'General information on Persia for any future edition, 1895' [‎25r] (47/211)

OUR TRADE WITH THE PERSIAN GULF The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
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gold lace, thread, and embroidered cloth,—a fair quantity ;
grain and pulse, especially rice—large quantities ; hardware
and cutlery—not much; indigo—a large import; “jute
manufactures’’—very little; lampware—a little; European
liquors, stores, and provisions—a little; metals, including pig
iron, hoop iron, bar iron, lead, tin, copper, &c.—a large quan
tity ; “ manufactures of metals ’’—fair ; oil (kerosinej—fair,—
about £16,000 in value, much being taken on the Arabian
coast ; perfumery of sorts—a little ; porcelain and Chinaware—
a fair quantity; silks—a little ; spices, including black pepper,
—a very large quantity ; stationery—a little ; sugar, both loaf
and soft,—a moderate quantity ; tea, including both China and
India, about two million pounds—little for such a largely tea
drinking population, and including hardly a single omice for the
Arab coast; varnishes and paints, woollen goods, mostly inter
local in the Gulf and consisting of carpets, in all of a value of
£35,000.—very unsatisfactory for British woollen goods when we
remember the winter of Persia ; matches—Swedish and Aus
trian ; and copra (cocoanut). Of these imports, there are many
capable of increase, and some of a large increase. The exports
from the Gulf ports comprise animals, mostly horses, to India—
but a large inter-local Gulf trade is done in donkeys, horned
cattle, and camels ; raw cotton—a small quantity ; cotton and
silk, native made piece-goods,—a small quantity ; dates and
fruits—a very large export; grain and pulse—moderate ; gum—
moderate ; hides and skins—moderate ; opium—comparatively
large ; pearls—a very considerable export, of the value of nearly
£ 1, 000 , OCX) ; pearl shells—moderate ; rose-water—large ; silk, raw
and manufactured,—a small quantity ; tobacco—a large ex
port ; wool, mostly inter-local,—a little ; carpets, mostly inter
local,—moderate ; sweets and confectionary (Oriental)—a little
to India ; Muscat turbans—also to India ; almonds, raisins, and
pistachio nuts.
It will be seen hereafter that most of the imports, and
nearly all the British trade, are paid. for by two articles
of luxury—pearls and opium—, and that, by India and
China. That the Liverpool merchant should be paid for his
exports to Persia, by China, and by Indian princes fond of
barbaric pearl ’’ ornamentation, throws a curious and instruc
tive side-light on the operations of trade. A luxury of
the rich in China and a vanity of the great in India pay
for the commonest needs of the poor and the peasant in
Persia!
We proceed now to a few figures—the totals of the
tonnage, and the imports and exports—British, foreign,
and native inter-local, and including small native coasting
craft — for the several ports of the Gulf for which there are