126 Extracts from Demi-official Reports. [No. 110. 



Somes miles before reaching Meimunna we observed a sign that we were 

 approaching a slave mart, for an old man who rode out from a small en- 

 campment to offer his horse to us for sale, said that he would take a 

 young male slave and a pony for it. "We told him that we were 

 not men sellers, and asked him if he was not ashamed to deal in the 

 Khulk'Oollah. (God's Creatures.) He replied that he could only do 

 as every body round him did, but lhat he did not require the actual 

 slave, only the value of one, shewing that men are here a standard of 

 barter as sheep are among the Huzarahs. Herattees, this old broker 

 said, were comparatively speaking a drug in the market, owing to the 

 quantity that the vuzeer of that city had exported. Huzarahs were so so, 

 and the only captives that would now fetch a good price, were the young 

 men and girls of Roum and (illeg. in MS.) or other real Kuzzilbashees. 



Mirrab Khan was out upon his annual battu when we arrived, but 

 his brother gave us excellent lodging, where our people and horses 

 w T ere daily provided with every thing that could be desired. The Walee 

 returned on the 4th day of our detention, and courteously visited us the next 

 morning, when after presenting to him Shah Shoojah's letter and a dress 

 of honor, I quite won his heart by giving him a double barrelled percussion 

 gun, he being passionately addicted to field sports. We went the next 

 day to return his visit, and the following is my note of the interview. 



Mirrab Khan bade us frankly welcome, and ordered in breakfast of 

 bread, fruit and salted cream tea, of which we partook together, our 

 servants carrying off parcels of fine green tea imported from Yarkund, 

 and large loaves of Russian refined sugar, which were set before us 

 upon large platters of dried fruits, as the host's offering. 



1 could not obtain certain accounts of Mirrab Khan's revenue, for he 

 keeps no regular dufter. My Meerza witnessed this irregularity for years, 

 and used to remonstrate with Mirrab Khan about it, when the chief 

 would reply that it was not the Oosbeg way to take particular account 

 of what came and went, a saying confirmed by report of the laxity, 

 which prevails in the financial department of Khiva, and even in that 

 of the more formally organized government of Bokhara. Mirrab Khan 

 expected to be furnished with means for all his expenses by his Dewan 

 Beggee, who was able to do this without murmuring, after getting in 

 half of the Walee's due from the inferior officers, through whose hands 

 it came. I have roughly calculated the Walee's annual expenses at i 0,000 

 tillas, or 80,000 Caubul rupees, which supposing my preceding conjec- 

 ture right, would give him a fair revenue of a lakh, and a half of 



