'Lord Curzon's Notes on Persia: About 1889-1890' [‎260r] (539/1486)

TEHERAN.
D
Manufactured articles
Glass, china, &c.
Metal manufactured ..
liefined sugar..
Writing paper
£
185,750
22,397
18,168
14,412
8,349
One ought to have no reason to doubt the accuracy of the statistics
of so high an authority living on the spot, but for the year 1886 I
have received, from our native agent Non-British agents affiliated with the British Government. at Astrabad, the following^list of
imports, which show a very much smaller importation than the Russian
Consul gives for 1884.
1. Sugar, 1,400 cases, at 8 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value.
2. Tea, 750 cases of 4 puds (114 lbs.) each
3. Samovars, glass, &c., 210 cases, at 18 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value.
4. Cloth, woollen materials, &c., 250 bales, at 35 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value.
5. Cotton materials, 250 bales, at 45 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. ..
6 . Calico and piece goods, 50 bales, at 45 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value.
7. Iron and steel, 500 puds, at 1 toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. ..
8 . Copper in sheets, 600 puds, at 32 krans
9. Brass, 40 puds, at 2 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. ..
10. Kussian leather, 50 pieces, at 42 krans
11 . Logwood, 40 puds, at 42 krans
12 . Brocade, 25 bales, at 200 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value.
13. China
14. Wines and spirits
15. 300 rifles, at 25 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value.
16. Cartridges
17. Rice, 100 puds, at 3 krans
18. Petroleum, 2,500 puds, at 4 krans
19. Velvets, 500 yards, at 2^ tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value.
20 . Ciindles, 900 packets, at 1 kran
21 . Indigo, 130 puds, at 1 toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. ..
Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. .
11,200
600
3,700
8,750
11,250
2.250
500
1,920
80
210
1,^80
5,000
150
150
7,500
200
300
10,000
1.250
450
130
Total
Equal to
57,270
£19,090
A
How M. Bakouline’s estimate is arrived at I am unable to say, but
from my personal observation of Astrabad, when just passing through,
I should hardly have thought that the trade of Astrabad and Gez was
so great.
Mr. Consul Churchill, in his trade report dated January 10, 1876,
for the years 1874-75, says that the annual imports of Astrabad
amount to 100,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. , and the exports to 300,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. (35,000/.
and 110 , 000 /. respectively, because the toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. there was worth more*
than it is at present).
Again, Mr. Consul Churchill, in his report dated December 31, 1879,
gives the exports of Astrabad, via Gez and Meshed-i-Ser, at 158 828/.’
and the imports at 84,382/.
Consul Lovett, in his report dated March 20, 1882, gives the
imports for the preceding year at 287,640/., and the export at 86,280/.
What appears chiefly to have caused this difference is that in 1879
the exports of cotton was 37,306/., and of Bokhara lambskin 60,613/.;
whereas in 1881 they had fallen to 4 , 000 /. and 21 , 000 /. respectively,
and the imports of piece goods which, in 1879, only amounted to
25,846/., had risen in 1881 to 256,000/.
There can, therefore, be no doubt that the figures given above
are incorrect, and I record them in order to show the difficulty in
getting any trustworthy statistics.
In addition to the above imports, amounting to 15,900/., the Astrabad
agent says there were imports from other parts of Persia, amounting