AN account of this expedition has been long due. We will not, however, say that the work now before us could have been forthcoming much sooner. Were we even to ignore the validity of the reasons which the author gives in his preface for delay, we could not well expect to have been put in possession at an earlier period of the mass of original research which this valuable work contains-so far at least as these two volumes, now published, may be taken as representing it. We are betimes a-weary of the rough-and-ready writing of the day, when the scribe, for shortness, seems to indite with the type instead of the pen; and we are content to await even the tardy substance of a good book, rather than put up with its counterfeit, though furnished to order at the earliest notice. Did the question, however, exclusively turn on a matter of time, the causes which postponed the publication, as stated in the preface, would go far to relieve Colonel Chesney of responsibility. But on this point it may, perhaps, be well to let him speak for himself:

"The illustrations selected by the officers to elucidate the expedition, were put in hand at the earliest moment, with a clear understanding that two would be completed cach week; but when nearly five years had elapsed, the author was obliged to seek redress in a court of law; and a verdict was

scarcely obtained, with the prospect of the immediate completion of the plates, when he was ordered to take the command of the artillery in China.

"The alternative of postponing, for an indefinite period, the publication of the work, or of going on half-pay, placed the author in a state of painful embarrassment. He had incurred a serious outlay, which it was necessary to recover if possible; and he was most anxious for the publication of the work, in furtherence of which, part of the funds granted had been drawn from the Treasury; while, on the other hand, his position as a soldier of fortune would not justify him in making such a sacrifice as that of quitting active service, particularly as he had been serving without pay when commanding the expedition; and neither the minute regarding an increase of army rank, nor the repayment of the expenses incurred previously to the expedition, had been realised by Government: the hope also of assistance from the Board of Control and India House towards the expenses of the work had been disappointed.

"The author eventually set out for China; and about half the first volume being printed, he availed himself of the opportunity afforded by the leisure of the voyage to improve the remaining portion of the work. The recent success in deciphering the cruciform character, has also led to some facts which served to elucidate several important points in the Persian history.

"The manuscript was sent to England in portions, as it was prepared, and the printing of the first volume was completed. Some difficulty, caused by the author's absence, prevented the completion of the index-map,

VOL. XXXVI.-NO. CCXIV.

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and of the map of Arabia, till his return; when, the difficulties being removed, the maps were finished, and the printing of the second volume proceeded.

"By an accident, which it is unnecessary to dwell on, the author, on his return to England, after an absence of four years, had the misfortune to lose, together with other valuable effects, a large portion of the manuscript; and the time since spent in making good the deficiency led to a still further delay in the publication of the work."Preface to Vol. I., pp. 17, 19.

Had the author, beforehand, in making an estimate of his undertaking, set down a higher figure for his item of contingencies, he might have possibly conceived it desirable to publish, in the first instance, an outline or report of the expedition, and to adjourn his larger treatment of the subject to a future day. We are, however, well aware of the difficulties that contractors, whether in masonry or literature, experience in gauging the probable time and outlay of a great work; and hence we are disposed to make allowances for miscalculations on this score, more especially in the case of a first essay, as this is; and where the author, hitherto more conversant with camps than with the more peaceful arena of letters, had to turn his sword into his pen--a far more critical metamorphosis than its conversion into a ploughshare. Besides, there are some minds incapable of working on a small scale. This seems to be a characteristic of the author's, who is excursive, and seems to want the epitomising power. On the whole, as matters have turned out, we are all the better pleased that he has followed his natural bent. The appearance of a sketch, such as we speak of, would have satisfied the letter of the law, but might have effected nothing more. The expedition and its objects were well known to have been dropped at the time by an incoming ministry, and hence a mere brochure on the subject would most probably have answered no substantial purpose whatsoever, whilst it might have adjourned, sine die, the work before us, instead of, as is now the case, postponing it to a time when it be more practically available. We conceive that the present is far more

may

propitious than any previous period to the furtherance of the enterprise, that the facilities for its accomplishment are now greater, and the public mind more ripe for the subject.

