Page 342 - Gulf Precis(VIII)_Neat

aS
the severance, jealousy has been created, that Naval Force has been divided, dismantled ;
the trade has declined ; and the conviction in the minds of the Arabs that tradt^ between
Zanzibar and Arabia is no longer profitable or safe, owing to the proceedings of our
anti-slavery squadron, has yet further contributed towards that decline.
A tendency of these circumstances is to confine the Muscat shipping to an Asiatic
carrying trade • and bunder Abbas, which the
Vi§., Extern Persia, Herat, elc. Sultan farms from Persia under a lease of which
The ceuntfy three day* horn Bunder Abbas Is some 13 years have yet to run, is its principal
fruitful.
entrepot, and the natural port, perhaps, for
goods entering or leaving a large portion of Southern Central Asia.
Bunder Abbas, Kishin, both town and island, being situated near the entrance of the
Gulf within 50 miles of Mussundoom, and the
Trsde is interfered with at Bunder Abbas far coast lines of the Muscat Territories
less (tun at Busblie. proper
being continuations of Cape Mussundoom and
interlaced with the interests of the other Maritime Arab States, our relations with the
Sultan of Muscat would, I think, be most conve-
Foro striking example of this interlacing see my niently managed by the Resident at Mussun­
lettsr on the Koomza attack sent by this mail. doom with a subordinate Native Agent, or per­
haps, preferably, a cheerful married Apothecary,
aquainted with the dialect of the country, and not too dangerous in his practice, at the
town of Muscat.
The only point which would be less dominated by the proposed arrangement at
Cassab would be Bushire itself ; and this port
I would, however, keep up my right to a Rest- might, perhaps, be more properly watched by
dentship at Bushire. a Vice-Consul under the Legation at Tehran,
since the port of Bushire and its containing Province are directly under the Shah’s Govern­
ment. The Vice-Consul could communicate with the Resident upon matters affecting
our Gulf interests.
As to the trade of Bushire, the imaginative mind of Persia, embellishing all it
touches, attributes to this the principal and almost sole seaport of the Persian Empire
an incomparable commerce; but the common-place sense of an Englishman weighs upon
the fact that a Government not celebrated for generosity compounds with its Governor
for the Import and Export dues of Bushire at about Tomans 16,000 per annum. Suppose
that, independently of indirect emoluments, the Governor clears Tomans 4,000 on the
contract, this gives a total of Tomans 20,000, which, at a 5 per cent, duty of the
most favored nation, infers a total of exports and imports of Tomans 400,000 per annum.
Double this total to prevent under-statement and
Equal to neatly half a million sterling.
add half the original total for contingency, and
you have—a grand total of one million Tomans a Bagatelle.
One circumstance that tends to mislead in a trade like that of Persia is its being car­
ried by beasts of burden. A caravan trade shows large ; but there may be a good deal of
bell tinkling under the mules’ necks, without much wool or cotton on their backs. A mule
may carry 240 lbs.: then it takes nearly 4,000 mules to equal a small craft of 500 tons, and
it is probable a year’s caravan trade along a well-frequented Persian line might be readily
stowed in the shipping of an average London yard. I append a very rough approximate
estimate of the Bushire trade.'
Perhaps it is not possible that the commerce of this port should permanently flourish
so long as it is subject to the caprice of a succession of contracting Governors bent on
immediate personal gains, as though the Shah’s Government had a three years’ lease of the
Customs. As regards English mercantile interests, it is rumoured that these depend much
upon the friendliness or otherwise of the political relations subsisting between the Resident
and Governor of the day. During the two months I have been here corn export has been
twice prohibited for alleged reasons of absence of rain and presence of locusts. The
Governor relaxed the interdict in one instance to show, as he phrased it, his good will
towards me; but obviously neither English nor any other trade can flourish under these
considerations of caprice and person. Under any circumstances, perhaps, Bushire labors
under some disadvantages of harbourage, and its proper zone of inland exchange should
rather contract than extend if the Gulf line be thoroughly developed upon European ideas.
. Yet I am not of opinion that Persia would be incapable of a considerable trade under
a Government which should render property moderately secure, and guarantee to the
people the profits of their industry. Superficially viewed, the Persians present some
characteristics eminently contemptible. Perhaps no other nation in the world could have
supplied the original of Hajee Baba; when we speak of Persia, her interests, and condi­
tion, we have possibly in mind the Persian Court and Capital; but we should distinguish
between these and the people in general. The former lie like frothy foam upon the latter,
to be blown away by the first political whiff and to be replaced by other scud, as brilliant,
vain, as hollow, and as worthless. The latter, the supporting mass, heavy, frugal, indust­
rious, trade-seeking, seem fitted, under a better Government, for the accumulation of
wealth, individually trifling, but collectively of considerable importance; and for the
growth of a trade suited to this condition of society. In these distinguishing characteris­
tics, as in some other points, the Persians resemble the French.