The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-05 00:00:00

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will enable vessels drawit4 20 feet of water to lie in
safety during the winter months, if le quired t i do Flo, and
within six mouths fro in the commencement of the work
a landing place can be formed, and perfect shelter for
'flats, at an expense of 20.000/. The harbour, when
completed, wilt he capable c f giVing shelter to 30 or 35
vessels. The average depth of water will be from 20 to 40
feet. I have given these details in connexien- with the
proposed harbour, because I think you wiregree with me
that, irrespective of the route to India, a go ,d harbour
of rrfue,e on the coast of Syria would of itself be of the
utmost value and importance to all commercial nations.
Our eurvey of the country and sub-event trial seetiens
of the engineer-, extended from the coast to within sight
of the Euphrates, taking in the towns of Antioch and
Aloppe. Beyend the latter a'l engineerime difficulties
cease, the country preventing a hard dry level sulfate
(ea led in Arab :c Ka Jelide, flat and hard) most admi-
rably adapted for a railway. And even bee een the
Mediterrans an and Aleppo, the difficulties are such as
would be considered small in this country. There will
net be a single tunnel, and only two cutti-ge of any con-
sequence. Two charts bridges over the Orontes will be
necessary, but neither do these present any obstacle to
the engineering science of the present day. The average
expenses for the first part of this line (which• will be the
most expensive portion of the whole) is estimated at
13,4841. per mile, and another portion, which also pre-
sents some difficulties, 12,754/. per mile. But as portions
beyond Aleppo fall very considerably below this aver-
age, some of them being estimated at only 4,6931 per
mile, the average expense for the whole of this first • ec-
thin of the line from the harbour to the Euphrates has
been calculated by S:r J. Mac Neill at 8,8581. per mile.
Oa my return to Constantinople the terms of the con-
cession were finally settled, but, owing to opposition
from rival parties, they were less favourable than had
been previously arranged. The Turkish Government
gave a guarantee of 6 per cent. on the capital expended
by the company, requiring from them a deposit of
28,000/. in exchange for the firman; with the condition
that the works must be commenced within one year.
The expense of the whole line is estimated at 6,000,0001.,
,lioteasairstance from our -Governenesit en-41164rstettection
only, or of a sum of 1,400,0001 , singe the, reillseeyo after-
reaching Aleppo, will require no assistance whatever.
The assistance a-ked—the whole amount of which is
only 100,000/ —to supply the interest to the share.
holders for three years, until the railway shall be in
working operation, is more nominal than real, the object
being togive confidence to the public, for which the Turk-
ish 6 per cm,, guarantee is not sufficient I fcund
the Porte thoroughly alive to the great advantage
likely to result to Turkey from the establishment of this
line. The consolidation of the Sultan's power in distant
provinces of his empire, the great ex ension of commerce
to be expected, the centralisation of the system of govern-
ment, thee-, and many other considerations were strongly
felt by the Turks. We found, indeed, the existing corn
mercial returns in Syria most satisfactory. Without
taking into account any increase, Aleppo alone and her
commerce would suffice to support a railway thus far,
and would yield a return of 8 per cent. to the share-
holders. 1 800 shares were at once taken in Aleppo,
itself, and a petition was sent to the Sultan in favour of
the railway. To the eastward of this city, however, a
large additional trade may be expected ; indeed, a very
x ensive trade a xists, which would all flow into this
railway. We shad have Syria and Mesopotamia on one
line, India and Central Asia beyond, with Kurdistan
and Persia on one side and Arabia on the other. It is
impossible to es itnate the amount of traffic and corn-
tnerce which will arise. It must be very large ;it may
he beyond what even England has ever seen or imagined
—for there is nu limit to the productive powers of these
c .untries, provided capital and skill be there to turn to
acc mut the vast provision for their realisation conteined
in their noble rivere. The chief products at present are
grain (which could be supplied to Europe to any eaten*.
