IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| Across Asia : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
C. G. MANNERHEIM
Khotan-Ledoq by donkey takes 27 days it is cheaper earlier in the summer and
rises towards autumn.
Ledoq-Kashmir Three years ago the whole transport from
Khotan to Pindi is said to have cost 40 r
Kashmir-Barmulla per horse. Khotan-Amritsar 6o r
Barmulla-Pindi per horse.
A horse's load from Pindi thus comes to about 51 roubles, while from Andijan it costs about 20 roubles. Besides this considerable difference in price Indian trade has to contend with the disadvantage of only being able to supply goods during part of the year and of having to sell them to dealers on a whole year's credit, whereas the Andijan merchant only grants three months' credit. A horse's load for India, furthermore, does not seem to exceed 6 i /2 —7 poods, while those sent to Russian Turkestan carry quite 8 poods. In Yarkand Indian trade is facilitated by the fact that the Hindus who come with the caravans make a good profit on Russian gold coins that are bought in Chinese Turkestan and melted down in India. In Khotan, however, there is no Russian gold and the Chinese authorities have forbidden the exportation of Chinese gold. The attempts to establish a caravan route over Polu have so far not succeeded. The road is supposed to be much shorter than over Kukjar and can be covered in 20 -2 I days. The first caravan with merchandise arrived this year at Keriya, but judging by the information I obtained in Khotan this trial trip seems to have been only partially successful. The country is said to have been so difficult that of 3o asses only 20 reached their destination and my informant (Badsuddin Khan) assured me that the merchant, who had taken the risk, would not attempt a second venture. The fact that Indian trade maintains its position in spite of these drawbacks, is due to its supplying some goods that are not imported at all through Russian Turkestan. With regard to goods supplied from the west, the Andijan traders definitely seem to hold the upper hand and will, perhaps, do so still more owing to the construction of the KashgarNarja road. Among the impoverished and unpretentious population of Chinese Turkestan it is not the quality of goods, but their cheapness that counts. Whether Russia will prove equally succesful in overcoming the competition that is arising in the shape of a Peiping—Lanchow fu—Hami railway, remains to be seen.
A large crowd collected this morning in the Beg's courtyard and in the neighbouring street, when I mounted my horse. Both the aksakals escorted me on horseback. Badsuddin Khan accompanied by his nephew, the Russian by a servant with a rifle on his back and a fine Persian sword stuck into his belt. He himself swaggered about in his red velvet khalat on a beautiful and well-groomed big chestnut. Besides my own men I had two yigits of the mandarin's and one belonging to the Beg of the district through which I was to pass, so that we formed quite a cavalcade. One of the mandarin's servants in full dress met me in the bazaar street and handed me his master's card with his parting greetings. He had been so kind as to start early in the morning in order to accompany me, but heard that I was taking a road that would be difficult for his arbah to negotiate
December iith.
Langhru village.
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