Report No.67 of 1863 detailing the tribes, trades and resources of the Gulf Littoral [‎14v] (28/58)

28
162. If a bertli be once regularly secured, never infringe its tenant's rights
in favor of a more advantageous offer: stick to contract.
153. Adapt the accommodation of the vessels to the description of passengers
frequenting the route. An upstart native will push anywhere; but there are
many Mahomedan gentlemen whose families were old before England was born,
and who yet, partly from modesty, partly from religious prejudice, and partly
from a pardonable reserve, cannot bring themselves to intrude into the European
Saloon. Let the best arrangement practicable be made to accommodate Orientals
according to their class in some other part of the ship.
154. I would suggest to the Government to require from steamers carrying
their mails, that punctuality and those rates of speed which are usually now
required from similar steamers on other lines. At present the dates are named
only for Kurrachee and Bombay. And the result is that if a mail steamer finds
herself late at Busreh, she gives up all thought of reaching Kurrachee in time,
loiters for cargo, thus detaining the Gulf, Baghdad and Teheran letters, and
trusts to some other steamer taking her place at Kurrachee on the specified day.
155. It is not my duty to speculate on the general opening up of this route
as a main artery of communication between England and India; but analyzing
the map one spontaneously recalls the first lesson of Geometry that the shortest
road between two points is a straight line. A line drawn from London to a point
on the western coast of the Peninsula of India, traverses the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . Kur
rachee seems to be pointed out by nature as the place where our English Tele
graphic cable, should enter our Indian Empire. It would of course be an advan
tage to have our Telegraph line identical with our line of trade, and post, and
passengers.
156. In conclusion. His Excellency having directed me to report on the
trade of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , I have now woven a thread through these sheets; but
I confess at the same time that I write on trade with much diffidence and some
reluctance. The remarks of a non-trader must be superficial and theoretic. In
trade as in other professions there can be no real school but experience, acting on
original capacity. And all that an outsider can do of useful, is to bring a little
grist to that mill. The principles of Political Economy mathematically true in the
abstract, may be rendered by circumstances ruinous in detailed practice. The
merchant knows there is no workable law of commerce but to watch the market,
and mistrust general maxims. To costly experience he must add continued care
and forethought. His combinations are not less comprehensive and complex than
those of a General. Like him, too, he must first fight the campaign in his head;
and when the time comes to leave strategy for tactics, fight it over again on the
decisive field of competition. Ruin or Fortune hangs on a day. And when all is
done that can be done, that day may still be adverse. A touch at the other side
of the Globe may vibrate through the whole mass he is dealing with, and discon
cert his combinations at the last hour; and this, I presume, is the reason why,
the bast laid plans of merchants, as of mice, do still go oft awry.
I have the honor to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
LEWIS PELLY, Lieutenant Colonel,
Acting Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency.
P. S.—I apologize to the Government for sending in the office copy of this
Report; but my clerk really has not time to make a fair copy of it before the
outgoing steamer starts.
LEWIS PELLY, Lieutenant Colonel
Acting Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency.