Publications, Newspaper Cuttings, Photographs and Correspondence about Persia and the Persian Gulf [‎280r] (560/879)

are KnaKl. Ine tew straggling nine VE—OW
trees are also khaki, owing to a thick coating
of dust, and they all bend one way due to the
strong breeze which blows steadily for a
hundred and twenty days during the hot
weather called the sud-o-bist bad.
The city of Seistan, also called Nasratabad,
is surrounded by a high mud wall with a
substantial gate to the south. I only entered
it once and had no desire to do so again : the
streets are exceedingly narrow, crowded and,
I suppose, have not been cleaned since the city
was built. The most important shop therein
was a branch of Seth a Parsi Quetta establish
ment. Most of the goods were of poor quality,
but evidently calculated to suit the market.
There is another and older city outside the
southern wall of Seistan called Hussainabad.
This is in rather a dilapidated condition.
Dusty irregular pathways take the place of
roads. Even the Nushki route is far superior
to the roads of Seistan.
The inhabitants are of three classes : the
genuine Seistanis, the Beluchis and the up-
country Persians. The former two are more to
my liking than the latter.
The language is sweet-sounding, easy to
learn and not far removed from Hindustani.
During my short stay I was able to learn
enough of it for my requirements.
I was told that the river Helmand loses itself
in the Seistan district ; its waters, which are
widely distributed for irrigating purposes,
being partly sucked in by the thirsty soil
and partly lost in evaporation, which is
very rapid in this dry, windy country.
Windmills of a peculiar pattern are much
used for grinding corn. The abnormally strong
winds of Seistan might be put to very good
use for working machinery for a considerable
part of the year. The chief products are wheat,
cottou, beetroot, wool, opium, onions, turnips,
carrots, jow, melons, grapes and a few other
fruits. Tobacco, I believe, is grown, but of
a very mild quality. Nearly everything is
cheap—grapes sell at about forty seers for
the rupee, and wheat-flour at twenty-two.
About seventy large water-melons cost a
rupee. Even the Persian carpets are cheap,
though they are said to have risen consider
ably in price lately. Of those made in Seistan
the Beluchi ones are the best,being thick,closely
woven and of rich dark colourings and artistic
patterns.
Birjand is famous for its carpets and Kirman
is still more so. I have seen a Kirman carpet
made entirely of silk. A sort of woollen durrie,
called a shal, is also made in Seistan, far
superior to any cotton one I have seen. No
machinery is used in the manufacture of any
of these.
Of all the domestic animals I think donkeys
predominate. They are much prized, and
ridden by the Persians and also used as beasts
of burden. It is quite a common thing to see
a sedate and elderly Persian seated on the
chiefly used, and few of the houses would
stand a heavy rainfall, but fortunately rain
seldom falls. I should not think the annual
rainfall ever exceeds an inch in Seistan. It
rained once after ten months during my stay
there, and the cold was very severe the night
following. I pitied the poor horses and other
animals, as no shelter is provided for them.
Between the British Consulate and Hussaina-
bad is the shop of a Hindu merchant, Tek
Chand. This is by no means first class, but
contains some useful provisions.
I fear traders have been under the impres
sion that high class goods would find few
purchasers in Seistan, and such may be the
case, but Mr. Kaim Khan, Agent for Surab-
Dhanjibhoy and Co., brought a large caravan
of high class goods to Seistan shortly after
my arrival there,and opened a temporary shop,
and for a time ran a brisk trade. Often during
leisure hours I used to stroll round to his
shop and watch him displaying fancy goods
to a crowd of astonished and delighted Per
sians of a : l denominations. Musical boxes and
mechanical toys made a great impression, and
the latter sold in considerable numbers at
advantageous prices. However, when 1 left the
gilt was beginning to wear off the gingerbread,
and Mr. Kaim Khan was preparing to go on
to Meshed.
Anybody, not having passed a night in
Seistan, could not possibly conceive an idea
of the number of dogs in the place : few are
to be seen by day, but no sooner night falls
they begin their barkings, which are so loud
and emanate from so many canine throats that
one is hardly distinguishable from another.
