Page 60 - Gulf Precis(VIII)_Neat

PART III—CHAPTER XIV
42
CHAPTER XIV.

Trade of the Gulf of Oman and Persia, 1873—1905.
Captain Malcolm in his report* on the trade between Persia and India, t8oot
' gives the following particulars and estimate*
• Appendix H, to the Selftlions, /6oo-iSoo.
of the value of the imports and exports to
and from the Persian Gulf:—
30. A probable estimate of the property annually employed in Imports and Exports to
and from the Persian Gulf, makes it amount to the gross sum o£ one crore and sixty
lakho of rupees. I shall endeavour to show as concisely and as correctly as I can the nature
of this commerce and the channels through which it flows. The annual imports to Persia
from India amount to nbovc twenty lacks of rupees. They consist of chintzes from the
coast of Coromandel, muslins, piece-goods, sugar, and a variety of articles from Bengal,
chinaware, .sugarcandy, camphor, and Ca(si'c) from Bombay; blackpcppcr, ginger, turmeric,
cardamoms and wood for building vessels from the coast of Malabar and piece-goods,
kamkhabs, etc., etc., from Surat, Cambay, and Guzarat. From the Red Sea the only
import to Persia is coffee, and of that, not above twenty thousand rupees is consumed
during the year. Persia answers this trade by an export of about twelve lakhs in the
native productions of the country, silk, Carmenia wool, carpets, tobacco, dried fruit,
asaftclida, rose-water, etc., etc., and the balance is sent in specie and bullion,
31. The trade with India is chiefly confined to Abu Shehr. The duties collected on
imports and exports at this Port arc regulated by a standard established many years ago
by -Shaikh Nasser, father of the present Governor. On Exports they are very trifling, and on
goods imported, though nominally more, do not average above 4 per cent, on the prime
Cost, and I have learned from good authority, that the Duties on Imports produced last year
seventy-thousand rupees, or one lack of Piastres, which gives an import of goods to the
amount of seventeen lacks and a half of rupees at this Port alone, independent of the
Hon'ble Company's sales, in all of which, the Shaikh receives four per cent, from the pur­
chaser. This estimate, if correct, which I have reason to believe it is, proves that the
present trade between India and Persia is rather under, than over, rated.
32. The only Indian goods that are shipped direct for a Persian Port are those from
Bengal and Masulipatam and the remainder which amount to more than half of the total
sum, go first to Muscat, from whence they are re-shipped for the Gulph; within these last
two years however, the Abu Shelter and Merchants have sent their Agents to Bombay with
a view of procuring consignments direct.
Chapters VIII—XII of this Precis and Colonel Pelly’s published reports of
*863, give some idea of the commerce of the gulf in 1834, and 1856, and 1857,
1863, 1864, 1866, 1869 and 1870-71. The following statement shows the
growth of its commerce during the last 30 years :—