The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-31 00:00:00

NAVIGATION of the EUPHRATES.

[Connected with this subject, and so immediately brought
to interest the public by very recent advices, we have
much pleasure in throwing a farther light upon these
important Asiatic measures.--. Ed. Lit. Gaz.].

• A short time ago there appeared in the newspapers a
brief statement of the arrival of two steamers at Balls, on
the Euphrates. Our readers, who all along had full and
complete accounts of the Euphrates expedition, will be
glad to hear of the successful termination of this enter-
prise. It will be remeriabered that, after the loss of the
Tigris:steamer, the Euphrates attempted the ascent, but
failed on account of her deep draught of water, which
amounted 'to three feet, while the Tigris only drew
eighteen inches. Colonel Chesney and the officers of the
Euphrates Irdingreturnedto England; the charge of the
steamer left was entrusted to Captain Lynch, of the In-
dian- navy, who, between that period and the present,
effected two very remarkable exploits : first, the ascent
of the river TigriS as far as close to where it receives
the Great Zab, and where he was not stopped by
want of water, but by the force of the current; the second
Ivan, to take the steamer from the river Tigris to the
Euphrates by the most northerly of the canals on the
alluvial plain of Babylonia. In the accomplishment of
this latter task the paddle-boxes were sometimes sus-
pended over hard and dry ground.
Government, however, never abandoned the original
undertaking, and between that period and this no fewer
than four iron steamers, of light draught of water, and
constructed for river service, have been sent out to the
Eurphrates ; but unfin'tunately with inefficient crews, or
the ascent of that great river would have been before at-
tempted: Two of these steamers (we believe the Nilo-
cris and Semiramis) have now accomplished what puts
beyond 'all-doubt the long-vexed question as to the pos-
sibility of navigating the river Euphrates.

We are noCat the twelfth limit., going to run over
again the important commercial and political advantages,
and, still more, the great advantages to progressive civi-
lization, which the opening of such a navigation offers
to Great Britain, • and to sympathizing humanity,
wherever it is to be found. Let us hope that, while
other nations are talking of these things, England will
be doing them.
We have it in our power to mention one or two
curious little facts in connection with the progress of
these events, The successful result of the mission sent
by the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge to
the patriarch of the Chaldean. Christians in Kurdistan,
and which mission sprang out of the Euphrates expe-
dition; has not failed to awaken the greatest interest
amo*, all to_whofn the -filia—of_the.. Eastern Christian
nations posseSses the slightest attraction ; but it inllu
enced still more strongly the opposing churches of the
New World, one branch of which had already a very
extensive mission at Urinujeh in Persia, and close to the
Chaldean mountaineers.

Two missions have, in consequence, reached Mosul
this spring and summer. The -first is composed of two
reverend gentlemen with their wives, one of whom is to
remain at the Mesopotamian capital, the other is to take
up his residence in the mountains. These parties are
Congregationalists ; and a third (Dr. Grant), who has
already distinguished himself by his labours among these
interesting people, has lately left Constantinople, also on
his way to the same field of good works.
In the meantime the Episcopalian mission from the
United States has not been inactive among Christians
with whom it especially feels called upon to ally itself in
brotherly and religious affections, since they belong to
one of the oldest apostplical churches in the world, and
one which has not protested against, for it has never
tainted or corrupted by, Romish heresies.
We learn, by our private advices, that the Rev. Mr.
Southgate, of the United States Episcopal Church, and
known by his travels in eastern countries, has arrived
at Mosul, and is in hopes of inducing a Chalthan bishop
to return with him to visit his brethren of the New
World.

In this activity for the welfare, and wish for the
friendship of the Chaldeans, which has suddenly sprung
up, England has alone been slow in her operations. Mr.
Rassam is now her Majesty's Vice-Consul at Mosul,
where he will do all that is in his power to keep up
the friendly alliance which was established by the
mission, of which he was a member. A learned and
reverend divine of Oxford has, we have heard, offered.
his services to visit the mountaineers; and for them, as
for all classes of Christians in the East, we sincerely
hope that the residence of a Bishop in the Mediterranean
Sea will be replete with many advantages.
The next interesting fact that it is in our power
to communicate concerns more general civilization ;
and it is to the effect, that a gentleman,
also connected with the Euphrates expedition, and
holding an official situation at Baghdad, has had sent
over to that place various of the latest improve-
ments in agricultural implements, and among those es-
pecially a number of ploughs, a press for cotton, &c. &c.
These he intends to bring into full operation, with the
assistance of natives only ; as also improved means of ir-
rigation ; besides whilh, he is going to introduce the
cultivation of cotton and sugar, for both of which the
country is admirably adapted. These movements are
calculated to have a great effect upon those countries
with the progress of time.
We have been led into this momentary digression con-
cerning the advance of civilization in Western Asia, from
having rend this week a letter, running the round of the
newspapers, from one of the officers of the steamers en •
gaged on the Euphrates, who, in the feelings naturally
suggested by their triumphant success, calls attention to
the prospects now held out in the East, and . truly ex-
claims, '` may civilization, flying on the wings of com-
merce, tarry with it the blessings. of the Gospel of sal-
vation !"

We would beg. have, however, in. relation to this
letter (which has appeared in a Liverpool journal, and
been copied genet ally by the press), to set the public
right upon a few facts. - The Yezidis are not, as has
been calumniously stated by the Christians of the East,
worshippers of the devil. nor of a peacock ; but they are
among all Orientals who arc not Christians, those who
are most open to receive its saving light.
The names of almost every place noticed in the letter
are calculated to mislead. Perisalom is Perisabor ;
Pylor of Xenophon, Hu Aat, Pylee, of Xenophon; Euri
is Erzi, or Ezra ; Thapsacus is not at Al Der the mo-
nastery, but at Al liammam, near Rakkeh ; Raceaba is
Rahabah, the Rehoboth of the Scriptures ; Tenobia is
Zenobia.

