"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٤‎٦‎٩] (١٧٨٢/١٦٢٤)

: v-ra
1
1469
her by a vessel of similar size. No practical steps to this end were taken,
however, till some years later.
Meanwhile, as lias already been mentioned in connection with the
question of an addition to the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation
Company^ fleet, the status of the ' Comet" was once more called in ques
tion by the Turkish Government, who affected—as in 1864—to confound
her with Messrs. Lynch's vessels. At last, on the 31st March 1875, a
note was obtained from the Porte in which the u Comet ■" was clearly
distinguished from Messrs. Lynches steamers, and it was stated with
reference to her:
Pour ce qui est du bathnent de la Marine Royale la Comet, il continuera, comma
par le passe, a rester sur les rivieres de la Mesopotamie suivant I'entente precedemment
etablie.
J'ai rhonneur de porter a la connaissance de *Votre Excellence cette decision de la
Sablime Porte qui a ete deja communiquee telegraphiquement au Gouverneur-General
de Bagdad.
The " Comet/' after the abolition of the Indian Navy in 1863, became
a vessel of the Bombay Marine. In 1873 she was commanded by
Mr. Powell, a retired Lieutenant of the late Indian Navy without any
commission; her armament consisted of two 9-pounders only, mounted
fore and aft, and her crew was composed almost entirely of Oriental
Christians, Turkish subjects.
Prior to 1863, that is, during the existence of the Indian Navy, the Prohibition
"Comet," according to the testimony of Commander Felix Jones and of the firing
of salutes by
Sir A. Kemball, constantly fired salutes, and no exception was ever taken the " Comet,"
by the Turkish authorities to her doing so; but later, one of her two guns
having been dismounted to give more room on deck, the practice was dis
continued. It was revived by Colonel Herbert, Acting Political Agent,
about 1871, in which year the a Comet/' being at Basrah on the anniver
sary of the Sultan's accession, honoured the day with a salute,—a
courtesy that seemed to be appreciated by the Turkish Naval Commodore
of the station. In 1873, however', in consequence of the " Comet" having
fired a salute of 13 guns on the return of the Political Agent from a tour,
objections were raised by II ad if Pasha, Wali of Baghdad, and the question
was reported to Constantinople. Colonel Herbert alleged that the salute
was fired in strict accordance with old usage; but His Britannic Majesty's
Charge d'Affaires at Constantinople inclined to the view that, Baghdad
being not an open sea-port but a large town situated on a river far in the
* His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople.
i