6 9 4

PERSIA.

The "whole external trade of Persia may he roughly valued at 4,000,000/. sterling annually, of which 2,500,000/. may 'he taken as the value of the imports, and 1,500,000/. as that of the exports. A diminution in the latter to the extent of nearly 1,000,000/. sterling has taken place Avithin the last three years, owing to the failure of the most important industry of the country, the silk production.

The imports from Europe and India into Persia consist of cotton manufactures, cloths, silks, cotton yarns, cochineal, sugar, tea, jewellery, cutlery, china, crystal, glass-ware, iron, brass, and copper in sheets, tin, paper, indigo, and fire-arms ; and the exports, of raw silk, raw cotton, tobacco, opium, wheat, gall-nuts, wool, furs, madder -root, dried fruits, shawls of inferior quality, and coarse calico for the Russian and Turkish markets.

The trade with Europe is carried on almost entirely over the noi'th- ern frontier, by way of Trebizonde and Georgia, through Tauris. In the year 18G7, the imports and exports over this frontier were as follows : —

Imports.

Value in tomans

Value in sterling

Cotton manufactures from England

Chests of tea

Cloth .

Silks .

Cotton yarns

Cochineal

Sugar .

Glass — crystal and miscellaneous

Sundry articles of small value

Total

3,000.000

84,600

225,000

240,000

12,000

5,120

160,000

707,600

7,416

4.441,736

£

1,200.000

33,840

90.000

96,000

4,800

2,048

64,000

283,040

2,966

1,776,694

Exports.

Articles

Value in tomans

Value in sterling

Raw cotton .......

Raw silk .......

Tobacco .......

j Gall-nuts .......

1 Coarse calicoes ......

Total

65,456

936,000

87,840

33.900

66,000

£ 26,182 374,400 35,136 13,560 26,400

1,189,196 j 475.678