'Volume I. MEMORANDA REGARDING PERSIA AND NORTH-WEST TRANS-FRONTIER. 1905.' [‎146r] (296/310)

Certain Afghan merchants of Herat
recently submitted an application to the Amir,
stating that lack of capital compelled them
to borrow money from Russian merchants at
Meshed for the purchase of wool, and that
they were subsequently obliged to sell the wool
at cheap rates to the money-lenders; they
accordingly asked for advances from the State
Treasury to free them from the disadvantages
under which they laboured. His Highness lias
issued a firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). , authorising the local authorities
to issue advances to the traders on production of
satisfactory security, and about 80,000 krans
have already been advanced in pursuance of
these orders.
Kandahar .—Owing to a change in news-
writers, no news was received from Kandahar
during December.
Kabul .—During the Amir’s absence on
tour in the Ghazni district, Sardar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. Inayatulla
Khan carried on the work of administration
with great earnestness and zeal. On the 16th
November, the Amir formally conferred the
title of Sardar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. upon Inayatulla Khan, and
presented him with a medal set with jewels.
The young Sardar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. is making enemies by his
independent way of dealing with cases, and it
is said that even the Itimad-ud- Dow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. r leh is
jealous of him. Unfortunately Inayatulla
Khan show's a disposition to be as cruel as he
is independent.
Sardar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. Nasrulla Khan has sent a letter to
the Amir, pointing out the danger of going out
into the country on shooting excursions and
making extensive tours, while His Highness
still has many enemies in the country, and
many of the refugees recalled to Afghanistan
cannot be trusted. His Highness has not taken
any notice of the communication, and, it is
believed, attributes the advice to personal
motives. It is still doubtful if the Amir
intends visiting Jalalabad this cold weather.
In spite of frequent reports that it is his inten
tion to do so, the probability is that he will
not.
The Amir is considering: a project for the
construction of tw r o masonry dams across the
Kabul River—one just above the villages Rish
Khor and Tang-i-Saidan, and the other just
below the villages Durani and Deh Khawaja,
southwest of Kabul—for storing water for
irrigation. Mr. Donovan, the Amir’s engineer,
has prepared the project, and estimated the
cost to be about eleven lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. . It
has, however, since been decided to use locally
manufactured cement wdiich has reduced the
estimate by about four lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. .
Enquiries are to be made whether the villages
likely to benefit by the scheme wdll bear a
portion of the cost of construction, and if they
refuse, the work is to be carried out at