The crusaders can scarcely be expected to have ex-
tended their power to Jiaber, when they were so often
defeated at Herren, which is not more than twelve miles
from their stronghold, Edessa. And the Taurus is at a
much greater distance than the writer appears to ima-
gine, when he says the distant Taurus re-echoed the
royal salute fired at Balis, or Baulus, as he writes it—the
ancient Barbalissus. He thinks that the river may he
navigated to the heart of Taurus. This is not so impro-
bable as may appear at first sight. The cataracts of Sa-
mosata, noticed by Pliny, are rapids of no importance ;
and there are only five rapiEls, one of them a fall of a few
feet, between Ergan Kalehsi and Malatiyah. The new
iron steam-boat, which passes the rapids on the Danube
above Orsovar, perhaps overcomes as great obstacles.—
Literary Gazette, Aug. 21.

Under the circumstances we have not thought it noces,
sary to print the letter: at any rate this week. —Ed.

CORN-LAWS.—',The farmers and tenantry can-
not eventually Stiffer from a repeal of these laws. A. lower
price hit earn and cattle will be favourable to them no-
der every tie* do the qtiestion, and their rent and tithe
must be lowered in proportion, Where leases exist (an
article not very rife with landicrrcid since the Reform
Bill), a power can be given to abrogate them, Their
pooltralk§ tints their county-rates will be diminished one-
half, Content and honest among the labourers
4111 gifrotitii4 Their hoinesteads, and the odious rural po-
lice be as ttl MO wolf in their districts. I be-
lieve a review of the cofittiOt of their ancestors , would
prove than the farmers of the praNent day are neither as
opulent, as .contented, or as iiapc.7 a mai a then as the
tenet* El rEffiner times ; also that n::st of the present
•,
race farm iiponliofitived at high intt-2:st' .ag,Al5
-
well lttibWni MO a large pfopottibii of them die
14.4+114 farlies edt;e.ated and brought tip beyond
their useful spaefti and left to the mercy of
a scornful world. On this then* intiet more might
be said, and on the gambling speculationsi Of large
taken with a view of high prices for corn and
produeei and supported by the erroneous system of .country
brinks, Let me now ask, who then will suffer from a repeal
of these lit*.tt The answer is simple. Those who imposed.,
them;. those who, as legislators, in 1815, compelie(Wie
Cabinet of Lord Liverpool to enact laws to raise the price
tff agfiCalttlfal procluce, in order to keep up the high
rents if land, and remove from' the shoulders of the
landed ititefeqt; including the titheowners, that burthen
of the w*ittoti and extravagant expendi-
ture in the late iVilf hid imposed upon the nation. The
avowed object of these laiit WOO to keep up wheat to
89s. per quarter on the average of pan, and other rod-
ties of rural produce in proportion ; but the Miegtots
of these Can-latts were not adepts at their own projects,
and they did not etteeted: They then altered them in
1822, which laws theft beefttid ft tifeliibition, and still
failed in keeping up the prices, thtiflg 10ptocitic-
tive crops. George Canning, who hdeBY-14 Pftitniet
in 1827, did not scruple to aid the landed propriettfn ifl
-their new scheme of a sliding scale of duties and ave-
rages. This discovery had the happy effect of destroy-
ing all legitimate trade in earn, and keeping up its price
to at least one-third beyond the Calititietital 11/ICett, and '
thus kept the people of this mighty empire in a state, of
famine. It was also a proscriptio'd elf British manufac-
tures ; a bar upon commerce ; and protludcd Ilk rreces-
sity of that stringent and severe administration of ktior-;
laws that has now severed the operative classes from the
plasters and landlords, and laid the foundation . of an
i` of woes AA' the British isles.—Lord Teynham on
the ccarn-tawa.

P itEACHERS • 15 OC•
TItINE OF COMPEN-
Naiicitt:.--1 Was lately,
.confirmed in these desires by hearing a
Wit oj At eht]rett: The preacher, a man esteemed for his
htbddoxs, tinfultled lit the ordinary manner the doctrine of
the last judgitient. He assumed that judgment is not executed
in this world; that the width' are sttecessful ; that the good are
; _SO then urged from re2Son and from Scripture a
Ehttieetaiitihn id he mi& t t b6th parties in the next life,. No
offence appeared to be tateri by the aingiegiiioti at this (idea
trifler As far as I could observe, when the meetitig broke
up, they separated without remark on the sermon.
Yet, what was the import of this teaching? What did the
preacher mean by saying that the good are miserable in the
present life? Was it that houses and lands, offices, wine,
horses, dress, luxury, are had by unprincipled men, whilst the
saints are poor and despised ; and that a compensation is to be
made to these last hereafter, by giving them the like gratifica-
tions .another day—bank-stock and doubloons, venison and
champagne ? This must be the compensation intended ; for
what else? Is it that they are to have leave to pray and
praise, to love ind serve men? Why, that they can do now.
The-legitimate 'inference the disciple would draw was, " We
are to have such a good time as the sinners have now ;" or, 10
push it to its extreme import, " You sin now; we shall !in by
and 14; we would sin now if we could ; not being successful,
we expect our revenge to-morrow."
.--znitnerson's Essay on
Coppessati" • • • ,