'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎43] (62/622)

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY. 43
Major Estcourt decided on carrying out the previous orders of
the Home Government, and, accordingly, started on the 24th of
January for Damascus and Beyrout, whence he and his party
sailed for England. Colonel Chesney succeeded in obtaining
promotion for the four Royal Navy officers who had served under
his command; Major Estcourt received a brevet lieutenant-
colonelcy, and Mr. Taylour Thomson a diplomatic appoint
ment at Teheran ; but his second in command. Lieutenant
Lynch, LN., being a member of a seniority Service, received no
reward for his services and exertions.*
In 1838, Commander J. C.Hawkins, commanding the 'Clive,'
proceeded up the River Euphrates in the steamer of the same
name, with a portion of the crew of his ship, as far as Hit, five
hundred miles from Bussorah. In a letter, dated " Hillah,
24th of March, 1838," he says that the steamer passed the
Lamlum marshes, a distance of three hundred and fifty miles,
which she had accomplished in six days. " It was not without
difficulty and hard labour," he adds, 44 we succeeded in passing
the tortuous windings and frequent strong rushes and eddies of
the river in these celebrated marshes." He left Hillah on the
following day, and, on the 30th, reached Hit, thus u running
upwards of five hundred miles against a rapid current, in some
places very difficult, and only steaming twelve hours in the
twentj^-four."
On Colonel Chesney's return to England, Lieutenant
Lynch, who had remained in charge of the postal service
across Syria, from Bagdad to Damascus, assumed command
of the 4 Euphrates' on the part of the Bombay Government,
and succeeded in ascending the Tigris to a higher point than
had ever yet been achieved; this was to Koot Abdullah, near
Mosul, thereby proving the navigability of the river so far,
during the freshes, by steam vessels. He also made the passage
of the Seglowiyah canal,t between the Tigris and Euphrates
near Bagdad, w 7 hich was soon after destroyed by Ali Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. .
# Tliough Colonel Chesney, after mueli trouble, succeeded in obtaining promotion
for those belonging to tbe Royal Services employed under bim, and payment of
tbeir expenses, his own he did not receive, and the brevet of lieutenant-colonel was
conferred on him in 1838, four years later than the time recommended in Sir
John Hobhouse's Minute. He received no recompense, either honorary or pecu
niary, from Government for his great services and untiring energy, but lived to
refuse, as coming thirty years too late, the honours which would have been grate
fully received when he returned from the East; indeed, he had much difficulty
in recovering the sums actually expended by him in the production of his noble
and comprehensive work recording his labours and researches, undertaken at
the request of the Government. He died early. in 1872, aged eighty-two
years, honoured by all the scientific societies, but neglected by the British Go
vernment.
f According to a Memorandum by the late Lieutenant B. Bewsher, I.N., there
are seven canals of considerable size between the two rivers, about seven to fifteen
yards broad and from sis to ten feet deep in the high season. These canals all
drain the Euphrates. Seleucia is also placed at the mouth of a canal which once
connected the two rivers, and is the famous Naha^r Malka of Pliny.