"مذكرة تتعلق بالملاحة في نهري دجلة والفرات". [ظ‎‎٥‎٨] (٢٨٤/١١٧)

100
reserve to themselves the inland navigation of
their rivers, and could not assent to the droit de
cabotage being considered as conferring this
right upon foreign countries. In the course of
remarks made to Sir N. 0'Conor, he drew a dis
tinction between Messrs. Lynch's ancient rights
of navigation, "which rested upon the firman of
1834," and the more modern practice (dating from
1879) of towing barges under special permission
given by the Porte in exceptional periods of low
water or scarcity. In regard to this distinction,
it should be noted that the Euphrates and Tigris
Steam Navigation Company stated in 1880
(see p. 49) that " cargo boats (belonging to
British subjects) had from time immemorial
been employed in the navigation of the rivers
(Tigris and Euphrates), both tracked by men,
and on occasion towed by steam power." Sir
N. O'Conor feared that, if the Porte continued to
be pressed by Russia, far from securing for the
company the privilege of running a third steamer,
he would have difficulty in maintaining for them
the privilege granted by vizierial order in 1899 to
tow barges.
Acting upon the Ambassador's advice, the Euphrates and
company withdrew their request to run a third Steam
steamer, but pointed out that its employment Com^"
might become later a matter of vital necessity to March 29 ' 1902,
them, as the Oman Company were supple
menting their fleet by the addition of two new
steamers and four barges.
As regards towing of barges, the company
contended that the Porte could not fairly with-
draw from them that privilege, for nothing had
been done to remove the causes which tended
more and more to diminish the volume of river
water and to render the Tigris unnavigable, thus
making the use of barges a matter of yearly
X?;. t r r p KO ' COn0r did n0t ^ in Sir N. O'Conor,
writing to the Fortes note verbal of the 10th Na 163 .
March 1902 (see p. 99). but informed the Apr " 1902 -
Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs verbally
at, as the vizienal order of 1899 permitting the
towing of barges was unlimited in duration and
the state of the river was worse than ever His
Majesty's Government were not prepared to
accept any curtailment of the company's privi
leges m this or any other respect.
O'Conor thaUhe R UbSeilUently lnforme<1 Sir N. Sir N. O'Conor,
slai1 Government had -lo-ain No - 184 '
raised the question of the navigation of'the April ,9 ' l902 -