No. 36.
Mr. Kasson
to Mr. Evarts.
Vienna, July 13, 1878. (Received August 22.)
Sir: The Shah of Persia, returning from his visit to Paris, has sojourned some days at Vienna as the guest of the Emperor. Through the Austrian functionaries in intercourse with him I learn that both he and his suite give evidence of great improvement since their former [Page 47] visit to Europe in 1873. His manners were formerly impetuous and imperious, indicating a full appreciation of his Persian title as ruler of rulers and central sun in the political firmaments. The air of contempt for all coming in contact with him has greatly passed away under the softening influences of his contact with western civilization. The great powers of the Christian world, and especially the gracious manner of the Austrian Emperor, have shown him that the authority over many more millions of people than he or his ancestors ever ruled maybe exercised without the outward show of a despotic will. The Persians have also lost much of their disregard for cleanliness, and manifest more conformity to the rules of a regulated household. They still refuse the use of beds, sleeping on carpets, but avoid the domestic disorder which characterized their former visit. They travel with heavy boxes of gold for their expenses, declining the convenient usage of bills of exchange. The Shah’s suite consists of twenty persons besides six inferior servants. Of these twenty, sixteen were designated for invitation to the first dinner given to the Shah by the Emperor. From this list the Shah scratched the names of four, leaving only twelve of his suite as of sufficient dignity to sit at the table with him. His grand chamberlain took post behind his chair, where he remained throughout the dinner. Only one or two of the company have the pure Persian race-type, the others indicating more or less mixture of Turcoman and alien blood. One, the cousin of the Shah, and the chief of an ancient distinct tribe, and who acts, I think, as treasurer, reproduces much of the old Assyrian type of face and head as recognized on ancient coins and images.
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If the United States desired a commercial treaty with the Shah, it is very probable a favorable one could now be obtained, which might be of especial advantage to our cotton manufacturers and to some other branches of trade. If, as is reported in the English journals, they [the U. S.] are already introducing their cotton fabrics into England, they ought to be able, on equal, terms, to supersede the English manufacture in Persia. In the absence of diplomatic or consular representation of our country there, I can give only partial statistics relating to the probable consumption of these or other American articles in that part of Asia. The whole external trade of Persia can only be roughly estimated. It is considered to amount annually to about $18,000,000 to $20,000,000, of which some $12,000,000 are imports against some $7,000,000 exports. Its amount is seriously affected by the occasional failure of the silk product, which is of the greatest importance in Persia. Cotton goods and cotton yarns form a large item of the imports, to which are added cloths and manufactured silks. Doubtless American fire-arms and other specialties would be profitably introduced by special representations of the trade. Tabreez is the principal center of Persian trade, and attracts merchants from Samarcand, Cabul, Bokhara, and Beloochistan. I gather from English statistics that in the three years 1873–1875 the average value of English cotton goods annually imported for the Tabreez market was about $4,000,000. The usual commercial route to Tabreez is via Constantinople to Trebizond and thence by caravan to destination.
England, France, and Russia have missions at the Persian capital. To these Austria is about to add a fourth. The imperial government has just designated Count Zaluski as their envoy, a gentleman who speaks Arabic and Turkish and is partially acquainted with the Persian language. By invitation of the Shah he will here join the royal party, having excellent opportunity on the journey to secure a favorable influence with His Majesty and with the principal chiefs of administration who are [Page 48] with him. They travel from Vienna in a special train as far as the Volga; thence in a government steamer to Astrakhan, and thence in a Russian ship of war to the Persian port on the Caspian.
I note these observations upon the Shah’s visit as one of the indications of the surely-advancing influence of Western arts and ideas upon the almost stagnant condition of Asiatic society.
I have, &c.,