Page 60 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

50 ADMINISTRATION BSPORT ON THE PERSIAN GULP POLITICAL

members of the M 8oci6t6 Isrn61ite *’ working among the Jews. There are also
branches of this Society at Kormanshah, Senna, Sakiz and Bijar.
Tours.—In October 1905 I visited Senna, Bijar and Hamadan, being
most hospitably treated at all throe places.
At Senna I was much 6truck by the order and olcnnliness of tho town,
and by the smart appearance of the soldiers in the palaoe. These may not
appear to be very important, but when the state of an ordinary town in Persia
is considered, it 6eoms truly wonderful.
Everywhere I found that distress, more or lcs9 acute, prevailed, though
less in the province of Kurdistan than in either Kermanshah or Hamadan.
In March 1906 I travelled down to Kasr-i-Shirfn by tho main pilsrim
route. At Kerind I saw some of the rifles manufactured in tho town. These
rifles are not at all badly turned out, and cost from 20 to 80 Tomans apiece
(roughly from Us. 50 to Re. 75).
At Kasr-i-Shirin I rode out to the oil wells at Chikkar (or Chiah) Surkh,
the property of the d’Arcy Company. I found the wells guarded by tribes­
men and everything in good order. The wells were both spouting, though not
a very large amount of oil was coming out.
The road from Kasr-i-Shirin to Chikkar Surkh consists of about ten miles
of good going across undulating plains.
The road from Kcrmanshah to Easr-i-Shirin is in a shocking condition
after every rainfall, though in fine weather it is passable enough, as it lies for
the most part across open plains.
There is some talk of a Persian Company having been, or being formed
to improve this road. It would be a most excellent thing for trade generally
if some encouragement could be given to this Company. Any money laid out
on the improvement of this road would be a most paying investment, and
expense could be easily recouped by rolls, as the traffic is enormous,—this
road being the main pilgrim route to Kerbela.
The only portion of the road requiring any engineering skill is the pass
lying between Sar-i-pul and Surkh-i-Dizeh.
II. GOUGH, Captain,
His Britannic Majesty's Consul,
Kermanshah.
Kermajnsuah ;
Tie 10th May 1906.