'Memorandum on the Turkish claim to sovereignty over the eastern shores of the Red Sea and the whole of Arabia; and on the Egyptian claim to the whole of the western shore of the same sea, including the African coast from Suez to Cape Guardafui.' [‎20r] (39/70)

35
opened the question of sovereignty over the coast
and island in that sea.
In 1858 it was determined to lay down the
electric telegraph to India, and towards the close of
that year Her Majesty's Ambassador at Constanti-
To Sir H. Bulwer, November 25, nople (Sir H. Bulwer) was instructed by Lord
Sir 1 H 8 Bul W er, No. 418, December Ma| mesbury to obtain from the Sultan the necessary
7, 1858. Firmans to enable the cable to be laid along Turkish
territory without impediment.
Sir H. Bulwer accordingly obtained two Firmans,
one addressed to the Governor-General of Bagdad,
and the other to the Governor of the Yemen, setting
/ o
forth that, as it might be necessary for the purposes
of the telegraph between Aden and India, to bring
the cable to the shore at one or two points on the
coast of Arabia on the ocean eastward of Aden, the
local authorities were enjoined to see that no
impediments were thrown in the way of that
operation.
No. 3, January 8, 1859. On hearing of the issue of these Firmans, Brigadier
Coghlan addressed a despatch to the British Agent
in Egypt (Mr. Green), in which he made the follow
ing remarks:—
The Firman A Persian word meaning a royal order or decree issued by a sovereign, used notably in the Ottoman Empire (sometimes written ‘phirmaund’). 4 authorizes' the landing of the
telegraphic cable, 'on one or two points on the
, coast of Arabia,' and though the endorsement adds
' between Aden and India;' I presume that nothing
more is meant, than an authority to the Turkish
Governor in Yemen to permit it to be landed any
where in the Turkish possessions, which extend as
far east as the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeh, and no
further.
" The territorial pretensions of the Porte are
boundless; the Sultan is ever ready to assume the
sovereignty of any Mohamedan country; this dis
position should not be lost sight of, as awkward
complications may hereafter arise if any act of ours
should give even an implied recognition to such
pretensions.
" It is not yet known what points on the Arabian
coast east of Aden, may be selected for landing the
telegraphic cable. I assume, however, that some
of the following will, probably, be chosen :—
1. Makeela; 2. Shehr; 3. The Kooria Mooria
islands ; 4. Massera; 5. Ras-el-Hadd.
" Of these 1, 2, 4, and 5, are the only points
where any Governments exist sufficiently powerful