"مذكرة تتعلق بالملاحة في نهري دجلة والفرات". [و‎‎٥‎٧] (٢٨٤/١١٤)

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Foreign Office
Minute,
June 16, 1899.
Sir N. O'Conor,
No. 370,
July 28,1899.
Sir N. O'Conor, .
JSo. 409,
August 29, 1899.
Sir N. O'Conor,
No. 432,
September 13,
1899.
(Appendix
XXVII.)
Sir N. O'Conor,
Nos. 477 and 491,
October 11 and 25,
1899.
(Appendix
XXVIII.)
97
assume that barges could be towed irrespective of
the state of the Tigris. Thereupon the company
suggested that, if permission was limited to the
low season it should be recorded formally in
writing as covering the period from the 1st July to
the 31st January every year. Sir N. O'Conor
explained that according to the spirit of his
request the concession, although containing no
special limitation, would only apply to the period
of low water and to the prevention of accumula
tion of cargo; and he advised that the company
should not insist upon a definite period being
fixed for the towing of barges.
o o
At the time when this permission to tow barges
was given the Grand Yizier informed Sir N.
O'Conor that an Imperial irade confirming it had
been issued. It subsequently transpired that the
irade was a verbal communication from the
Sultan on the authority of which vizierial letters
had been issued to the Valis of Bussorah and
Bagdad. In August 1899 it was reported that
the permission had been withdrawn at the instance
of the Minister of the Ottoman Civil List, acting
on the request of the Oman Company. This
company, who had been taken over by the Civil
List, alleged that they were being ruined by the
facilities granted to the Euphrates and Tigris
Steam Navigation Company. Sir N. O'Conor
reminded the Grand Vizier that the permission
was indefinite as to duration, and the only
limitation he could accept was restriction of
towing of barges to the period between the
1st July and the 31st January.
A compromise limiting the privilege to three
years was proposed by Tewfik Pasha, but after
reference home for instructions and for the
opinion of the company, Sir N. O'Conor declined
to accept it, whereupon the Sultan issued an
irade authorising the towing of barges until the
then existing accumulation of cargo had been
worked olf, but no longer. Sir N. O'Conor
refused to accept the issue of this irade as a
solution of the question ; but, learning from the
consul at Bussorah that the vali of the province
had received instructions in conformity with it,
he considered it advisable not to pursue the matter
further.
Tewfik Pasha pointed out, in a note (17th
October, 1899) announcing the issue of the irade,
that permission to tow barges was granted pro
visionally as a favour, and must not be understood
[163—1] 2 C
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