cotton of a very superior quality, which is already culti-
vated largely, bet not yet cleaned, in the neighbourhood
of Mossul, and wculd be grown much more extensively
if any means of transport existed. Mr. Rassam, her
'Majesty's consul at Mossul, tent me that 100,000 camel
loads of c.Attin aro now lying there for want of means of
transport. Wool, also copper, sugar, indigo, saltpetre,
dyes of various kinds, bitumen, and various other
products, are the i.resent ordinary exports of Meso-
potamia. Their demand for our goods would be pro-
portionately large. At present the natives of Syria
and Mesopetemia receive many other supplies from
Russia, through Trebiz mei, but their markets would
be supplied by Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham,
Ste., if the means of transport were established. It
is, indeed, impossible to estimate the changes in Euro-
pean countries by throwing open to them these sources
of commerce and openings for colonisation. I have d welt
at some length on the commercial advantages to be ex-
pected from this line—although at thie moment even these
must yield in importance to the all engrossing desire for
more rapid communication with India. This and tele-
graphic wires in operation would be worth anything to
England at this Moment. The means of rapid and cer-
tain transmission of mails and passengers to India ought
atoms to decide the public and Government in favour of
this line. F yr the transport of troops and stores it would
be of inestimable value. Few political objet's could be
of more conseq"nance to England than those which will
be so thoroughly accomplished by this line. I allude
chiefly to the consolidation and to the commercial and
political rescuscitation of Turkey. We have expended
lavishly money and lives ostensibly for this object, but
without benefit to ourselves, and without imparting any
real strengtb to Turkey. Ihr this line wee bemire the. des
fence of her frontier...against Persia and Russia.' History
proves to you what a po Nerful influence has belonged at
all times to the possession of the valley of the Euphrates.
A friend who is intimately acquainted with the East
writes to me—"l was in these countries during the Rus-
sian war, and frequently thought how different the posi-
tion of that power would have been if their army had
been moved tu the direction of the Euphrates valley, in-
stead of invading the Principalities and European Turkey.
Europe would have remained in a state of apathy, and
public opinion out of England at any rate would have
been for them. Had they reached Mossul under these cir-
cumstances they would have been in a country whose
resources surpass almost any other in tine world." This,
or a very similar plan, was proposed to the Emperor
Nicholas, by one.of his generals, during tne war of 1828.
9, We may be thankful that it was not adopted. Dr.
Sprenger says :—" If properly managed, the valley of
the Tigris would soon be sufficiently prosperous to
form the basis of a campaign to the south-east, or the
same route that was taken by the Arabs when they con-
quered the valley of the Indus in the seventh century of
our era. The straits of Ormuz are so narrow that the
Persian Gulf might at any time be converted into a lake
belonging to the power which may be in possession of
Bussorah. Europe is no longer the world and the true
key to the possession of the woad is the valley of the
Tigris, and not Constantinople, as it was believed in an-
cient times." These are a few, and still but a few of
the great results likely to arise from the establishment
of this line of communication. The subject is too vast to
be embraced in a paper such as this ; but I trust I have
said enough to give you an interest in the subject, and I
may add to all its practical advantages, that to men of
science, to the geologist, the naturalist, the ethnologist,
the arch m 'logist, and many more, new fi,lis of interest
and investigation will be opened up, with which Europe
has at present but slight acquaintance. The principal
oljection with which my views on tho importance of the
Euphrates route are generally met isdrea 1 of the Arabs.
I think myself that this difficulty will be easily overcome
by judicious management and a little foresight. They
arc a very singular people, uniting the extremes of good
and evil in their characters. I have lived among them
for many years, and have experienced both from them,
the good and evil—the greatest fidelity and truthfulness
in most instances e treachery and dishonesty in some
others. I could tell you many anecdotes in illustration
of ;his, if time permitted. Our chief difficulties with them
would arise irons their ignorance, the divided and spme-
times hoetila state of their tribes, a, d their blood feuds.
But I know, from experience, that by moderation, tact,
and truthfulness on our parts, these may be overcome.
During the Euphrates expedition we never lost a single
man by the Arabs. They carried large stores of muskets,
powder, ammunition, and sums of money, amounting to
6000/. and 7,0001., for ueattended by only one individuul
of our party, and in no one instance was there any loss
to us. These undertakings were usually paid in advance
and if the Arabs were prevented from fulfilling their en-
gagements, the money paid was scrupulously returned to
us. 'They are, indeed, as much alive to their own inte-
rests as other nations, and will BoOn appreciate the ad-
vantages which they will derive from the railroad by re-
gulir employment of themselves and their camels and
increased trade. If, however, they should show hos•
tility, contrary to all expectation, such arrangements
have been made with the Sultan's Government as will
meet even this difficulty. It must be remembered also
that a body of workmen such as we must employ, amount-
ing to 10,000 ur 12,000, are already a considerable
ra.
de-
fensive element, and we should also recollect that lb _
In ad-
hint Pacha kept the Arabs under perfecti
1 control.x-a to you that
tiou, bowevet, to my own opinion,
the day, who has resided for
of a friend, Dr. Aloys Sprenger, tllle‘"fiarrsst
aotruioenngtatlihsetmof.
