The New York herald., 1870-05-23
r E r s IA.
The Flow Of Commerce and Channel Of
Trade by Bushire.
How tho People Live Mosques, Prayer
and Public Schools.
Piracy, tho Dastinado, Cotton and
Opium.

BY special correspondence from Bushire, Persia,
we have the following ample and highly important
exhibit Of the state Of aairsgovernmental, politi-
CAL industrial and social-which existed there
during the early days Of 1870.
Bushire the Main Channel Of Pcrsiau Trade
The aLast OF the Private BuggaIows''-
General Features-The Mosquos-A Persian
School soonnoes and SHY ees-The Bunder-
The Baxnar-Two Men Bastinndoed for Sell
ling Grain Too High--The laIeck TadIar-
Trade, Cotton and Opium-The Hal Stenn-
BusnIRE, April 8, 1862
Bushire or Abu.Shecr, or Abu-Shahr-whichever
spelling may be preferred by the reader-ts situated
nearly the head OF the Persian Gllf on its north.
eastern sde and Is at present the chief seaport OF
Persia. Until quite recently, indeed 1t was the only
seaport in possession OF that Power but during The
reign OF the present astute and almost enlightened
| Shah the various other coast towns along the
eastern side of the gulf, which for several genera
tions had been held and governed by their local
sheikhs. who acknowledged the authoity of the
Shah in very doubtful manner. ann who even ire
quenty entirely repudiated It, have been brought
under the direct control OF the Teheran
This has, however only added to the prosperity OF
Bushre, which can now boast, II the estimate OF the
British Resident can be relied on. commerce Of
800 900 1922 500 000) annually. Perhaps tt Is as well
to explain at once how this estimate Is made up.
The Governor Of Bushire farms the revenues or
the place from the Shah for an annual payment OF
$4,000 tomauns s75,ooothat Is to say, the Cover.
nor pays that yearly to the general government
and takes the chance OF the receipts from all
sources, customs octroi Dues land and poll taxes,
and bribery and corruption OF every conceivable
description repayfng him with interest The Resi-
dent supposes the Governor to make 10000 tomauns
profit, while his subordinates make 5000 more.
This is very moderate computation, and as at
least nine-tenths OF the total sum ought to come
out Of the customs and octrol receipts, while the
recognized duty on imports and exports Is fve
per cent ad palorena, this would give the amount
stated as the total OF the annual trade Of the
place. But this is all guess work, and when it Is re
membered that the authorities only limit themselves
to the modest Ave per cent when the trader Is
European, from whom they cannot succeed In
getting more, It Is clear that the basis OF the est
mate Is rather shaky.
However this may be. the fact remains that
Bushire Is exceptionally prosperous; that It's trade
Is the malnstay Of the two steamship lines that
from Bombay up the gulf; that it also employs
large feet Of native bungalows ana that Its future
prospects are rather brilliant; for, looking at the
geographical position OF Persia it Will be that
its ten millions OF frugal industrious, "tradng in.
few routes. On the north goods enter the coun-
try only either via Trebizond or Poti the Black
Sea, to Tabreez, or again via the voiga and the
Caspian to Resht ana thence to Tabreez. Either OF
these involves land carriage for hundreds OF
miles through mountainous country, destitute OF
roads, frequently impossible from snow, and always
infested with banditti And yet further to scare
away trafflc from these unpromising tracks
the Russians ana the Turks have planted their
an rvta ptry uylpv
tions are simply absurd On the south the foreign
trade of Persia can now from Kurrachee up the
Indus, via Candahar and Herat to Meshed, and on
the west It can either 60 to Bunder Abbas or
Bushlre, both Of which are Persian ports, and
within easy reach OF the passes leading through the
GOmbroon Mountains to Ispalan ana Yezd; or
again. 1t can go to BassOrah or Bagdad, or some
other port on the Euphrates and thence cross the
country to Ispahan. The first Of these latter routes
1s very crcuitOus one, and the last, owing to the
trouble created by the meddling OF the Turkish Gus
tom houses and the attention OF Koord robbers, is
by no means popular Indeed, every route,
except those two direct ones via Bun
der Abbas and Bushire, is open to all
sorts OF objections, and would not deserve
to be mentioned but for the fact that
hitherto trade to Persia has mainly adopted
them as lts channels. NOV, however, since piracy
boats. the two natural routes have been constantly
gaining popularity, and there is little doubt that
they wiil in time be Tue only ones used. For the
Yezd trade Bunder Abbas Will be the favorite sea-
port, while for the larger and more important CON-
merce to Ispahan, aud up as high even as Teheran,
Bushre will prove the natural inlet.
Bushire, as city, varies very little from Muscat,
LIMA, or Bassoral or most otner Arab ana Persian
boast some 10000 inhabitants. which IN the gulf is
an exceedingly great multitude But in other respects
1t Is but repetition OF the orthodox model-a mass
OF tumbledoWn mud. brick houses, faced with chu-
and with fiat roofs, relieved here and there by
By decayed wall, the monotony OF whose
outline is broken by bastions and an occa-
on one side OF the city more extensive than the
wall for In the attack made upon the place In 1855
by British force very nearly all the fortihcalions on
the side most nercey assailed were broken down,
and they have never since been repaired The
streets are too narrow for vehicles aud too uneven
for pedestrians: the dwellings on each side reek
with all kinds Of nOsome od0rs, while stagnant pools
OF water lie In the path and throw of masmatic
vapors which every now and then breed an epidemic
OF fever or cholera or some other OF pestence.
For anything IN the latter direction Bushire Is
always indeed,a fayorite sphere Of destruction
Thirty years ago 1t was nearly depopulated by the
plague. and 1t hasalmost annual epdemcs OF choI-
era dysentery and fever. This year only few hun.
dred persons have fallen victims to these maiadles;
cholera disappeared after successfulrun OF about
ten days and though half the Persian population
and two.thirds of the resident Europeans are now
suffering from q more or less virulent form OF
'Bushre fevern the disease is not OF fatal type,
AS a seaport Bushire is very unfortunate physl-
cay. There IS only an open roadsead exposed
constantly To the fu violence or the neaVy gales OF
wind which sweep from the northwest and south
east--the shema or the kosh-and the water is too
shallow to allow vessels drawing more than two
fathoms to come within four miles OF the city.
Not unfrequentiy, in bad weather vessels have to
seek safety on the open sea, while those which re-
main are sometimes cut Off for days from all CON-
municatlon with the shore. And, OF course, tne
expenses OF discnarging and loading cargo are
always very heavy, even II the damage sustained by
goods from exposure In an Arab open bungalow,
plunging through heavy sea and shipping water
almost every minute Is LETT out Of consideration.
But, inconvenieut and dangerous as 1t s, Bashire
1S no worse than any Otner town on the eastern
side OF the gulf There harbOr5 or sheltered
roadsteads the whole length OF the coast.
Landing from the steamer, the attention Of the
visitor Is at once attracted by the remains OF large
Arab buggaiow securely fixed on sand bank, which
Is just covered even at low water by the waves.
THIS wreck has rather good story attached to IT. 1t
Is the .last OF the pirate buggalowsn About fifteen
months ago 1t belonged to Mahomed-bn Khuleefa,
the Shelk OF Bahrein, potentate Of twenty years,
standing. who had frequently been admonished BY