"مذكرة تتعلق بالملاحة في نهري دجلة والفرات". [ظ‎‎٢‎٢] (٢٨٤/٤٥)

30
presented by His Majesty's Government to
Turkish Government. The matter was referred
to the India Offiee, who stated that the " Come W* Office^
had heen employed in the mail service, and u
mail arrangements required that she s ion (
be at the disposal of the company for the
^Following upon the applieation made on belialf M^Stu.^
of the company to employ a second steamer, ihe NoV e m ber 8,1864.
Trench Government applied for permission on
the same terms for two French steamers to ply
on the Tigris. Hereupon Mr. Stuart, charge Mr. Stuart,
d'affaires at Constantinople, discussed with the November 29,
Porte the advisability of opening the Tigris and
Euphrates to the commerce of all nations. His
despatch reporting on the question concluded
with the remark that, " so long as Great Britain
and France were respectively restricted to the
employment of two ships upon the iigiis and
Euphrates, the position of the two nations was
exactly equal—a position very disproportionate
to their relative interests in that quarter of the
globe, if, however, the restrictions could be
removed, the concession would be nominally
equal, whilst the material result would be to give
to Great Britain the position of commercial
superiority which should properly belong to
her." His action was approved, and he was To Mr. Stuart,
instructed to continue to urge the matter further ^elnber 12,'
upon the consideration of the Ottoman Govern- 1864.
ment.
With reference to the Porte's note of the To Mr. Stuart,
1st October, giving permission for the company's November, 30,
new steamer to navigate the Tigris, and calling 1864 '
attention to the fact that " the original conces
sion granted by the Turkish Government in
1846 " * limited the number of British vessels to
be employed to two, Mr. Stuart was informed that
no mention was made in the arrangement of 1846
of the number of British vessels which were to
be allowed to navigate the rivers of Mesopotamia.
It was further pointed out to him that the
vizierial letter of January 1861, purporting to be
confirmatory of the arrangement of 1846, gave
permission for two steamers to be stationed on
the Euphrates, but did not mention that the
number was to be limited ; and he was instructed
to report whether the original agreement or any
• The original concession referred to in the Porte's note
was evidently granted by the firmans of 1834 and 1841, and
not the arrangement of 1846.