The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-21 00:00:00

THE EUPHRATES VALLEY RAILWAY

What would be given in money at this moment
for the power of bringing India, by an effort of
will, 1,000 miles nearer to use The most sanguine
would be glad to commute the expenditure that
must be consequent on what is now going on for
ten millions sterling, and double that sum would
be thought a small outlay for the assurance of
future quiet. But the end must be accomplished
by large votes for the military and naval services.
If it can be promoted by commercial means at a
cost not exceeding three months' outlay in other
ways, or even at no cost at all, indifference will
have to be overcome at every step. Twenty years
ago the neglect of the Euphrates route to India
was cited among the marvels of British apathy.
From the first explorations of General Chesney,
down to the present day, every man of action has
wondered why every other man of action has not
bestirred himself in the affair, until at last each
has come to believe there must be some difficulty
in it known to everybody else, but which he him-
self never happens to have heard of. Meanwhile
Turkey, through whose dominion the route runs,
has become Europeanised, free trade has created an
illimitable demand for the natural productions of
the lands by which it would be bordered, and the
introduction of rail, tram, and plank roads, and
steam navigation in every form, down to boats
capable of carrying any number of passengers, and
drawing only 12 or 18 inches of water, have sup-
plied every appliance to simplify the work. These
changes, however, have brought us no nearer to its
execution. The grand inducements are political, but
it can- be properly carried out only by a commercial
organisation ; and, as the Government cannot find
any analogous case to support such a combination,
and never enter into works of this kind themselves,
it must apparently remain for ever at a dead lock.
Money may be advanced to a country like Greece
without the prospect of a shilling ever coming back;
more than a million may be paid to facilitate our
traffic through the Danish Sound ; and liabilities on
political loans may be undertaken for Turkey and
Sardinia. The question of bringing India within
14 days' reach, instead of 28, is not to be so rashly
camel(' upon. Each inhabitant, not only of the
united kingdom, but of every British colony
throughout the world, is eager to protest that it
ought forthwith to be accomplished, that it would
be cheap
at any cost, and that, as far as he indi-
vidually is concerned, he would readily contribute
as much as would suffice, supposing all to do like-
Iwise, to build the route three times over. But all
this good-will is nothing unless it can be cencen-
, trated, and it cannot be concentrated, except by
the Government ; and, as it has not been the habit
of the G. overnineet to move in such matters so as
to furnish the requisite precedent, and :here is a
general impression on the part of all official people
that England must never do anything she has not
done before, the difficulty may perhaps, be insu-
perable. A letter in the Times of Saturday de-
scribed exactly how the matter stands. General
Chesney and Sir John M`Neill have made the re-
quisite surveys, and the Turkish Government have
granted a guarantee of 6 per cent. upon the pro-
posed amount of capital. Turkish Six per Cents.,
however, even with the security of tee Egyptian
tribute, are only at 95, and consequently this assist-
ance will not suffice. Neither will any assurance
avail with regard to the prospects of traffic. All
the British residents in Syria—Consuls, merchants,
and others—have reiterated for years past that the
results of railways in that region, where unexampled
capacities of production are coupled with ruinous
costs of transit, would be beyond anything yet wit-
nessed ; but, after the experience of 1847, if 50 per
cent. per annum could be demonstrated in this way
the public would have nothing to do with it. Let
them have a guarantee—no matter if it be from the
smallest European State, or only from the local au-
thorities of some unheard-of town in the United
States or Canada, and they are ready with their
cash to any amount, but an assemblage of all the
wisest men of the earth could not persuade them to
return to their old ways of self-reliance. Under these
circumstances, therefore, even if it were simply a
commercial question, thew would be no hope of
movement, and of course, as it happens that what-
ever gain might result in this respect would be ex-
ceeded tenfold in a political sense, it is natural that
capitalists should say " If the Government want all
the advantages, they shall at least give us help,
even although it be but nominal. If they think tho
thing will pay commercially, they can have no rea-
son to refuse ; and if they doubt that result, it is
the height of meanness to urge us on to the work
which they know will, under any circumstances, be
invaluable to them, whatever may be its returns to
us. Precedent may possibly be found for such a
course, but if so a more honest one had better be
established." The help demanded from the Go-
vernment is simply a small protection against con-
tingencies, such as are wholly beyond the range
of probability. "We ask," say the promoters,
" that the British Government, in case of two
simultaneous circumstances— namely, the line
failing to pay any interest, and Turkey repudiating
her guarantee—shall undertake to grant us 5 per
cent. for 25 years, or 4i for 50 years. No specu-
lative plunder can be made out of this, since the
terms are barely up to the average value of money,
and the answer that may be given will now deter-
mine whether the route is to be entertained, or, as
far as England is concerned, finally abandoned."
The first outlay to connect the Mediterranean with
the Euphrates is stated at 1,400,0001. The entire i
line to Bussorah, on the Persian Gulf, would no
volve an addition of 8,000,0001. But the first sec-
tion, by opening up a practicable, although tempo-
rary river transit, would test the whole matter. On
this the liability of the British
.Government, suippos
ing Turkey to break fai th, and aline whichestab ishes
a connexion between the Mediterranean and one of
the richest cities of the East—Aleppo—should be
found not to yield more than 2 or .3 per cent., would
be from 28,0001. to 42,0001. for 25 years, or about
equal per annum to the cost of a single trip of three
or four of the steam-transports now about to start
for Calcutta. Lord Palmerston is represented to
he thoroughly anxious for the enterprise, but ac-
cording to the letter published on Saturday it looks
as if there were some fear that the idea of establish-
ing a now prooodont may proye a lion oven in la