Page 56 - Gulf Precis (VII)_Neat

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or horses to come from ? In India, whoro cart-roads have boon made ponotrating a few miles
into the mountains, tho adjacent plains furnish an inexhaustible supply of volling-6took, but
in Persia all would havo to bo croatcd just as much ns that for u railway. Tho longest
mountain cart-road in India is, I boliovo, that to Simla, 67 miles in length, but even on this
camels do as much work as carts. Tho introduction of whoelcd trallio for commercial purposes
into Southern Persia would bo ns purely artificial as that of railways. Tho only uso that a
metalled road of low gradients from Hushiro to Shiraz would be put to would bo to sorvo as
foundation for a light railway, which might as woll bo mado at onco.
Sotting aside theso roads for wheeled traffic, the quostion of oponing trado routes from
Shuster to tho interior takes a difforont aspect. It is astonishing how simply and inexpen­
sively tho most eteop and rugged path oan be mado not only practicable but easy for mules and
osmols. Mr. Baring compares the road between Shuster and Ispahan to tho teeth of a saw.
That between Bushiro and Shiraz is more liko a 6taircaso, though it has a certain amount of
stoep descents ns well as ascents. It is these abrupt declivitios that are such formidable
obstacles to mulo and camel carriago, gentle slopes affeot them not at all, or at least infiuitesi-
mnlly. Comparing Mr. Baring's and Captain Wells’ reports on tho Shuster-Ispahan road
with my own knowledge of tho Buehire-Shiraz road, I find tho some of steep abrupt asconts to
bs 12,000 foot in the one case, and 9,000 foot in tho other, os follows]:—
Shutter-Itpahan Road.
Feot.
Mai-Amir to Karun • • • 000
Rudbar to Hillisat Ml 3,600
Hillisat to Dopulan Ml 8,000
Dopulan to Ardell Ml 1,500
Aidell to Chabar ftlahel • n 3,000

12,000

Bushire-Shiraz Road.
To Konartukhteh 2,000
„ Kamaraj ... • M 1,000
„ Kazerun ... • • # IM 500
„ Crest of Pirizan Pais ... 4,500
„ Sinah Safid ... Ml 1,000

9,000

The distance saved by the Shuster road to Ispahan is 200 miles, against which has only
to be placed the 3,000 oxtra feet to which the roads have to bo lifted. Undor these oiroum-
atances there would, no doubt, be a considerable saving in the transport of goods by opening a
mule-path from Shuster to Ispahan, and an equal or larger gain, by doing the same through
Khurramabad to Teheran. Much stress is laid by Sir Henry Rawlinson on the unsettled and
uoiohabited condition of parts of the country to bo traversed by these new routes, and this is,
no doubt, a most formidable obstacle, though not, I believe, au insurmountable one. Since I
went to Persia, nineteen years ago, the condition of the country as regards safety of travelling
and communications generally has been steadily improving, in spite of the serious check caused
by the famine. The capacity for mischief of the wandoriug tribes is yearly lessening, and
I agree with Mr. Baring that the Zil-us-Sultan, to whom the Shah has confided the govern­
ment of all Southern Persia, is well able to open and keep open the roads from Shuster to the
interior if he chooses to do so j while the present uninhabited condition of parts of the routes
would not prove a more insurmountable difficulty than it has olsewhere, e.gon tho Shiraz-
Ispahan roads, from Imamzadeh Ismail to Yezdikhest, and from Meshed-i-Surmek. On the
other hand,. I greatly doubt whether anything will induce tho Shah's Government to consent
to the opening of the Karun to navigation. Possibly the Zil-us-Sultan may be able to manage
it, aod if he suooeeds in doing so tho first step should be, I think, to place at his disposal the
services of a specially qualified engineer to visit Ahwaz, and submit a design aad estimate for
opening a navigable channel.