Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-03-27
Imnnrtant Treaty with Persia.


fFrem the Washington Correspondence of the Bait Sun
The treaty with Persia lately ratified by the SEN
az is one both of political and commercial I'M !
portance TO the United States 1t was negotiated IN
December last, by Carroll Spence, the American
minister at Constantinope, and Ferrouk Khan, the
ambassador ksent by the Shah to the Emperor OF
France, between whom commercial treaty has been
lately concluded Ferrouk Khan is one of the most
distinguished diplomatic agents that ever went from
Persia and was sent not only for the purpose of
bearing magnificent presents to Louis Napoleon but
also to bring, if possible, to amicable adjustment
the difficulties that had existed for several months
between his country and Great Britain. II was
during his soourn at Copstantinople. in attempting
this with Lord Stratford that the present treaty was
discussed and finally concluded.
Those who are at all acquainted with eastern
statesmen know how important in the negotiation of
treaties with them it is to be fortified with handsome
presents as propatory offerings and how frequently
they fail when unable to advance these powerful
arguments Mr. Spence, therefore, deserves no little
credit for the pomatic talent he has displayed in
bringing the negotiations to a successful issue and
obtaining for his country favorable treaty as
the present Especially as it was made without
those presents and in spite of the open and bitter OPP
position of the British government. 1t is a CONNER
| cal enc, and by it the United States gain all the
privileges granted by Persia to the most favored ma
tion 10 obtain which Of them have shed no lit
| tie blood and spent much money.
Persia hitherto has been almost a "erra incognlta"
| to the people of the United States. Situated away
to the east it has been regarded by many as coun
try in holding any intercourse with which We could
derive but little advantage. IT, however, the cult
| vatioE of commerce between her and England be an
object of much importance to the latter, and has
been fostered with so much care by err government
it certainly cannot but prove beneficial to the mer-
chants of the United States, the great rivals OF those
of Great Britain, share portion Of it. Owing
fowever, to the want of any treaty between the two
countries and consequently The absence OF plomatic
and tS IN ri th1n Pc hnaO
entirely closed TO American capital and commercial
enterprise The present treaty opens to The
chants of the United States the vast field which this
country presents md permits them to share her
merce with the European nations.
Persia contains 400 900 square miles, and though
always difficult 10 obtain n the East accurate sta
tistics the population is generally estimated at about
13O0O,O0O whilst The revenue is valued at 4,OO0,
600 dollars, principally derived from duties imports
and exports captation and land taxes and tributes
paid by The nomSdc tribes 1t has much fertile land,
good climTte the Inhabitants robust and healthy
and the merchants possess lar more commercial en-
terprise than any others in the East Though she
has several good seaports upon the Persian gulf,
nearly all OF her foreign CONNER passes through
those of Turkey. The two principal ones are Frebi-
Zond and Bassorah The former owes lis present
commercial prosperity 10 the concession made by the
Porte upon The demand of the European powers Of
the free navigation of the Dardanees and BosphoruS.
1t is situated the southeastern shores of the Black
! Sea, about 800 miles from Conslantnople
| In all eastern countries. where the roads bad
and there are no railways, the entire internal COM
merce is carried on by means of caravans. The mer
chandise entered at FrebZond is dispatched into The
interior by two caravan routes, one by ErZrOum,
crossing the Pylean mountains, the other by Rails
and Elvan. These Two routes, after dlverging some
distance, meet at the common point OF Nakshvan, IN
Persia, which, it seems, has been lately coded to
Russia by treaty exchanged on the 18Th OF January
at ST Petersburg. From this point these goods are
intO he khanS nd haze of ahriZ
most important commercial city Of the empire and
lis great distributing depot Thence they for
warded to Teheran The capital, lsprhan, the smaller
towns and pashaics, and even to Cabul BeeIichisan,
and TO supply the numerous nomadc tribes that IN
habit the vast plains beyond Herat Khiva and Boka
rah. The return caravans bring back in exchange
large quantity of those eastern goods 10 be found in
European markets and the staple productions of the
country
From the most reliable statistics that can be OBJ
tanned OF the commerce of Trebizond the imports and
exports swell to the considerable amount of nearly
-Sl3 100000 Of the imports no less than 100000
is entirely for the Persian market consisting of cot
ion aid wooden fabrics, hardware, fancy articles and
chntZ-Whiist the exports made up of good
brought chiefly from that country, such and
manufactured silks, wool, shawls, carpets, saffron
gall nuts and dyestuhs The cultivation of silk in
Persia, whence it originally introduced into Eu
rope, is very considerable; the province of Ghilan
pod cng more than is obtained from the whole of
Italy This trade will be greatly increased when the
inhabitants abolish their crude and ancielt method
OF winding it No stronger proof can be given in ad
dton 10 The above statistics of the increase and i'm
porance of this than the fact that no less
than three regular lines of steamers between
Constantinople and TrebiZond, an Austrian Loyds
| Turkish and Greek. Owing to IA better knowledge
of its nav CATION the EuXne has been stripped of
ancient terrors, which has greatly increased the
Der of sailing vessels hat enter it,
| Neariy the whole of these manufactured goods are
supplied by England, the most important of which
the merchants of the United States could supply as
we'll and as cheap. Persia large quantities
of blue drills aud plain white cottOns, which are
printed at the establishment at Tabrz and resold
a great profit The United States export TO Turkey
a large amount of these, having, in a measure sup
| planted those of England. The same, did oppor
tunIty present, could be done in Persia From this
it will be that three fourths of the merchandise
imported Though Trebzond is sent to Persia the 9th
er is consumed by the inhabitants of the city finds
its way into The barren and mountainous districts Of
Mingrata, Georgia and Armenia.
The port of Bassorah belongs also to Turkey, and
is situated upon the Shat-ulArab, large river form
| ed by the junction of the Tigris and Euphrates
some seventy miles above The Persian gulf, aud con.
tains about $4,000 inhabitants. From this point
four great caravan routes dverge--one terminating
at Beyrout, passing through Bagdad and Dan ascus
another at Alexandretta passing through AIeppo; a
third through K0nid, al Smyrna-alI Turkish ports
upon the Mediterranean. The fourth trayersng the
whole of Asastc Turkey by DdIbiker and Mossul,
terminates at Trebizond.
From these grand trunk routes others branch OF to
lspahan, Hamadan and other smaller towns in Persia,
Ahganstan and Cabul. That to Beyrout through
Bagdad and Damascus, being the principal route for
the pilgrims to Nee ca is perhaps the most important
The merchants avail themselves of to be protected
against the attacks of the predatory bands of Bedou-
ms that nfeSt the deserts between Bagdad and Da-