Mari
And Chedufau, Adopt This Form, Which Signifies A “Plain Wanting Water.” The
Water Of Jeddah Is Still Very Scarce And Bad; All Who Can Afford It
Drink The Produce Of Hill Springs Brought In Skins By The Badawin.
Ibn
Jubayr mentions that outside the town were 360 old wells(?), dug, it is
supposed by the Persians.
“Jeddah,” or “Jiddah,” is the vulgar pronounciation;
and not a few of the learned call it “Jaddah” (the grandmother), in
allusion to the legend of Eve’s tomb.
[FN#9] In Chapters iii. and vi. of this work I have ventured some
remarks upon the advisability of our being represented in Al-Hijaz by a
Consul, and at Meccah by a native agent, till the day shall come when
the tide of events forces us to occupy the mother-city of Al-Islam. My
apology for reverting to these points must be the nature of an
Englishman, who would everywhere see his nation “second to none,” even at
Jeddah. Yet, when we consider that from twenty-five to thirty vessels
here arrive annually from India, and that the value of the trade is
about twenty-five lacs of rupees, the matter may be thought worth
attending to. The following extracts from a letter written to me by Mr.
Cole shall conclude this part of my task:—
“You must know, that in 1838 a commercial treaty was concluded between
Great Britain and the Porte, specifying (amongst many other clauses
here omitted),—
“1. That all merchandise imported from English ports to Al-Hijaz should
pay 4 per cent. duty.
“2. That all merchandise imported by British subjects from countries not
under the dominion of the Porte should likewise pay but 5 per cent.
“3. That all goods exported from countries under the dominion of the
Porte should pay 12 per cent., after a deduction of 16 per cent. from
the market-value of the articles.
“4. That all monopolies be abolished.”
“Now, when I arrived at Jeddah, the state of affairs was this. A monopoly
had been established upon salt, and this weighed only upon our
Anglo-Indian subjects, they being the sole purchasers. Five per cent.
was levied upon full value of goods, no deduction of the 20 per cent.
being allowed; the same was the case with exports; and most vexatious
of all, various charges had been established by the local authorities,
under the names of boat-hire, weighing, brokerage, &c., &c. The duties
had thus been raised from 4 to at least 8 per cent. * * * This
being represented at Constantinople, brought a peremptory Firman,
ordering the governor to act up to the treaty letter by letter. * *
* I have had the satisfaction to rectify the abuses of sixteen years’
standing during my first few months of office, but I expect all manner
of difficulties in claiming reimbursement for the over-exactions.”
[FN#10] M. Rochet (soi-disant d’Hericourt) amusingly describes this
manœuvre of the governor of Al-Hodaydah.
[FN#11] Many of them were afterwards victims to the “Jeddah massacre” on
June 30, 1858.
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