Page 498 - 6 Persian Trade rep BUSHIRE 2_Neat

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Singapore codec and Mombasa codec shared the market.
Malalmr eolloe, which was formerh m peal demand, is no longer
so on account of its higher price.
The cheapest brands of granulated sugar were from Egypt and
.Java. English crystal sugar and Dutch crystal sugar sold at
higher prices.
.Japanese cement appeared to he making progress against Indian
(Kathiawar) cement.
.Japanese piece goods fdled the ha/.aar to the almost entire exclu­
sion of all others. Some all wool cloths made in England wore on
sale hut they had to compete with .Japanese woollen-cloths.
.Japanese silks and artificial silks ol all descriptions were extremely
popular on account of their cheapness.
As in Bahrain, Japanese bicycles by reason of their poor quality
have not been a success and British machines were generally pre­
ferred. Japanese matches also, in spite of their lower price, have
not been as popular as Swedish matches. These two instances arc
perhaps an indication of some appreciation of the real worth of an
article and suggest that, given increased purchasing power, there
would he a demand for better class articles.
Exports.—Exports consisted fur the most part of pearls to India
and specie, hides and skins to 'Iraq. The value of the pearls ex­
ported in lO’W-IM was estimated at 515,5(H) rupees as compared with
•150.000 rupees in the previous year.

VII.—MUSCAT.
General.—The Sultan of Muscat and Oman is in special treat\
relations with JI is Majesty’s (lovernment and the Government
of India. The seaboard of his Sultanate extends, with the exception
of a small strip on the east side ol the promontory separating the
Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, from Tibat on the west side
of this promontory to Has Dharbat Ali. a point on the southern coast
of Arabia some *2(.)o miles north of the island of Socotra. Apart from
two fertile stretches, the first comprising some 100 miles to the
north-west of the town of Muscat and known as the Batinah, and
the second the province of Dhofar in the e .treme south, the coastal
region is rocky and barren. In the interior the country is for the
most part mountainous and uncultivated. The higher inland ranges
are wooded in places and generally fertile.
Dates arc grown extensively in the Batinah, and limes, mangos
and pomegranates flourish there as well as in the Oman hinterland.
The port of Gwadur on the Makran coast with a portion of the
surrounding territory also belongs to the Sultan of Muscat and has 1
become important in recent years as a stopping place for Imperial
Airways.