'Military Report on South-West Persia, Including the Provinces of Khuzistan (Arabistan), Luristan, and Part of Fars' [‎112] (153/466)

112
There is telegrapliic communication between Klioramabad and Burujird,
and thence with%he rest of Persia {see page 110). A telegram is said to
take at times^ longer m its transit than a letter. .Persians do not value tinig
and with them procrastination is a virtue. i .
No more unsatisfactory measure of distance obtains anywhere than tliat
. of the farsakh, which seems to vary according to the
tauce a8Urement 0 13 * caprice of the estimator alone. It was defined to be
the 6 distance that a fast-walking horse could cover in one hour. Wealthy
Persians train their horses to a fast road pace, which may be estimated at
5 miles an hour; others, untrained, will ^ walk 3 i to 4 miles an hour, and
hence no doubt arises the great discrepancies in estimating distances in Persia.
In Arabistan, Mr. Schindler estimates the farsakh to be 3*82 miles;
in Persia generally it may be assumed to be 4 miles. Experience alone can
teach whether it should be given a value of 3, 4, or 5 miles.
It is most difficult to get trustworthy information from Arabs and
Persians. They think little, know little, and desire to
Information. t now n o more {see page 12). Even the word of a gov
ernor should not be believed; they never hesitate to speak falsely and to
exao-o-erate; promises will be given, but never carried out. To give a man the
lie in Persia is no offence. ^ i . ti / t • -n m
For instance, Schif, opposite to Bushire, was described to Major Bell by
the son of Muhammad Khan of Muhrezi, Zabiter-i-Ruhilla, to be a large town,
amply supplied with provisions ot all kinds, transport and w^atei# He found
it to consist of one hut, and that neither water nor provisions of any descrip
tion could be obtained.
Fortunately this propensity to lie, in order to shift the burden of sup
ply, which every Arab or Persian host of position feels bounds to provide
gratis, being known, full supplies of food and water had been laid in at the ex
pense of his hospitable (?) host regardless of his assurances that such a pre
caution was quite unnecessary.
This is one instance only out of a thousand. Neither muleteers, guides,
khans, governors, nor princes should be believed, for each will speak only
what he wishes you to believe, and that which accords with his own indolent
habits, or what will relieve him of responsibility and ease
ospiaiy. his purse of the self-constituted burden of hospitality,
which he often most grudgingly performs, even against a thousand remonstran
ces that he should perform it at all {.see pages 6, 9, 5, 20),
The only two ports from which South-West Persia can be entered are
Travelling, South-West Muhammerah and Bushire. There is a large cornmu-
Persia. nity of Europeans at Bushire, merchants and telegrapn
officials, and there are the head-quarters of the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. of the Gruli;
consequently it makes a good starting point for the land journey and carnage
can be obtained without great delay. _
If the country is entered from Muhammerah, Basra is the best port a
which to outfit. If land carriage cannot be readily obtained at Muham
merah, the Karun river can be ascended by boat to Ahwaz. Land carriage
y %/
is not plentiful at Ahwaz or anywhere to the south of Shustar.
A traveller in Persia should be provided with a stock of presents an
p , medicines; of the former, those most apprecia e
are, arms and ammunition, binoculars, silks, broa -
cloth (black,blue, red, and drab), cutlery, silver cigarette-holders and cigaret es,
silver pocket compasses. Of the latter, the most useful are eye medicines,
quinine, pills, lint, sticking plaster, caustic for sores, and stomach and ive
medicines. The traveller is often asked to supply a set of false teeth.