'Diary of a Tour in the Persian Gulf and in Turkish Arabia December 1906, by Lieutenant-Colonel Malleson Assistant Quarter Master General, Intelligence Branch, Division of the Chief of the Staff.' [‎22r] (43/46)

37
Departure from Basra.
Shatt-el-Arab bar.
satisfactory tour and declared that no in
formation worth having would be obtained
by anyone travelling through the country
with an escort. He proposed to go from
Sheikh to Sh ikh and live as an Arab trust
ing to Arab hospitality. On being sounded
if he would forward the results of his
travels to the Intelligence Branch from time
to time, he seemed to be quite willing to be
of use to the Intelligence Branch as far as
the interest of his work permitted. He
is of opinion that a strong British policy
in the Gulf would mean progress and the
spread of civilization, and would, therefore,
further the interests of the world in general.
He is decidedly of opinion that tlm informa
tion obtained by British Consuls through
dragomans was very untrustworthy and
that the Consuls could get no useful inform
ation directly on account of the suspicious
attitude of the Arabs. The only method
of gaining useful information was by sit
ting over the camp fire. The expression
used was “to travel 500 yards in order to
gain an inch.” He also stated that at first
the Turkish authorities had treated him
with suspicion, but that now he could go
almost anywhere.
After another look round Basra, the
bazars of which somehow seemed mean and
modern after the more picturesque streets
of Bagdad, and after another visit to the
hospitable Consulate, we embarked on the
S. S. Dumra on the 28th December and pro
ceeded down the river to Muhammerah,
where an hour’s halt at dusk. Thence on
to Fao, where we stopped for the night, the
skipper not caring to negotiate the bar
except in daylight. As regards this formid
able obstacle to navigation, I have obtained
from the navigating officer the following
information, which I give exactly as
received :•—
«The entrance to Shatt-el-Arab is
marked by Outer Buoy, lying in 16 feet
L.W.S. and 23 feet H.W.S.
“ After passing the buoy on a N.W. course
for a distance of about 2| miles we get the
most shallow part of the bar which extends
about 3 miles in length and of about \
mile breadth, on which we get 8 feet
L.W.S. and at H.W.S., varying from 14 feet
to 18 feet according to the strength and
direction of the wind.
“With a N.W. shamal you get about
3 feet less water, and a strong S.E. wind
gives an increase of same amounts. At
neap-tides you rarely get more than 13 feet,
and mail steamers have to drive through
about 3 to 4J feet of mud.