"مذكرة تتعلق بالملاحة في نهري دجلة والفرات". [و‎‎١‎٨] (٢٨٤/٣٦)

21
Appendix XI,
No. 2.
Appendix XI,
Enclosure 1 in
No. 1.
Appendix X (C).
Major Rawlinson,-
No. 16, April 1,
1846 (Archives).
Major Rawlingon,
No. 7, October 27,
1846.
To Board of
Control,
December 17,
1846.
To Major
Kawlinson, No. 5,
June 8,1847.
Major Rawlinson,
No. 12,
March 16, 1849,
Archives, vol. 334.
but in September 1846 Major Eawlinson sent a
circular to the British merchants of Bagdad
embodying the first five paragraphs of Sir S.
Canning's despatch to him of the 25th March,
1816, with a copy of the vizierial letter of the'
2nd April, 1846.
Early in 1846, by Major Rawliuson's direc
tions, the "Nitocris" made an unsuccessful
attempt to ascend the Tigris to Mosul.
In his instructions to the commander on this
occasion, Major Rawlinson laid stress on the
political importance of ascending the Tigris, in
order to preserve the right which had been
granted by special firman to British war vessels.
He stated that this was also the object of the
monthly trip of the " Nitocris " to Bussorah.
He did not, however, specify the firman, presum
ably he referred to that of 1834.
He had the same object in view when in 1845
he wrote to the Board of Control with regard
to the contemplated withdrawal, on account of
their cost, of the armed steamers from the
Mesopotamian rivers. He then pointed out
the great political and commercial advantages
which we gained from the presence of a war
vessel on the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates, and
the difficulty we should have in recoverin 0, this
right of navigation should it be abandoned.
ITe had referred to the above correspondence,
because in 1846 the question of the withdrawal
of the " Nitocris" was again raised on the
occasion of her being sent to Bombay for
repairs.
In consequence of the above despatch, Lord
Palmerston made a strong representation to the
Board of Control, and the 44 Nitocris " was allowed
to return to the Mesopotamian rivers.
It may be noticed that enclosed in Major
Rawlinson's despatch No. 7 quoted above is a letter
from the British merchants at Bagdad, in which
attention was called to the fact that the river
craft afforded the only means of conveyance
between Bagdad and Bussorah, and they spoke of
the protection afforded them by the presence of
the war steamers on the rivers.
In 1848 a claim was put forward by the Bagdad
authorities for the payment by Messrs. Lynch
and Co. of " galibiyeh " duties for one of their
boats on the Tigris. The matter became the
subject of a suit in one of the local courts,
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