At Kamard, of 4 annas per load, camel or horse.
At Balkh, of 2 rupees per load, camel or horse.
Merchandise from Eastern Turkestan paid at Jelalabad, in addition to 2½ per cent. ad valorem, as follows:
| s. | d. | ||||
| On a load of salt | 3 | shahis[34] | = | 0 | 3 |
| On a load of cotton | 5 | ” | = | 0 | 5 |
| On a load of ghee | 5 | ” | = | 0 | 5 |
| On a load of cloth | 6 | ” | = | 0 | 6 |
Upon trade coming into Herat and the north-western districts of Afghanistan from regions beyond the Oxus, in addition to a 5 per cent. ad valorem, duties were paid at:
| Tungeh,[35] per bale. | Tungeh, per camel. | Tungeh, per horse. | Tungeh, per ass. | Tungeh, per slave. | |
| Karki | 20 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 22 |
| Andkhui | 26 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 20 |
| Maimana | 28 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 25 |
| Almar | — | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| Kalch Wali | — | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Murghab | 30 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| Kala Nau | — | 5 | 3 | 2 | — |
| Kuruk | — | 15 | 10 | 5 | — |
From India, viâ the Gomul and the Bolan, for Kandahar and Herat, in addition to 2½ per cent. ad valorem, tolls were levied at:
| R. | A. | ||
| Ghazni | 2 | 0 | per load of camel or horse |
| Kandahar | 2 | 8 | ” ” ” |
| Girishk | 1 | 0 | ” ” ” |
| Farah | 2 | 0 | ” ” ” |
| Herat | 2 | 8 | ” ” ” |
Examination of these imposts goes to prove that, under the rule of the khans and in the reign of Shir Ali, trade received no encouragement; while, if Abdur Rahman were the father of his people, there is no doubt that judged by his domestic policy he revealed a lack of foresight in fulfilling his parental obligations. If overweening vanity and ignorance contributed to the failure of Abdur Rahman’s attempt to make Afghanistan a self-supporting State, it can be pleaded for him, nevertheless, that it was his intention to help trade and industries which were indigenous to the country. To effect this, he abolished inter-provincial tolls, maintained the scale of rates which was levied upon caravans in transit to trans-Oxus markets, increased the frontier duties in proportion to the loss which he sustained by withdrawing charges hitherto imposed within his dominions, and began various industrial works in the capital.
Enamoured of his idea, he unfortunately omitted from consideration, besides a certain inadequacy of revenue, the overwhelming intolerance of his subjects to every form of labour. There was thus in Afghanistan itself when, six years after his accession to the throne, the Amir embarked upon a campaign of commercial expansion, no reserve of capital behind the Government and no fund of energy in the people. In spite of the number of miscellaneous industries which he attempted in Kabul no continuity of success was preserved, while reaction against his penalties upon Indian trade resulted in the opening up of the Quetta-Nushki-Nasratabad road as a commercial route. Direct loss of revenue, therefore, befel Abdur Rahman through his encouragement of a policy which was prejudicial to his own interests, as it was hostile to the trade of India and Russia. So far from profitable was the issue, indeed, that the position of the State at the close of his reign was in anything but a condition of comfortable prosperity.