A little later the jackals, mules and donkeys
join in the uproar, and then even a sound
sleeper resorts to profane language.
I believe the Persians are not fond of
dogs and consider them unclean, and yet
the canine community of Nasratabad must
far exceed that of any Indian city twice its
size.
All current Persian coins, barring coppers,
are inscribed with the Sun and Lion. The
rate of exchange is not fixed, and in Seistan
there is a scarcity of small coin, especially
coppers, which is a great inconvenience. I
collected a few old Persian and Afghan coins,
some of the former bearing very quaint in
scriptions, and four or five stamps, which I
got by chance, stamps not being used in
Seistan itself—not even for receipts.
A wedding in Seistan must be an exciting
function, for the people jump about on the
house tops and fire oft guns with such vigour
that one might imagine a battle was raging
instead of the celebration of a happy (or un
happy) union.
Meshed silks and cigarettes are sold in
Seistan, the former of excellent quality and
sometimes of pretty sober shades, though
generally of very bright colouring. The ci-
IdqY AV U3IL/Y CL
(080 }
I much regret not having had a camera
with me, for I might ' have filled an album
with most interesting illustrations of Persian
and Beluchi life, to say nothing of the very
curious, if not beautiful landscapes.
I was a month at Seistan, but press of
work prevented my becoming well scquainted
with the country, as I could not spare the
time for long excursions. The Persians and
I got on well together, and several of them
wished me to employ them as servants,
and said they would follow me to any part
of the world.
I need hardly say that a journey to Per
sia overland and back is not exactly deli
cious under present circumstances, but the
experience is instructive, interesting and un
common, to say nothing of the pecuniary
advantages it affords traders who know what
they are about. That every civilised being
of good taste experiences a transport of joy
on returning to the civilised world after a
sojourn in that country is indubitable.
It is gratifying to feel that I am not in
Persia—not on the Nushki Route, to rise at
dawn amid the babbling articulations of
cranky, wornout camels and the “hooch, hooch”
of the camel men ; to mount my hoot in a
piercing wind and be jolted painfully along
over seemingly interminable miles until sun
set. I wonder how many furlongs make a
Nushki-route mile. 2%
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AHVLIIIN 29
(280)
& MILITARY GAZETTE, WEDNESDAY, APRII
most of it has been mere beating of the air.
— LJ 9s=
TBB CIVIL MD MITARY GAZETTE.
for the reason that no one seemed to be
able to bring the fault home to any particu
lar quarter. Grumbling at the weather is
a harmless and legitimate occupation, but
when the grumbler proceeds to wax scornful,
satirical, indignant and scandalised by
turns at the behaviour of the elements,
and to reiterate loud demands for their
reform, he succeeds in nothing but in making
himself look foolish. This is what the press
has been doing to a great extent in connec
tion with the superabundance of offi
cial “ literature.” It would be just as rea
sonable to call for meteorological improve
ment as to demand the reform of the report
mania, unless you can point out who and
what is responsible for the evil. This
Mr. Impey has done, and as his conclusions
are the result of several months’ laborious
investigation, they must be acceptedwith re
spect. The Secretariats and headquarter offices
are apparently most to blame, especially in
connection with calling for returns which
they themselves are too lazy to compile.
Another fruitful source of over-reporting is
" casual remarks in Government reviews,”
such as “ His Honour would have been glad
if further information had (been given on
such and such a point.” This inevitably
leads to more returns and more remarks on
those returns with a review on those re-
marks. Then there is the collating of sta
tistics outside the prescribed appendices, as
material for the reporter. " The procedure,”
says Mr. Impey “ is conveni ent when the
officer who writes the report is new to the
work, as it enables him to compile an in
teresting paragraph without having any
personal acquaintance with the subject ”
He suggests nevertheless that this practice
should be forbidden by Go vernment. An
other plan for dispensing with irksome
clerical formalities is to give more power
to subordinate district officers in such mat
ters as granting refunds of revenue col
lected twice over by misstake, the appoint
ment of menial servants, and so forth, all
of which at present have to be referred to
the Commissioner for sanction. All of Mr.
