b o o k t 0 which place a conflux o f merchants from Tauris, the
— JL-> principal cities o f Perfia, Armenia, and even Turkey refovt,
in order to purchafe the raw filk and manufactures o f G h i-
Jan. Hence the Ruffians difpofe o f their European commodities
to coniiderable advantage; and obtain in return the
productions o f this rich province.
The manufactures * and filk o f Ghilan, which is efteemed
the beft in Perfia, have been in fuch repute for thefe- lait
fifty years, that Re (lid is become one o f the firft commercial
towns in this part o f Afia. The fineft fort is ufually white,
and is chiefly fent into the interior cities o f Perfia, or fold to
the Turks. The inferior kind is yellow, and is chiefly dif-
pofed o f to the Ruffians. There is fuch a cohftant dem,and
for the filk o f Ghilan t, that the price rifes every year.
Reihd fupplies the bordering provinces o f Perfia, and the
independent neighbouring ftates as far as Georgia, with European
merchahdize, excepting the goods which are transported
immediately from Aftracan, through Kiflar and Mof-
tok, to the neareft parts o f Georgia, and o f the neighbouring
mountains; and thofe which are fent from Shamakee, to
the Lefgees Tartars and other independent tribes f,
5. Farabat, and, 6. Medihetifar, are fitiiated upon the
fouthern coafi in the province o f Mafanderan; they are both
fmall villages, o f which the latter is themoft commercial from
its vicinity to Balfrufch, capital o f the province, where the
Ruffians and Armenians carry their merchandize : the traf-
fick, however, is much lefs coniiderable than it was formerly,
which circumftance is owing to the impofitions of
the khan o f Mafanderan. The chief productions o f this
jr See, in -G m e lin , v o l. I I L p . 4*5» ® i e e G n i e l in , vo l. III. p .4.12, H anw a y , vol.Hr
o f th e m ^ u fa& u r e s o f G h ilan . p . 1-6. S. R . G . V I I . p . 51 c,
f F o r an a c count o f th e h lk o f G h ila n , \ Gm e lin , I I I . j>. 414 ,
1 country
country are filk, far inferior to that o f Ghilan, and rice and c h a p .
cotton, o f both which articles there- is a large exportation. ■ -
Merchants from Kaikan, Ifpahan, Schirafs, Khorafan, Sec.
refort to Balfrufch, and bring for fale the Perfian and Indian
commodities *.
7. The bay o f Aftrabad, where the Ruffians land and proceed
to the capital o f that name : the productions o f this
province, and its exports and imports, are nearly fimilar to
thofe o f Mafanderan. The commerce o f Aftrabad is chiefly
with Candahar.
III. The Tartar havens are, 1. The Bay o f Balkan; and“,,
a. Manguihlak, both o f which, but'particularly the latter,
afford a fecure harbour.
1. The Ruffians frequent the iflands in the bay o f Balkan
; inhabited chiefly by pirates o f the race o f Turkoman
Tartars: thefe iflands produce rice and cotton, and one o f
them, called Napthonia, abounds in naphta. This traffick
might be increafed to the advantage o f Ruffia, as it would
be far more commodious to trade with the Tartars o f Khiva
and Bueharia from thefe parts, than from Orenburg through
the country of the warlike and independent Kirghees.
1 . The commerce o f Manguihlak is by far the moft con-
fiderable : the neighbouring Tartars bring to this place the
productions o f their own country,and even o f Bueharia, fuch
as cotton, yarn, and fluffs, furs and (kins, and rhubarb +.
The principal commodities exported, from Aftracan to the ports of the
Cafpian fea, are cloths, chiefly Engliih, Dutch, French, and Silefian ;. vitriol,.
■oap, allum, fugar, Ruffia leather, needles*, coarfe linen manufactured in Kuf-
.(b) velvets, glafs ware and looking glaftes, writing paper, a few furs and'
ikins, a fmall quantity of tea, provifions, chiefly corn and butter, wine,,
brandy, wooden furniture, fea horfe teeth, alfo iron, brafs, tin, lead, hard,
ware, watches, Sec. See. In 1775, the value of the cloths exported amounted
*o ¿52,600 ; the cochineal to ¿45,600 ; and the indigo ft) ¿7,000.
Gm crjp, I l k ,p . 4£9- 4 G u ld an ih ted t, g . 265— 367.
Imp >rts.