Page 463 - 3 Persian Trade rep KUWAIT 1_Neat

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REPORT ON THE TRADE OF KUWAIT FOR
THE YEAR 1923-24.

kept in Indian currency; but Maria Theresa dollars
The Principality of Kuwait and its inhabitants.
arc used forjill dealings • ith the desert. The value
The frontier line of Kuwait is ns follows:— of the Maria*Theresa dollars averaged Rs. 169-13-0
Starting from the southern portion of Ras al- per 100 during the period under reference.
Qulai'ah (12 miles from Kuwait), with the town as iV.B.—Tfcr ccjiTcrs'on of the tr'dc figures in this Report
centre it describes an arc towards the west until is mode at the rate of Rs. U p?r lb. throughout.
it intersects *29° Latitude, and from this point runs
ill a straight line to the Batin, opposite the junc­
tion of the Wadi al-’Aujah with the Batin. The Weights and Measures.
line then runs northward along the Batin to a point
just south of the latitude of Safwan : then east­ The ordinary unit of weight is th- Way!yah, of
wards, passing just south of Jabal Sanain, Safwiin which there arc three kinds: viz., one of 4 lbs.
and Uuiiu Qasr, and so o:i to the junction of the 10-22 oz., another of 4 lbs. 15- 68 oz., and a third
Khaur az-Zubair with the Khaur ’.Abdullah. The of 9 lbs. 4-41 oz., being respectively the weight of
territory enclosed within this line and the Persian 75, 50 azi 150 Maria Theresa Dollars on which coin
Gulf, together with the isT.nd of Warbah, Bubiyan, the Waqiyah is Laied. The Waqiyuh of 4 lbs. 15-168
Muskan, Failakah, 'Atih.ih, K bbnr and I'min al- oz. is only used bv the local Customs for imports
Maradim, is recognized s belonging to Kuwait. from the desert and that of 9 lbs. 4-44 oz., only for
The tract of country bounded on the north by the the silo of fish, and beyond this mention of them
southern portion of the Kuwait frontier as de-cribed no further notice will be taken of them here. The
above, on the cast by the sea, on the west by the Waqiyah of 4 lbs. 10-22 oz. is used by the local
.Sharp], and on the south by a straight line running Customs for sea imports, and is universally used
due east from the Shaqq through Ain al-’Abd to iu the town. A larger weight is the mann, of which
the sea north of Ras al-Mish'ab, is rccogn zed as there are six distinct varieties, all based on the
common to the two state- of Najii and Kuwait, iu Waqiyah of 4 lbs. 10-22 oz., viz.—
which both enjoy equal rights.
1. The tniinn of 27 Waqiyahs, or 125 lbs. 3-94
The capital itself has a population of a little over oz., this is the local Government s
50,<K)0 souls, of whom the groat majority are Arabs. measure for weighing goods for ass ss-
The Persian community, however, has greatly nxnt of duty ; it is also used in the town
incrcascd in recent years and now consists of about for weighing all commodities for which
10,'-U0 souls. There are over 4.000 negroes and there is not a special measure.
a few Jews and two or three houses of Chaldean
Christians from ’Iraq. Outside the capital the 2. The mann of 30 Waqiyahs or 139 lbs. 2-6 oz.,
inhabitants of the principality arc all Arabs and are used for wheat, barley, ’Iraq rice and
mostly nomads: the only permanently settled firewood. ,
villages being Jshrah, which is situated near the 3. The naan of 12 IFa^iyafa or 55 lbs. 10-64
foot of the Kuwait Bay, about tw ini'es inland, oz., used for sail for cloth only.
and distant twenty miles by re-ad from Kuwait 4. The mann of 24 Waqiyahs or 111 lbs. 5-28 oz.,
town, and having a population of about 500 souls; used for clarified butter, fat, salt and
Zor, with a similar population of the island cf hai- gypsum mortar.
lakah at the entrance to Kuwait Bay ; and the simi­
lar villages of Hawaii, Dimuah, Fantas, Abu 5. The mann of 48 Waqiyahs or 222 lbs. 10-56
oz., u-cd for sugar only.
Hulaifah, Fuliailiii and Shu’aibah all to the (outh
and south-east of Kuwait. 6. The mann of 36 Waqiyahs or 166 lbs. 15-92
oz., used for wheat and barley when im­
ported from Basrah.
Currency.
20 manns of the last named variety, or approxi­
mately 3,310 lbs. make one tayha .
Kuwait has no currency of her own. Indian
rupees and smaller coins—particularly copper pice— Firewood is normally sold by the raftT of 4 man.is
are chiefly used in the town, and accounts are now of 30 jaht or 5,556 lbs. 10-4 oz.