat and date syrup are also Eometimea sold by the tin. Of the
smaller weights is the hallah, equivalent to 3 grains Troy, used in the sale of gold and tilver.
Gold is normally sold by the nithqiil 'altari of 18 habbaht, or 54 grains, and also by the Turkish
pound ar.d fractions thereof. Silver is sold by the mitfiqCil Shiriizi of 24 hablaht or 72 grains. Tho
inithqiil ’attari and the milh^al Shiriizi are also both used for drugs and silk thread but for thia
purpose they are not divided into kall-tht, hut only into halves and quarters—the nicetica of weight
being arrived at by using the two inilhqiilt and their fractions in conjunction. Perfumes, as also
gold thread, arc sold by (he tuLih of ISO grains.
In the pearl trade the following weights and measures are most commonly used in Kuwait.
'Wholesale purchases of pearls from the captains of pearling boats arc made chiefly by size. Per
this purpose, after any exceptionally good i^car's, which it is desired to dispose of separately have
been removed, the remainder are assorted by being passed through a scries of perforated brass or
copper bowls, the standard set of which consists of four; tho perforations of the largest, call-id rat,
are’IS inch in diameter, those of the second, baton, *15 inch; those of the third, dkail, *13 inch;
and those of the fourth, rabi'ah, *11 inch. After being assorted into rat, baton, etc., they change
hands at a previously arranged rate, at ao much the mithqCd *Arabi, which is equivalent "to 450
grains. Tho ordinary pearl then usually passes from one dealer to another on a more precise kind
of estimate based upon weight; in Kuwait the Bombay t.ulhq'd, equivalent to 75 grains Troy, and
subdivided into 24 rail it each of 15 anahs, is usually employed. The unit in the dealer's system
is called a chan, and, although derived from a weight, it is not in itself a weight. The number of
chaut in a pearl is fouud by squaring the weight of the pearl in nnthqalt and multiplying the
result by 330. The chau is divisible into 10» dukraht, and tho dukrah into 10 baiamt. There
are other kinds of chant also occasionally u~ed, and obtained by an identicial process from other
inithqali, such as the Poona mithqal of C8J grains.
The normal uuit of length is the dhira9, or cubit of 19 inches but for rope, which is also
sold by weight, the ba* or fathom is usually employed. There is no square measure in use; and a
plot of ground is described as beiug so many dhira’s, according to the sum of its sides.