1568.—"This [Ganza] goeth by weight of Byze ... and commonly a Byza of Ganza is worth (after our accompt) halfe a ducat."—Caesar Frederike, in Hakl. ii. 367.
1626.—"In anno 1622 the Myne was shut up ... the comming of the Mogull's Embassadour to this King's Court, with his peremptory demand of a Vyse of the fairest diamonds, caused the cessation."—Purchas, Pilgrimage, 1003.
[1727.—"Viece." See under [TICAL].
[1807.—"Visay." See under [GARCE].]
1855.—"The King last year purchased 800,000 viss of lead, at 5 tikals (see [TICAL]) for 100 viss, and sold it at twenty tikals."—Yule, Mission to Ava, 256.
VIZIER, WUZEER, s. Ar.—H. wazīr, 'a minister,' and usually the principal minister, under a (Mahommedan) prince. [In the Koran (cap. xx. 30) Moses says: "Give a wazir of my family, Harūn (Aaron) my brother." In the Āin we have a distinction drawn between the Vakīl, or prime minister, and the Vazīr, or minister of finance (ed. Blochmann, i. 527).] In India the Nawāb of Oudh was long known as the Nawāb Wazīr, the founder of the quasi-independent dynasty having been Sa'ādat 'Alī Khān, who became Sūbadār of Oudh, c. 1732, and was also Wazīr of the Empire, a title which became hereditary in his family. The title of Nawāb Wazīr merged in that of pādshāh, or King, assumed by Ghāzī-ud-dīn Haidar in 1820, and up to his death still borne or claimed by the ex-King Wājid 'Alī Shāh, under surveillance in Calcutta. As most titles degenerate, Wazīr has in Spain become alguazil, 'a constable,' in Port. alvasil, 'an alderman.'
[1612.—"Jeffer Basha Vizier and Viceroy of the Province."—Danvers, Letters, i. 173.]
1614.—"Il primo visir, sopra ogni altro, che era allora Nasuh bascià, genero del Gran Signore, venne ultimo di tutti, con grandissima e ben adorna cavalcata, enfin della quale andava egli solo con molta gravita."—P. della Valle (from Constantinople), i. 43.
W
[WACADASH, s. Japanese waki-zashi, 'a short sword.'