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0437 Across Asia : vol.1
Across Asia : vol.1 / Page 437 (Grayscale High Resolution Image)

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doi: 10.20676/00000221
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RECORDS OF THE JOURNEY

imagined what it cost, when a year ago the old and new Dzian Dziuns of Ili stayed here, one for about a month, the other almost two months. To give an idea of the retinue that accompanies such a visit, I can mention that Ma, who gained greater renown in Qulja through his tea trading than his military exploits, had 120 riding horses, gifts from the Kalmuks and Kirghiz in the valleys of Ili and Tekes.

There is a customhouse in the town for collecting duty on Russian goods that are brought in large quantities by Sarts in Chinese Turkestan. Russian subjects who possess passports issued by the Khai guan tâ (or in Urumchi by the Tung dzjuen dzin — or probably by a Russian consul) are exempted. The duty on goods coming from Kouli is usually paid at one of the larger customhouses passed earlier on the route and only the documents are registered here, for which, too, a special fee is charged. The rates of duty are said to be as follows:

On Russian goods:   On goods from Kouli:

Sateen per piece     3 tch. 4 fen,   I class silk per tan   10 lan

Ord. print   » 2 »   6   »   II »   cotton cloth, tea, su-

Other goods are calculated   gar etc.     2 lan 5 tch.

according to total weight   III class paper, thread, rope,

and are liable per tan to .. 8 tch.   harness, pepper, fruit etc.    8 tch.

Swedish cloth     4 »

The duty levied on Russian goods annually is said to amount to about 1,500 lan in silver. All duty is levied in silver. This duty is called »shui tchy». The late Mr Splingart, a Belgian in the Chinese service who was well known to European explorers in the interior of China, was for many years in charge of the customhouse at Suchow. His salary was 12,000 or 16,00o Ian, whereas the whole revenue from duty is said to have amounted to not more than 3,000-4,000 lan.

I saw no Russian goods other than cloth. This appears to have a good sale, especially the so-called »Swedish cloth». According to what Chinese merchants told me, Russian goods are sold annually in Suchow, Chinta and the neighbourhood to the value of 70-80,000 lan. Japanese goods are represented by print, bjas, tablecloths and various small articles. According to the same source Japanese goods are sold annually to the value of 70-80,000 lan. Altogether Russian goods pass through Suchow yearly for over 25,000 lan. The value of Kouli goods imported annually into Suchow, Ansi and Tun-huang is said to amount to about 240,000 lan. 1,350,000 lan in silver are said to be sent annually to Urumchi via Suchow, representing the contribution of the interior provinces. An arbah carries 7-8,000 lan of silver. — The value of the goods despatched by wheeled traffic to Sinkiang via Suchow is said not to exceed 400,000 lan yearly.

The number of shops in the town reaches the respectable figure of 367, besides which there are 92 in the suburbs, but this includes the huts of the smallest craftsmen. Only 13 or 14 businesses have an annual turnover above 10,000 lan. Two banks have branches here. There are 4. sarais in the town; they are considered to be worse than those

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