"مذكرة تتعلق بالملاحة في نهري دجلة والفرات". [و‎‎٢‎٨] (٢٨٤/٥٦)

39
Mr. T. K. Lynch,
September 6,1873,
and enclosures.
Sir H. Elliot,
No. 348,
September 24,
1873.|
Euphrates and
Tigris Steam
Navigation
Company,
December 4, 1873.°
Sir H. Elliot,
No. 471,
December 27,
1873.
Mr. Locock
(Constantinople),
No. 57,
March 6, 1874.
Mr. Locock,
No. 137,
May 6, 1874.
intention to facilitate the navigation of the
Euphrates.
As the result of canal cutting, navigation of
the Tigris at low water became almost impossible,
and the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation
Company purchased in 1872 a small steam-
launch (the " Despatch "), owned and apparently
used on the river as a pleasure-boat by a Erench
gentleman employed in the service of the local
Turkish Government, for the purpose of conveying
mails when the water was too low for their
regular steamers to ply. The launch was
employed in this way in 1872, seemingly without
protest, but in the following year the Bagdad
authorities prohibited its running during the low
season without special sanction of the Ottoman
Government. When reporting the matter to the
Ambassador at Constantinople the consul-general
at Basrdad remarked that the Governor-General
there seemed to imply in his correspondence that
no British subject would be allowed to use even
a pleasure steam-launch on the river without
special sanction, and Colonel Herbert suggested
that the time had come when the Mesopotamian
rivers should be thrown open to general naviga
tion. Sir H . Elliot represented the case to the
Porte, and obtained an assurance that orders
would be given to the local authorities to cease
their opposition to the use of the " Despatch.
The company reported that these orders were
worded : " No objection to the use of the steam-
launch provided only two steamers are used at
one time," and they pointed out that this limita
tion practically prohibited its employment. It
was remarked by Sir H. Elliot that their request,
in the first instance, was for permission to employ
the launch in the conveyance of mails when the
lowness of water prevented the two regular
steamers from running; but, acting on fresh
instructions, he succeeded in persuading the
Porte to authorise the employment of the
" Despatch " on all occasions when needed. On
receipt of a report on the subject from the Vali
of Bagdad, who had not acted upon the orders
sent to him, the Porte, however, receded from
their previous decision. Permission was subse
quently obtained for the employment of the
" Despatch " during the repair of the " Dijleh/ >
but proved to be of no avail, as the repairs were
executed before the authority for the employ
ment of the launch could be transmitted to