The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-08-04
that the crop will be somewhere between
four and five millions Of bales.
The Proposed Euphrates Valley Rail-

Whatever may be the political results OF
| the Anglo-Turkish treaty, IT seems likely to
| give considerable stimulus TO the CONNER
cial development OF Asia Minor. That the
rates Of house rent in Beirut should have at
once gone up attcsts what deduction Lcvan-
tno traders have been prompt to draw from
the British occupation Of Cyprus. To them
| the new state Of things implied an in
| ilux Of British capital into the Sui
tans Aslatic dominions, and facts were not
long wanting to justify the inference. We
were presently told that n railway traversing
Anatola from the coast opposite Cyprus to
| Trcbizond on the Black sea had been already
| projected, more, however, for strategic than
commercial purposes; and now we hear that
at n meeting Of London capitalists IL was
resolved To organize forthwith the survey OF
route for transcontincntal line from the
head OF the Persian gulf to some Levan-
tine seaport by way OF the Euphrates valley.
When we call to mind that the most opu-
lent and populous countries OF the ancient
world-Assyria, Babylonia, Mcsopotamia-
are all subject to the control OF the Porto,
and would moro or less directly be thrown
open TO trade by Euphrates railway, we
can recognize the Importance OF the enter
prise. SO long ago as 1885, when the Sui
tan, after the close OF the Crimean war.
began his career OF wholesale borrow
ing, 1t was proposed to unlock this fertile
region by an iron road from Bassorah across
the whole empire Of the Osmanli In Asia to
Scutari upon the Bosporus. But the pro-
ceeds OF the colossal loans were embezzled
by the Pashas, or absorbed by their masters
building mania and less reputable capriccs,
SO that no part OF the great Anatollan Rail-
way was completed except a first section of
some sixty miles from Scutari to Izmid
This, with the two lines from Smyrna to
Adm and Alacheher which aggregate about
10 miles, and n short road intended TO con-
meet Broussa. the old Turkish capital. with
the harbor town Of Mondania on the Euxine
constitute the whole length OF track at
present constructed or under way within
Asiatic Turkey.
Long before the completion OF the Sucz
canal, however, English statesmen had felt
the necessity Of seeking a route between
| London and Calcutta shorter than that by
the Cape Of Good Hope, which eXactcd
several months Nearly century ago Lord
WELLESLEY organized a bimonthly mail
service by boats from Bombay to Bassorah.
| from which city dispatches Were con-
vcyed by Arabs mounted on drom-
edarics to Alcppo, to hc thence carried by
Tartars on horseback to Constantinople.
This method Of communication, being at once
costly and precarious, was after time aban-
doned; but for forty years English engineers
and superior officers have been studying a
mode OF transit which. starting from
some point on the Syrian coast, should
strike the Euphratos or Tigris, and,
following the channel Of one or the
other river, abut at Bassorah, or at
the Persian port of Bushre. Here we
may say, by way Of parenthcsis, that the
| distance from Antioch in n straight line via
Aloppo to the nearest point Of the upper
Euphratcs is only about l30 miles. During
the years 1885 30 Col. CHEsNFY executed a
complete survey Of the Euphrates valley
and contiguous countries and In 1857
lie obtained from the Porte a concession
for an iron road from the Persian
| gulf to the mouth Of the Orontes
on the Mediterranean, the Turkish Govern
mcnt guaranteeing per cent. interest on
the sum invested. Col CHEsNEY's scheme
! miscarricd. but his fundamental idea gradu-
ally took hold Of the public mind; and even
after the piercing of the Suez isthmus, di-
rect route between India and the Levant
retained SO much importance in the
eyes Of statesmen, that the House Of
| Commons ordered special commission Of
which Sir STAFFORD NoRTHCoTE was chair
man. to study the several projects which
| had been suggested. Tie report of this COM
mission which was printed in 1872, named
! lisr,4pf - HnrtifllutIN Ntrt h "
Of attention. four of which start from Alex
andrctta, and follow some the valley of
the Euphrates, others that ot the Tigris.
the former route being obviously shorter,
but the latter, according to the commission,
traverslng more ropulous and fruitful re-
gions. The cost Of the road, rs estimated
at that time six years ago-was fifty mill
lion, Of dollars. 1t was further demon-
stratcd that the railway, rs compared with
the Sucz route. would abridgc the time of
transport from London TO Bombay ut least
four, and probably not less than seven or
eight days Notwithstanding, however, the
favorable report Of the commission. the
! English Government seemed to rcnounce
Professionally the execution Of the plan.
1t Is certain that for twenty years since
tho concession was granted to Col. CHEsNEY
the wrctchcd population Of Anatolia have
watched for the kdu paper, on "blach
smoke" as for the coming Of n Messiah.
The tax collector has constantly held before
their eyes. by way Of promise and consula-
tion, the iron road which the Commander
of the Faithful had conferred upon his sub
iocts But of late the iulilment of the pledge
Ia, seemed 10 lc adjourned by the sultan 5
/ bpulrupteV IA AN cNtrnmnlV rpugta futtlrn