Impey's suggestions have been adopted by
the Government of the United Provinces. The
result will be that out of 1,798 reports and
returns annually prepared, 547 are to be
abolished and 195 modified by omissions and
reductions. -
BENGAL coal owners being given to spar
ring at the East Indian Railway, it is but
human nature that so combative a chairman
as General Sir Richard Strachey should occa
sionally try to hit back-—of course with the
gloves on. Replying to the complaint that
the Bengal coal mines are not expanding as
fast as they ought because retarded by rail
way backwardness, Sir Richard Straehey
suggests that the coal mines are actually
growing much faster than is good for
them and are in danger of sharing the
terrible fate of Assop’s frog which aspired
to become as big as a cow. He quotes the
following figures which are certainly remark-
able enough in their way
Present value of shares in Bengal ceal companies.
I AHOKE, APRIL 30, 1902
I
|
$
$
VILLAGE JUSTICE.
From time to time we see laments over
the disappearance of the oid system of vil
lage communes and panchayets and sugges
tions for re-establishment of the latter fo
disposal of small cases concerning the pea-
santry. But those who give these counsels
of perfection never seem to inquire, why
these institutions, if desirable, have, lisa
appeared. Is it to be supposed that
peasant deliberately says video mehota pru-
loque : deteriora sequorwithout any reason 2
if not, then what is the reason ? It is the
pestilent British system of centralisation,
according to Mr. Ramji bin Rowji.
Colonel Dowden, in the March number of
East and West agrees with him, and desires
^at « the village local government should
be maintained intact and used for co-oper
ative administration side by side with the
Imperial executive.” Mr. Rowji says
“ enact a simple panchayet law, have lists
of good men made in all rural parts, con
sult and trust them, and spend part of the
money now wasted on unpopular Civil
Courts in organising the old village com-
munes and the old panchayets In short
for return to the patriarchal system al
that is needed is legislation, measures not
men, because the people are ready and the
• machinery is still in working order.
Ade course, is that it would
Still be running but for British interference
which has thrown it out of gear.
Now is this the case ? Where there is
no British interference with established
customs, in the Native States to wit, do
we find the people referring their cases to
village panchayets for disposal ? No doubt
in some classes, cases relating to caste are
Mai? with, not by village panchayets bu
69 panchayets of the class concerned,
but do mixed communities in any part of
India trust panchayets with their more
India ter. does any one class indeed
mundane astniERayedosexcept the Dhobis, and
are not the Dhobis turning more and more
to the Courts in matters other than. those
of caste ? Now there must be reason for
this • it cannot be British interference but
rather mistrust of the panchayet ; the Civil,
Courts may be unpopular ; as Mr. Rowji
sxyussbulshe eaech&vet"PRaxF"Mx.arxowoF
alpbation, pious but unpractical is nothing
new We do not know what Mr. Rowji s
experience may be, but Colonel. Dowden
is evidently an ex-civil officer. Now the
district officers are generally those who are
most painfully conscious of the defects of
our civil courts. W hat is desired now by
Colonel Dowden and Mr. Rowji was urged
long ago by Mr. A. O. Hume, and often
since by other Civilians. Disgust and
shame at the spectacle of civil litigation in
this country lead naturally to impatient
desire for change to better things—but is
p-he panchayet a better thing? The ex-
—riment has not only been often proposed,
but also sometimes tried ; it was tried not
very long ago in this province in the
“Lana district, but apparently the Pan-
chaye-ls were not appreciated there except
by indebted agriculturists desirous of the
PX ea slate.’ Were there the general
desire in this country for such a simple
procedure, how is it that arbitration is so
seldom asked for under section 506 of the
Civil Procedure Code, and, even when em-
ployed, is so regularly impugned by one of
the parties under section 521 . he
objection to arbitration is said to be the
finality of the award ; that award can only
be questioned by the Court on technical
grounds under section 520, or by the parties
on grounds of fraud or corruption under
section 521 J otherwise the Court has to
give judgment in accordance with the
award, and the judgment is final. Well,
if this were not the case with the decisions
of panchayets, then what would be gained
in adopting the panchayet system ; every
such decision would, of course, be carried
into the civil courts by the losing party.
