On the Edict of 1749
of Lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát -
a few details that require correction
Father Vinhsơn Trần Minh Thực, Vietnam Numismatics #2 (01-2018), p.47-48
In Vietnam Numismatics #1 (October 2017), author Nguyễn Anh Huy provided a valuable source related to the permission to circulate Western piastre coins. This text provides a lot of interesting information for researchers and collectors. However, likely due to the lack of access to original French sources, the article contains some details that we feel need to be corrected. We would also like to provide additional information so that interested readers can more easily consult and verify it.
Origin of the document
As author Nguyễn Anh Huy has provided, the records of Pierre Poivre's journey were published by Henri Cordier in Revue de l'Extrême-Orient, volume 3, on pages 81-121 and 364-510.[1] The note at the beginning of the second part, pages 364-510, provides some rather interesting details about the manuscript. These details were likely written by Pierre Poivre himself:
"I ask readers to forgive the countless errors in this copy of the journal. I was in such a hurry, as the ship was about to depart, that I was unable to correct the copyist's mistakes. As I promised the Company I work for, I hope that the ship Prince will give us another opportunity to produce a better copy of this journal in France."[2]
This may be the reason why, in another work, Henri Cordier gives the following information about two versions of the journal:
"The manuscript is preserved at the Library of the Natural History Museum, under reference number 319. This manuscript is a notebook of 82 double pages. A copy of this manuscript bears reference number 575. I have published some of Poivre's memoirs, in particular the account of the voyage of the ship Machault, taken from the Colonial Archives, to which the manuscript published here is a continuation."[3]
Thus, the source text is preserved in handwritten form, existing in two distinct versions. It is possible that one version was done by the aforementioned copyist, while the other was written by Pierre Poivre himself. These details are relatively important, as they help explain the phrase "The second year of the Cảnh Hưng era" found at the end of the Edict.
A few adjustments to the document title
Regarding the document title, we believe the following details need to be corrected:
The article on pages 81-121 of Revue de l'Extrême-Orient, volume 3, has the main title The Journey of Pierre Poivre in Cochinchina (Voyage de Pierre Poivre en Cochinchine). Below the main title, the author also adds two subtitles to provide more specific details about the content of the article. First subtitle: Description of Cochinchina 1749-1750 (Description de la Cochinchine 1749-1750). Second subtitle: The Voyage of the Company ship "Machault" to Cochinchina in 1749 and 1750 (Voyage du vaisseau de la Compagnie le "Machault" à la Cochinchine en 1749 et 1750).
The section from pages 364-510 of the above volume continues the first part, so it retains the same main title, but the two subtitles differ. First subtitle: Journal of a Voyage to Cochinchina (Journal d'un voyage à la Cochinchine). Second subtitle: From August 29, 1749, the day of our arrival, to February 11, 1750 (Depuis le 29 août 1749, jour de notre arrivée, jusqu'au 11 février 1750). The text of the Edict is quoted in this second part.
On the content of the Edict
First, regarding the title, the French text[4] uses the title Édit du Roy de Cochinchine. We find that the translation in Nguyễn Anh Huy's article can be considered relatively accurate. The content of the Edict is also translated quite well. We merely wish to refine a few minor details.
The sentence at the fifth and sixth line from the bottom up[5] in the translation: "Each round silver coin, deduct for whatever loss (for one coin is 24 coins)...". The original French text: "Chaque piastre ronde, déduction faite de ce qu'elle doit diminuer (pour estre au denier 24)". We believe that the part in parentheses should be translated as deducting 1/24. Similarly, the first and second lines from the bottom[6] of the translation should also be corrected to deducting 1/24.
We also believe that the word masse in the French text should be translated consistently as tiền or mạch.
Furthermore, talking about "the second year of the Cảnh Hưng reign...", the French text reads: "La deuxième année du règne de Kanh-hieng...". We have not yet had the opportunity to examine Pierre Poivre's manuscript directly. We tentatively assume that, since Henri Cordier read from the original manuscript, he may have mistaken dixième for deuxième, as in handwritten form the two words differ almost by a single letter u. This is to say nothing of the "countless errors" that Pierre Poivre mentioned himself. We would like to offer the following revised translation of the Edict:
THE EDICT OF THE KING OF COCHINCHINA
AUTHORIZING THE CIRCULATION OF SILVER COIN (PIASTRE) IN HIS KINGDOM
We order all civil and military officials, as well as all subjects in our kingdom, to make it known to everyone that, as the old saying goes, one should not block the streams flowing from the mountains when they bring wealth. For in China, from the Xia and Shang dynasties[7] through the Tang and Song dynasties[8], coins, silk, silver, and gold have always circulated in that kingdom. At present, when foreign ships come to trade, the French have brought round and square silver coins that are solid and durable. Therefore, we have ordered the head of the minting guild to stamp all these silver coins with two common characters[9] (meaning authorized for circulation), along with the names of the mint masters Xuân[10], Tiêm, and Thiêm; if Xuân is not available, use Tiêm; if Tiêm is not available, use Thiêm. Any one of these three names alone is sufficient to serve as a mark of authentication. Each round silver coin, after deducting for loss (a deduction of 1/24), weighs only six tiền and five phân, and being marked as such, it will have a value of one quan three tiền, equivalent to 780 copper coins. Each square silver coin, after deducting for loss (a deduction of 1/24), weighs only six tiền and four phân, and being marked as such, it will have a value of one quan two tiền and forty-eight đồng, that is, a total of 768 copper coins. Copper coins and silk (which formerly served as currency) shall also remain in circulation. From now on, in trade and all transactions within the kingdom, whether debts, lawsuits, or tribute taxes owed to us, anyone who has round or square silver coins cast into ingots shall value each ingot at twenty quan, and this shall become the established rule, so that no one may raise or lower the price according to personal preference. Should anyone dare to violate these orders and be denounced, the head of the minting guild shall investigate and punish the offender in accordance with these directives. My edict must be obeyed and respected.
On the first day of the tenth month of the second year of the Cảnh Hưng era[11] of the King of Tonkin.
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These are our brief remarks on the matter discussed. It should also be clarified that we have no intention of splitting hairs, but simply wish Vietnam Numismatics to truly provide objective and scholarly articles, and to go as far as possible in the field of research. Moreover, this edict is an important document that needs to be carefully examined. We hope that the new platform Vietnam Numismatics will become a trusted reference for researchers and collectors.
[1] Henri Cordier, 1887. Revue de l'Extrême-Orient, vol. 3. Paris.
[2] Henri Cordier, 1887. Revue de l'Extrême-Orient, vol. 3, p. 364. Paris.
[3]
Henri Cordier, 1922. Mélanges d'histoire et de géographie orientales, vol. 3, p. 55. Paris.
Henri Cordier, Revue de l'Extrême-Orient, trang 81.
The author further states that the documents he published were sourced from the Colonial Archives under the title Colonies - Extrême-Orient - Cochinchine, 1748-1750, no. 2.
[4] See Henri Cordier. Revue de l'Extrême-Orient, pp. 428-429.
[5] Various authors, 2017. Vietnam Numismatics, issue 1, October, p. 36.
[6] Op. cit.
[7] Original text: "ha et thieong".
[8] Original text: "Dang et Toû".
[9] Original text: "thoû dũ".
[10] Original text: "Xun".
[11] Original text: "Kảnh-hieng".