Page 377 - PERSIAN GULF ADMINISTRATION REPORTS V1

AND 3IUSCAT POLITICAL AGENCY FOR THE YEAR 1877-78. 11
Appendix B to Fart I.
Recent contributions to our Geographical and General information about
Persia and adjacent countries. Travels and researches.
There lias been a vast deal written about the Persian Kingdom,
touching almost every conceivable subject of interest, from weighty
histories down to the lightest gossip and tales of travel. The supply
still increases day by day, and the future writer of a really accurate
and comprehensive history of Persia, with some pretension to scicntitic
method, will have to cull from a wide field of literature.
Much very useful, sound, and interesting information has, during
the last few years, been collected, and made accessible, through the
exertions, active and literary, of British officers, and private travellers.
The former, in some instances travelling on official missions, and in
others for their own satisfaction. Several travellers of other countries,
official and private, have added valuable contributions, and are still
doing so.
From the well-known mission under Sir Frederic Goldsmid,
resulted a work on Eastern Persia enriched with scientific information,
contributed by Mr. Blanford, and several new maps of previously
unexplored tracts, by Majors St. John and Lovett.
The best map we possess of Persia was recently published, under
authority of Government, by Major St. John, the result of many years’
travel and research. A map of part of Persia has been compiled by a
German explorer, Dr. Haussknccht, and a small new map of Persia was
published last year in Germany by Pcterniann. Still, however, a great
extent of the south of Persia is, as far as we arc concerned, terra
incognita, and all fresh information, of a trustworthy nature, is welcome.
1 have been, therefore, agreeably surprised to discover the existence of a
very detailed M.S. map of the southern districts of Persia, in Persian,
executed by llaji Mirza Soyyid Ilassan, the Iiakim-Bashi, or Physician,
to H. R. H. the Ibtislium-cd-Dowlah, Governor of Bchbehan. The
author of this map, which, by the way, is not quite finished, has been
travelling iu Pars, in the suite of the Ihtisham-ed-Dowlah. for more
than twelve years, during which time he has been labouring at the
compilation of it As he 1ms some knowledge of surveying, and
has entered much of his map from actual observation, it cannot fail
to have considerable value. I was shown'this drawing, but, as the
Governor was on the eve of departure, could only obtain a rough
tracing of the course of the chief rivers of the south, as laid down
by the Haji. I see no reason to doubt that, on the whole, these are
tolerably correctly shown, and in fact all other trustworthy information,
and the previous conjectures of Major St. John and ^nyself tend to
confirm this. The river which chiefly interests us, from the absence
hitherto.of all accurate information about its real course and terrai-
nation, is what, for want of any general piodern name, I may call
the ancient " Silakus*,” and which in
• Or SitalcoB, vide addL note, p. 13.
f Vide note, p. 13. St. John’s map is at its upper part
named the Kara-Aghatchf River [signi­
fying “ Blackwood”]. The identity of this with the river which
I