Page 76 - Gulf Precis(VIII)_Neat

PART III—CHAPTER XIV.
58
Trade of Maskat.

After the removal of the British factory from Gombroon in 1763 A. D
Maskat grew into the most important trading centre in the Gulfs of Omen and
Persia. We have the following description
•Appendix F. to the Stlectiont 1600 — 1S00.
of its commerce in the Report* on the com­
merce of Arabia and Persia by Samuel Manesty and Harford Jones in 1790 :_
“ The commercial intercourse, carried on between Muscat, the Red Sea and the Persian
Gulph, is effected, by means of Dows, Dingics and square rigged vessels, belonging to the
Arabs: and the commercial intercourse, carried on between Muscat and India, is effected
in part by means of the abovementioned vessels, and in part, by means of vessels belong­
ing to different European Nations and to Indian Moslem merchants. The first mentioned
vessels navigated, by the Arabs of Muscat who are active and enterprizing, though not very
skilful seamen, perform voyages to the Guadcl and Scindy Coasts, to Surat, Bombay,
the Coast of Malabar and even latterly to Calcutta. They annually convey to those places
considerable quantities of pearls, rock salt, brimstone, copper, arsenic, galls, saffron)
raw silk, dates, dried fruits, assafeetida, opium, a variety of other drugs, many less
important mercantile articles, and large sums of money in German crowns, Venetians,
and other gold and silver coins, and they annually import from those places, at Muscat,
considerable quantities of Surat piece-goods of various kinds, Malabar cloth, cotton yarn,
Gujerat piece-goods, chintz and cuttances Cambay chauderss, Broach and Scindy cotton,
shauls, bamboos, chinaware, sandal wood, pepper, ginger, cardamums, nutmegs, cina*
mon, cassia flowers, musk, camphire, turmeric, indigo, iron, lead, steel, tin, tothena-
que, red lead, oil, ghee, rice, teak timber, and many less important mercantile articles.
The vessels belonging to Indian Moslem merchants, which occasionally visit Muscat,
convey to and from India, commercial articles similar to those imported at, and exported
from Muscat by the vessels belonging to the port.
The vessels belonging to European nations, which annually import at Muscat, convey
to that place, considerable quantities of piece-goods, the manufactures of Bengal and of
the Coromandel coast, sugar, spices, rice, turmeric, indigo, iron, steel, tin, tothenaque,
red lead, small cannon, balls and some coarse firearms. The three last mentioned articles
are principally imported by the French.
The vessels belonging to European nations, which annually import at Muscat, convey
from thence to the English settlements in India, to Battavia, and to the Mauritius, large
sums in specie, gold and silver coins, pearl and considerable quantities of brimstone, rock,
salt, copper, arsenic, balls and many less important mercantile articles.
The vessels belonging to the Arabs of Mascat, which are annually despatched to the
Ports of Hodeeda and Mocha in the Red sea; convey to those places considerable quantities
of dates, the produce of the vicinity of Bussora, pearl, various kinds of piece-goods, the
manufactures of Bengal, of the coasts of Coromandel and Malabar, and of Surat, cotton
shauls, chinaware, sugar, sugar candy, pepper, sandal wood, ginger, cardamums, cloves,
nutmegs, cinamon, cassia flowers, musk, camphire, opium, tcrmeric, indigo, tobacco, rose­
water and many less important mercantile articles, and bring in return to Muscat, very
valuable cargoes of Yemen coflee, a variety of drugs, and considerable sums of money in
Venetians and German crowns.
The vessels belonging to the Arabs, which navigate the Persian Gulph, convey to the
different ports thereof the principal part of the Yemen coffee, and of the different Indian
and European mercantile articles which are annually imported as beforementioned at
Muscat; and being in return to that place, principally, however, from Bussora, consider­
able quantities of dates, copper, arsenic, galls, saffron, raw silk, Bagdad and Aleppo
cuttanees, needles, hardware, tobacco, rosewater, dried fruits, opium, assafotida, a variety
of other drugs, many less important mercantile articles and large sums of money, in various
gold coins.
The remaining incosiderable part of the Yemen coffee, and of the other different
mercantile articles, which are annually imported at Mascat, is destined for the consumption
of that place, and of the other parts of the Province of Oman. It is circulated through that
Province by land conveyance, by the means of camels, at a moderate expense, and without
any consequential risk.
The duties collected by the Government of Mascat, are 6£ per cent, on all importations
even provisions nqt excepted.
From the foregoing information, relative to the commerce of Muscat, it evidently
appears to be of a very important and extensive nature, and on a consideration of the
advantages arising to Muscat from local situation, it may be fairly concluded that its com­
merce must ever flourish. ”
There were, however, signs even in 1790 of some rival influences in operanam,
which gathered force later on, against the rosperity of Maskat; for the same