The Sun.
London, England, 1836-07-09 00:00:00

_XN

esiieCiat67 tg geography, are'of-ItheNiost important descrip-
tion. The journies made into, Ale ihterior have been nu-
merous ; and the new facks tenlleeted most interesting. At
an early period lef 'oUr arrival, three parties were at work.
Lieut. Lymai, 1.N., with his brother, of the Indian army,
on 'road ; Captain Estcourt, with Dr. Staunton, on a
mission, partly diplomatic, to Damascus ; Lieut. Murphy,
Mr. Thomson, and Mr. Ainsworth, were on the coast be-
tween the Orontes and Lattakia (Laodicca), subsequently
making an ascent of mount Casius and thenproteecling on
the survey of the Gulf of Sear:dercon. The surveying
party afterwards broke op, Lieut. Murphy being required
at the observatory et Port William, Mir. ThcAtit'On remaining
to continue the levelling began by astronomer from thsi
sea to the Ettphratesa tri4tlifieent work whett accom-
plished. Previously to taking medicol charge of the
station at Mem-A Pasha, Mr. Ainsworth obtained sanction
for an expikstatory journey to the south, when he examined
the srosultre between Antioch and the Anounan mountains,
reaelling Kalaat el Medak, and returned by the borders of
the Great Desert, south of Aleppo. At the same time,
Lieut. Lynch, accompanied by Mr. Staunton anti his bro-
ther, left Port William on a friendly mission to the Arabs,
and, although the objects of the journey were areomptished
in a satisfactory manner, it was only with great clanger to
the travellers, who had one of the servants shot, but not
mortally wounded. The most southerly point reached was
Deir, on the Euphrates.
The sickness at Port William was, towards the latter
part of the year, severe ; a few fell victims, and our inde-
fatigable commander twice left his medical attendants with-
out a hope. The winter was remarkably cold ; the ther-
mometer fell at Ninte to S deg., or 24 deg. below freezing
point. The snow was not off the ground when Colonel
Chesney quitted his bed on a scientific excursion to the
Taurus and part of Asia Minor. He was accompanied by
Mr. Murphy, Mr. Staunton, and Mr. Ainsworth. This
party proceeded by Bylan through Issus and Adana to
Janus, where the French Consul, M. Gilet, is carrying on
excavations of an interesting nature. From thence they
proceeded to the pass of Kule Broghaz and neighbouring
mines, and thence to Sis by two different routes. The
Colonel and Mr. Ainsworth having for three days lost the
baggage horses. From Sis they proceeded to ancient Ana-
zarba and to Kars, crossing the mountains amidst many
difficulties to Marash. From Marash the Colonel left for
Port William, while the remainder of the party crossed
the country to Romkala, on the Euphrates, surveying the
river from thence to Port William. The day after their
return to their station, Mr. Ainsworth was appointed to
join Lieutenant. Lynch and Mr. Eden on another excursion
to survey up from Bunkala to Samosat, penetrating into
Mesopotamia to Orfala, and the most ancient sites of-Har-
ran (Charras) and Senem on the plain.
The 16th of March,' the Euphrates steamer proceeded
up the river against a current of five knots, from Port
William to Bir, and saluted the Sultan and his Governor
at the fine old Crusadic Castle. The river is here a noble
expanse of waters, which flow past its rock-cradled walls.
The Bazaars were untenanted ; and even the white veiled
daughters of the soil abandoned Baquis and Djanice to
mingle with the gaily dressed moslem crowd that lined the
banks on the occasion. The same evening the Mesopo-
tamia party arrived, and joined at the anchorage a mile
below the port,
You will thus perceive that from a delay, ..which must
have proved very annoying to those anxious persons at home
who would have things accomplished as by enchantment,
as successfully as rapidly,:in reality, much has been gained ;
a greater portion of territory has been examined ; explora-
tions have been carried on with more detail ; natural his-
tory and meteorology more closely investigated ; and the
ultimate objects of the expedition ensured in a greater de-
gree. The number of places that have been astronomically
fixed is very great, and the materials, for a map of dis-
tricts that have been hitherto without almost a reconnois-
sance, have been collected with care and assiduity. The
country comprised in these researches also contain many
points of much interest in historical geography, and much
that has been dubious and matters of frequently repeated
discussion will be cleared up. I hope, then, you will say
with me, now we are embarked upon the river, and have
entrusted ourselves to its shoals and rapids, proceeding at
a regulated pace, and carrying on, before all things, the
survey as we proceed, that the commander of the expedi-
tion and the officers under him have at least deserved by
their labours, that patience which has been shown, with a
few exceptions, in awarding a verdict upon their success, or
in putting a faithful trust in that undomitable perseverance
which I hope is not uncharacteristic of Britons when fight-
ing against difficulties.—Yours, &c.
—The Literary Gazette.