the Spanish dollar unit, also known as Philippine peso or Mexican peso in the Spanish colonial empire, as opposed to being subsidiary coinage of the French franc. In 1884, the French empire in Indo-China further expanded to incorporate Annam and Tonkin. The following year, in 1885, the French introduced a new silver piastre de commerce and associated subsidiary coinage throughout the entire Indo-Chinese colonies in order to increase monetary stability. The piastre was initially equivalent to the Spanish silver dollar or Philippine peso or Mexican peso. The piastre was therefore a direct lineal descendant of the Spanish pieces of eight that emanated from the Philippines in the Spanish East Indies after being brought to the Orient from Mexico and Peru on the Manila Galleons in the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade of the Spanish colonial empire. It was initially on a silver standard of 1 piastre = 24.4935 grams pure silver. This was reduced to 24.3 grams in 1895. During the first 11 years of their colonial rule, the French had minted millions of silver coins. However, because these French silver piastres were heavier than the Spanish or Philippine or Mexican reals, that already circulated in French Indochina at the time, the French made piastres were often hoarded by the local populace, especially by the highland tribes (Gresham's law). On July 8, 1895, and later again on April 14, 1898, it was decreed that new silver French Indochinese piastre coins would be minted with a lower weight, which allowed them to stay in general circulation. In 1895 the weight of the silver 1 piastre coin was reduced to 27 grams; the 50 cents to 13.5 grams; the 20 cents to 5.4 grams; and the 10 cents to 2.7 grams. In the year 1897 the weight of the copper-alloy 1 cent was also reduced to 7.0 and 7.5 grams in 1897 and was holed. These weights and denominations of the French Indochinese piastre would continue for some time until during and after World War I when the global value of silver had become very high. The governor of French Indochina issued a decree on 1 January 1906 that the Spanish colonial real or Philippine or Mexican real were no longer legal tender in the colony. Despite this decree, a number Spanish or Philippine or Mexican silver coins that had been cut into halves, fourths and eighths would remain in circulation. Chopmarked piastres were