Class XV.’
KASHMIR SHAWLS —ANTIQUITY AND REALTY OF THESE FAERICS.
377
Tresdel. jnn. (41, Bavaria , p. 1100), for specimens oflight pantaloon stuffs of cotton and wool, of excellentmake, good taste, and moderate price.
Willett, E., Nephew, and Co., Norwich (310, p.501), for paramattas and bombazines of excellent quality.
B.— Shawls.
General Remarks,
1. Kashmir Shawls from the East, and Imitationsthereof.
From the limited nature of a Report of Ibis kind, acomplete history of the shawl manufacture will not belooked for, however interesting it might be; but such isthe importance of this beautiful fabric, and of its valuabletrade, that a sketch of its origin, and of its rapid Euro pean development, may well precede our particularremarks upon its present position, and upon the examplesnow exhibited. The source from which this article hassprung is well known to be the ancient and beautifulfabric of the Valley of Kashmir, where the excellence ofthe raw material stands to this day unequalled, althoughits manufacture has been and is still, carefully prosecutedin many parts of the world. The great beauty of theeastern tissue, considering the rudeness of the means ofmachinery employed as compared with those which arenow available to the European manufacturer, is a marvelin the eyes of the most experienced.
The superiority of the woollen fabrics of Kashmir is tobe found recorded in many ancient eastern works. Inthe Mahubharath, where narrating the transactions takingplace at the palace of Gundeshthira, the eldest of theranda princes, about the period of two hundred yearsbefore Christ, it is stated* “ that the people of Kaneboja(the northern districts surrounding Kashmir ) broughtcloths and skins as tribute.” The former were made ofwool, and embroidered with gold, being, in fact, shawlsand brocades.
Again, in the Ayeen Akbery,f being the institutes ofthe Emperor .Jilaleddeen Mohamed Akbur, sixth indescent from Timur (Tamerlane the Great), proclaimedemperor in 1556, we find the following interesting ac-count of shawls:—“ Ilis Majesty has ordered four kindsof shawls to be made : 1st. Toos aff’ee (grey affee), whichis the wool of an animal of this name whose naturalcolour, in general, is grey, inclining to red, though someare perfectly white; and these shawls are incomparablefor lightness, warmth, and softness. Formerly they weremade of the wool in its natural state, but his Majesty hashad some of them dyed, and it is surprising that theywill not take a red colour. 2nd. Sufed alcheh (whitealcha\ which they also call terehdar. The naturalcolours of the wool are white or black, and they weavethree sorts, white, black, and grey. Formerly, therewere not above three or four different colours for shawls,but His Majesty has made them of various hues. 3rd.Zerdozy and others ,\ which are of Ilis Majesty’s inven-tions. 4th. From being short pieces, he had them madelong enough for jamehs (gown-pieces). The shawls areclassed according to the day, month, year, price, colour,and weight; and this manner of classing is called missel.The mushrifs, after examination, mark the quality ofeach upon paper affixed to its corner. All those broughtinto the palace on the day Ormuzd of the month Ferirdin(10th March) are preferred to those received afterwards,of the same fineness, weight, and colour, and each iswritten down in order. Every day there are receivedinto store the following kinds,§ and from this account of
* Vide vol. ii., p. 140. t Vide vol. i , p. 105.
X Zerdozee, gold-leaved; goolabtun, rose body; kesheedeh,worked; kulgna, pine-shaped; Bandhemim, spotted; cheet,like chintz ; alcheh (ignor.) ; perzdar, with a nap.
§ Toos, grey; sefed, white; lalzereen, red-golden; naren-jee, orange ; berenjy, rice-coloured ; kabzy. straw-coloured ;gulpumbeh, rose-cotton; sendely, sandal-wood; badamee,almond; arghuwanee, bright red; anahy, musk-perfumed;asselv, pure; gulkasnee, cockscomb-colour; sibeky, light;alifee, marked with alifs or sprigs; festoky, sea-green;pczhgul, a Turkish wood ; goolkhear, spotted; nezyberecn,spearhead; asmany, sky-colour; goolabee, rose: kulghy,
one day may be formed an idea of what is done in thecourse of a year.
“ Formerly, shawls were but rarely brought fromKashmir , and. those who had them used to wear themover the shoulder in four folds (vide ancient sculptures),so that they lasted for a long time. His Majesty hasintroduced the custom of wearing two shawls, one underthe other, winch is a considerable addition to theirbeauty. By the attention of Ilis Majesty the manufac-ture in Kashmir is in a very flourishing state, and inLahore there are upwards of a thousand manufactories ofthis commodity. They also make an imitation of shawlwith the warp of silk and the woof of wool, and thiskind is called mayan. Of both kinds are made tur-bans, &c.”
With this account before us, it is reasonable to supposethat varieties of every kind were introduced about thisperiod ; and the evident encouragement given to theseimprovements doubtless tended much to the progress ofthis trade, while these shawls continued to be a favouritearticle of dress, during the Mahommedan dynasties inparticular. After their decline, it is probable that thetroubled state of Upper India , and the general turbulenceof the mountain character, had its effect in retarding theprogress of a trade involving the labour of so many hands ;but its absolute necessity as an article of wearing apparelto every well-dressed native of India , Persia , and parts ofTurkey, effectually prevented the manufacture from fall-ing into decay, even at the worst of times. It was oncesaid that there were upwards of 30,000 looms at work;hut Strachey, who visited the country in 1809, gives16,000 as the number at that time. The value of thewhole produce was estimated at 35 lacs of rupees, butMooreroft, who was there in 1822-23, says it had de-clined to half that sum. A renewed vigour has beeninstilled into it within the last thirty years by the con-stantly increasing demands of the European markets;and the present improved state of government, of socialrights and intercourse, in that part of India , will of courseadd greatly to the energies of a persevering and pains-taking people, and will most probably give early proofthat its resources have never been fully developed. Thevalley itself is now in the hands of Golab Singh, a chiefwho fully appreciates the value of the trade; but manyof his measures are oppressive to the manufacturer, andsome of the best makers are finding it to their advantageto settle in the neighbouring cities, under the BritishGovernment, where they are able in perfect freedom topush their trade to any extent. Umritzorand Lahore arealready showing rapid progress in this trade, and there isno reason why their productions should not equal in allrespects those of Kashmir ; while the demand for Europe is actively promoted by European agents residing there,for the express purpose of encouraging perfection indesign, colour, and texture. The activity of the presenttrade may be estimated from the following returns, pro-cured from the firm of Ripley and Brown, the leadingbrokers in this trade:—
Imports.
Deliveries.
Exports.
In 1942
2,484
2,740
2,213
1843
2,726
2,992
2,298
1844
4.957
4.127
2,757
1845
7,981
5,411
3,860
1946
3,709
5,429
3,400
1S47
3,989
4,354
3,045
1848*
2.389
1.904
1,4S4
1849*
1,1S3
3,311
2,403
1850
6.982
5,753
4.242
1S511
4,034
2.S98
2,139