His Majesty improved this department in four ways. The improvement is visible, first, in the Ṭús shawls, which are made of the wool of an animal of that name; its natural colours are black, white, and red, but chiefly black. Sometimes the colour is a pure white. This kind of shawl is unrivalled for its lightness, warmth, and softness. People generally wear it without altering its natural colour; his Majesty has had it dyed. It is curious that it will not take a red dye. Secondly, in the Safíd Alchahs,* also called Ṭarhdárs, in their natural colours. The wool is either white or black. These stuffs may be had in three colours, white, black, or mixed. The first or white kind, was formerly dyed in three ways; his Majesty has given the order to dye it in various ways. Thirdly, in stuffs as Zardózí,* Kalábatún, Kashídah, Qálghaí, Bándhnún, Chhínt, Alchah, Purzdár, to which His Majesty pays much attention. Fourthly, an improvement was made in the width of all stuffs; His Majesty had the pieces made large enough to yield the making of a full dress.
The garments stored in the Imperial wardrobe are arranged according to the days, months, and years, of their entries, and according to their colour, price, and weight. Such an arrangement is now-a-days called misl, a set. The clerks fix accordingly the degree of every article of wear, which they write on a strip of cloth, and tack it to the end of the pieces. Whatever pieces of the same kind arrive for the Imperial wardrobe on the Urmuzd day (first day) of the month of Farwardín, provided they be of a good quality, have a higher rank assigned to them than pieces arriving on other days; and if pieces are equal in value, their precedence, or otherwise, is determined by the character* of the day of their entry; and if pieces are equal as far as the character of the day is concerned, they put the lighter stuff higher in rank; and if pieces have the same weight, they arrange them according to their colour. The following is the order of colours: ṭús, safídalchah, ruby coloured, golden, orange, brass-coloured, crimson, grass green, cotton-flower coloured, sandalwood-coloured, almond-coloured, purple, grape-coloured, mauve like the colour of some parrots, honey-coloured, brownish lilac, coloured like the Ratanmanjaní flower, coloured like the Kásní flower, apple-coloured, hay-coloured, pistachio, ………*, bhójpatra coloured, pink, light blue, coloured like the qalghah flower, water-coloured, oil-coloured, brown red, emerald, bluish like China-ware, violet, bright pink, mangoe coloured, musk-coloured, coloured like the Fákhtah pigeon.
In former times shawls were often brought from Kashmír. People folded them up in four folds, and wore them for a very long time. Now-a-days they are generally worn without folds, and merely thrown over the shoulder. His Majesty has commenced to wear them double, which looks very well.
His Majesty encourages, in every possible way, the manufacture of shawls in Kashmír. In Láhór also there are more than a thousand workshops. A kind of shawl, called máyán, is chiefly woven there; it consists of silk and wool mixed. Both are used for chírahs (turbans), fautahs (loin bands), &c.
I subjoin the following tabular particulars.