rieceived a letter from Mr.
lie says, " Some time back
bls at:oy gyoeod to be omitted.
ngggreat
eu
moren eai less
unfoundedon ac-
Pot ter, at Damascus,
for the Bedouins are the most
than this cause of
.1
n the world if judiciously treated.
count of the Bedouian_sa,reb:up,trtrotshini
manageaLle people b
been
glittthleeiarvpaeirl.,onlati
But even if
Aden,
mattersandt
he werei3ctdo 0
uei
us mismanaged,should offe raesv theyer
y oupapvee.
been at
ition in
b7aviledrybaeod cunning, they are very much like wild beasts.
tuiredpotwhaert,
So one has ever heard of an army of tigers ; and so it
would be with the Bedouins, who have never been united.
Like wild beasts they would show desperate courage
when irritated, but such ferocity can do nothing against
discipline and calm resistance. As a proof of this, I may
mention that there are some Kurdish viliagesbelow Mar-
din, in the midst of the desort, which, small as they are,
defy all the power of the Shammcar tribe, and success-
inny refuse to lititaxrd. Whoever possesses the Euphrates
has the Bedouins in his pocket; for this cuts them off,
and they cannot do without its water and otherresources.
Chose who really entertain fear of the Arabs forget that
a railway running through a fertile country is a vein of
ife. In less than two years we should see towns and vil-
lages springing up on both sides of the line, and thou-
sands of those nomads settled in them, But it is on the

\ EWS 1' N PER

/
gradual conelruetien of a rail 'gay, and th a) l-
.: V
require, that I chiefl eet y.rest my ca-; 0 .
t 1;C
and ilasee,sucroseiete at d complete cline
The irnpedirnen's thrown in the way ef ille--,\Ojilig.
expedition by the Pacha of Egypt in 1835, 4-'cl SAW
which wag the result, really assaited our Oliera-t-&
by giving more employment to the ArahN.,
increasing our intercourse with them. This will be the
eo e it i the railway. -As far as Aleppo ne Arabs can-
not off,r any impediment; but in any case, long be foie
it reaches that city, they will feel the alcan:ageK of more
elnn'eyrnent, and will be prepared to further instead of
impede the works. Viewing things in this light, and
looking to the gradual operation of time to establiee our
influence emong this poor le, you will readily underetand
isolatedtt)l iroa st
p.le
el it aeovl
efecanterecii
ctu thoughtfoirtwni
ttiwyiori.eeefsutiirilt,.railway
i rtoblrhowaeenujapiogsty,,riti.
imua
think
-preparation,
, .tance: arrived
ar:ia:v:incectodnod}efnrcv)op,teerrissniys:uaahreyr,
wey}
this,
1 crib. gteaihlwo,
lbwnly: .
tfltoi
do
mothe
tch
make
noskmo
mtpbleawtoi
s
sary,
ever,
ye)sec-
tionaletirn,t ti
ylheovbueeglfsho,
thought it
seiot layingarisg th sdhave
ooviairls ottreonleefagklrilmnptilhnoi
telegraphic
wires,influenceth
ththe
v Ii
views
wrie 1 theso wo
f.
others as to open negotiations at Constantinople on this •
eatj co, aid I also airaneed wi:h Mr. Barker, her Ma-
jesty'e Vice-Coioul at Aleppo, who has pte.sed his life in
that country, that he should, if required. go among the
Arabs to maks preliminary arra- pemet,t4 for the ce•ta-
biishment of the telegraph, by opening in the fiat in-
stance the hoe of Tartar posts, v.hich would at one, “ive
us weekly and speedy cOmmunica:icti betwecn -England
and India This line existed for many years in
Lord Wellesley's time, passing lions Constantinople to
Aleppo and thence by Dyarbekir t oßussorah, from
whence mails were conveyed with great regularity by a
fast echooner to Bombay. Another pest road is else
available from Bagdad by Mossul and D arbekir to Cora
stantinople. That by Aleppo would ultimately have the
a Ivantnge, in consequence of the proposed railway ; but
for immediate nee at this critical moment we might run
some little risk by using that by Dyarb..kir, which, with
the ass:sta.ica of a cpialified person living among the
Atabs, would smooth the way for hying down el c:ric
mires. Sir J. M'Nell was of opinion that if a judicious
commissioner were ,ent to reside among the Arabs—a man
thtroughly acqnain ed with the people and their language
—it would secure the interests of Great Britain ; and
this were desirable in his time, it is imperative new.
