UNFAVOURABLE SITE OF TRIAL SHAFT. 113 



If it may be permitted to one who has no expert 

 knowledge to make a criticism, it is that the site 

 selected does not appear to be a particularly happy one 

 to have chosen for a trial shaft. To begin with, it is 

 unpleasantly close to an extremely nebulous Turko- 

 Persian border, at a point where the promoters of the 

 Baghdad railway have mineral rights for a distance of 

 20 kilometres on either side of their line. But even 

 supposing there is no possibility of future friction on 

 these grounds, how is the oil, when it is found, to be 

 conveyed to the coast ? The only transport is that of 

 animals until Baghdad is reached, and if, as is sug- 

 gested, a pipe be laid, it will have to pass through 500 

 miles of extremely mountainous country, a costly under- 

 taking in itself, which will be rendered infinitely more 

 so by the necessity which will inevitably arise of bribing 

 the various predatory tribes through whose dominions 

 it must pass. If, as is said, the oil -field extends for 

 300 miles and touches Shushter and Dizful, it is natural 

 to wonder why a trial venture was not made there — the 

 oil found at Shushter is so pure that it is used by the 

 natives without refining — since the excellent port of 

 Mohammerah is within such easy reach. It is to be sup- 

 posed, however, that those whose business it is know 

 best, and the enterprise is in any case one which every 

 Englishman will wish a hearty success. 



In looking over my notes on Kasr-i-Shirin I find it 

 put down that I attended a dinner-party there. There 

 is nothing very remarkable about going to a dinner- 

 party in an ordinary way, but this one was something 

 out of the common. Mine host was a Kurdish chief, 

 Shir Khan by name, and governor of the district. He 

 it was under whose superintendence the immuration 

 already mentioned took place. Out of courtesy to me 

 we dined at a table, a concession which I appreciated 



H 



