CONTENTS. 



CHAPTEE XII. 



PERSIA IN 1903. 



"Tariffs" — Negotiations leading to a revision of the Custom duties 

 — Adverse effects upon British trade over-estimated — Present 

 state of affairs due to British insouciance in the past — The treaty 

 of Erzerum — Provisions of the new tariff — Effect upon Indian 

 trade — Great Britain's reply — Events on the Afghan border — 

 The MacMahon mission — Russian intrigue — Ways and communi- 

 cations^ — The situation in the capital — The fall of the Prime 

 Minister — A tribute to the British Minister . . .137 



CHAPTER XIII. 



THROUGH THE PORTALS OF PERSIA. 



The highroad to Persia — A contrast in scenery — Cost of the chausse 

 — Disadvantages of — The object of Russia — A huge advertisement 

 — What the Persian thinks — Leave Teheran — Persian methods 

 — Teherdn to Resht — The silk industry — Obstacles encountered 

 between Resht and Enzeli — A false start — Off at last . .147 



CENTRAL ASIA. 

 CHAPTER XIV. 



Civilisation again — The commercial aspect of Baku — A weird sight — 

 Natural fire — An ancient fire-temple — The boilers of Balakhani — 

 A hundred tons of oil a-day — " Spouters " — The interior of a der- 

 rick — A calamity at an oil-well — Statistics of the oil trade — A 

 high excise duty — Price of oil in London and in Russia . 155 



CHAPTER XV. 



THE TRANSCASPIAN RAILWAY IN 1903. 



Origin of the idea of railway communication with Central Asia — 

 The chimerical conception of M. de Lesseps — With the defeat 

 of Lomakin, railway schemes are revived — Lack of suitable trans- 

 port — General Annenkoff's line — England suspicious — The Pend- 

 jeh incident — Renewal of work on the Transcaspian railway — 

 Completion of the line — Leave Baku — Krasnovodsk — On board 



