"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٣‎٤‎٤] (١٧٨٢/١٤٩٩)

f* . ; r •. ■ iTTTTTTT
i
The British
Desert Mail
and Drome
dary Post,
1807—39.
1344
mand of the ' Euphrates' 1 and of such other vessels as might subse
quently be placed on the rivers of Turkish 'Iraq, was directed to « enter
into friendly communications with the tribes frequenting the rivers
" of Mesopotamia and endeavour to establish with them such relations as
may be serviceable to the interests of Great Britain, and may add to the
" facilities for a speedy and regular transmission of mails between the
•' Persian Gulf and the coast of Syria,- and he was also to complete the
surveys of the « Euphrates " and the - Tigris/' making in addition such
astronomical, geographical and statistical observations as the more direct
objects of his employment should permit. His political functions he
was to fulfil in concert, with, and under the guidance of. Colonel Taylor
the Resident. The above were his principal duties, but he was instructed
besides to wind up the affairs of the late expedition in regard to dep6t S
of stores and the wreck of the « Tigris/' scrupulously observing any
arrangements m respect of these which might have been already formed
with the Arab tribes or the local authorities. In the two years following
his appointment Lieutenant Lynch ascended the " Tigris " with his vessel
to Kut 'Abdullah above Baghdad, and also took her through the Saqla-
wiyah canal, then joining the " Tigris " and the " Euphrates" near Bagh
dad. He further completed a map of the course of the "Tigris" from
Musal down to Ctesiphon (Taq Kisra) below Baghdad, and connected
Niniveh, Baghdad, Babylon and Ctesiphon by triangnlation.
The old British Desert Mail between Aleppo and Basrah, which had
been found so valuable for official communication between Europe and
India during the Napoleonic period, was abolished in 1833.
In 1836, however, in connection with the Chesney Expedition, a new
Dromedary Post between Bairut on the Syrian coast, and Hit on the
i i i lates, passing vid Damascas, was organised under the superintendence
of the British Consul-General in Syria. This line was continued to Basrah
m the form of a Horse Post by the British Political Agent in Turkish
Iraq under the orders from Government of Bombay; and in 1837 it was
directed, though the Red Sea " Overland " route to Europe had just been
fficially adopted, that duplicates of all important despatches passing
between England and India or vice versa should be sent by the Bairut-
Basrah line. Bairut, it may be mentioned, was already like Alexandria in
tegular steam communication with Europe. The cost of maintaining the
Bairut-Basrah Post from February 1338 to April 1843 amounted to
nearly Rs. 90,000.
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