ther metaphorical
terms (as the Spanish do the term granos), and said sangsaga, which
is the weight of one red kidney-bean [frixolillo] with a white spot
in the middle.

490. In order to weigh bulkier things, such as wax, silk, meat,
etc., they had steelyards, which they called sinantan, which was
equivalent to ten cates, of twenty onzas [i.e., ounce] apiece. The
half of that they called banal, which was five cates; and the half
of the cate they called soco. Consequently, these old weights having
been adjusted to the Spanish weights by the regulations of the year
1727, one cale is equivalent to one libra, six onzas; one chinanta
to thirteen libras, and twelve onzas; hence one quintal, of eighty
of the old cates, corresponds to four arrobas and ten libras of our
weight. A pico of one hundred cates is equivalent to five arrobas,
twelve and one-half libras, in the new arrangement. As in the case
of gold, one tahel must weigh one and one-fourth onzas in our weight.

491. In regard to the measures of quantity which the ancients used,
they were the same as those we now see: caban, ganta, half-ganta,
and chupa. The city has regulated them by the Spanish measures in
the following manner. The caban, which signifies "box" [arca] in
their own Tagalog speech, is equivalent to one fanega of the standard
of Toledo. The ganta (gantang in Visayan, and salop in Tagalog) is
equivalent to one half of a Toledo almud, which is the hal-zelemin
in other territories. The half-ganta is equivalent to one cuartillo,
which is called pitis or caguiina in Tagalog. The chupa is the eighth
of the half-almud of Toledo, which is called gatang in Tagalog, and
also gahinan, for it is the ration of cleaned rice sufficient for
each meal of a man. The act of measuring in this manner is expressed
by the word tacal among the Tagalogs. When the king issues orders
for rice, it is reckoned by cabans of twenty-four gantas apiece;
and now it is known that it is of palay rice, which is rice with the
husk and uncleaned. When vouchers are issued for the stipends and
the support of the religious ministers, the reckoning is by fanegas,
at the rate of two cabans of twenty-four gantas each, of the said
palay rice uncleaned. And because his Majesty chooses that they give
it to us very clean, it is now ruled in the royal accountancy that
forty-eight gantas of the fanega of palay is equivalent to a basket of
twenty gantas of bigas, which is the name for cleaned rice. Henge