BOOK Imports. - Raw and manufeflurecUilks, but chiefly the former, from the
.. V1, provinces of Shirvan and Ghilan ; which article, in 1775, amounted to
¿43,800, Buchanan lamb-lkins, rice, dried fruit, fpices and drugs, faffron,
fait, iulphur, and naphta. The Indians and merchants-of Khiva bring oc-
cafionally to Aftracan gold and filver in bars, gold-duft, precious ftones and
pearls ®.
The trade o f the Cafpian fea had confiderably declined
hefore the acceffion o f the prefent emprefsy but by the abolition
of monopolies, and by various other ufeful regulations,
it has lately increafed to fuch a degree, that within the fpace
o f fifteen years the average fum o f the exports and-imports
has been nearly tripled, as will appear from comparing the
following tables.
Exports
Imports
T o ta l exps . and imps.
¿36,100
42,100
/¿78,20o
Balance agairift Ruflia
176«, Exports
Imports
Balance in favour of Ruflia
6,000
¿87,700!
63,700/
24,000
m m
Exports ¿125,4001
. Imports 64,12 o j
Balance in favour of Ruflki 61,280
.TraiEck with Georgia and the natives of Caucafus
^39,320
£ 10,000
Total in 1775 — — — ¿1.99,520
The contraband trade is not included in this calculation t-
* Su ch was th e g en e ral f ta t e o f the C a f -
pian trade when I was in Ruffia ; bu t it w ill
fee rend ered ftill more fecure and p rofitab le
to th e Ruffians , i f it b e tru e as reported,
th a t thé emprefs has conc luded a tre a ty o f
am ity and commerce w ith th e prefent fop h y
o f P e r fia , A l y M u ra d -k h an , w h om flie .af-
fifted'againft his comp etitors fo r the throne.
A c c o rd in g to this a c cou n t, th e troubles
a t Pe r iia ha ve, in a grea t-meaifore, fub«
6
iid e d ; the fop h y has fent an embaflador to
P eter ïbu rgh to r a t ify th e tre aty o f commerce
; has encreàfed th e privileges o f the
Ruffian merchants, w h o h a ve already begun
to open a more e x ten fiy e commerce with
'th e in terior pa rts ò f P e r iia , A rm en ia , and
the adjacent diftri£ts o f A fia. ■ See Ham.
Po l. Jou rn . fo r 178 2 , P . I . ; fo r 1783, p. i 9*>*
j- T h e rend er w h o wiihes to trace the
rife, progrefs, and prefent fiate o f th e commerce
Commerce with the Bucharians and Chinefe. 1
Under* the commerce with the Bucharians P I comprize«.
that which theRuffians carry on with theCalmucs and other
Tartar nations beyond the frontiers o f Siberia, becaufe the
latter is o f fuch little importance as fcarcely to deferve a
feparate article.
The Bucharians, who inhabit the fouth-weftem part o f
Independent Tartary, are a very commercial people : their
caravans travel through the whole continent o f Afia +, and
traffick with- Thibet and China, India, Periia, and Ruflia.
This empire contains feveral colonies o f the Bucharians, who
are fettled in many large towns o f the fouthern provinces ;
and who maintain a conftant communication with the merchants
o f their own country. Their principal marts are .
Tomik, Kiadta, and Orenburgh ; the latter o f which is the
moft confidefable, and chiefly trades with Kaikar, Taih-
kenf, and Khiva £. Their caravans in their way to thefe
towns are expofed to pillage from the Kirgees Tartars,
through whofe country they are obliged to f pafs. Their
imports are gold and filver, chiefly in Perfian coins and Indian
rupees, gold duft §, precious ftones, particularly rubies,
lapis-lazuli, fpun and raw cotton, cotton fluffs in great abundance
both Indian and Bucharian, half-filks, unprepared
merce upon th e C afpian fea, m u d co n fu lt } R y t ik o f O ren b , T o p . v o l. I . p . 263.
and compare H a c k lu y f s C o lle fiio n o f V o y . § T h is g o ld -d u ft is fou n d in th e fand o f
ages, vol. I . p . 324 to 431 ; H a nw a y ’ s B r i - th e rivers o f B u ch a r ia . T h e p ro cu r in g o f
tnh T rad e o f the C afpian Sea j C o o k e ’s this commod ity was th e pr in c ip a l induce-
ir a v e ls ; S . R . G . V I I . 103— 546 j G m e - ment to th e firft exped itions o f th e E n g liih
Jin s Reife, vo l. I I I . ; and G u ld en fta ed t’ s merchants over the C a fpiao in to Bu ch aria,
Treatde mentioned ab ove. w h ich are related in H a c k lu y t ’ s C o lle it io n !
H a y in g b efo re mentioned th e com - P e te r the G re a t fent fev era l Ruffian mer-
merce Wltl* t llc Bucharians u pon the B a f t , nhants into the co u n try fo r the fame p n r -
ern coafts o f the C a fp ian , it is needlefs to p o fe . S e e S . R* G . I V . p . 18 3, 8cc, R y t -
enter upon any fu r th e r deta il o f it in this ik o f, vo l. I . p , 263. R a ffia Illu ftrata , vo l.
P aGe* I I . P. 14 1 .
+ S. R . G . V I I . p . 7.
Vol. II, M m nitre,