The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-11-01 00:00:00

HERAT DESCRIBED.

Ihe Times has published the following letter, giving an
nteresting description of Herat :
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_
Sir,—At a moment when the public feel great
anxiety as to the course which Her Majesty's
Ministers will pursue with reference to Afghanistan,
when it is urged on the one side that they should with-
draw from the country, and on the other that they
should occupy permanently the most important cities,
it may not be inopportune to examine a few statistics
regarding that special city which the highest military
authorities have described as "the gate of India,'
which the commercial instincts of traders have made
the mercantile capital of Central Asia—l mean the
city of Herat.
The position I claim for Herat is one of very
ancient date. The prosperity of that city, even before
the invasion of Gsrighiz 'Khan, was assured. In those
days the city could boast of 12,000 retail shops 350
schools, 144,000 occupied houses, and 6,000 'baths,
caravanserais and water mills. That prosperity,
though it suffered, disappeared neither before the
rapacity of Genghiz Khan nor before the ruthlessness
of Tamerlane. -Under the mild and genial rule of the
son of the latter, Shahrukh Mirza, it recovered all it
had lost. The restored prosperity continued till the
beginn;ng of the 16th century. Up to that period
Herat was not only the richest city in Central Asia,
but the resort of the greatest divines, philosophers,
poets, and historians of the age.
Such was Herat under good administration, But in
the beginning of the 16th century Herat was con-
quered by and annexed to Persia, Herat in the hands
of the Persians was like Venice in the hands of
Austria. Venice was starved and milked to build up
Trieste. Herat was starved and milked to build up
Meshed, No wonder, then, that its trade dwindled
and its prosperity melted away.
In 1715, howevee' the Abdali Afghans wrested
Herat from Persia. In 1731. the city was conquered
by Nadir Shah. On his death, 1749, it again fell into
the hands of the Abddli Afghans. Since that time
the fate of Herat has been linked to that of Cebu'.
Although constantly besieged and always misgoverned,
the prosperity of Herat has revived considerably since
her severance from Persia. Looking at the enormous
disadvantages under which she has laboured, at the
fact that she has been governed by a race of mountain
robbers, who know no rule but that of extortion, and
marking the advance she has made since she was freed
from the forced rivalry with Meshed, it is clear that
were she administered on the principles which charac-
terize British rule in India she would speedily attain a
position far exceeding in splendour that which she
reached even under the fostering care of the descend-
ants of Tamerlane.
The position occupied by Herat—on the high road
between India and Persia, the centre spot of an ex-
tensive and fertile valley, well watered by channels
made from a perennial stream—marks her out as the
natural garden and granary of Central Asia. Let us
see for a moment how she responds to this claim.
Herat was visited by Mr. Forster in 1783, That
gentleman describes the city as far surpassing Can-
dahar in the extent of her markets aud the amount o
her merchandise. European wares were then brought
thither by way of the Persian Gulf. In the caravan-
serais in Herat Mr. Forster met about 100 bankers and
traders from India—all rich and well-to-do men, and
whose credit was at the highest.
The next English traveller of whom I find any
record is Captain Christie. He visited the city in
disguise in 1810, and spent a month there. He de-
scribes Herat as situated in a valley, stretching six
geographical miles from east to west and about half
that breadth, fertilized to a degree not to be surpassed
by the streams which richly watered it. As far as the
eye could reach were orchards, and gardens, and corn-
fields. On the north side rose lofty mountains ;on the
south,the traveller,coming from Candahar and Farrah,
would have to ride for two hours through luxuriant
fields and gardens before he could reach the bridge
over the Herirud ; crossing that bridge, he would
have another ride of a similar length through the
same class of country before he could reach the city
gate. Christie described the city as covering four
English square miles. In the public market, of vast
extent, he found wares and merchandise from India,
from Persia, from the shores of the Caspian, from
Orenberg, from Samarcand, and from Afghanistan.
The population he reckoned at 100,000, of whom
10.000 only were Afghans, Of Hindoos there were
600, held in the highest esteem; and there were few
Jews.
Arthur Conolly visited Herat twenty-one years
later, in 1831. He travelled all over the province of
which Herat is the capital, found its natural capabili-
ties far greater than had been represented, but re-
cords that these were wasted—partly by the misrule of
the Afghans, partly by the unchecked plundering by
the Persians and border tribes, and partly by internal
feuds. The same causes had produced a decline of the
population to 45,000; the Hindoos, however, had in-
creased te 1,000, and the Jews maintained their posi-
tion. The city he describe as being dirty in the ex-
treme. But if any one venturei to express surprise
that in spite of the filth it should be healthy, he re-
ceived the stereotyped answer, "If dirt were to kill,
where would the Afghans be?"
Conolly describes the environs as being wonderfully
beautiful, and he confirms the accounts of previous
travellers as to the extraordinary fertility of the soil.
The gardens, vineyards, cornfields, and hamlets occu-
pying the valley which stretches four miles to the foot
of the mountain ranges on the north and twelve miles
to the ranges on the south are described by him with
an enthusiasm worthy of the theme. The water of
the Herirud he pronounces the best he ever tasted;
the fruits as the rarest and most delicious in flavour.
They are so plentiful that people are allowed to enter
the gardens and pluck and eat them. Each visitor is
weighed as he enters and again as he returns, and
pays at a fixed rate the difference in weight.
The climate is the finest in Asia. There are two
hot months in the year, but the thermometer even then
rarely stands higher than 85deg. (Fahrenheit) in the
shade. The nights are always cool, often cold. The
Heratis have a proverb,—" If the soil of Ispahan, the
cool breezes of Herat, and the waters of Khwarizin
were in the same place, there would be no such thing
as death,"
The districts of Herat boast of extensive mines of
iron and lead. These have, as yet, only been worked
at the surface. If properly dealt with, they would
yield enormous returns. The character of the iron is
shown by the fact that the scimitars made at Herat
are considered the best in Central Asia. The breed
of Herati horses is scarcely less renowned; they are
very cheap and are exported in large numbers. Herat,
too, is famous for its carpets. Worked in Bilk and in
wool, and in both combined, they are made of any size
and command large prices. Hitherto the difficulty in
the way of transport has prevented their being so well
known as they deserve. Silk is spun in large quan-
tities in the districts. The districts likewise produce
largely assafcetida, saffron, pistachio nuts, gum, and
manna. These and horses constitute the principal
exports. Of skins, only those of the sheep and the
lamb are used in Herat. But of these the supply is
insufficient. Shoes are, therefore, imported from
India vid Candahar. Herat produces neither cotton
goods nor cloths. The sheep skins are made up into
coverings.
Such is Herat—a Place possessing vast capabilities.
the employment of which only demands intelligent
rule. The annual revenue, under the tyrannical
government of Shah Kamran, was £89,248, Under
the rule of the British it could be made to cover the
expense of the occupation of the great cities of
Afghanistan. Again, would Herat become what she
was 500 years ago—" the garden and granary of
Central Asia." In the course of a few years this
garden and granary must fall either to Russia or to
England. Why not take it now? The possession
will solve every difficulty. Not only would England
govern the country with its own revenues, but she
would rescue from Afghan tyranny a race who hate
the Afghans, and obtain for the inhustriea of England
the market of Central Asia.—l remain, Sir, your
obedient servant, G. B. MALLISON.

27, West Cromwell-road.