"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٤‎٦‎١] (١٧٨٢/١٦١٦)

1461
British official enterprises and establisliments in Turkish Iraq,
1861-76.
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The institution of a British mail service between Baghdad and Basrah
in 1862-63, its improvement in 1866 and 1876, and the establishment of
regular British Indian post offices at Baghdad and Basrah in 1868 are
described in the Appendix on Mail Communications, which may be con
sulted. Annexure No. 2 to that Appendix contains a description of the
contracts for the carriage of the British mail between Baghdad and
Basrah granted by the British Government from 1863 onwards,
to the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation Co. (Messrs. Lynch).
No Turkish post offices as yet existed in the province ; and there was
not even any public mail service, except the British Dromedary Post,
connecting Mesopotamia with the outer world. The British Indian 1 ost
Office had thus a large share in inaugurating, by its enterprise, a new
economic, social, and even political era in Turkish Iraq.
The British Dromedary Post between Baghdad and Bairut was still
maintained; but the contribution of Us. 200 a month towards its cost,
granted by the Government of India in 1844, was withdrawn m 1871.
Formerly letters from Baghdad to India had been sent by this .line, but
the establishment of a direct British mail service between Turkish 'Iraq
and India deprived it of that part of its custom, besides providing an
alternative line of communication between Baghdad and Europe longei,
but not very much slower, than that by Damascus. From S ,
accordingly, its usefulness being diminished and its revenue impairec
this old institution began to decline; but it was not finally abolished
during the reign of 'Abdul 'Aziz.
Great as was the effect of the institution of postal services, that of
the establishment, almost simultaneously, of telegraphic communica ion
between Baghdad and Constantinople, Baghdad and Persia, and Baghdad
and India was probably even greater. The lines were constructed by
British agency, but, within the limits of the Ottoman Empire on behal o
the Turkish Government, to whom on completion they were ham e over.
A. full history of the work will be found in the Appendix on e e e-
graphs of the Persian Gulf; and here it will be sufficient to mention, y
way of chronology, that communication was opened between ag a
aad Constantinople in June 1861, between Baghdad andKhanaqin o
Institution
of a BritisH
mail service
between
Turkish
'Iraq and
India, 1862-
63.
Maintenance
of the British
Dromedary
Post.
Construction,
by British
agency,
of the Con
stantinople-
Baghdad,
Baghdad-
Tehran, and
Baghdad-
Persian Gulf
lines of tele
graph, 1861-
65.