The time has come when a growing impression seems to be entertained, that the East and West have been too long separated by an imaginary circle of longitude; that Europe may be brought nearer to Asia; that the transit from the Levant to Hindostan may be abbreviated to a tenth of its distance; and that the means of intercourse between the two continents thus accruing, and their results-commerce, arts, and civilisation-must no longer be left undeveloped. There is no doctrine of Finality applicable to steam locomotion, no more than there is to Parlia mentary Reform. The steam-engine, the pioneer of social reformation, is already on its road from the West, and is approaching the frontier of Turkey; whilst at the same time it is starting from the East, and projecting its course from Calcutta to Hyderabad, and so forward. These two must meet, and possibly at no distant day, at the station-house at Bussorah. A belt of semi-civilisation, more especially there where knowledge first dawned on the human race, cannot long interpose between enlightenment on both sides. It is between two fires-those of science, too-and hence must succumb to cultivation. It is only a question of time, and that perhaps within the limits of a present generation. Already a gigantic international scheme* has been proposed for connecting Vienna, to which there is now nearly a continuous railroad from Ostend-through Pesth, Constantinople, Asia Minor, Persia, Belochistan, with India-still further, with China. Here political questions, of an apparently complicated and hazardous nature, may start up for solution, the more prominent one being the old rivalry between the Slavonian and the Saxon in the East. Still, these questions will have to be solved sooner or later, and it will most probably be either Russia or Great Britain that will occupy the head of the Board as Chairman and Manager of the "Asia Minor, Euphrates, Persia, and Belochistan Railway and Steam Company." First come will, perhaps, be first

served in this case, as in most others. This work, then, treating so largely as it does of those regions which may possibly again become the theatre of great historical events, and of a river which may again play an important part in the history of the world, makes its appearance most opportunely just

now.

We proceed to give a brief outline of the origin of the expedition and its results. In the year 1829, the steam navigation between Bombay and Suez was first practically set on foot. It was a great improvement on the previous routes. Still, its expense was found to be considerable, and the prevalence of the south-west monsoon on the Red Sea in summer made the navi

gation difficult and perilous during that season. Hence, after five years' trial of this line, the Government was disposed to entertain any proposal that promised to better the communication with India, or rather they, and their agents, had themselves meantime instituted such inquiries as subsequently eventuated in the prospect of a more desirable route to Bombay than that of the Red Sea, namely, by the Euphrates and the Persian Gulf. In effect these inquiries were finally made through the instrumentality of the author, who, at the suggestion of the late Sir Robert Gordon, the British Ambassador at the Porte, was about to visit the Turkish provinces, in order to ascertain their condition, and to whom it was also proposed by Mr. Cartwright, the Consul-General at Constantinople, to take this opportu nity of testing the opinion of Mr. Peacock, of the India Board, as to the capability of the Euphrates for steam navigation.

The same suggestion was also made to him a short time after by Mr. Barker, the Consul-General in Egypt, who had received from the Earl of Aberdeen a list of queries respecting the comparative advantages of the proposed route to India by the Euphrates and of that by the Red Sea. Accordingly, the author investigated the two lines, descending the river on a raft of hurdles, and exploring the Red Sea from Suez to Kosseir. The expedition to survey the Euphrates and Tigris, which took place about three years after these preliminary investigations, was the result. It sailed from England, under the command of Colonel Chesney, in

February, 1835, and arrived in the Orontes in the April of the same year. Owing to the opposition of Ibrahim Pacha, it was not until several months after that the steam vessels which were destined to navigate the rivers, and which had been carried out in pieces, were transported in detail from the Orontes to Bir, the starting-point on the Euphrates, and were there put together these various steps having only been effected by incredible labour and perseverance, and at the cost of several valuable lives. The descent of the Euphrates commenced in March, 1836. The larger of the two steamers, named the Euphrates after the river, achieved its object, as most of our readers recollect, and anchored in Bussorah in the Persian Gulf. The fate of the other, the Tigris, destroyed in a few moments by one of those preternatural hurricanes which occur but once or twice in the world's history, will, doubtless, also be remembered. Subsequently two different ascents were made of the Karun, and two descents of the Bahamishir, whilst the Tigris river was twice ascended upwards of 400 miles beyond its junction with the Euphrates, thus proving the navigability of the river. But to these, the more literal objects of the expedition, the labours of Colonel Chesney, and the other enterprising men who formed it, were not confined. A detached set of operations was meanwhile carried on. The greater part of northern Syria, that portion which would be necessarily connected with the navigation of the Euphrates if realised, was surveyed, and eventually mapped; a line of levels from the sea to that river, and from it again to the Tigris near Bagdad, was completed; North Mesopotamia was explored; the geography of Susiana, hitherto very inaccurate, was rectified; geological examinations were extended from the Levant to the ri vers, and from the Taurus to the Persian Gulf; extensive mines of coal, iron, and plumbago were discovered in the vicinity of the rivers; and above all, the materials and natural facilities for commerce were found in abundance. Nor has this been asserted in a mere vague and general way by the author. Here, as elsewhere, he substantiates his statements by facts and figures; and gives a full tabular account of the present state of commerce in these regions, pursuing it from India up the

