There were also notes
printed on silk for 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 ounces each, valued at par in
silver, but these would not circulate. In 1275, it should be mentioned,
there had been a supplementary issue of small notes for 2, 3, and 5 cash
each.
Marsden states an equation between Marco's values of the Notes and the
actual Chinese currency, to which Biot seems to assent. I doubt its
correctness, for his assumed values of the groat or grosso and tornesel
are surely wrong. The grosso ran at that time 18 to the gold ducat or
sequin, and allowing for the then higher relative value of silver, should
have contained about 5d. of silver. The ducat was also equivalent to 2
lire, and the tornese (Romanin, III. 343) was 4 deniers. Now the
denier is always, I believe 1/240 of the lira. Hence the tornese would
be 9/60 of the grosso.
But we are not to look for exact correspondences, when we see Polo
applying round figures in European coinage to Chinese currency.
[Illustration: Bank-Note of the Ming Dynasty]
His bezant notes, I agree with Marsden, here represent the Chinese notes
for one and more ounces of silver. And here the correspondence of value is
much nearer than it seems at first sight.
