‘Persia – especially Seistan’ [‎427v] (853/949)

plentiful ^ThevUUge of about 800 l.b.bil.nf, a -ell »l«.t«l_ wr.ou.kl
by Irees and is the great centre for the collection ol manna. 2o miles from
?JS»S2*£&- 'V.». K .«1.-Ipi«iii^
rand i-Aihmer to Uraf-W miles N. by N. W. Fair road through ravines.
Uraf is a vfry tiny place, a few huts clustering round the rums of an old tort.
Water plentiful, supplies small. • , ,.
Urof to Sahramabad. —16 miles W. down the long slope into the
BafsinSn valley Good road near Bahramabad which is a town of about 8,000
inhabitants^ 3 The biggest of a group of villages and contains the residence of
the Governor. Water and supplies plentiful. A G. N
> p a ted Camp Saidabad, the 2nd December 1904).
TJ From-LIEUTENANT-COLONEL A. Gleadowe Newcomen, President, Commercial
Mission to Persia,
To The Secretary, Indian Tea Cess Committee, Calcutta.
I have the honour to report arrival of the Mission at Saidabad, the capital
of Sirjan, one of the 18 divisions of the province of Kerman.
Under a separate enclosure (enclosure A*) I beg to append our intinerary
. , from Bunder Abbas to Saidabad, as doubt-
Chllet^der^r of less this information will be of value to
my letter of date, being our intineravy. those interested in the tea trade with this
portion of Persia. I have endeavoured to make everything as clear as possible.
Between Saidabad and Bunder Abbas, a distance of 282 miles, there are no
towns or any places where there is the slightest hope of developing trade.
There are small fortified vilfages, but most of the inhabitants are nomads living
in tents, chiefly employed in more or less unlawful means of earning their
livelihood, all supplies being obtained from Bunder Abbas, Kerman, and to a
lesser degree from Saidabad.
After passing Sir-i-Sikh and before reaching Aihmedi, one emerges from the
f ever .stricken belt to a plateau, which rises rapidly but not abruptly to from
3,000 to 5.370 feet above sea-level, in many places resembling the plateau of the
range Biver Colony and Transvaal with its deceptive undulations and surrounding
Kopjis, behind which again mighty mountains raise their heads into the blue
sky, some of them covered with snow.
On the plateau water supplies improve, and as one gets further inland sweet
water becomes the rule and not the exception.
Only Lamsars teas (2 and 3) are imported into this district, and merchants
did not seem to know that Indian tea existed. I have left two sample canisters
and have been promised a report, which w 7 ill he sent to us at Kerman; but
judging from the result of the tea party, I gave to certain of the chief
Persian merchants and two Persian princes, I do not anticipate much. Indian
tea must be faked to meet the Persian palate. It is too bitter and full of
theine or tannin, as they will leave the tea in pot on the lire to stew r , some
times for hours, drawing off w hat is required from time to time and no Indian
tea will stand this. Cannot this he obviated by some alteration or innovation
in the process of manufacturing or by blending ?
There are no reliable statistics here, but through official sources I am
informed that the consumption of tea (Lamsar) in this district amounts to some
6,000 lbs. per annum imported through Bunder Abbas and sold at—
No. 2 at 5 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. per 10 lbs.
3 4
,, ,, jj ,, ,, ,,
As far as one can ascertain, the system in vogue for financing tea opera
tions here is—a man goes to Bunder Abbas and gives a receipt on behalf of his