Page 162 - Arabiab Studies (IV)

152 Arabian Studies IV
1863 PELLY, Col. Lewis, Joum. of the Gcog. Soc. of Bombay, xvii,
1863.

ANNUAL IMPORTS FROM MUSCAT TO BUSHIRE
Quantity in Value in
Tabriz Maunds Rupees
Mat Bags (Kafat) 200,000 40.000
Empty rice gunny bags 200,000 35.000
Coffee 4,000 10.000
Pepper 4,000 5.000
Bengal Sugar 28,000 31,000
Turmeric 4,000 3.000
Sugar-candy 800 1,600
Swedish iron 4,800 3,000
Steel 500 500
Hides 6,000 3.000
Tin 1,000 5.000
Cardamums 150 3.000
Dry Lemons 20,000 25.000
Fathanec (Cutch Leather) 8,000 12.000
Chundles (rafters) 4,000 4.000
Cloves nil
Lamp Oil (cutch made) 5.000 6,500
Janpoor Indigo (Scind) 4.000 40,000
ANNUAL EXPORTS FROM BUSHIRE TO MUSCAT
Opium 1,000 30.000
Wheat 80,000 12.000
Raw Silk 1,000 50,000
Ghee 3,000 6,000
Rosewater (carboys) 4.000 5.000
Cummin seeds 8.000 4.000

PALGRAVE, William Gifford, Narrative of a Year's journey
through Central and Eastern Arabia, London, 1865, ii,
254-389. Philby doubts whether Palgrave actually made the
journey that he describes, but his account of Muscat has been
accepted as accurate by most writers. He regarded Oman as
‘the land of amusement... of dance and song... laxity of
morals’, with its men exceptionally brave and tolerant and
‘the best-tempered of all the Arab race’ and its women the
most beautiful in Arabia. He put the population of Muscat at
24,000 and that of Muttrah at 25,000. He thought that the
revenue was £1 million a year; £800,000 coming from at least
60 boats a day unloading and paying a riyal per bale. The rest
comes from land-tax and the Sultan probably made £50,000 a
year from his private trading. Muscat is the town of wizards
and one of them in Zanzibar told a man that his wife in
Bahilah was being unfaithful. There was a daily suq outside
the south gate and great security in the streets, although there