‘Persia.’ [‎14v] (33/48)

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lightning : groves of date-palms. Time 5 hours. The heavy rain fortunately
stopped shortly after 1 f.m. Passed the sulphur and naptha springs. The
hills seem as if they had been dipped in naptha to their summit. Coal is
said to have been lately discovered in south of Persia. There are some salt hills
north of the village of different colors; water very green and sulphurous;
some of the stones covered with red fungoids. Plushed a snipe in one of
the odoriferous pools ; will he taste of kerosine ? Took 4 hours to Borasjoon.
Borasjoon is the place to which the Persians fled after Kushab, and then to
elude us left their camp and fled to Daliki before going up the hills ; their idea
being that English could fight at sea, but not on land. It is said that in the
charge at Kushab, the Persian square was astonished to see a few officers and
cavalry charge it : they did not know what was meant, and that when the
officers got inside the square the Persians did not attempt to kill them but
looked on and wondered what they were going to do next. Some peculiar ideas
exist also as to the relations between Outram and Stalker. What is required
for Persians is regular pay, &c., to ensure discipline. The public works one
sees, caravanserais, &c., are due solely to private enterprise. The Kotal Malu I
now find is not an unfinished but an abandoned work. One man, a merchant
of Shiraz, made it, paying his own masons. Then it appears the man was a
muff, for he began to pave a road straight up a precipitous spur without
zigzags ; a darzi pointed out that another route to the left was better. The
merchant in disgust stopped work, lost his money, and the credit to his name.
26th November, Saturday. —Left at 6 and arrived by 12-30 at Shif. Asked
Arshak Malcolm to write a small book on Persian War. Stack in his book says
this march from Shif to Borasjoon was the worst he experienced in Persia;
it was my last, so I had to make the most of it. The rain came down in tor
rents at Kushab, and lasted right into Shif, the mules slipping about like cats
in nutshells on the ice. The route is over a dead level plain and most greasy.
At Shif met Ross’s men who gave me letters up to 19th October; all well at
home, and just as I was going off to the launch, an old curlew got up with
his wild cry, recalling at once pleasant days on Loch Awe, and above all the
oldest and best friend I have in the world, “ Hairy,” the boy of 40 years ago,
and with whom this peculiar whistle used to be a mutual call and signal during
youthful frolics. Good news from home to the latest possible date ; sudden
recollections of old friends, the labour of travel done, rest, a good lunch, &c., &c.,
verily the Good Spirit moved upon the face of the waters. After 2 hours’
steam, and after Khodaya had been thoroughly sea-sick we landed at Bushire.
Here B oss’s dogcart was ready and in 10 minutes I was under his hospitable
roof. A tub, clean clothes, and afternoon tea with Mrs. Ross and her two
daughters. Dr. Ross and Ravenshaw, a Political, here.
27th November, Sunday. —Bushire—Drive, &c.—settled with Khodaya—
he asked me for everything I had,—gave him krans 116 and the native saddle
and bridle; he is now going to Kerbela to be buried in a box as I tell him.
The customs of Bushire amount to £24,000. The harbour is not good, and
the island can only be approached by vessels of light draught. Steamers
and ships have to anchor some 2 miles away in an open roadstead. At
Mohamrah they say ships of deep draught can lie alongshore, and from that
port there is water carriage for 200 miles inland to Shuster.* There is a project
for the navigation of the Karun, and a connection beyond with Dizful by rail,
but the terms and conditions are so adverse to Persia that it is no wonder
negociation is in abeyance. Some say that Russia prevents f the Shah from
sanctioning this work of development; the probability is the Syndicate strangled
their own project.
Transit as per Table No. 7B, £4-10-0, expenses £6-4-0. Therefore to
sum up, the cost of a ride through Persia “ chapparing,” from Enselli to
* Shuster is the ancient Susa wliere Alexander found so much treasure and the purple of Hermiohe. It
was here that Darius took refuge as the country was so difficult to traverse and all the passes were guarded
by the bravest of the Persians, Alexander’s loot at Susa loaded 20,000 mules and 5,000 camels. (Plutarch).
The Karun is said to be navigable, as far as the rapids of Ahwaz, a point to which an Englishman by name
Eastcourt ascended in 1836, in a steam-boat ; JVlr. Selby also went as far as Shuster.
f Benjamin thinks that Russia desires to stamp out all schemes for progress in Persia—he also points out
that Russia invites pastoral tribes to cross the frontier for grazing, and then forces them to remain—that she
.nibbles away at territory—that she has already taken in some of the more important mountain ranges, and
proposed the absorption of Khorassan.