d to
keep silence, and Abdullah was obliged to give in. Merchants had
recourse to every sort of deception to evade his orders, so the dirty
rags were withdrawn from currency.

Adlan had organized the Mint rather with the object of making a profit
than of supplying a want. Silver was cheap, and he was able to make 50
per cent. profit on the manufacture of dollars. At that time gold
coinage was no longer current. On one side of the dollars was stamped
the Mohammedan date, with the words, "Struck in Omdurman," while on the
reverse was the Sultan's Toghra, underneath which was written the word,
"Makbul" (accepted); hence the dollar became known as the "Makbul
dollar." Pieces of five and ten piastres value were also coined, as well
as a few single piastre pieces, on one side of which was stamped the
Toghra, and on the other the word "Omdurman." The Mahdi on his coins had
written, within the Toghra, the words, "By order of the Mahdi," but
Khalifa Abdullah did not follow his example.

Besides these coins, English sovereigns were also current in Omdurman,
and were known as "khayala" (cavalry) pounds, on account of the St.
George and the dragon being engraved on them. Egyptian pounds were also
current, but now all gold coins have become rare.

The principal currency is the Medjidie dollar, and these have been in
such constant use that they are much obliterated. The Maria Theresa
dollar (also known as the "Abu Nokta") is current as well, but chiefly
with Sawakin, Massawa, and Abyssinian traders, and notably with the
last. The French 5-franc-piece and the Spanish dollar (known as Abu
Madfa) are current in a very minor degree. Egyptian piastres and
half-piastres, introduced by the Hicks Expedition, are occasionally
seen. The Austrian quarter-gulden piece (fiorini) is considered to be
worth 2 piastres. In addition to all these silver pieces, copper coins
of all descriptions are current.

The Khalifa Abdullah had no small trouble in circulating the Makbul
dollar; the merchants refused to value them at 20 piastres, and, in
spite of most stringent orders, and continued threats of confiscation of
property, imprisonment, &c., the order was somehow continually evaded.

Merchants set high prices on their goods, and would never accept until
the buyer had shown all the different sorts of dollars he possessed; he
was thus obliged to do this or to buy at exorbitant rates. Complaints
became rife, and eventually they reached Abdullah's ears