Nasrya, Birjand to Meshed. There is a parcel-post service,
on the very convenient "Value payable parcel system," as far as Robat
and Sistan; but from England the Post Office will not take the
responsibility of insured parcels beyond Robat.

The Government has granted a most important concession--of great value to
traders--by which money can be remitted to or received from either
Sher-i-Nasrya (Sistan) or Birjand, through the Consular Treasury, under
the charge of the Vice-Consul for Sistan.

Messrs. McIver, Mackenzie, & Co., of Karachi, and Mr. Duncan MacBean, of
the Punjab Bank, Quetta, are prepared to act as forwarding agents for
Indian and Persian firms, and the Quetta Branch of the Punjab Bank is
further in business communication with the Imperial Bank of Persia,
which, as we have seen, has agencies in the principal cities of West
Persia and also in Meshed.

Another concession, most important to the stimulation of trade by this
overland route, has been granted by the North Western Railway in regard
to goods despatched from Karachi to Quetta for export to Persia by the
Nushki-Robat route. From the 1st of April, 1901, a rebate, equal to
one-third of the freight paid, was given on all goods, such as tea,
spices, piece-goods, iron, kerosene oil, sugar, brass and copper, etc.,
booked and carried from Karachi to Quetta for export to Persia by the
Sistan route. The usual charges are to be paid on forwarding the goods,
but on producing a certificate from the Agency Office at Quetta that the
goods have actually been despatched to Persia, _via_ Sistan, the amount
of the rebate is refunded.

From the 1st of May, 1901, another concession came into effect, allowing
a similar rebate of one-third of the actual freight paid on all goods
received at Quetta from Persia by the Sistan route (a certificate from
the Agency Office at Quetta being required to prove the fact), and
despatched thence to Karachi or Kiamari, or to North-western Railway
stations in the Punjab and North-west Province, or to stations on
connected lines.

Merchants despatching goods to Persia by the Nushki-route should be
careful to have each of the original invoices of their goods attested by
some qualified officer at the place from which the goods are despatched.
By doing this they will find that their goods will be passed through the
Persian Customs at the frontier with no trouble and no delay. The
invoices should be clearly written in the English or French