Page 39 - Gulf Precis(VIII)_Neat

PART II—CHAPTER VIII.
21
CHAPTER VIII.
Report on the Trade of the Persian Gulf, 1834.

The oldest report on the trade of the Persian Gulf, we can trace in our
records, was received in 1834 by the Bom­
Volume M of »8j4, PaSe 3*°- bay Government, from Mr. Blane, Resident
in the Persian Gulf (letter No. 24, dated 17th June 1834)
** The sacrifices past and present incurred for the protection of the trade
with the Gulf of Persia must attach additional interest to periodical reports of
the increase or diminution of the commerce carried on through this channel and
it is therefore a source of great regret to me that, even for this Port, I am
unable to obtain more accurate information than the very imperfect details
contained in the inclosed Statement.*
• Printed as Appendix A.
2nd.—The value of statistical information is as yet little understood by
those in possession of the Ports of this Gulf and the Custom-house Officers find
it to their interest neither to keep or communicate any very accurate details. I
have called upon the Government Agents at " Bahrein,0 " Sharga,” " Lingar ” and
Muscat for such particulars as they are able to furnish ; but do not expect any
very accurate returns and as these sources of information are only partial the
requisite materials for forming an estimate of the trade would still be deficient.
3rd.— It would indeed appear that the Custom-house records in India afford
the means of a nearer approximation to the truth than any information which
can be collected through local inquiries in this Gulf. A limited trade is carried
on with Scinde and the African Coast, of which the details would require to
be added, but either as regards the interest which the British possess in it or
in its amount is it of any great importance.
4th.—With this Port the trade has doubtless greatly decreased and parti­
cularly that carried on in British Vessels. The falling off is said to be chiefly
occasioned by the reduced demand for Massulipatam and British Chintzes
owing to the supply of piece goods now introduced into Persia through the Port
of11 Tribezond ” and to an increased consumption of those of Russian manufacture.
The unsettled state of affairs of late and a want of confidence originating in the
apprehended disturbances on the death of His Majesty the Shah have also
tended to a reduction of mercantile speculations in general: while the great marts
of Bussora and Baghdad have been nearly annihilated by the frightful ravages of
the Plague.
5///.—On the other hand, there is no Port at which any very ostensible
improvement would appear to have taken place. The details in my possession
are totally insufficient to enable me to form even the roughest estimate of the
whole amount of trade from which a comparison of its increase or decrease
might be drawn, but taking a general view of the state of the countries with which
the trade is carried on the marks of decline are I fear too legible to be altogether
fallacious,,,
The report with the statements was submitted to the Government of India,
whose observations were requested on
Volume 683 of 1835, page 497.
them. They replied as follows (No. 6,
dated 23rd January 1835):—
" Having had the above statements carefully compared with our records, I
have now. to state for the information of the Right Hon’ble the Governor in
Council, that our exports to the Persian Gulf in 1832-33 were to the amount of
Rs. 27t35'72°t whereas the Resident shows the imports from all places, in the
sum of Rs. 42,51,324, exhibiting a difference of Rs. 15,15,804. The exports
from Bushirc for the same year, amount to Rs. 20,27,544, to this Port and
Bengal, of which our imports from the same Gulf consist of Rs. 15,61,088,
showing a difference of Rs. 4,66,456 only. These differences may be placed to
the credit of Bengal, but it is evident, that this Port most largely participated
in the trade in question.
The truth of this remark is most apparent in the year 1833-34, in which
the exports from Bushire to Bombay, with a single exception, amounted to
C103PD