'General information on Persia for any future edition, 1895' [‎103v] (196/211)

Karman. At Karman I was astonished at the want of trade. There was
less going on than in the smallest county town on a week day. The export of
carpets and shawls seemed very small.
Bahramabad. —Bahramabad is the busiest town in Karman. It is the
centre of the cotton and wool trade, and is on the main Bandar Abbas road to
Yazd, Karman being left quite on one side. There were twelve Hindus there
who spoke of the trade as being in a prosperous condition.
Deh-Shuturun. — I have mentioned the borax mines in Appendix D.
Between Deh-Shuturun and Mashad-i-Murghab, as may be supposed, there is
only local traffic.
Murghab to Shiraz.—On the main road there was but little traffic (May)
owing to the disturbances then in progress.
To Bushire. —Between Shiraz and Bushire there was an enormous traffic,
almost entirely on mules. Most of the chawadars have a donkey for their own
use.
Horses .—During my whole journey I never saw a good horse except in
the possession of Governors and other big people. In the lurkoman country
they were small and undoubtedly wiry and enduring, but very slow and not. up
to weight. The Turkoman system of always carrying an enormous felt, besides
saddle^&c., must destroy any tendency to pace.
Elsewhere I scarcely saw horses at all, only donkeys. Persia may be called a
land of donkeys. The Gulf Arabs all come from the west of the Shiraz-Tehran
road, none from the east.
Curiosities, old brass work, &c .—I saw ilo “ objets d’art ” at all, except in
the big towns *, 1 donh think they are obtainable. If a man had them, he would
be afraid of being deprived of them by the Governor of the Province.