"دليل بلاد فارس، المجلد I ويشمل محافظات أستراباد، شاهرود-بوستان، خراسان، وسيستان" [و‎‎٢‎٣‎٨] (٧٢٢/٤٨٢)

Schemes have been prepared, in rivalry to the Baghdad-Karmanshah
railway proposition, for alight line from Shustar to Isfahan; but authorities
are not agreed as to their feasibility, the mountain country between beino*
very difficult. But, whether continued by railways or improved roads to
Karmanshah and Isfahan, 135 miles of water carriage thoroughly opened
out and developed must prove a powerful magnet to trade, far beyond its
terminus. This influence may even extend beyond Isfahan, and compete
with other routes for the trade of Yazd and Karman.
For fuller treatise on this route, see “ Karun River Precis”; Lieutenant-
Colonel Bell’s S. JP. Persia, and Vol. III. Gazetteer of Persia.
Ponte &— via Bushahr and Shiraz.—This route should have no com
petitors for the supply of the province of Pars, and even that of Isfahan,
until the opening of the Karun route; but it would then lose some of its
importance as one of the leading commercial routes of Persia, as the
anchorage of Bushahr is 4 miles from the shore, the road from Bushahr to
Shiraz is bad, and is liable to be interrupted ; for it passes through the
country of the Mamasem, a turbulent tribe, who possess the noted strong
hold of Kala Safid. There are also roads from Lingah and Bandar Abbas,
through Lar, to Shiraz.
Route 9—via Bandar Abbas.—The last main route we shall touch upon is
that of Bandar Abbas, which supplies the markets of Yazd and Karman.
The harbour of Bandar Abbas is bad,—anchorage far from shore, with
a bad surf. Although it is covered by islands, it is not believed to be
capable of great improvement. The English have a station at Kishm ;
and there is good anchorage at Angar. If the harbour at Bandar Abbas could
be made tolerable, the old influence ^ of Bandar Abbas might hereafter be
resumed. It has one great advantage over Bushahr, that it is opposite to
a natural pass into the interior of Persia. The fact that the Bushahr caravans
scarcely ever number I 00 mules, while those of Bandar Abbas often contain
1,000 to 2,000 camels, forcibly illustrates this. The Shustar and Bushahr
routes may be denominated mule routes; those of Baghdad and Bandar
Abbas, camel routes. The chief objection to Bandar Abbas is that it is
stated to be very unhealthy for Europeans. Should railways hereafter
terminate at Jask, a great deal of the commerce of Persia will concentrate
at Bandar Abbas ; and in any case Bandar Abbas must, until Russian
influence spreads beyond Herat, absorb much of the trade of southern
Khurasan.
English commercial influence ought certainly, with the aid of the four
Region in wliicli Eng- last mentioned routes and Ivaiachi, to be paramount
lish commercial influence all along the line Karmanshah, Isfahan, Yazd, Kar-
should be paramount. m £ n , Sistan, Quetta.
N.B .—Further valuable information under this heading will be found
in the Secret part of Lieutenant-Colonel Bell’s S. W. Persia.
Vegetable Productions.
Timber .—Forests of European trees, oak, beech, elm, alder, boxwood,
Timber, forest, and cherry and thorn, as well as teak, perhaps the best
other trees. shipbuilding timber in the world, caver the Caspian