Bulgaria - Palgrave Connect

BULGARIA 1141
The nominal value of the coinage (including recoinage) of Turkey since
1891 is: Gold, 186,265,000 piastres ; silver, 43,335,500 piastres. The
national money within the Empire is estimated at: Gold, 3,416,606,600
piastres ; silver, 963,713,500 piastres.
£ s. d.
The Turkish Lira, or gold Medjidie . . .0 18 0'064
Piastre, 100 to the Lira 0 0 216
Large accounts are frequently, as in the official budget estimates, set down in
' purses' of 500 Medjidie piastres, or 5 Turkish liras. The ' purse ' is calculated
as worth il. 10s. sterling. The gold Lira weighs 7 '216 grammes'916 fine,
and thus contains 6'6147 grammes of fine gold. The silver 20-piastre
piece weighs 24'055 grammes '830 line, and therefore contains 19965
grammes of fine silver.
The Oke, of 400 drams. . . = 2 8326 lbs. avoirdupois.
„ Almud . . . . = 1'151 imperial gallon.
,, Kileh . . . . . = 0'9120 imperial bushel.
44 Okes = 1 Cantar or Kintal . = 125 lbs. avoirdupois.
39'44 Okes =1 cwt.
180 Okes = 1 Tcheke . ■ ■ = 511'380 pounds.
1 Kileh = 20 Okes . . . = 0'36 imperial quarter.
816 Kilehs = 100 imperial quarters.
The Andaze (cloth measure). . = 27 inches.
„ Arshin (land measure) . . = 30 inches.
,, Donum (land measure) . . = 40 square paces.
The kileh is the chief measure for grain, the lower measures being definite
weights rather than measures. 100 kilehs are equal to 12'128 British imperial
quarters, or 35'266 hectolitres.
In March 1882 Turkish weights and measures were assimilated to the metric
system, but under the old names, leading to much confusion ; they have not
been generally adopted in practice. Oke=kilogramme, batman = 10 kilogrammes,
cantar=100 kilogrammes, tcheki = l,000 kilogrammes, shinik =
decalitre, kileh=hectolitre (2'75 bushels), evlek=are, djeril=hectare (2'47
acres), arshin=metre, nul=kilometre, farsang = 10 kilometres.
In 1889 the metric system of weights was made obligatory for cereals;
metric weights were decreed obligatory in January 1892, but the decree is not
yet enforced.
TRIBUTARY STATES.
BULGARIA.
Reigning Prince.
Ferdinand, youngest son of the late Prince Augustus of Saxe-Coburg
and Gotha, and Princess Clementine of Bourbon-Orleans (daughter of King
Louis Philippe), born February 26, 1861, was elected Prince of Bulgaria by
unanimous vote of the National Assembly, July 7, 1887 ; assumed the government
August 14, 1887, in succession to Prince Alexander, who had abdicated
September 7, 1886. His election was confirmed by the Porte and the Great
Powers in March, 1896. On April 20, 1893, he was married to Marie Louise
(born January 17, 1870 ; died January 31, 1899), eldest daughter of Duke
10.1057/9780230270305 - The Statesman's Year-Book, Edited by John Scott-Keltie
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