'Lord Curzon's Notes on Persia: About 1889-1890' [‎584v] (1189/1486)

PERSIA.
journey winch can be traversed by a mule in 40 days, but which
takes a camel, on an average, about 75 days. Camel hire from
Bander Abbas to Meshed is about 9 tumans {’ll. 11 s. 5^.). The
Kirman route is shorter, and the Yezd dues are avoided by
traversing it; yet merchants often use the latter route, as Yezd is
a busy mart, and they may obtain a sale for their goods there.
Transport, too, is more easily procured there than at Kirman,
though it is cheaper by the latter route. As above stated, accord
ing to treaty rights, British gpods need only pay an ad valorem
duty of 5 per cent, on entering Persian territory, and after that
no further duties or tolls may be levied on them in any part of
Persia; but the privilege ha^ not yet been secured for our
subjects in Khorassan, and the Persian authorities still levy sums
amounting in all to about 7^ per cent, on goods coming to Meshed
via Kirman, and over 9 per cent, on goo'ds coming via Yezd.
The merchants complain that receipts are not given by the custom
officers at Bander Abbas for the customs dues paid there. Conse
quently on arrival at Meshed, haying no vouchers, they are at the
mercy of the customs officers there, who, instead of charging only
the difference between the amount levied at the coast, take 4 and
even 5^ per cent. By an ollici d decree of the Council of the
Russian 10m pi re, dated Februaiy 5, 1889, goods from Europe,
India, and Persia imported into Trans-Caspia are subject to an
ad valorem duty of 2 ^ per cent. Exceedingly heavy duties are
again levied on all British goods which are a necessity (such as
team d iiidisjo) on arrival at Samarcand ; and piece goods, &c., are
r gidlv proh bited.
The shortest and best route for Indian goods coming to
Meshed word 1 undoubtedly be that via Kandahar and Herat, a
journey of only 800 miles, or 30 stages from our own railway
terminus, but the exorbitant dutiek levied by the Amir (2/. 2s. a
cwt.) have caused its entire* abai donment. The hire per camel
load would be 33 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. {’21. 6 s. 9<j/.).
Russian goods come to Khorassan almost entirely by the
Trans-Caspian Railway, a small quantity only finding their
way by Tabriz or by Astrabad, The total value of British
goods imported into Khorassan (luring the year via Trebizond
and Tabriz was about 82,000 tuipans (23,429/.), and of British
goods, via Bander Abbas, 213,05 > tumans (60,87;/.). This last
total does not include the value of Chinese tea, the larger propor
tion of which should, however, be fairly included, as there is no
doubt that most of it was purchased and brought from China by
English merchants. .No less than 415,000 tumans (118,571/.)
worth of China green ten, and 18,000 tumans (5,143/.) worth of
China black tea came from Bombay, while the value of the
■ | and
sally drunk in Kho
rassan, 42,000 tumans ( 12 , 000 /.). Thus the total value of
Chinese tea was 433,000 tumans (123,714/.), against 67,000
,000
A
his
Indian green tea was only 25,000 tumans (7,143/.),
the Indian black tea, which is universally drunk it
rassan, 42,000 tumans ( 12 , 000 /.). Thus the total v
.Chinese tea was 433,000 tumans (123,714/.), against 6 Y,UUl
tumans (19,143/) of Indian. Nearly all the green tea (430,00t
tumans worth = 122,857/.; went oir to Bokhara, Khiva, &c. A
Peshawar tea merchant, just arrived Here to arrange to forward his