East Meets West: An East Indian Coin in the Western Colonies
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East Meets West: An East Indian Coin in the Western Colonies Kiara Beaulieu 1
Published online: 24 October 2016 # The Author(s) 2016. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com
Abstract In 1823, the Ontario House, a hotel and tavern, was built near Niagara Falls, Canada. In addition to providing a location for travelers and tourists to drink and lodge, Ontario House, like many other establishments, billeted soldiers when the need arose. The 2012 excavation of the midden and features of the Ontario House produced a large assemblage of artifacts including ceramics, buttons, numismatics, and military accoutrements. Of particular interest is an East Indian coin, found in the natural topsoil, which can be associated with the 67th Regiment of Foot’s brief occupation of Ontario House in 1841. This paper addresses the significance of this coin and associated finds in regards to the global movement of the regiment and the socio-political context of Ontario House within regional history. Keywords Military . Canada . Numismatics . Rebellion crisis
Introduction This paper will examine one small find uncovered during the excavation of the Loretto site (AgGs-326) in Niagara Falls, Ontario during the fall of 2012 by Archaeological Services Inc. (Hull and MacDonald 2014). The site contained features related to three different structures occupied at different times, including the Ontario House (1823–59), a hotel and tavern in close proximity to the Falls (Fig. 1) that was part of a vibrant history for which little has been recorded. One notable find, amongst many, from the Ontario House midden was an East Indian pai sikka. Three theories that explain how the pai sikka came to be deposited in Niagara Falls will be presented. These theories
* Kiara Beaulieu [email protected]
1
Department of Classics, Ancient History, and Archaeology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Int J Histor Archaeol (2016) 20:693–704
Fig. 1 The location of the Loretto site in the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario (Map by David Robertson)
will identify the global movement of British troops during the nineteenth century, the context of the Ontario House within regional tourism, and the significance of this find in regard to the scarcity of specie in the colonies during this time.
Int J Histor Archaeol (2016) 20:693–704
695
The Coin The Loretto Site (AgGs-326) yielded a large number of military and commercial items, as well as those of a more personal nature, including five coins; two were badly damaged and three could be identified although they presented with varying degrees of wear. Of the three, one specimen stood out as a truly fascinating piece: a full pai sikka. The pai sikka or pice is a coin of the Bengali Presidency and the Calcutta Mint began its production in 1795. The pice was considered legal tender in the three provinces of Lower Bengali (Pridmore 1975, p. 210). The script on the obverse (Fig. 2, left) is the name of the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam Badshah II (1728–1806). The second line reads sanat julus
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