Page 45 - PERSIAN 2 1879_1883

RESIDENCY AND HUSK AT POLITICAL AGENCY FOR 1879-80. S3

going bringing down up-country goods for exportation and taking back
imported goods, and that an agent at Bushire could select fronj these
caravans and ship them off to India. There are several reasons how-
ever against this plan. In the first pluce I have said that generally
the same caravans of mules ply between Bushire and Shiraz, so the
number of these is limited; also the road is a very bad one, with
uumerous kotuis and forage scanty; the mules on this road arc conse­
quently out of condition, aud the majority have sore bncka. Again, the
muleteers can always find immediate employment, and will not'sell their
auimals except at exorbitant prices, especially as they cannot replace them
by purchase among the Eeliyats without returning into tlio interior.
Major Probyu's experience proved this. Out of 700 mules collected
in Bushire at a large cost, he was only able to select a small proportion
owing to sore backs, &c., and out of those selected, he could only secure
seventy-six, the prices asked being exorbitant and the muleteers refus­
ing to take less. Even these seventy-six cost on an average Rupees
216 each, and were thus considerably dearer than any of the mules
subsequently purchased elsewhere. Muleteers live by their profession,
and when they sell auy of their mules, they immediately purchase others,
and naturally they will be more ready to part with their animals in places
where they can immediately replace them, £.e., in the centres of the
mule-breeding districts.
As mules purchased by Government are always required to be trained
and fit for service, it is to the professional muleteers chiefly that we must
look for a supply. Positions for purchasing agents therefore should be
chosen on caravan routes and also; as far os possible, in the centre of mule­
breeding districts. Three large towns fulfil these conditions admirably,
namely, Shiraz, Ispahan, and Shuster. These three places form a triangle
commanding the whole of the mule-breeding districts of Persia. The sea­
port for Shiraz and Ispahan is Bushire; that for Shuster, Mobammerau,
at the junction of the Karoou river with the Shatt-cl-Arab. Major
Probyu's experience bears out this opinion. At Shirdz Major Probyn
purchased 267 mules in a fortnight's time, and subsequently Mr. Preece
secured 850 more within two months. At Shuster also Major Probyn
met with success, and I believe bis opinion is that it is about the best
and cheapest place of alL It is certainly in the centre of the Bakh-
tyari country and not far from the Abu Gbaddareb. Ispahan was not .
tried, but bad more mules been required, Mr. Preece intended proceed­
ing to that place and would assuredly not have been disappointed.
Should therefore any future emergency arise when mules may I*
required’ and Persia be resorted to for a supply, I am strongly of opi-
* that the best, quickest, and in the end most economical course, to
nion
pursue would be to depute an officer and two assistants. The assist­
ants might be drawn from Persia if competent persons were available.
One officer should be stationed in Shirdz, another in Ispahan, and the
other in Shnster. They should l>e provided each with a suitable number
of sowars or trustworthy Indian 6epoys to go with each batch of mules
despatched to the port of embarkation, for no Persian is to be trusted.
On the last occasion the Persians 6ent in charge of the mules from
Shir£z to Bushire invariably sold their barley, starved them, and on
B