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Appendix III.

Memoranda on the Karun Riocr by Sir H. Raxolinson, Sir O. St. John, Mr.
TV. Raring, Captain H. IVells and Mr. Ronald Thomson.
x
Memorandum by Sir H. Rawlinson, dated 23rd Juno 1882.
I vonturo to tbiok that tho importanoo of tho so-called pro.ioot of "oponing uptho Karun"
has, as fur as British interests aro concerned, been vastly overrated. It seems that, somo years
ago, certain British morohants who wero engaged in tho Persian trado, and who found that tho
very heavy expenso of tho land carriage between tho port of Bushire and tho markets of
Central and Northern Persia placed them at a great disadvantage in respeot to tlioir Russian
competitors, lookod wistfully to the Korun waterway loading into the interior of tho country as
a moans of affording them relief, not unnaturally hoping that, by starting their caravans of
goods from advanced post9 up tho river, liko Shuster and Dizful, they would sensibly reduce
tbo cost of transport, and be thus ablo to meet the Russians on more equal terms in tho
markets of Ispahan and Teheran, and even of Tabriz, It thus becarno of great importance,
according to tlioir view of the question, to obtain a right of navigating tho river Karun and
its tributaries from Mohammorah upwards, and the British Legation at Teheran ha6 accordingly,
under in9truotions from tho Foreign Office, and in supposed support of our economical and
political interests, kept up a strong and sustained pressuro for some years past at the capital,
m order to wring this concession from a reluctant Government. But tho whole argument,
as it appears to me, rests from the outset on a fallacy, for neither is it possible to render the
'* Karun ” navigable to steamers, except at a cost entirely disproportionate to tho results and
quite beyond tho means of the Local Government, nor if our morchants could convey their
goods by water to Shuster and Dizful, would they have at all improved their general position.
1 now go on to explain briefly theso two crucial points
Firstly, in regard to tho Karun, it is well known that tho rivor is barred at Ahwaz by a
successioa of rooky strata which run across tho river bed, and from rapids, some miles ia
extent, preventing any continuous navigation, oxcept in high flood, when, for a few weeks ia
tho year, light craft can ba hauled by main forco ovor the obstructions. Captain Wells and
Mr. Baring who have recently yisited and roported upon the Ahwaz barrier, express themselves
most unfavourably as to the prospect of overcoming this difficulty.
As the river falls 7 feet in passing the a bund,” it is feared that, if the rocky barrier
were removed by blasting, tho upper part of tho stream would be drained and rendered
unnavigable. Mr. Baring accordingly sees no alternative but the trans-shipment of goods
at tho “bund,” which, indeed, is the oourse at present pursued by tho local traders, but which
would, by no means, 6uit European steam traffic; while Captain Wolls suggests a canal
with looks, a very expensive undertaking, and not likely to bo entered upon by a mere trading
company.
The second difficulty to which I have drawn attention is still more discouraging. It
must be oonceded> that the present trade route into Persia from the sea coast is inconvenient,
circuitous, and expensive. The passes between Bushire and Shiraz are notoriously bad, and
in some places dangerous. The distance from the sea coast to tho capital is 700 miles, and
as wheeled carriages are almost unknown, the expense of transport is heavy; but in spit*
of all these drawbacks, I have no hesitation in saying that the present caravan route by-
Shiraz and Ispahan is by far the best line of aocess to the interior of the country. Becanso
there is a saving in distance of about 200 miles in the direct line from Shustert o Ispahan,
as compared with the route to the same place from Bushire via Shiraz, it has been assumed
that the former must afford the best and oheapest mode of entering Persia; but, in truth,
map distance has little or nothing to do with the argument. I assert with tho utmost
confidence that tbo direct line across the mountains from Shuster to Ispahan cannot be made
a commercial route. Mr. Baring says of it—“The difficulties are enormous. One passes
over ridge after ridge, as if one were going over tho tooth of a saw.” In history it was
considered one of the-greatest achievements that the Atabegs of Luristan, in tho 13th contury,
did construct a good made road across these mountains from tlioir capital of Aidej, or Malanier,
to Ispahan ;.but the Jade/i-i-Jtabeg, as it was called, never became a trade route, and vary soon
fell'into rum owing to natural causes. Nor is there any other available route into the interior
from Shuster or Dizful which is at all to be compared with the high road from Bushire to
Shiraz. Mr. Baring in his report (page 10) speaks of a road from Shuster to Gulpaigun
directly^ across Ilia most difficult portion of the range, but I have been assured on t&c spot
that tbis track, which crosses the Dizful river at tho Pul-i-Hul, is only practicable to foot
travellers. An unladen mule cannot even be dragged over the slippery eheot rock which
occurs in every stage. Another road conducts direct from Dizful to Khurraraabad, and this
I have actually followed, performing tbo distance in five days, but it was a clamber .throughout,
the line bein*> absolutely impracticable to caravans, and being, moreover, entirely uninhabited.
The only high road from Shuster to tho interior of Persia, the only road indeed that would
be available to British merchants, who might have convoyed their goods by steamer up tho
Karun to Shuster, is that nolicod by Mr. Baring at the end of page 15 of his report, which
conducts up the valley of the Kerliha to Jaidar, and then strikes off to the uorth-east along