'Navigation on the rivers of Mesopotamia' [‎28v] (2/8)

Lc transport de marchandises d’une place a une autre sur les deux fleuves susdits et sans sortie a la mer, est
un commerce mterieur, ainsi sous quelque pavilion que les navires et les barques fassent ce genre tie commerce,
il faut qu’ils payent dans ce cas, les memes droits que Ton per^oit des Patrons des barques, sujets de la Sublime
Porte. On percevra des batiments marchands qui venant sous pavilion Anglais des Pays Etrangers, entrent dans
1’un des fleuves avec un chargement de produits de la Turquie pour exporter et retournent a _ la mer les droits
fixes par le Traite et le .Tarif, apres quoi on prendra des batiments marchands Anglais aussi qui frequentent le
Tigre et I’Eupbrate, de meme qu’on le prend des batiments marchands des Puissances Etrangeres qui-viennent
dans les Ports de I’Empire Ottoman, et d’apres I’exemple existant, un droit d’ancrage qui, comme nous apprenons
consiste en cinq piastres par batiment.
Sur le Rapport ci-dessus auquel I’Ambassadeur Britannique a donne son adhesion, Faffaire a £te soumise^ au
Sul+an pour consulter le bon plaisir deSa Majeste Tmperiale, qui a ordonne de vous faire savoir par une depeche
qu’il faut mettre a execution tout ce qui est necessaire a cet egard.
En consequence, je vous ecris et vous envois cette depeche afin que Yotre Excellence mette ses soins a ce
que Fon prenne des barques de commerce.Anglaise qui, comme il a ete dit plus haut, seraient desormais occup&?
a faire le commerce interieur sur les deux fleuves susdits, des droits conformes a ceux que F on prend des barques
des sujets Ottomans : et a ce que Fon ne prenne sur les chargements des batiments Anglais qui viennent de
dehors, et qui vont dans un pays etranger, que les droits de douane etablis, et qu’ un droit d’ancrage consistant
en cinq piastres. Yotre Excellence aura soin de ne rien faire prendre de plus.
Le 6 Itebial AJchir 1262. L.
(REOUF.)
S.
This order is not very explicit on the question of navigation rights, but it is somewhat
amplified by Sir Stratford Canning’s explanations of the nature of the arrangement arrived at.
He wrote on the 25th March 1846 as follows :—
British-owned vessels will continue to navigate the waters of Mesopotamia under their national colours
equally.whether they are engaged in the foreign or in the internal trade, and they will pay upon the mer
chandise which they convey the amount of duties respectively applied to in each case by the Convention of Balli-
Liman.
In the event of their being employed above the usual ports of entry in the internal traffic of the country,
they will be liable to the anchorage duty which is always paid here and which is sanctioned by the capitulations,
but instead of paying 12 piastres as levied upon each vessel in the harbour of Constantinople, they will only
pay 5 piastres.
There is no question of any difference between steam boats and sailing vessels.
With respect to vessels built in the country, and owned by subjects of Great Britain, which cannot by
our own regulations legally carry the national flag without registration under British authority, they will ndt
pay higher duties than those required of the most favored class of natives engaged in the internal trade, but
they must be content to navigate like other vessels of the country. Though it is not impossible that such vessels
as have hitherto abusively enjoyed the privilege of carrying their national colors may be tacitly allowed through
favor to continue the same practice, it would not, I conceive, be proper for any British authority to support a
claim which, be the state of the Turkish law what it will, is manifestly at variance with the enactments of our
own legislature.
The prospects which are opening to our trade in the eastern part of this empire, and the importance which
may justly be attached to the free navigation of its great rivers wherever our vessels can find a sufficient depth of
water tor that purpose, have made me anxious to place our very natural, though somewhat doubtful, claims
upon a sound footing sanctioned by the acknowledgment of the Forte itself. This object could only be gained
by frankly admitting such of its pretensions as we could not in fairness or consistency dispute.
M hen the Nitocris, as already mentioned, was sent to Bombay for repairs, it was rumoured
that she had been finally withdrawn from the rivers.
This caused much uneasiness to the merchants at
Baghdad, who forwarded a memorial* in which
they expressed as their opinion that the security
of trade was entirely due to the presence of an
armed vessel on the rivers, as the Turkish authorities, even if they were willing to exert them,
selves, which was far from being the case, could not possibly afford protection against attacks
by the numerous Arab tribes occupying both banks of the river. The Resident at Baghdad,
bir H. Rawhnson, fully endorsed this view, and was besides of opinion that the presence of an
armed vessel was very necessary for the maintenance of British influence in Turkish Arabia A term used by the British officials to describe the territory roughly corresponding to, but not coextensive with, modern-day Iraq under the control of the Ottoman Empire. .
He had already m the preceding year written as follows on this subject i
* Cons. 28th March 1846, No. 113.
Note. This memorial aho shows that the vizirial
letter of 1846, which hud then just issued, was con
sidered as having conferred on ships under British
flag full rights of navigation on the Tigris.
i 'J; r 3 V f ^. e establishment of wood stations along the course of the river, the Commander is brought into rogn-
hu and most friendly communication with the Arab tribes who reside upon the banks. He is visited by several of fhe
he is ™ • Y f IUS aSOent ° r deSCGnt ° f tbe river, and by a judicious distribution of Si4 presents
ground would stm noH, ’rt C ? n ." ectl ? n > wblc u h ’ if h answered no other purpose than that of pre-occupying the
foTtrh Ira r be wltbou t its value, q he rapidity also with which by the monthly visit of the stefmer
rf the irrcnt t ^ igeiuc icac ies Baghdad of the state of affairs in the Chaol country has frequently been found
Her Majesty’s k.istorsbt cLtantinople
of rank between “ th . e , Co . n ' IG1 f >eners employed at Irzeroom, whilst the occasional transport of Turkish officers
a si rt offidaTinKmi wbh rtfP h options to us, which materially
--- 7 omciai intercourse with the Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. . I attribute it, indeed, in a great measure to the presence of a