"تاريخ البحرية الهندية. (١٦١٣- ١٨٦٣)." [‎٤‎٠‎٩] (٦٢٢/٤٢٨)

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
409
linson, for the purpose of collecting information respecting the
boundary between Persia and Turkey, and his ascent of the
Tigris from Bagdad to Samarrah, in the 4 Nitocris,'in 1846,
of which an account appears in Vol. XVIII. of the 64 Journal of
the Royal Geographical Society," were followed by a journey
he undertook, two years later, to determine the course of the
ancient Nehrwan Canal, of which he publised a minute account,
accompanied by a map and an interesting historical disquisi
tion on this remarkable relic of the Sassanian dynasty. "In
April and September, 1850," says Markham, "Captain Jones
surveyed the old bed of the Tigris, discovered the site of the
ancient Opis, and made researches in the vicinity of the Median
wall and Physcus of Xenophon. In 1852 he made a trigono
metrical survey of the country between the Tigris and the
Upper Zab, including the ruins of Nineveh, fixing positions by
meridian altitudes of the sun and stars, with chronometric differ
ences for longitude. The results of this work are recorded in
the beautiful maps of 'Assyrian Vestiges,' in four sheets, and
in a valuable memoir." Commander Jones also compiled a
Memoir on the province of Bagdad, the city having been sur
veyed and mapped on a large scale by Mr. Midshipman Colling-
wood,* under Captain Jones' orders, during his absence on
other duties. In 1853, after twenty-five years' continous ser
vice, he was compelled to quit Turkish Arabia on sick leave for
twelve months, and traversed Asia Minor to Constantinople,
whence he proceeded to London.
Captain Jones brought to England with him a map of Baby
lonia, in three sheets, with a detailed memoir of the country
from Museyb, north of Hillah, down to the north-west end of
the Sea of Nejf. As an instance of the carelessness with which
such valuable records were treated in the India Office, it may
be noted that these maps were lost in that department.
While in London, Captain Jones received notice that the
threatening condition of afiairs in the East, where Persia exhi
bited hostile intentions towards Turkey and England, required
his presence in Mesopotamia. Foregoing his leave, he returned
to Bagdad via Asia Minor, and, on the 1st of March, 1855, was
appointed Acting Political Agent and Consul-General in
Turkish Arabia, and nominated Agent to the Director-General
of Land Transport in the Crimea, in which capacity his services
* Mr. Collingwood writes to us :—" The survey of the city of Bagdad was com
pleted entirely by myself, and under very unpleasant restrictions, as it was to be
done unawares. The Turkish Government were not to know anything about it, con
sequently Captain Jones could not move in the matter. He went away on some
other duty, and I was left to survey the town as best I could, and under such
difficulties that at times I had to note bearings and paces all over my white shirt,
where best I could get the pencil at the time, and as you may imagine, had many
narrow escapes of detection, and had to resort to all kinds of subterfuges, to lull
suspicion."