CHAP. X.

TRADE OF CAUBUL.

IN an inland country, destitute of navigable rivers, and not suited

to wheeled carriages, commerce must of course be carried on by beasts of burthen; of these, camels are found to be the best, as well from their strength, as their patience of thirst, and the ease with which they are fed on any kind of bush, and almost on any kind of vegetable. The tribes whose country enables them to maintain camels, or rather restrains them to that description of stock, therefore naturally turn their attention to commerce, and often combine it with the migrations which they undertake in quest of forage for their herds, and of an agreeable climate for themselves. When the lands of these tribes, as is generally the case, neither furnish any produce of their own nor afford a market for that of other countries, the owners of camels are chiefly employed in carrying the commodities of one rich country to be sold in another. When they have a little capital, they do this on their own account, accompanying their merchandise, and selling it themselves; but those whose only wealth consists in a few camels, are unable to engage in this traffic, and content themselves with hiring out their camels to the merchants of the richer tribes, and of the cities, who either accompany their merchandise themselves to the place of its destination, or send it under servants (whose duty answers to that of supercargoes), according to their own wealth and habits of life. Some of these merchants also keep camels of their own, which they feed in the wastes near the towns where they reside; and some professed carriers also keep camels in the same manner, which they hire out. Camels hired from a particular tribe, usually make their journey in company with the tribe to which they

belong; and those which belong to merchants or individual carriers, when travelling in the direction of one of these migrations, generally attach themselves to some tribe for safety, and the other advantages of company.

The trade to places out of the haunts of the wandering tribes, is carried on entirely on animals belonging to the merchants and carriers of the cities, which are there formed into caravans, and in this manner all foreign trade is carried on.

The manner in which those are conducted which travel with wandering tribes, will be best illustrated by the example of a tribe which is accompanied by few camels but its own, and that of one which is accompanied by many belonging to other persons. Half the Meeankhail move annually from Damaun to Shilgur and the neighbourhood: they are accompanied by their wives and families, and are commanded by some of their own hereditary chiefs, assisted and supported by Chelwashtees * ; and all command and control is in the same hands in which it would be, if they were in their own territory. Any strangers that join them, are obliged to submit to the customs of the Meeankhail.

With the Bauboors, on the other hand, the bulk of the caravan is composed of people not belonging to the tribe; and even the Bauboors who belong to it, are not accompanied by their families, but merely travel as merchants. A Mushirt of the Bauboors always goes with the caravan, and is invested with nearly the same authority which the Khaun has at home, but his power only extends to his own tribe, and it is at the discretion of the rest to obey him or not. In general, the whole elect him Caufila Baushee ‡, which gives him authority over them all; he chooses eighty men to assist him, imposing a fine on any who refuse. He keeps the peace, settles disputes, appoints and posts guards and escorts, fixes on the places of

encamp

• A sort of dictator sometimes appointed in the republican tribes.

+ The hereditary chief of a division of the tribe.

A Turkish term signifying Head of a Caravan.

ment, settles the customs with the tribes through whose lands he is to pass, collects the money required to pay them, and makes it over to the tribe to which it is due. But, when the Mushir of the Bauboors is not elected to this office, every man manages for himself, and all is disorder and confusion.

The roads from Damaun to Khorassaun, which are travelled by these tribes, are the most discouraging imaginable. On the way to Caubul, the road, for a great distance, lies through close defiles, and narrow, stony valleys, among bare mountains. Sometimes it runs along the beds of torrents, and, at others, leads over high and craggy passes. That along the Gomul is within the bed of a river; and, if the stream rises, the caravan is obliged to seek shelter in some nook between it and the hills, and there to remain till the water falls. These roads are also infested by Sheeraunees, and still more by Vizeerees, who come from the nearest part of their own country to plunder the caravans. The caravan to Candahar, after passing the mountains, journies over waste plains, divided by rocky ridges, and in some places by mountains. During the whole march, it is obliged to carry provisions, and often water, (that on the road being salt, or there being none at all). Shrubs, which feed the camels and serve for fuel, are the only useful produce of those countries. Small villages are met with rarely on this long march; but, at some seasons, camps of wandering shepherds are more frequent.

