'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from September 1850 to June 1852. Edited by the Secretary. Volume X.' [‎114] (247/458)

114
COMMANDER F. JONES.
4
that crosses the bed of the Tigris is so shallow* as to afford no depth
for laden vessels, even could they oppose the current. Tackino* too
is impracticable out of the limits of the alluvium, owing to the sliino-lQ
flats that extend from the shore, to a great distance in the harder
tracts, preventing a communication by means of ropes with the vessel-
nor, indeed, will the great height of the cliffs bounding the valley of
the Tigris, in this part, permit of it. Tiie navigation beyond Manjur
is therefore never resorted to at the present day, and certainly never
could have been without the aid of great steam power.
The erection of the dams or wears by the Persians must then have
been for some other object, and not as a barrier as Arrian says, to the
advance of an enemy. The locality, while it admitted the sea-going
vessels up to the very verge of the rocky tract, and this offered an
eligible spot; for the mart of Opis, was advantageous also in a Geo
logical view to the erection of dams across the bed of the river, for
retaining the Tigris at a high level throughout the year to supply the
great artificial streams, the empty beds of which now traverse the
province on either side to a great extent, that of the K&tul-al-Kesrawi
holding a course of 250 miles exclusive of its lateral derivatives. In
the plain bordering ou the Persian rivers we can trace similar canals
drawn from the main streams, step by step, as it were, on their descent
to the alluvial districts ; and at Hawiza ou the Kerkha, at Ahwaz, and
Shuster on the Km an, we find raised embankments or dams of surpri
sing magnitude and construction across the beds of the rivers, in the
same way as they are said to exist at a spot called Kanatir, a little
East of Qadesiyeh on the Tigris ; certainly the most eligible spot for
such works, owing to the confined space of the valley of the Tigris, and
the height and hardness of the cliffs on either hand, with which their
ends were doubtless connected. Though I have not as yet examined
these, from passing the spot in spring rises of the stream, I have per-
a heavy S# wind set in » enabling us to set sail, we could scarcely surmount. 1
curren
runs^bytrialjat geo^fes feXur!” °ver which the
M o C -Tl i 1 deri ”f; ^ ab0 ^’ th f i^moval of the dams by Alexander, to render the Tigris mor<
Neafehus nor ^nesecrltu^ hnlH ink a f Ty ork of supererogation, for I am convinced thatneithei
that here sweep^ dow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. ^between'tha^liffsf Were ’ COuId ha ™ ^wn a stem against .he .orree
it wears
of*
stiojed by
T heI
itied for t
i miles, tb 1
“ the
m
4i>,b ein of ty
th €