"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٦‎٧] (١٧٨٢/٣١٠)

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could not be made from India to Masqat, and the voyage required per
severance, skill, and a well-found ship; and during June and July, owing
to the persistence of northerly winds, the passage up the Gulf from
Masqat was likely to be " boisterous and tedious
In 1790 there was a practically fixed tariff for the carnage of goods by
river boat m Turkish 'Iraq and 'Arabistan, the unit of calculation being
a bale of 300 to iOO pounds' weight English. The rates per bale from
Basrah were 12 Bombay rupees to Baghdad by the Tigris, 15 Bombay
lupees to Hillah by the Euphrates, and 4 Bombay rupees to Shushtar by
ie Jvamn, aud they included the customs payable to local authorities by
the way as well as freight proper. The cost of sending goods from
lillah to Baghdad by land; on mules or camels, was 4 Bombay rupees
pGP DcllG,
Merchandise could at this time be conveniently forwarded from
Kuwait or Basrah to Aleppo by caravan; and the charge per camel load
of 700 English pounds, covering presents to Shaikhs by the way, was 130
Bombay rupees for piece-goods and 90 Bombay rupees for " gruff " or
heavy merchandise. The rates for carriage to| Baghdad were half those
to Aleppo. The journey from Kuwait to Baghdad by caravan occupied
about 80, and that from Kuwait to Aleppo about 80 days.
Our knowledge of the circumstances of Persian Gulf trade at this
time is derived largely from a report on trade furnished by Messrs.
Manesty and Jones of the Basrah Residency in 1790, and a summary of
their recommendations for increasing British trade may be interesting- Gulf, 6 1790.
to the reader.
Some of these referred to specific articles of import and export. The
compilers of the report did not apparently despair of the future of the
British woollen trade, but they emphasized the necessity for comparative
cheapness, for absolute suitability of colour, and for the receipt of the
year's consignments on the spot by October at latest. They believed
that hardware and glass might be imported at a profit, and that a market
might be found for English carpets of moderate price. Among valuable
exports they mentioned the drugs of Persia, which they thought had not
received sufficient attention; but they did not consider that Kirman wool,
on account of its increased use for shawl-making and prohibitions against
its export by Ja'far Khan, could now be obtained in a quantity greater
than 3,000 Tabriz Mans per annum. They mentioned the production of
wine as an industry capable of great development; and they suggested
an inquiry into the dyes employed by Persian carpet-makers, which were
more durable than those then known to the manufacturers of Wilton and
Axminster.
Recommeuda'
tions for
promoting
British trade
in the Persian