'The Baghdad Railway Negotiations' [‎57v] (4/32)

2
The Bagdad Railway.
Bagdad Railway and cognate questions took place, and ultimately resulted in a draft
agreement.
Historically the development of railway enterprise in the Ottoman Empire may be
dealt with in three periods, the first terminating in 1888; the second in 1903 ; and the
last in June 1914.
The First Period.
In European Turkey railway enterprise was at first promoted, though by no
means on the most approved conditions, by the late Baron Hirsch, who obtained a
concession from the Sultan in 1867, and constituted the Oriental Railw r ay Company.
The principal sections of this Company's system were those establishing communication
between Constantinople and the Bulgarian frontier and between Salonica and Mitrovitza.
bor some years the Company was under French influence; but the participation of
Austrian capital and the close relations of Baron Hirsch with the Vienna Cabinet
subsequently gave the undertaking an increasingly Austrian character until, at a much
later period, the Deutsche Bank, acting through a Swiss institution, acquired the greater
portion ol Baron llirsch's holdings in the concern.
In Asiatic lurkey such railway enterprises as existed were at the outset entirely
in British hands, ike Smyrna-Aidin, the Smyrna-Cassaba, and the Mersini—Adana
lines were all built by British capital and with British material, and remained at lirst
under butish management, while the line from Haidar Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. to Ismidt, alter an attempt
at direct administration by the Ottoman Government had broken down, was leased
or some years to a syndicate presided over by a British subject. The railways in Asia
* 1111 )l 01 igjHally undertaken by Englishmen were built in the hope and belief that early and
leimineiative traffic would be secured ; and though, as in the case of the Smyrna-Aidin
onipain —t ie oldest line in lurkey and one which, ever since its inauguration by
on ra or de Redcliffe in 185b, has remained under British management—bold
p ans ^cre oimed foi the future, the general idea was rather to push forward gradually,
an on \ e nec e^sit^ and profit ol extension became clearly apparent. Some direct
iinancialas.stance was indeed sought from the Sublime Porte, but hopes of profit
district^ 01 ^ m0St ^ ait U P 011 the successful development of traffic in fertile
incpnt^Tni/n? tl^ p 10re am ^ ) j^ 0Uri schemes, during several decades prior to the
construct bv ^ 1 eme ^ or building the Bagdad Railway, proposals to
Vallev connootin<- 1 tl ■■ aU en terprise a railway through the Euphrates
in the'British mess • 10 p\?? lterraneau ai1 ^ the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , were discussed
"EuphratesValkn^'-iiiwivn lam01lt »' r at public mee tings. So early as 1850 the
expected from the project won^ ^ P. ur P ose ' and amon g thebeiieiUs
mails, and, together with much benpfif i 1 ^h 81 ? 1881011 oi passengers, troops, and
advantages to Great Britain n. I T, r ? regions traversed, great commercial
at the instance oUhe B^L r l * 0n 116 1 route 0 P ened U P- Oeneral Chesney, who,
dition of 1835, was aDDointorl ' overil 1 rr ! ent, ^ a( ! commanded the Euphrates Survey Expe-
at Constantinople, and succeede ^Tn T857 11 tl ineer i an f C i r ^ senta M ve . of the company
Stratford's strenuous and conmellino- tlll o il g\ the invigorating impulse of Lord
P ^ peisonahty, in obtaining a general
concession