'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎410] (429/622)

410
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
elicited official commendation. In October, 1855, he succeeded
Captain Kemball as Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and,
two months later, when war with Persia was imminent'
furnished his Government with plans and itineraries for the
invasion of a country very little known to the Quartermaster-
General's Department of our Army. For these he received an
autograph letter from Lord Canning, conveying the "cordial
thanks" of his lordship for the " forethought" he had displayed,
and for the " clear and instructive manner in which he had
conveyed to Government full and complete information." On
the outbreak of war, twelve months later, Captain Jones was
named Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. to the Persian Expeditionary Force, and
his services in this capacity were of a high order, and elicited
the eulogiums of Sir James Outram. But, as would appear
from the result, the fact of his being an officer of the Indian
Navy must have acted as a bar to his receiving the honours
freely awarded to other military and civil officers; for the gal
lant Commander of the Expedition, who had notified to Govern
ment his meritorious services, remarked on the omission of his
name from the list of those honoured with the Bath, that he
had not received that " recognition of his war services," which
was " undoubtedly his due."
During the Indian Mutiny, Captain Jones again earned the
repeated approval of the Indian and Home Governments, for
the energy and success with which, in that crisis, he held in
check the disposition of Persia and of the Arab maritime tribes
of the Gulf, to intrigue against British supremacy and prestige
in the East, and, while actively engaged against some of the
more refractory of the Arab chiefs, the exposure brought on
fever, which ultimately necessitated his quitting his post on
twenty months' sick leave. In August, 1862, within two
months of his arrival in England, his experience was sought
in aid of the project for extending telegraphic intercourse with
India, via the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , by the Indo-European line, in the
promotion of which he had always taken great interest. Cap
tain Jones possessed all the requirements for contributing to
the success of such an enterprise. Proficient in the Arabic
and Persian languages, personally intimate with the chiefs and
people, familiar with every locality of the Gulf and Mesopo
tamia, an accomplished draughtsman and land and marine
surveyor, and the chief British political authority in the Persian
Gulf, no man possessed equal claims to initiate the project of
telegraphic communication. He, accordingly, decided to forego
his leave for the purpose of preceding the Engineers, Colonel
Stewart and Sir Charles Bright, in order to conciliate the Arab
tribes, who viewed with jealousy any attempt to dispossess
them of their property in the soil at, and about, the stations
marked out for the telegraph. By the end of February, 1863,