'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎319] (428/496)

819
district when Zohab was the capital of a Turkish Pashalic. This district
of Zohab is now one of the disputed spots in the contested territories so
long made the cause of quarrel between Persia and Turkey. By right
it is Turkish soil ; but since the invasion of Mahomed Ali Mirza, prince
of Kirmanshah, in 1821, when it was wrested from the Turks, it has
remained in the hands of the Persians. When in the possession of the
Turks, it was the seat of Government of a Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , subject to Baghdad,
and was comparatively a thriving place, and would continue so, did not
the evils of Persian administration prevent progressive improvement.
Bounded as it is by three large streams, (the Sherwan to the 1ST. W.,
the Zemkan to the east, and the Holwan to the south,) and having nu
merous mountain tributaries traversing it in many places, this rich plain
forms a material item of loss in the revenues of the Baghdad Pashalic ;
while, at the same time, it scarcely enriches its present possessors, from
the corrupt and oppressive measures resorted to by the Kirmanshah
Government. From these causes the population is annually decreasing,
and since the late encroachments of the Jaf tribe, but few ryots remain
to cultivate even a small portion of the grounds of this extensive lice
district. Major Rawlinson, in his Notes on a March into Susiana (so often
alluded to) enters with some detail into the revenues of the place for
three successive years. It then yielded but 10,000 Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. ^ annually,
or about one-third of the sum that was derived from the distiict by its
former possessors. The amount is now further decreased, and the town
that formerly boasted 1000 houses scarcely has, at the present time, thirty
tenable mud hovels. The climate of Zohab is proverbially unwholesome,
and the water, though clear and not unpleasant to the taste, contains
some pernicious mineral component that, if indulged in for a shoit time
only, seriously affects the traveller. To the natives, however, it is not
so baneful, but they are nevertheless aware of its bad qualities, for they
recommend a raw onion to the stranger before a draught is indulged in.
The water of the Sherwan, Holwan, and Zemkan, is alike deleterious,
both to men and cattle; as, indeed, are, with few exceptions, the whole
of the springs which have their origin in this part of the Zagios ran^e.
Fevers are very prevalent, caused, I presume, by the marshy nature of
the district; and, excepting amongst the nomade tribes,but few individuals
wear an aspect of health. During the summer, the heat is excessively
oppressive, and the myriads of annoying insects that infest the locality
are represented as almost beyond endurance. A cooler atmosphere *
* A toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. is a little less than ten shillings.