PERSIA. This ancient and celebrated country is neither in industry nor commerce so important as nature has fitted it to be. The slothful despotism of an Asiatic country is a sad bar to advancement. Agriculture is, how ever, well understood and carefully attended to, as is evident from the means of irrigation employed, and especially the subterraneow aqueducts. Rice, wheat, and barley are the most usual crops; but there are also millet maize, tel, or sesamum, del, a species of vetch. and several kinds of beans and peas. Cotton. indigo, sugar, tobacco, and madder, are raised in many places, but especially in Mazanderan. Fruit trees and garden vegetables are culti vated in great plenty.
Iron is abundant in many places, but it is not much worked. Lead, copper, antimony, rock-salt, and bitumen, are among the mineral products of the country.
Among the commercial towns of Persia, Tabriz has fallen from its once flourishing condition. Kermanshah carries on a consi derable commerce. Derek is celebrated for its manufacture of Arabian cloaks. At Shuster there is a considerable manufacture of woollen stuffs. Shiraz carries on a considerable trade with Yezd, Ispahan, and Bushire ; and has manufactures of cotton, glass, iron, gunpowder, swords, and wine. It is also distinguished for the otto of roses procured from the rose gardens in the neighbourhood. Lar in Laris tan, is celebrated for the manufacture of swords, muskets, and cotton cloth. The bazar is the noblest structure of that kind in Persia. At Kerman trade and manufactures are con siderable. The bazar, which is extensive and well built, is abundantly supplied with articles of every description; and there are nine large caravanserais within the walls, and a number of inferior ones both within and without. Herat and Mashed arc among the most com mercial towns of Persia. Near Nishapoor are
the famous turquoise mines. Yezd is re markable as a commercial and manufacturing town. Its commercial importance arises from the caravan routes, which here cross one another, and thus connect it with all parts of Asia.
The manufactures of Persia, though not adequate to so large an Empire, are still numerous and of various kinds. In the manu facture of some articles the Persians are still distinguished, as in several kinds of silk stuffs; especially brocades, and sword-blades, leather, carpets, felt of camel-hair, and jewellery. No machinery being used in the Persian manu factures, the cotton and silk goods introduced by the British have obtained a ready sale owing to their cheapness.
The internal commerce of Persia is very considerable, though managed in a slow and clumsy manner. The different regions which compose this extensive empire differ consider ably in their natural productions, and the transport alone of 'commodities gives occu pation to a great number of merchants and ; other people. To this must be added the ; produce of the manufactures, and the numer , ous articles which are brought into Persia , from the neighbouring countries, especially , from India, and are distributed all over the ; country. This commerce is entirely carried on by caravans ; which usually comprise a very large number of persons and animals of burden, and have regular defined routes across the empire in various directions.
So completely is Persia shut out from direct intercourse with European countries, that the export of British commodities to that country is extremely trifling; it is only through in direct channels that commercial intercourse is maintained between the two countries.