Persian Gulf and the two rivers to the Levant, Constantinople, and the Black Sea, and showing what he conceives to be its great capability of enlargement, and the deep interest the British merchant has in being the agent to fully develope it. We must refer those more specially interested in matters of this nature to the work itself for the complete account. We, however, cannot pass on from this important section of the subject without presenting a few extracts from it.

After tracing the course of commerce from India to Ormuz, and up the Persian Gulf until he comes to Mohammerah, in the district of Susiana, Colonel Chesney proceeds to say:

"The next port is Mohammerah, forty-one miles up the Euphrates, at the mouth of the Kárún, a place already possessing considerable trade, which is capable of great increase. The river has been found to be navigable for steamers as far as Shuster, which would form an admirable centre for trade, and where the appointment of an English resident would be attended with great advantages to

commerce.

"In 1830, the author descended the Kárún in a large Arab vessel carrying cargo, and it has since been navigated on three occasions by steamers."-Appendix, vol. ii. p. 701.

Again, having stated the great commercial facilities of Bussorah, Kurnah, and Bagdad, more especially of the second, he says:—

"The next place of importance on the Tigris is Mósul; and here a considerable opening for British commerce exists. The present consumption of English goods in Mósul and the adjacent country is more than sufficient to support a mercantile establishment, although these goods are at present carried thither from Aleppo, Damascus, or Baghdad, by native traders of small capital, who pay a very heavy duty of fourteen per cent., and are purchased from third or fourth hands, by which the prices to the consumers are so enormously enhanced, as to place the articles almost beyond their reach. A piece of print, worth thirteen shillings in Manchester, is sold in Mósul for thirty-two shillings. The English merchants, however, only pay three per cent. The houses at present receiving British goods in Syria are nearly all commission houses, and consequently unable to sell so cheaply by ten per cent. as the regular merchant, which is a serious disadvantage to Arab trade. If mer

cantile houses were established at Mósul and Dizár-Bekr, goods arriving from England, even without the proposed facilities of steam, could be transported at a comparatively small cost from Alexandretta to DizárBekr, and thence down the river to Mósul; or the caravans would go direct from Alexandretta to Mosul, and the consumers would thus obtain British manufactures at little more than one-half of what they pay at present, and the consumption would naturally increase. The trade of such an establishment would probably soon extend into Persia, whose Russian trade is now increasing. Calicoes printed near Moscow were in 1839 sold in Kurdistán and Mesopotamia. The products of these countries would afford advantageous returns to England, in gall-nuts, sheep's wool, and madder-roots. Of the former, 1,500 cantars, about 350 tons, are brought annually from Mósul alone to Aleppo, for shipment to Europe, and an exchange with high-priced foreign goods is effected advantageously to both parties. Prime black galls can be purchased at Mósul at 950 piastres per cantar of 187) okes (an oke of Mosul is 480 drachms); and including all expenses of carriage to Alexandretta, they would, when ready for shipment, amount to 1,300 piastres per cantar, or fifty-two shillings per cwt. Sheep's wool is abundant, and of very fine quality, and gives a handsome profit, even under the present disadvantageous circumstances. Madder roots, fine goat's wool, yellow wax, and arsenic, are also articles of profitable export from Mósul and Dizúr-Bekr. The articles most in demand among the natives are printed and dyed calicoes, muslins (lappets), printed handkerchiefs, bleached maddapolams, forty yards, fine cotton velvets, gray domestics (calicoes), and light cloths, such as are called ladies' cloth in England; there is also a considerable demand for zebras, a cotton-stuff made in Glasgow and Paisley. In Mósul they use a good deal of water-twist yarn, No. 20-30, for making a light jaconet, which they print for head-dresses; there is also a considerable consumption of cochineal by the printers and dyers in that town. In any mercantile establishment in Mósul, it would be necessary to have a person at home acquainted with the taste of the natives, to select the goods. The great attention paid by the Russians to the taste of these countries, has been one great cause of their success in trade."Appendix, vol. ii, pp. 702-3.

