PERSIA 



cathedral. Including thone who have joined the 

 Roouui Catholic itiul ProleKtanl churches, the 

 whole nuiuU-r of Christiana can hardly exceed 

 30,000, The Jew* number 15.000. 



i.ive no certain information regarding the 

 |>piilntiu .if Persia. Tlit-re can lie no doubt that 

 in antiiitiity. ami even during the middle ages, 

 while the irrigation-works still fertilised great 

 liiu-t- of country, it supported a great |M>)iiilatiiui. 

 Iti tin- 17th century tin- French traveller, Chardin, ' 

 thought 40 million* not t<H> high a ligure. Kecent 

 traveller*, however. reduced these Mini- to numbers 

 varying fnmi 15 to S millions. Much surprise waa 



.-i.-iv expnwmd when in 1868 Sir Ronald 

 Thorn-Hi iMNMWd that tin- rut in- ixiiiuliition did 

 >. i-.s| ;, million*, ami wax probably not over 

 4 iiiilli-.n- Id- i-iiniate ban aince been generally 

 accepted a thr nuiHt trustworthy we him-, atthooa 

 the official estimate in 1881 was 7,053.600. He 

 divide* the total roughly into a million inhabitants 

 of riti.*. 1,700,000 nomad*, anil 1,700,000 peasant* 

 ntiil villagers; and the following are his estimates 

 f the population of the chief cities : Tabriz, 

 1 Hi.oKI; Teheran. 85,000; Meshhed, 7(),(KK); Ispahan, 

 00,000; Yezd, 40,1)00 ; Kerman. .Hii.mKi; Kcimaii 

 hall. 30.000 ; llaniiidaii. I.IKII. Teheran has 

 hi!_''-u increased since this r-timat- wa niiule, and 

 in I vii u.t-*aid to have -Jlo.tKio inhabitant*. There 

 can be nn doubt thai the population of Persia has 

 been long diminishing, a fact attributable to mis- 

 rule and extortion, neglect of the great irrigation 

 work*, and the frequent occurrence of famines in 

 a drv country where cultivation de|iend8 nn an 

 artiti. i.il supply of water. 



Tin- roads are utterly neglected. The hongea, 

 lhoe of the wealthiest |,e,i|,l.. not excepted, appear 

 contemptible, l-ing generally built of earth or mud, 

 and are grouped, even in the towns, with little. 

 attention to uniformity or order. They scarcely 

 ever exceed one story in height, and they are 

 rammnded hv high 'blank walla. The public 

 building*, micii an moM|uen, colleges, and caravan- 

 eraim are of similar amwarance to the ordinary 

 booMa, and built of the name materials. The 

 interior*, however, of the hoimm of the rich are 

 omeUroen perfect |Mira<liNeii of luxury and elegance. 

 The mUM-rnlile linik of. the town- i. moreover, 

 Rreally redeemed by the beauty of the garden* 

 which ummnd them. 



Man i/oft nraaui Trade. The tnule of I'ei-ia i- 

 nMnparalively of little iin|MirUiice. The silk used 



the great utaple.. and in produced in almost 

 v-'tv province, but chietly in Cliilan, Kashan. and 

 Yel. Tim repeated failure of the crop ha-, how 

 ever, interfered very wriouxly with this branch of 

 iiidutry. ''..it.,!! and woollen fabrics, shawls, 

 ciui>ct. and fell- an' lar^'i'ly inanufactiire<l for use 

 and exjuirt j n difTerent |>artii of the country. Trade 

 i earriedan by caravan- with the inteii'or of Asia 

 and Uie chief town* of Persia. These caravans 

 exchange the product, of 1'en.ia for doth, printed 

 eklicoe*. nhirting. coppnr heeU. hanlware, glam 

 and (Kirn-lain, tea. coftV. itugar, candl.-s. (laraltin- 

 ml. lurifer malchm. anil fancy g">d The princi 

 Ml trad* crntrm are Tabriz. Teheran. Upahan, and 

 Hu.lnre. Boropean goorU are brought to Tabriz 



ilnlin..|.ln unil Trehinmd : to Teheran 

 partJv bv Taliri/. irtly by the Canpian. and partly 

 bv BMUrai while (., l.|vlmn they are brought 

 almmi etdiuively by Hu-hirr.. In recent limes 

 the mmmnninuion between IVrmia and foreign 



.- ha* been greMly lncrea-<| hv ay .,f the 

 r V |nn owm/ l.i the development of the roiiinus 

 petroleum well, m lUku Ity meann of Ilieiheai, 

 fuel ihn. ..bgune.1 the Uii-ian nimmercial fleet on 

 the Caspian ba incrww-,1 fourfold, and railways 

 have iKvn made (mm Itatoutn on the Black 

 8m to IWku on the Canpian, and from the eastern 



coast of the Caspian to Askabiul, liokhara, and 

 Siimarcainl. On the former *r I here is a consider- 

 able HuHxiaii Meet of schooners and wivw steameis. 

