'Annual Report on the Administration of the Persian Gulf Political Residency and Muscat Political Agency for the Year 1874-75.' [‎51v] (10/46)

6 administration report of the persian gulp political residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India.
have secretly left Muscat. As yet no information lias been received
regarding her, notwithstanding all the efforts that have been made to
obtain information. Several copies of the anti-slavery proclamation have
been furnished to the various British Agents; these have been posted
m conspicuous places, and the widest publicity has been given to the
orders of Government on this subject and the penalties attaching to
their infringement. 0
R eport on trade op the P ersian G ulf for 1874.
The report on trade for the year 1873 being intended as the first of
a series was prefaced by some general remarks on the subject, which, so
far as the circumstances arc unaltered^ need no repetition,
x)uring the year 1S74 a weekly line of mail steamers commenced
running between India and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and Busrah; and although
the direct line of steamers between London and Busrah was temporarily
discontinued, this service is about to be re-established on an improved
system by the British India Steam Navigation Company.
The statistical information collected for the year 1874 will be found
in a set of tabular statements of similar form to those submitted with
Nos. i to 22. tlie last Annual Report with the addition of
the ^contrasted Statenients w exhibiting the
increase and decrease of imports and exports at the ports of "Bushire and
Bahrein as compared with those of the previous year.
The memorandum on the subject of the opium trade of Persia
No. 23. drawn up by Mr. G. Lucas, Uncovenanted
Assistant Resident, which accompanies this
Report, will be seen to contain interesting information on that subject.
rht'ie has been a very marked falling* off in trade as regards the
Persian Coast during the year under report. At the port of Bushire the
decrease is shown in both imports and exports, and amounts to an
aggregate of over eighteen lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. . This decrease would have
been still greater, but for the removal of the prohibition on the export of
grain and increased exportation of opium.
The Persian market is supposed to be still overstocked, and a further
depression of trade may be expected.
The harvests in the south have been but scanty, and though the
return probably covers the outlay, it will scarcely do more.
The same impediments to trade as were alluded to in the previous
Report still exist in Southern Persia, except perhaps it may be allowed
that the efforts of His Royal Highness the Governor-General of Ears
have rendered the caravan roads in his province more secure than thev
were. J
The hopes that had been formed of reforms and innovations tending
to develop the resources and improve the communication seem as
regards the south of Persia, far from realization.
The remarks which were previously advanced regarding the difficul
ties which beset the British merchants in Southern Persia, and the re-