Further on he adds:

"It is therefore evident that great advantages to commerce would arise from the establishment of an English consul or viceconsul at Angora, and the encouragement and protection which would thus be given to trade. At present a thousand native merchants are employed, all making large profits,

where one English merchant would suffice. This part of Asia-Minor is well peopled, and the inhabitants are industrious. The people, also, are anxious for European goods, but from passing through so many hands, they are at present too dear for their means. Russian cutlery is much in demand, there being no supply of British manufacture. An English merchant, who has occasionally supplied goods for Asia-Minor, recommends loafsugar, coffee, white Manchester cloths, as tungils, jaconets, sheetings, &c., and printed calicoes, such as those purchased by the Greek merchants (the patterns of which should be selected by some one acquainted with the taste of the country), as being most suitable at present for the markets of Mósul and the neighbouring towns. The same gentleman has given it as his opinion that the sale of £100,000 worth of goods, which otherwise would not be manufactured, would more than repay the country the whole expenses of the Euphrates Expedition, without taking into account the merchants' profits. This calculation was made with reference to the present trade, which, however, ultimately would be largely increased."--Appendix, vol. ii. p. 704.

Finally, he winds up the argument with a practical matter-of-fact moral, as usual, showing that it is no mere fanciful hypothesis he is dealing with:

"Under such promising circumstances, it seems that a company might advantageously be formed, with a small capital (say of £25,000, in £50 shares), for commercial purposes. One steamer might be employed on the Euphrates, commencing at Beles, the port of Aleppo, for the descent. One between Mohammerah and Baghdad, and a third on the Kárúna fourth steamer being kept as a reserve, to give occasional rest to the offcers, men, and machinery of the others. The general voyage of the steamer on the Euphrates might be between Beles and Hilláh, a town of considerable trade, sixty miles below Fehéjah, descending to the ports of Mohammerah and Basrah, as occasion might require. Fehéjah is the place of transit to Baghdad, which is nearly opposite to it, at a distance of twenty-three and a-half miles. An eligible communication would thus be opened with the other steamer navigating the Tigris. From Iskenderun or Suweidiyeh on the Syrian coast, to Beles, a distance of one hundred miles, every facility exists for conveyance. The transit may occupy six days from the sea to the Euphrates, and five or six more to Baghdad: forty days is an average passage for merchant vessels from England to Syria, making in all fifty-two days to that internal market. Supplies would also reach Baghdad direct from England by way of the Persian Gulf. channel also embraces the whole intercourse

This

with India and the Arabian coast, both as to goods and passengers: the traffic and employment for steamers might possibly be greater here than on the Euphrates above. The products of Arabia and the inland countries have been already given in the customhouse returns." — Appendix, vol. ii., p. 705.

We would direct the attention of commercial men to these hints and statements. They are, of course, far more competent to appreciate them than we are. But we can all understand the great advantages of increased facility of communication, which the route by the Euphrates unquestionably discloses. Let us suppose a railway from Iskenderun to the Great River, and let us further suppose an electric telegraph along that line of railway, and carried down the river navigation. It is true that the breaking of the wire between Dover and Ostend, although an accident casily reparable there, shows that, as yet, we cannot expect to carry lines of electric transit under water, through any wide expanse of sea, where it would be exposed to chafing on a rocky bottom, as in all sea-lines it must be; but down the banks or bed of a river, where the wire might be hidden in a channel specially cut for it, there could be no danger of any accident of that kind.

Now, supposing this project taken up in a national spirit by our Government, and a railway and electric telegraph laid from Iskenderun to the Euphrates, and the telegraph thence continued along the river navigation to the head of the Persian Gulf, it would only take the time required by the steamer from Bombay to Basrah, and from Iskenderún to Trieste (to within 70 miles of which the electric telegraph is already in operation from Ostend), to give us our Indian intelligence. That time would be only eight or nine

days!

The bay and harbour of Iskenderún are well suited to serve as a port, almost without expense. Supposing the rocks and artificial obstructions to be removed, and a canal cut straight through the Lamlum marshes, and which would not require either locks or masonry, there would then be an open passage along the Euphrates of 938 miles, from Ja'ber to Basrah.

Let us now see the results in a tabulated form;