On the other hand, if the decisions of pan
chayets should be final, then would cases be
referred to panchayets, any more than
cases are now referred to arbitration ?
The objection to either is evident ; people
cannot trust either panches or arbitrators,
nor will any respectable man worthy of
trust place himself in the position of having
his character maligned by a discontented
suitor. Speaking broadly, only interested
persons will serve on arbitration, and
therefore the distrust of suitors is well
founded, and therefore it is necessary to
allow them to impugn the decisions, and
hence the reluctance of honourable men to
serve : it works round in a circle. But
Mr Rowji will say that there used to be
panchayets in India—so there used to be
[ Dodos in the Mauritius, they abounded when
(arising from the land hunger of the
peasant population and the inveterate re
luctance of the ryot to move even to the
smallest distance from his natal place)
The speculative expenditure upon liti
gation, the proneness to extravagance
on festival occasion”—these causes necessi
tate gradual descent from the posi
tion of prosperous yeoman to that of
needy officeholder, in the families to which
the absurd Indian hereditary system con
fines the selection of the lamberdars.
How many are the lamberdars already
who have no means of livelihood beyond
their pachotra and whatever they can make
by harbouring bad characters; in another
generation will any of them possess other
resources ? Are these the men to ad
minister justice in their villages? Evi
dently not. Accordingly, after all the talk
about utilising " the old village communes
and the old panchayets," Mr. Rowji pro
poses something quite different and quite
new ; he would employ salaried boards
of rural judges, he would “ have lists ot
good men made in all rural parts " from
which to select these judges, who are to
be paid with “ part of the money now
wasted on the unpopular Civil Courts.”
Well, what is to be the recompense of
these rural notables for neglecting their
own farms and business ? What are to be
the qualifications, what the powers, and
what the system of appointment ? As to
the latter, the body is to be elective ac
cording to Colonel Dowden, presumably
therefore to be elected for a fixed term.
As the outlay in obtaining election will
generally swallow up the modest emolu
ments of the period of office, therefore
the panch will be giving its services
either for the honour and glory or else
for the profits of the position—which does
Mr. Rowji suppose ? But to obtain either
honour or profit there must be business,
and as it is not likely that Mr. Rowji
would render the reference of the people’s
disputes to these pmehayets compulsory,
therefore we must consider the attraction
which shall bring business to them.
“ In no respect,” writes Colonel Dow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean.
den, “ does the evil of our system pro
minently show itself, so much as in the
matter of the Civil Procedure Code and
other Acts which are brought into play
for disproving of claims ordinarily averaging
from 10 to 50 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. , and which should
be disposed of by local Small Cause
Courts.” So the panchayet, we find, should
have the powers of a Small Cause Court,
to dispose summarily and without appeal
of cases up Rs. 50. Are their decisions
to be impugned on the ground of cor
ruption or misconduct ; if so we merely
increase the trouble by constant inquiries
into the conduct of these courts, and we
render it impossible for honourable men
to accept office ; if not, then these courts
will sit idle, for who will resort to them
any more than suitors now resort to ar
bitration. It may be said that we have
already Honorary Magistrates and Boards
of Magistrates—so we have, but their de
cisions are appealable; if those of Mr.
Rowji’s proposed panchayets are appeal-
able, then we only add to the number of
these courts of Honorary Magistrates, cer
tain other courts which have all the dis
advantages of those courts without the
advantage of costing nothing.
We find, then, that the attractions of the
proposed panchayets for suitors can be no
more than those of the existing Honorary
Magistrates’ courts if their dociciane