 Veasels nail weekly from AMraklutn an.l lii weekly 

 from littkii with niercliiindise for the IVn-ian OO 

 touching ill Kn/elli, Masliadisar. and Ashurada. 

 In the I'en-ian (.ult the llriti^h India Steam navi- 

 gation Coinpaiiy have areguliir linenl lim- M.-amei^ 

 niiinin^ weekly from Homli.n I" lla-ra. and 

 touching at Bender-Abbas and liushiie. Fort 

 nightly steameis \\eie starteil in !>>v.i 1>\ an 



linn on tin- Kaniii to ply lictwceii Moham 

 iiienili ami Ahwa/ in virtue ol the I'uncession of 

 free navigation granted by the Shah in 1888. In 

 1890 Mr Cur/on allirmed that in the north-west, 

 north, and north-east districts a decided Ku^ian 

 MI|M-I KII ii v in trade was met and in pait> disputed 

 by British anil Indian competition ; in the south 

 and west British ascendency is established ami is 

 being increased. The exports consist of wheat, 

 rice, wine, raisins, almonds and nuts, olive-oil, 

 tolwcco, drugs, gums, resins, manna, opium, 

 colouring matters, Uixwood. walnut wood, silk, 

 wool, carpets, skins and furs, wax. pearls, tur- 

 quoises, sulphur, naphtha, salt ; the chief imports 

 are cotton goods from Britain, and broadcloths, 

 jewellery, arms 1 , cutlery, watches, earthen, glass, 

 metal \vare, &c. The whole foreign trade at 

 l'ei-ia has lieen estimated roughly at imports, 

 5,300,000; exports, :{.IKKI.IMKI. the ini]K.rts ,,f 

 British produce into the three ports of Biishire, 

 l.i 1 1 L'.-I 1 1, and Bender- Abbusamoiiiitei I in Isd.'i to over 

 t':)7n,000, not including Indian trade; while the 

 exportH to Britain thence were worth 175,000. In 

 1890-95 the average value of imports from Kus-ia, 

 was 878,000, and of exports Ui Russia 11,486,000. 

 The extKirt of Persian cr(iets of which there are 

 thirty different kinds amounts to150,000a year. 

 Many projects of railways have been formed, but 

 up to 189!) only one of them had been carried out 

 viz. from Teheran to Shah Abul A/.im, a place ut 



Drimage distant only (i miles. Tramways wen; 

 down in Teheran, and an imperial bank 

 established with branches in the other large towns, 

 in 1889. 



li'iiremment, TaxiiUnii, Ki/iinitinn, <tc. The 

 government of Persia is a pure de|K>tism, limited 

 only by the power ami influence of the Moham 

 mi-dan mollahs or priests, domestic intrigues, ihead 

 of private vengeance, and an occasional insui 

 tion. The liisi named is the principal check 

 against unjust government on the part of the 

 monarch, while the latter three operate as powerful 

 restraints on his ministers. The monarch, who 

 has the title of 'Shah' and ' Padishah, ' possesses 

 iil.siiliiii- authority over the lives and property of 

 his subjects. His deputies, the governors of pro- 

 vinces and districts, possess similar authority over 

 those \inder them; their actions aie, however, 

 liable to revision by the Shah, who may siimnmrily 

 inflict anv punishment upon them for real or 

 alleged misgo\ eminent. Oppression of the seden 

 tai> agrictilniral classes is almost a necessity of 

 such a form of government. The central govern- 

 ment consists of a ministry, nominally modelled 

 somewhat after the cabinet*! of European state - 

 l"suall\, however, the power falls actually, if not 

 nominally, into the hands of one of their number. 

 The- Shah, nevertheless, is in reality his own prime- 

 minister. and even trivial matters are submitted for 

 his |MTMimtl decision. The principal ministers are 

 Ib ..... for the Interior (practically the head of the 

 government ), for Foreign Affairs, for Finance, for 

 \V.n. for Telegraphs, \-c., for Justice, and the 

 President of the Council, who is at tin- same time 

 jHistmaMer general and general secretary of state. 

 The law both in civil and criminal cases is adminis- 

 tered by the governors, who not unfrec|uently refer 



