CEYLON CURRENCY
BRITISH PERIOD
1796-1936

BY

B. W. FERNANDO,

Principal Assistant Accountant,
General Treasury, Colombo.

 

With a FOREWORD
BY
H. W. CODRINGTON, Esq., B.A. (Oxon.), F.R.N.S.
Late of the Ceylon Civil Service,
AUTHOR OF.
"Ceylon Coins and Currency",
"A Short History of Ceylon", &c.

 

PRINTED AT THE CEYLON GOVERNMENT PRESS, COLOMBO.
To be purchased at the GOVERNMENT RECORD OFFICE, COLOMBO: price - Rs. 2.50.
1939


CONTENTS.

Forward

Preface

CHAPTER.
PART I. - THE COINAGE.

I.

1796-1824. From the Capitulation of Colombo to the Order in Council introducing British Currency

II.

1825-1868. From the Order in Council introducing British Currency to the Order in Council constituting the "Company's" Rupee and its Silver Subdivisions the only legal tender

III.

1869-1892. From the Order in Council of 1869 to the Order in Council of 1892. The Rupee of British India as the Standard Coin of Ceylon, with a subsidiary Decimal Coinage

IV.

1893-1903. The Silver Crisis. Appointment of Two Currency Commissions

V.

1904-1936. Introduction of Nickel. Demonetization of the Copper Five Cent piece and the Quarter Cent piece, and the Sovereign. Reduction in Fineness of subsidiary Silver Coinage
PART II. - THE PAPER CURRENCY.

VI.

1796-1883. Early Issues: Kredit Brieven, Rixdollar Paper, Sterling Notes, and Bank Notes . .

VII.

1884-1936. Failure of the Oriental Bank Corporation and the Re-establishment of a State Note Issue
APPENDICES.
(i.) Law regulating the coinage and the paper currency.
A. Order in Council dated 23rd March, 1825
B1 Orders in Council dated 16th October, 1852,
B2 Orders in Council dated 22nd October, 1856
C. Order in Council dated 18th June, 1869,
D. Proclamation dated 23rd August, 1871
E. Order in Council dated 6th February, 1892
F. Order in Council dated 17th July, 1893
G. Order in Council dated 26th September, 1901, and
Proclamation dated 25th October, 1901
H. Order in Council dated 18th October, 1909, and
Proclamation dated 13th December, 1909
I. Proclamation dated 13th December, 1909
J. Order in Council dated 8th May, 1919, and
Proclamation dated 29th August, 1919
K. Order in Council dated 13th August, 1920, and
Proclamation dated 7th August, 1920
L. Paper Currency Ordinance
(ii.) Statistics.
M. Note Circulation, Reserve, &c.
N. Subsidiary Coins in Circulation.
O. Dates of Issue of Subsidiary Coins Index

ILLUSTRATIONS. *

Plate No.
1. A Kredit Brief Note
2. Star pagoda, Rixdollar and Fanam
3. A Rixdollar Note . .
4. Ceylon Fanam, Stuiver and Challie
5. Copper Five Cents and Quarter Cent
6. Stuivers struck in England. .
7. A Dutch Cash Note
8. A Sterling Note
9. An Oriental Bank Note
* Normal size of coins shown.


Extracted and formatted from

Ceylon Currency British Period 1796-1936 By B. W. Fernando. Contents
1939, Ceylon Government Press p.vii-viii
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Part of coins.lakdiva.org.lk a website for
Coins of Lakdiva, Ceylon and Sri Lanka since 300 BCE.
and notes.lakdiva.org.lk a website for
Banknotes of Ceylon and Sri Lanka since 1785