Note 5 — Chapter VIII

Let me be the first to explain the construction of the Chinese balances which were in use; they were called da-Chens. In shape it resembled a steelyard [romana]; the yard or beam was made of a kind of wood which they call palma brava,5 and in its form was like a mace for playing truck [trucos]—except the butt, which at the extremity was thicker. It had a sort of frame of copper, octagonal in shape, with its movable pointer in the middle [con su espiga en medio de movimiento], and some pendent hooks. For indicating the weights, there were certain points marked by nails, set at proportionate distances, but without any numbers or any other characters to show the weight definitely. For counterweight there was a piece of metal or of stone hanging by a cord, but without any sign or mark by which the dachen or balance could make known what was entrusted to it.6 To this badly-constructed instrument the handling of all kinds of merchandise had been reduced, and the trade was carried on [by it] among Spaniards, Chinese, Indians, and Morenos; and through necessity they—even the superiors and prelates—employed this balance on all occasions that arose, from the earliest times of the conquest until the year 1727, when the measure that is here discussed was carried into effect. This was not because the project had not been brought forward repeatedly, and at various times, but because the difficulties which hindered it could not be obviated. But, to continue the subject, so well known was the uncertainty of those dachens that even the very Chinese, although it originated in their own country, stipulated beforehand for every transaction the balance by which [the goods] must be received or delivered; for each one of them regarded the balance which he himself used as the better reckoner. There were small ones, for weighing gold and silver; and others that were larger, for bulky goods. The weights by the smaller ones were computed in taels, each one corresponding to twenty adarmes of our Castilian weight. From the tael there was a diminution down to granos, of which six were worth one adarme; but these names were never common in our language.7 The chief weight consisted of cates, each about twenty-two onzas; the chinanta, which was equivalent to about ten cates, and in our Castilian weight to thirteen libras and twelve onzas; the quintal, which was worth about eight chinantas, or eighty cates, and corresponded to about one hundred and ten libras of our weight; and the largest was called pico, which was reckoned at ten chinantas, or one hundred cates, and in our weight five and a half arrobas. But as this correspondence of weight to weight was prevented as people understood more thoroughly the lack of accuracy in the said balances, and the [cause for] suspicion of the way in which they were managed by the Chinese—a people of such cunning that in their own land fraud is a science, in which degrees are given—the Spaniards found themselves compelled to depend on computing the equivalent [in Castilian weight], according to the greater or less skill of each person [in reckoning]; but the ignorance of the Indians and the common people, exposed [as they were] to the insatiable greed, lack of piety, and unscrupulousness of the said Sangleys, who gained great profits from this practice, aided the subtlety of the latter.