South America - A General History And Collection Of Voyages And Travels - Volume 7 - By Robert Kerr
 -  The merchants may indeed sell their
own goods if they will; but in that case the broker is equally intitled - Page 167
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The Merchants May Indeed Sell Their Own Goods If They Will; But In That Case The Broker Is Equally Intitled To His Two Per Centum, And The Merchant Must Run His Own Risk Of Recovering His Money.

This however seldom happens, as the wife, children, and slaves of the debtor are all liable in payment.

When the agreed time of payment arrives, if the debt is not cleared, the creditor may seize the person of the debtor and carry him home to his house, and if not immediately satisfied, he may take the wife, children, and slaves of the debtor and sell them. The current money through all Pegu is made of _ganza_, which is a composition of copper and lead, and which every one may stamp at his pleasure, as they pass by weight; yet are they sometimes falsified by putting in too much lead, on which occasions no one will receive them in payment. As there is no other money current, you may purchase gold, silver, rubies, musk, and all other things with this money. Gold and silver, like other commodities, vary in their price, being sometimes cheaper and sometimes dearer. This _ganza_ money is reckoned by _byzas_, each _byza_ being 100 _ganzas_, and is worth about half a ducat of our money, more or less according as gold is cheap or dear.

When any one goes to Pegu to buy jewels, he will do well to remain there a whole year; for if he would return by the same ship, he can do very little to purpose in so short a time. Those who come from San Thome usually have their goods customed about Christmas, after which they must sell their goods, giving credit for a month or two, and the ships depart about the beginning of March. The merchants of San Thome generally take payment for their goods in gold and silver, which are always plentiful in Pegu. Eight or ten days before their departure they are satisfied for their goods. They may indeed have rubies in payment, but they make no account of them. Such as propose to winter in the country ought to stipulate in selling their goods for payment in two or three months, and that they are to be paid in so many _ganzas_, not in gold or silver, as every thing is most advantageously bought and sold by means of this _ganza_ money. It is needful to specify very precisely both the time of payment, and in what weight of ganzas they are to be paid, as an inexperienced person may be much imposed upon both in the weight and fineness of the _ganza_ money; for the weight rises and falls greatly from place to place, and he may be likewise deceived by false _ganzas_ or too much alloyed with lead. For this reason, when any one is to receive payment he ought to have along with him a public weigher of money, engaged a day or two before he commences that business, whom he pays two _byzas_ a-month, for which he is bound to make good all your money and to maintain it good, as he receives it and seals the bags with his own seal, and when he has collected any considerable sum he causes it to be delivered to the merchant to whom it belongs.

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