نسخة مذيلة من "بلاد فارس والشأن الفارسي" بقلم جورج كرزون، مع أوراق مدرجة [ظ‎‎٦‎٩‎١] (١٨١٤/١٣٩٩)

!,
340 PERSIA
than a local mart for the needs of the Arab tribes, and for a limited
export of native produce, such as grain, opium, wool, and dates.
Its customs were farmed a few years ago for 1,500L ; but as the
duty was levied on the number of packages or bales, irrespective of
bulk or value, no criterion was thereby afforded of the total volume
of trade. Selby in 1842 laid stress upon the exceptional healthi
ness of the place, which he said was superior in this respect to any
other part of the adjacent country, to which he attributed the
continued immunity from bad fever of himself and ships crew,
and which he explained by the coolness of the snow-fed stream.
This testimonial, if it be applicable to the river, which has been
disputed by other witnesses , 1 can scarcely be transferred to the
town, whose main street is also its cloaca maxima, and which riots
in smells. Nothing, indeed, redeems the place from insignificance
but its palm-groves, which are superb, and its physical situation,
which in any other country and under any other government would
long ago have been turned to enduring profit. In the river off
the town were moored some twenty mehalas, the large native
boat, ranging from five to fifty tons, and having a draught of from
three to six feet, built with raking prow, lofty poop, and a single 3
vast lateen sail, which is the immemorial cargo boat of the
Karun.
Here I embarked on board the c Shushan,’ too late, however,
to proceed till the next morning. The Persian Government
A Persian maintained an agent at Mohammerah, one Mirza Kasim
official Khan, known as the Karguzar, to superintend mercantile
operations, represent the Foreign Office, and watch Messrs. Lynch.
The first of these functions was easily performed, because the
composed of 5,000 men, with twelve guns, four armed steamers, and two sloops of
war. At daybreak on March 26, 1857, the British guns opened fire upon the
Persian batteries, which were silenced in less than an hour. The troopships then
advanced, passed the batteries amid musketry fire, landed under Sir H. Havelock,
drove the Persians out of the batteries (these alone of the enemy showed fight),
and advanced through the palm-groves towards the camp where the main Persian
army was entrenched. The latter fled precipitately, leaving their tents, stores,
ammunition, and sixteen guns. The officers were afterwards publicly disgraced
by order of the Shah, being dragged along the ranks by rings through their noses,
beaten, and cast into prison. The arch-coward, however, Khanlar Mirza, who
ought to have been shot, having made a present of 8 , 000 Z. to the prime minister,
received a sword and robe of honour.
1 W. K. Loftus {Travels in Chaldee a, p. 278), W. F. Ainsworth {Personal
Narrative, vol. ii. p. 175).
4