Page 374 - 5 Persian Trade rep BUSHIRE I_Neat

REPORT
OX Til It

TRADE OF THE CONSULAR DISTRICT OF BUSUJRE FOR THE PERSIAN
FISCAL YEAR 21ST MARCH 1912 TO 20TH MARCH 1913.

Introduction.
Anniversary of British Trade Interests-— From Linguh the distribution inland has been
To all those interested in the trade of this dis­ restricted for many years to the immediate hinter­
trict, and particularly in British Trade through land, of which the towns of Lar, and Jahrum to a
this port, it is of interest to record that the spring smaller extent represent the limit of the radius.
of 11)13 saw the 150th anniversary of the first es­ There are no great caravan rentes leading beyond
tablishment of a Factory by the East India Com­ these towns, and there is no commercial inter­
pany at Bushire, a fact that should not pass course between. Lingah merchants and the trade
unnoticed, for then begun the long trading con­ centres of Central Persia.
nection between Bushire, Shiraz, Great Britain The area of distribution from Buskire exteuds
aud Iudia which has reached such important 100 miles to the north and 150 miles to the
dimensions of recent years. south near the littoral: inland it covers the
In April 17G3 an agreement was made with I Kuhgelu country and the Kashgai summer quar-
Shaikh Sa'dun of Bushire, by which, among j ters on the west, and on the east follows the eas-
vtiior privileges, r.o import and export “dues were j tern border of Furs tcwards the province of Yazd.
to be levied, and •'xily 3 per cent, charged on goods . The town of Isfahan is the main terminus of cara-
L'Vjght and s*'ld to the English: woollen goods van traffic from Bushire, and the town of Yazd is
could be imported and sold to the English only: ‘ also supplied partly fro n Shiraz,
and no other Kunpean nation was permitted to From M«'hainmerah ‘hea.-ra includes Arabistan,
settle at Bushire as long as the English hud a with the towns of Ahwaz ar.d Skushtar: Dizful
factory there.” In July 1703 a royal grant from and to an extent, re.-trie ted so far, the province
Kerim Khan, King of Persia, was given at of Luristan; and by cue Ahwaz-Isfahan road the
Shiraz, and conferred various privileges of a like Bakhtiari country, and the town aud province of
nature. Isfahan in part are supplied.
The factory of the East India Company at The population of these four ports is at present
Bushire was merged in course of time into the approximately: —
British Residency.
Position of Bushire in the Foreign Trade Bandar Abbas 5,007 (summer.: 10,000 (winter)
Liugah
8,000
of Southern Persia.—Foreign commerce with Bushire 18,000 *
Southern Persia by way of the Persian Gulf enters iloluiumeruh 15,000.
the country by four ports, at which steamships The population of the areas supplied are quite
from Europe and India touch. Those are, from unknown aud to quote Persian computations may
south-east to the head of the Gulf:—Bandar be misleading. European estimates of the popu­
Abbas, Lingah, Bushire, aud Mokammerah. lation of the districts immediately dependent on
Coastwise, they are distant from each other:— Bushire arc 150,000, and of the whole of Fare
Linwh from Bandar Abbas 95 miles (nautical) 750,000.
Bu-alre from Lir.gab 325 miles „
Uohammcrah from Bushiro 210 miles „ From March 1912-13 the respective volumes of
trade through these ports were
while the mileage covered by ocean-going stea­ £
mers is:— Bandar Abba* 6S5.39I
Bandar Abbas to Lingah 108 miles Lingah 3S9.5S0
Lingah to Boshire 301 miles Bushiro 1,747,092
Mobammcrah (ArabIrian) 1,036,870
Bushire to Mohammcrah 173 miles.
With such great intervening distances it i6 not In their merits and special characteristics, the
remarkable that there is little overlapping of the three routes of entry and passage for goods to
areas of distribution, for several hundred miles and from the interior differ widely (that from
inland from the coast, when however they con­ Lingah having little present value beyond the 100
verge on the towns of Yazd and Isfahan. These miles to Lar).
areas embrace, as regards Bandar Abbas, the Ker­ Bandar Abbas has an anchorage some 2 mile*
man province, from which the subprovince of Yazd from the shore, protected to a certain degree from
is supplied to a partial extent. winds : the town is squalid : there are no European
business men, and few Persian merchants of
N. B.—Statistical Tables in this rojort are calculated standing: there i6 no extensively cultivated area
at 50 Krans por £l s'.t-rl.ng, the standard rate in force for
some years in all Consular Roports from Persia; though in the immediate neighbourhood (save Mjuab) :
during 1911-12 and 1912-13 it w;u quite fictitious aud the the road to Kerman is 312 miles long, transport
real rate vu about Kranr 65. is scarce, the country traversed is sparsely inha­
For 1913-14 the ctandard rale will be 55 Krans per £1 bit d, and the road is frequently unsettled by the
sterling. proximity of marauding tribes.