The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-11 00:00:00

THF EUPHRATES VALLEY RAILWAY.

The following is from the Chairman of the Eu-
phrates Valley Railway Company :
"Sir,—When 'adverting to the Euphrates route
to India in your impression of the I.lth of Feb-
ruary last you made the following forcible re-
mfirks

" The rapidity with which. this (the connexion
between England and India) can be carried out,
the swailness of the outlay required, and the fact
of the route being 1,000 miles shorter than that
by ti e Bel Set, are unanswerable recommenda-
tions ; and it is imp sale to refer to the surveys
and reports of General Chesney and his colleagues
on the Euphrates, pub!ished.2o years ago, without
astonishment that even at that period the British
Government and people failed to take immediate
,tepa to avail themselves of its capabilities.'
" eecent events in India have given the above
observations tenfold forCe, and have made the Eu-
phrates . Valley RAilway, being politically and
ilysically the shortest practicable route to India,
a paramount and pressing state necessity.
' • The Red Sea route presents no facilities, for
on the present emergency we prefer sending troops
by sa ling vessels round the Cape rather than en-
cou'iter the delays and difficulties of the Red Sea.

" Were the kuphrates Valley Railway—com-
pleted, thedespa.ch of 20 regiments from England
would prove an easy matter. With the circuitous
route'round the Cape accommodation for four or five
regiments will be attended with difficulty, and
these, moreover, instead of reaching their des-tina-
-tiou in three or four weeks, will probably not ar-
rive in Calcutta for the next four or five months.
"For the Euphratesroute the support of Govern-
ment is Fought, on the ground that it would in
-ffect connect the two great limbs of the empire,
.England and India, by reducing the distande by
upwards of 1000 miles, and the time to about.l4
days, or about half the period now occupied.
"By the ecy:struction .of a nilway along the
Euphrates British commerce will be largely in-
:rea-ed, Turkey will be strengthened, and Persia
withdrawn f oin her clangorous isolation.
"An excellent situat.on for a harbour has been
surveyed by Sir John M'Neill at Seleucia, the ter-
minus of the proposed railway, which, being con-
nected with Busaorah at the head of the Persian.
(gulf by a railway, will give to England the first
strat,egical pos,tion in the world.
Ph, res woes of England being made Promptly
ivailat le on any emergency in the East, Chatham
and Southampton would become the basis of opera-
ion,, instead of Kurrachee or Bombay, and would
enable this country to anticipate repel, whether
ad v“arnht:eigeTout,
kainsliirraetsvteaibilmeneforirwtcei.
in Europe or Asi I, and attackitolr
itherapidily
as guaznatteyedfo6r
per cent. on 1,400,000/., the capital
sec
,he first sect on, from the Mediterranean to the
tto the
these
Eu prates,, and has granted other privileges
Euphrates Railway Company ; but,
as
terms are not suffic.eittly attractive to induce capi-
tal'stses to invest their money in a distant undertk-
irr, the support of her Majest3es Government i,
reluired in the form of a counter-guarantee (in the
salle manner as the payment of the interest on the
Tailiirh Loan has been guaranteed) of 5 per cent.