'Persia and the Persian Question by the Hon. George Nathaniel Curzon, M.P.' [‎548] (611/714)

PERSIA
Mussulmans, but of eight krans upon Christians ; and an equivalent
scale on whatever live stock they possess. Generally speaking, the
position of the peasants may be said to depend upon the character
of the agha, or landlord, who is responsible to Government for the
taxes up to the fixed assessment, and who either exacts or renounces
his pound of flesh as his inclination determines.
The number of Armenians resident in Azerbaijan is inferior to
the Xestorians, but is yet considerable. The census is
Armenians
calculated as follows
Maku
Kotur
Khoi
Salmas Plain
Somai and Chara
Urumiah
Sulduz
Families
300
100
400
1,200
100
400
100
Earadost or Beranduz
Karadagh .
Maragha .
Miandoab .
Suj Bulak .
Tabriz
Ardebil
Total
Families
180
1,000
120
80
60
740
35
The Armenians being less prolific, less gregarious, and less
stay-at-home than the Nestorians, it is recommended to compute
their families at an average of six persons, which will give a total
of 28,890 ; or, together with the Nestorians, a grand total of 72,890
for the ( hristian population of Azerbaijan. The Persian Arme
nians are a less attractive and an even less reliable people than
the mendacious, but peaceable Nestorians. They travel a great
deal, and pick up revolutionary ideas, and are disposed to deceit
and turbulence. The local head of their church is an arch
bishop at Tabriz, who throws what obstacles he can in the way of
the Christian missions; whilst the Catholicos of the entire
Armenian church is located not far from the frontier, in Russian
teiritory, at Echmiadzin. The Armenian question is, however,
so much a Turkish and so little a Persian one, that I do not feel
called upon to say anything more about it here. I shall have
occasion to speak of the people again, when dealing with Julfa.
From the ^sestorians and Armenians it is an easy and natural
transition to turn to their hereditary foes, the Kurds. It is a
Kurdistan s ^ ran g e caprice of fortune that should have located in
this quarter of the globe, in immediate neighbourhood,
two, nay, three communities of men, alien to each other in cha
racter, race, and religion, whose juxtaposition is fraught with
endless and irremediable strife, whereas, had they been separated,