With regard to our telegiaphic centre ueicatien with India,
two companies have been formed for this purpose. Tne
one- proposes a line along the Re I &a to Kerraehee ;
theotber Tong the valley of the Euphrates to the same
port. Each appears to be quite practicable, and I should
like to see bath in operation. As in tho case of the-
overlaed communication, England requires the resources
of a second line, in case of nceidents to either ; and irre- - '
spectively of-this- coneideritiane ft is clear i there vetentd
benanjele employment for both. I. should like, there- •
fore, to find Government prepared to further and en-
courage both. To effect this a submarine cable Ehould
be laid down from Kurrachee to Ras-a!-Had, or some
other piece near the entrance of the Persian Gulf. Sap-
posing this to be done for the companies, they might
then carry their lines to England—one by way of Suez,
and the other by the Persian Guif ; and as the Atlantic
cable might be perchaied for this purpose, teeth might
occur to be completed very speedily. The Red Sea line,
by folowing Arabia, at a short dietaece from the cast,
would encounter depths varying from 20 to 100 fathoms
nearly the whole way to Suva; coral rocks are very occa-
si inaly met with, and we should have the advantage of
knowing when an accident might occur, and could pre- a
pare the means in consequence of recovering and repair-
ing the broken pieces of the cable. So that the com-
pletion of the line from Ras-el-MO to Su:- z does not
seem to offer any practical difficulty. For the other lino
there is a choice of two routes, across Asia Minor from
Constantinople, as far as Aleppo by one line, and as far
as Dyarbekir by the ether ; no difficulties whatever
exist, but beyond these places the Arabs are to be taken
into account, but this is only for a liinitbd distance. Tie
line of the railway would ultimately be the preferable
one, but for immediate operation the other might be
somewhat quicker. The work might, therefore, be cone-
'rnenced simultaneously at each extremity. A submarine
cable could be laid down from Ras-el-Had to Kurnah,
and from the letter place to Bagdad, along the led
of the Tigris ; and again between Constantinople
and Dyarbekir, beginning at several places at once
in each part of those line'. • Tae midele part only
wadi I be wanting from Dyarbekir to Bagdad, and this
might bo completed by a line of Tartars, pend-
ing the definitive arrangements to be entered into
with the Arabs by the commissioner. If the vvernment
shoull not be inclined to lay down the cable from Kur-
rachee to Rae-el Had for the companies, these, having a
promise of subsidation from Government on the comple•
tion of one or both lines, may very well under ake this
part of the expense jointly, and thus we should very soon
be id possession of two lines of electric wires to India.
The principal points are now before you, both as regards
the railway and electric telegraph. Each individual must
form his own opinion as to the desirability and practica-
bility of both undertakings. I assume the affirmative in
both cases, and I am convinced that a very little of our
usual energy will Complete both—the electric wires at
once, and the railway at no distant period. The railway
will be carried from the Mediterranean to the Persian
Gulf, either by
.means of British skill and capital, or by
the French, who are still more anxious than ourselves to
undertake the task. Lord Palmerston appears in some
measure to have adopted one part of the French plan,
and seems to advocate a line through Asia Minor, more
northward, so as to come in towards the head of the
Euphrates. Unlimited funds might doubtless accomplish
thie, but my local knowledge gives me the firm belief
that the Taurus cannot be passed without an absolutely
ruinous expense, in the direction 'of Adam, and the
Orontes. Since my arrival in Dublin a letter reached me
from Paris, saying that, with the advantages of my pre-
sence and that of Sir John Mac Neill in that city, there
would be little difficulty in raising 30,000,000 of francs_
t i commence the work, under a joint English and French ,
direction. I met with great difficulties it Constantinople,
in consequence of the opposition of the French, who
have long seen the importance of the valley of the Eu-
, _arates,.. They_Kam ,t2elsnow and feel, like Dr. Sprenger,
that its poaseseor herds the key of the Eastern world. ..
' It ie, in fact, far richer and more valuable than Egypt,
and England, therefore, has now at her feet the opportu-
nity of acquiring the means of greatly increasing her
commerce, of consolidating Turkey, and of securing our
Indian territory both from internal and external dangers.
The proposed railway wouid be the means of repaying to
the East, with tenfold interest, that knowledge and those
blessings which came to us originally from ' thence.
It will vastly increase our power, by the speed with
which troops may be sent to India, Persia, and to central
Asia, and it will bring in its train military, political, and
commercial advantages ; and may I not add—it will
extend thegreatest of all blessings, by giving Christianity
to millions and millions of the benighted people.

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