‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎412r] (822/949)

( 3 ) It seems that it is the custom tor Missions of a nature such as ours-
whether British, Russian, or other—to have their baggage passed into the
country duty tree: no arrangements had been made regarding this either hv
India or by Teheran, thougli I had wired on the subject from Karachi to
Major Sykes at Kirman. This caused much delay, trouble and expense.
(4) Khan Bahadur Ashgar Ali whenever he accompanies Major Sykes on
tour does so as his guest, and dines at his table, as is the custom of the country,
and this custom I shall have to follow.
(5) Another custom regarding which no information was given me or the
Chamber is that everything apparently has to be done in Durbar A public or private audience held by a high-ranking British colonial representative (e.g. Viceroy, Governor-General, or member of the British royal family). , after much
solemn talk, and the formal consumption of tea, coffee, sherbut and cigarettes.
In every case with us the officials and traders must make the first step
towards friendship.
However, one lives and learns, and we are now fairly an fait with the
niceties of the customs of this ceremonial-ridden country.
I am glad to be able to report that the members of the Mission are in
excellent health, and to bring to your notice the great assistance that Khan
Bahadur Ashgar Ali has rendered us, as also Mr. P. de Mello, of Messrs, Gray
Paul & Co., the obliging agent here of the B. I. S. N. Co., who has done every
thing in his power to help me in every way, especially as regards meetings
with traders.
Before proceeding to remark on the trade in cotton, wool, hides, tea and
indi£:o> I may remark a propos of Mr. MacLean’s observations regarding the
Bunder Abbas customs godowns, where he says that they are commodious, that
he is not quite correct. There are godowns in plenty, but they are so badly
arranged in every respect as to be almost impossible of access: goods, no matter
what their nature, are in consequence often left lying in the court-yards. The
godowns are also ill-yendlated and so infested with vermin, as to make it
dangerous to store perishable articles in them. Loads of grain have, after a
month’s storage, been found to have lost from 70 percent, to 80 per cent, in
weight. Yet the charges for godown storage are excessively high. Lately,
however, the “ other tenants ” of whose presence in the Customs House—the Old
Dutch Factory—Mr. MacLean complained, as leading to pilfering, have been
evicted, and under this head the Belgians have brought about some improvement.
The objections found by Mr. MacLean in the methods pursued by the
Customs in the excising and clearing of cargo still exist. The Tally Clerks, and
the Hamal Bashi, who gets his post by purchase, are still able to work their own
sweet will with merchandise and shippers and it is still “ difficult to fix the fault ”,
when claims for shortage or damage arise. The Hamal Bashi, too, here at
Bunder Abbas, seems to be the real Director of Customs. He has enormous
influence over M. Catersell, the Director, and his influence is not exerted for
the good of the trade or traders of the port.
It is certain that most of the trouble that we have experienced, and that
the traders of Bunder Abbas constantly experience, arises not from the Director
so much as from the Hamal Bashi’s bad and interested advice. The present
Hamal Bashi was at one time a wardroom waiter on Board H. M. S. Lapwing,
a position he had to resign in a hurry. It may be imagined, therefore, that a
better man than he is might have been found to fill the place he now holds.
The following are some details regarding the local trade in wool, etc.
Wool.
There is only a very small trade in woollen fabrics in Bunder Abbas. The
heat all the year round is far too great to permit of the people wearing anything
warm, and indeed they are generally so poor that even if it were cold they
could not afford to buy much clothing.
A Shikkarpur firm, Messrs. Assaram Subraj, have an agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. here, under
the management of Mr. Gobindram, who acts as the spokesman of tlie com
munity of Hindu traders of Bunder Abbas. He has written o e ^ en
Mills, Cawnpore, asking for a full range of samples of their ma eria s an as
also placed with the same firm a small order for black lohis as an experiment.
2665 F. D.