History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c8.94

c8.94

"He makes them take the bark of a certain tree, in fact of the mulberry tree, the leaves of which are the food of silk-worms,—these trees being so numerous that whole districts are full of them. What they take is a certain fine white bark or skin which lies between the wood of the tree and the thick outer bark, and this they make into something resembling sheets of paper, but black. When these sheets have been prepared, they are cut up into pieces of different sizes. The smallest of these sizes is worth a half tornesel; the next, a little larger still is worth half a silver groat of Venice; another a whole groat; others yet two groats, five groats and ten groats. There is also a kind worth one Bezant of gold, and others of three Bezants, and so up to ten. Yule, Marco Polo, I, p. 378.