'Lord Curzon's Notes on Persia' [‎568v] (1138/1386)

2
PERSIA.
Carpet 1 inquired at Sultanabad as to the difficulties which had been
manufacture, represented as cause of complaint by British subjects in the
pirating of special carpet designs given out to village weavers,
who execute orders in their own homes, and the misappropriation
of advances made for work, material, &c. Mr. Brown, who had
originally made these complaints, said that he had decided to drop
the complaint as to designs, and he believed that my conversation
with the Governor, at which he was present, would have the effect
of aiding in recovery of debts and misapplied advances. From
quite a different point of view I would be glad to see the theft of
designs stopped, for many of them are of a florid style, foreign to
the east, and inferior to the old lovely Persian patterns.
Messrs. Brown and Strauss appear to be on good friendly
terms with the Governor. Mr. Strauss informed me that he had
no cause for complaint either about carpet designs or recovery of
debts. He said he was cautious in his dealings, and generally
found that, with exercise of patience, debts and just demands
s were paid and met. I gathered that the carpet business is now
far from flourishing, owing to India going ahead rapidly in
successful competition. From what I saw of it, I would say that
part cause of the decline may be the manufacture having de
generated into that of cheap warm carpets, anything but true
Persian in texture or style.
Trade exports. It appeared to me that Messrs. Brown and Strauss act as
agents for their respective firms in carpet manufacture only, and
as traders otherwise on their own account. Mr. Brown is from
Yorkshire, and was educated for some time in Holland. lie has
a good knowledge of Dutch, German, and French, and is fluent
in Persian. He has a good manner with the Persians. and is
quick, active, and energetic. He is well on the way to develop
a considerable export from Sultanabad and Burujid of raisins,
almonds, and the valuable "Katira" gum (tragacanthe).
Kermanshah- At present he uses the Kermanshah-Bagdad route, on which
Bagdad route, the fullest facilities have of late been given for through transit.
He consigns to an agent in Bagdad who passes on by river for
sea shipment at Busrah. The muleteer in charge of the goods
merely shows the invoice at Khani Kin, the Turkish frontier
customs post, and proceeds to Bagdad, where examination is made,
and the 1 per cent, through transit duty levied without unreason
able delay. But at other points on the Turco-Persian frontier,
as, for instance, on the caravan route between Dizful and Amarah
on the Tigris, where the river steamers call, the full import duty
is still levied, to be returned minus 1 per cent, on the goods
leaving Turkish territory. The general experience is said to be
that considerably more than 1 per cent, is kept, and refund of
the remainder obtained with difficulty. The greater facilities,
however, afforded on the Kermanshah-Bagdad route indicate effort
being made to maintain and encourage traffic on that line against
the Mohamrah-Shuster-Burujird line. The former will always be
the popular pilgrim route to Kerbela from the north, and this will
continue to attract mule transport and keep rates low, so that for