"مذكرة تتعلق بالملاحة في نهري دجلة والفرات". [و‎‎٨‎٥] (٢٨٤/١٧٠)

19
1860— (cont.) looking on it as a document giving merely a tem
porary permission which might at any time be re
voked by another document of a similar character,
does not deem it safe for you to engage your capital
in the navigation of the rivers of Mesopotamia
until you have received from the Porte some
special sanction to that effect. I am happy to
inform you, however, that the Ottoman Minister
for foreign Affairs has acquainted his Excellency
Sir H. Bulwer that, if you were to apply to the
Porte for a firman of concession to establish a
line of steamers to run between Bagdad and
Bussorah, he thinks that the Porte would not be
averse to an arrangement of this nature."
To Messrs. Lynch,
June 6.
Messrs. Lynch
"November 12.
To Law Officers,
November 13.
Law Officers,
November 17.
To Sir H. Bulwer,
No. 663,
November 27.
Messrs. Lynch were informed in reply to their
letter of the 2nd June that there was nothing:
in the archives of the Poreign Office to show
that the arrangement of 1846 would bear the
limited construction put upon it in the acting
consul-general's letter.
Messrs. Lynch stated that their agents at Bagdad
had informed them that the local Government
would oppose their enterprise, and that Colonel
Kemball had raised the question whether
" steamers could be considered British vessels,
though built in England, if put up at Bussorah >f ;
f.nd had renewed the suggestion that Messrs.
Lynch should obtain the special sanction of the
Porte. Messrs. Lynch requested that the Ambas
sador should be instructed to afford them help.
The Law Officers were asked whether British
vessels, built in England and afterwards re
constructed at Bussorah, would be rightly held
to be bond fide British ships.
The Law Officers replied in the affirmative,
and Messrs. Lynch were informed that His
Majesty's Ambassador would be instructed to
insist on this.
The correspondence was forwarded to Sir H.
Bulwer, and he was told that Her Majesty 's
Government did not doubt that the Porte would
faithfully carry out the arrangement of 1846,
" by which the right of navigating the waters
in question under the protection of the British
flag was secured to British subjects," and
that no action was necessary ; " but that if,
nevertheless, any circumstances which have
arisen since the conclusion of the above-men
tioned arrangement should lead your Excellency
to consider it requisite to obtain some further