ÉJÉ
Navy.
Retenues.
people, though they commanded an ample gulf with the mouths of the
Euphrates and the Tigris. The k in g o f kings ordered Phenician veffels
tp he ufed on maritime expedîtiQlis ; and though th e Arabian Chalifs of
Bagdad Opened an extenfive commerce at Bofiora, ye t the Per fi ans
therofelyes f e r a in all ages to have been little addiôed to traffic; The
commerce on the Indian ocean, aS-well as on the Cafpian fea, has befen
always- chiefly -conducted by the Armenians, a iHóft induftriottó and
refpeôable people. Chardin, himfelf an opulent merchant, affedte to
"believe that commerce is highly honourable in the eaft yet he con-
fefles that the Mahometan religion is adverfe to trade, from the 'rntet-
diQion of ufury, and lèverai precepts of more minute obfervance.f
Hence in Turkey the Chriftians and Jews are the èhièf merchants and
In Perfia the Armenian Chriftians, and the Hindoos. Hence th è ’commerce
o f this country, fo advanragCOufly fituated, has always been in
the hands of ftrangers ; while the mariées, With feudal pride,- attend tb
their horfes and the chaee, and lead what is balled the fife of a gentleman,
neither improving their own property hoc. the countryTrt général.
^Scarcely one Perfian véflel therefore has in any age navigated any jfèi';
and the very name of a warlike navy feetrts unknown ; id which refpéâ
they are far inferior even to the Turks, whole eftablifhment in Europe
has infenfibly introduced many praöi.ces of the unbelievers.*
The aâual revenues o f Perfia it is’impoffibleto eftinhate; but the
ruinous ftate o f the country muft render it unproductive. The Turkilh
revenue has been computed a t feven millions Heffing; and it ffiay
perhaps be conjectured with fome fliew of probability that the monar'ch
of Candahar may draw from his various and extenfive provinces about
three millions fterling; while weftern Perfia fcatcely fupplies two
millions* Chardin* fays that the ancient revenue confifted partly in
• contributions in kind ; Kurdiftan, for inftanée, furnifhing butter, while
Georgia fupplied female Haves ; partly from the royal domains, with
a third of metals, precious Hones, and pearls ; and a few duties and
* XT. 265. . ' ■
* The miffionary Sanfon, Voyage d e Perfe, Paris 169ft page 108, tells us that the Persians
fo much abhor navigation that they term all feamen Nacoda, that is to fay, Atheiits.
« «. *33-
taxes.
.taxes. The w^sle r e v e n u e b f i i ma t e d ' a t 7,00,000 tómana,*
or about thirty-two millions*iof Jpren ehi fikrrp-s.'
J l^ , political im p p r t^ | j and ,r e ia t i^ ^ P e r f ia are\ now greatly re-
ftriéted., ^ e r e^ h e weftern- paj*mm%d,undbr ‘ohe.foVefetgd,’ a might
lend effrétual affift^n?e ‘t*o the Ruffian sTrin any defign agaipft the Turks,
,and might probably foe,, rewarded with the^pfmtries a<rthe‘ Euphrates.
But in recent diftraded, ftate,v Perfia has been little-formidable
eyen to.thp defining, power p f Turkey; and tfie Ruffians- feem
° f extending, thei^.;|pncjuefts oypr-the mountainous
Cafpian pfcvmèe^;-which Peter the Great‘ once held and abandoned,
a^théy would‘r^iiiré moré' garriffins Aan the revenue'coirid'pay. “So
that Perfia fe€&§‘ fecafe on‘ the fide'"of Ruffia, as well at? on that of
thtó unhappy f e r i t y being' ih fa<3 one grand
caufe of the -‘civil.'anarchy. ?
Eaftern perfia, or the kingdom of Candahar, appfears to have little to
apprehend from thé Seiks on "the’ other fide o f the Indus; and the
UzB j Bucharia, and Kharifm, are difunitéd and little
formidable, though fhejr* command a warlike 'people!f ‘f t is therefore
more'probable that,fth?efé countries may,:bèTvaPqüifhedfiy the kings ó f
Candahar, than that any danger, fhould'arife/from; thè:iü lbeks.J A
may °probably happen betWeeh eaftern and weftern Perfik;
but, even if united under one'Sovereign; it would belong before this*
country ' cópkf refume her rank among' powerful nations. The only
interfering intéreftS o f the k in go f Candahar, and the Britifh fettlements
in Hin.doftan, feem to authorifethé idea that an allianbe would be ad-
vantageous to both, in refpeét td^any danger from the native powers;
■ but i f Candahar were aflailèd ‘from thé hofth' or weft, the Britifh affiance
would be rempte,' andof/doubtful confequence. Were Gan-
dahar inimical,., the <alfi fiance o f the Ilzbeks'Vnlght be -of’ more import-
itp ys than that o f Weftern Perfia. ,’ if
# **.‘4on?Pute'l ut,about 3I. 7 s .;b ^ ,g ;r a # r xöór'e than equal to two goI4 mohur«,
? S0, o f Hindoftan, vyajrtlt a to u t .thirty-' two 'tMilingj, Chardin computes the toman a t -
fovty.five.liyx-gjofjjjg time-
R evenues.
Political Importance
and
Relations.
VOX. 11» X X