"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٦‎٥] (١٧٨٢/٣٠٨)

165
numerous manufactured and ether articles, from Europe aud the Turkish
provinces beyond Baghdad to the countries of the Gulf aud to India
The leading articles imported hy way of the Gulf into both Persia
and Turkish Iraq were Bengal piece-goods, Coromandel chintzes, Madras
ong co co on yarn, and various cotton manufactures of Malabar,
Bioach, Cambay, Surat and Gujarat; English woollen goods; silks
Arab,an coffee; sugar and sugar candy; spices, eondimeuts and perfumes;
indigo; drugs ; chmaware ; aud metals. Of the Indian goods, muslins
and fine cotton oloths were from Bengal aud Madras, and coarser cloth
o-ood e T e R r S fr0m Sarat - The fale 0f En S ,ish ™ o11 ™
«oods at Basrah had declined by 1789 to about one-fourth of what it
had been twenty years earlier, and by 1796 it had almost entirely ceased,
eprmcipa • reasons for this being apparently its expensiven- ss and
the rivalry of cheaper and equally good French stuffs. The silks of
Bengal were preferred in Turkish 'Iraq to those of China, aud even to
those of Gilan The trade in eoffee was oue of great volume and
importance; half the produce of Yamau, it was estimated, found
i s way to the Gulf ; and from the Gulf not only the whole of the
surrounding countries, hut even parts of Europe, were supplied
Wi h the berry. America,n sugar, when its price was not too high, was
preferred to East Indian; but Batavian and Bengal sugars aL'com
manded a certain sale. Indian indigo was at this time expelling the
American article from the Persian Gulf market, and local production of
the dye had began at Shushtar in 'Arabistan.
Light is thrown on the distribution of the foreign trade about this
time by a report from the pen of Captain J. Malcolm, written in 1800,
not long after the close of the period and before any marked change in
the situation had taken place. The total trade of the Gulf, export and
import, was placed by this authority at 160 lakhs of rupees a year,
mostly with India, 'i he annual imports from India into Persia were
Articles <if
impoit into
the Porsiaa
Gulf.
Distribution
»nd oi gani-
sation of
foreign trade
in the Gulf.
# These are the reasons adduced by the French traveller, M. Olivier. He adds
tnatthe former sale of Knglish woollens was only dne to the British East India
Company heme; un der an obligation to the British Government to dispose of a fixed
quantity of British manufactures (See page 51 ante), and that to satisfy this obliga*
tion they took and fold so much woollen cloth at a loss every year. When these
woollens ceased, in consequence of altered arrantjements, to be sold at a loss, they also
ceased, according to this authority, to be sal-able at all in oj position to French
oo ens. In regaid to this explanation the prppent writer can only siy that he has met
With nothing to corroborate it in British official or unofficial sources of information.
. ccoi ding to M. Olivier French woollens, satins, velvets, gold and silver cloth and
yens lace had a good sale in the Gulf region, and most of them went hs faj as Qaudahar.