Correspondence and Papers on Persia [‎221r] (189/245)

TEHEK VN—MEKCHANT8#
67^
capital, exclusive of that represented by the factory An East India Company trading post. buildings, &c.,
is about 30,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. . .
Is very untrustworthy, and will rise or fall with the cotton
factory An East India Company trading post. .
26. NICOLA JOACHIM— _
Merchant of Teheran, an Armenian of about 45 years of age. Is
said to be worth from 20,000 to 30,000 tumans. He owns some
landed property in Teheran. Imports piece-goods, liquors and
other sundries from Russia in considerable quantities, and sells
partly by cash and partly by credit. Used to export lambskins to
Russia, with, it is said, very profitable results, but owing to the
prohibitive duty now imposed on them, has discontinued their
export. He also exports carpets, rugs and turquoises.
Is a Persian subject.
27. HAJJI SHUKRULLAH—
A merchant of Teheran, whose principal business is money-lending.
Also imports piece-goods and glassware to a small extent from
Russia, and does a small trade in sundries with Constantinople.
Reputed capital 100,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. .
28. TOUMANIANTZ BROTHERS—
Merchants of Teheran, and are, wdth the possible exception of
Hajji Muhammad Hassan, the wealthiest, and do the most extensi\ e
business of any merchants in Persia.
There were originally four brothers, but three only survive.
The chief office of the firm is in Baku, where they own a rice
refinery and some oil springs ; they have other branches in Moscow,
Odessa, Tiflis, Tabriz, Resht and Meshed. The firm is reputed to
be w*orth some two to three million tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. . Their export business
with Russia is very large, comprising cotton, wool, silk, skins,
almonds, raisins and various other produce, a considerable propor
tion of which is grown on their own estates in Azerbaijan, which
are very extensive. To provide money for their exports, they im
port bar silver very largely, and also sell rouble drafts on their
Russian branches. This makes them a convenient medium for
remittances. They own two steamers on the Caspian Sea, which
transport their cargoes to and from Russia. They do business as
bankers also, and pay interest at 1 per cent, per mensem on money
deposited with them. They are much availed of and trusted by
Armenians in this capacity. Their import business, with the ex
ception of bar silver, is comparatively insignificant, although they
have imported Russian prints to a certain extent, via Meshed. In
fact, they are credited with the intention of decreasing their
business in Persia gradually, and of developing their trade and
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