'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOL. III.' [‎125r] (254/982)

villages are, however, defended by one or more bur] tufangcKs, or rifle towers
of stone and mud. The greater part of the people are agriculturists or,
on the coast, sailors and fishermen ; a few make a living by trade. They
have a number of Martini rifles, but on the whole are not so heavily armed
as the inhabitants of other districts of the Persian coast. The proportion
is about 3 rifles to 5 houses on the coast, and 2 rifles to 3 houses inland.
The Dashtis are a healthy, sturdy race, and nearly all labourers and boat-
nien at Bushire town are of their number. Vide also Stotherd’s report
given in the article on Pars.
Agriculture and trade. —The chief crops are wheat, barley and dates ;
the date plantations are everywhere watered from wells. There is not the
same quantity or variety of fruit as in Tangistan. The water lift used is
called charkheh-i-chdhdb, and is worked by a bullock which is made to walk
down an inclined cutting in the ground. Cattle are fairly numerous and
sheep and goats are kept in great numbers.
Trade on a small scale is general, but there is nowhere any large bazaar
or mercantile centre, unless the towns of Khurmuj and Daiyir may be so
accounted. The exports of the district are cattle, gki, wheat, barley,
dates, tobacco, onions, fire-wood, charcoal and earthenware, also some
’abas of local manufacture. Imports are cotton piece-goods, rice, coffee,
sugar and tea. The ordinary currency consists of Persians krdns, but the
Indian rupee circulates in some of the coast villages. The standards of
weight are a local man of 5 lbs. 13 oz. and a Hashim man which is 16
local mans. The chief port is Daiyir.
Conimvnications and transport. —The only known routes in the district
are a section of the Bushire-Bandar ’Abbas route, which passes through
Khurmuj town and leaves Dashti by the gorge of the Mund river ; and a
route which runs from Khurmuj town by Kaki, Daiyir on the coast : neither
apparently presents any difficulties. Donkeys and camels are available
in considerable numbers.
Administration. —The Dashti district belongs to Pars, but it is sometimes
farmed from the Governor of Pars by the Governor of the Gulf Ports. It
is administered by a hereditary Khan, of reputed Arab descent, who has
his residence at Khurmuj and became master of the district, after numerous
smaller Khans or Shaikhs had reduced themselves to impotence by their
internecine feuds. The Khan pays 16,000 tumdns a year for the district
of Dashti to the Governor of Pars or the Governor of the Gulf Ports, accord
ing to circumstances. There is no organized police force, but the Khan’s
personal retainers maintain order on the roads, and village affairs are
regulated through the headmen. In the larger places there are some highly
respected Mullas, whose decisions in civil disputes are accepted by the people.
The land revenue is 50 krdns per gdu (250 x 250 yards), and there is
also a date-tree tax of from half a krdn to 2 krdns per tree, besides a poll-
tax of 5 to 20 krdns. The last two taxes are unpopular and, in conjunc
tion with general misgovernment resulting from the incompetence and
great age of the present Khan, have been responsible for much emi
gration from the district in recent years. The present Khan is Jamal
Khan, son of Haidar Khan, son of Haji Khan, son of Jamal Khan Haidar
Khan, the father of the present Khan, died in June 1882 at Bushire, where