While passing the country infested by the predatory tribes, they march in great order, with parties at proper stations for covering their line of march. Even when halted, a party of horse are always mounted, to prevent the enemy from carrying off camels that are foraging. A large proportion of the caravan keeps watch at night. In the rest of their journey, they observe little precaution in the march, and sleep secure at night. In narrow passes, the chiefs fix the order of passing, and sometimes send parts of the caravan by other roads. Their marches are about eight or ten miles a day; and, when they reach their destination, those who have accompanied the caravan disperse, and the people of the tribe send out their

camels to pasture, and remain themselves at ease in their camps, in the midst of a verdant and pleasing country, which enjoys a temperate climate. They do not continue to shift about like the shepherds, whose mode of marching and general habits, are widely different from those I have been describing. One man from every family is however dispatched to the cities to sell the goods that they have brought up, and to provide others for their return. Many merchants of other tribes attach themselves to one of these caravans. They pay a rupee and a quarter for every camel load, to defray the expences of the guards, and the same sum is levied from the members of the tribe to which the caravan belongs.

The arrangement of the caravans, which go to India and Persia, resemble those I have mentioned; but the camels are hired from carriers about towns, and the whole is under a Caufila Baushee, elected by the people of the caravan. This officer, however, is more common with the Taujiks and citizens than with the Afghauns, who often march together without any chief or any regulation.

These caravans generally march in the night. They do not encamp in the country at the end of their journies like those of the tribes, but put up in caravanserais in the towns. These are large squares, surrounded by apartments, and having a mosque, and often a warm bath in the centre, and a common gate-way. They are under the charge of persons, who let out the apartments to the merchants at a very low rate. A common merchant generally hires two rooms, in which he deposits his merchandize and lodges himself, eating, cooking, and sleeping at the place. They sell their own goods, either by wholesale or retail, without the intervention of brokers. The caravans to Toorkistaun are all on horses or poneys, probably on account of the very mountainous roads, which lie in one part over the snowy ridge of Hindoo Coosh. Those which go to Chinese Toorkistaun, set off from Cashmeer and Peshawer : Caubul is the great mart of independent Toorkistaun. Candahar and Heraut, for Persia. The Indian trade is more divided; that of the Punjaub, and the north of Hindostan, comes to Peshawer. That which crosses the desart from

Jypore and the countries still farther south, comes to Shekarpore, Bahawulpoor, and Moultaun; and, that which is carried on by sea, comes to Koratchee, and thence to Shekarpoor and Candahar.

The principal foreign trade of the kingdom of Caubul is with India, Persia, and Toorkistaun. (Independent and Chinese). Some trifling commerce is kept up with Cauferistaun. A sort of cloth, made of shawl wool, called Ussul Toos, is imported from Tibet; and the ports of Sind keep up some intercourse with Arabia.

The trade with Hindostan is by far the most considerable, though it has declined of late years.

The exports to India are principally horses and poneys, furs, shawls, Mooltaun chintz, madder, assa foetida, tobacco, almonds, Pistachio nuts, walnuts, hazel nuts, and fruits. The fruits are generally dried, (as dried plums, and apricots, raisins, and kishmishes), but a large quantity is also fresh. In that case, it is pulled before it is quite ripe, and carefully packed with cotton in wooden boxes. The fruits exported in this manner are apples, pears, and coarse grapes. Pomegranates require no packing, and no other fruit will stand the journey: even these, lose most of their flavour. The principal export is that of shawls, which are worn by every man in India who can afford to buy them, and which are made in no place but Cash

meer.

wax,

The imports from India are coarse cotton cloths, (worn by the common people of the whole kingdom, as well as by those of Toorkistaun), muslins, and other fine manufactories, some sorts of silken cloth and brocade, indigo (in great quantities), ivory, chalk, bamboos, tin, sandal wood, and almost all the sugar which is used in the country. Some little broad cloth is also imported; but most comes by the way of Bokhaura: Musk, coral, drugs, and some other trifling articles, are also imported. A very great branch of the Indian imports are the spices of all kinds, which are carried from Bombay, and other places on the Malabar coast, to Koratchee or other ports in Sind, and thence by land to Caubul and Candahar. Almost all the

II.