'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎35] (54/622)

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
35
again. The party was now divided into four sections for the
transport of the materials, and, after encountering almost in
credible difficulties, Port William, on the Lake of Antioch, was
reached, and preparations commenced to set up and float the
steamers at that place, while depots of coal were formed at
Deir and Anna on the Euphrates, to facilitate the descent and
survey of that river. But it was necessary, as a prelude to
action, to make the Arab Sheikhs understand that the visit was
one, not of aggression, but of peace and mutual advantage, and
Colonel Chesney, on recovering from a severe illness, selected
Lieutenant Lynch to perform the difficult and delicate task, for
which, by his diplomatic habit of mind and linguistic attain
ments, he was peculiarly well fitted.
On the 1st of September,^ that officer set out accompanied
by his brother, the younger Staunton, and Mr. Elliot, who had
escaped with his life when Lieutenant Bowater, I.N., and Mr.
Taylor had been killed by the Arabs, and who had recently
joined the party. Lieutenant Lynch proceeded in the first
instance to Orfah, which he reached on the second day, 64 the
weather during the day being intolerably hot, and the nights
intensely cold. From Orfah they proceeded to Haran, passing
on the way the Well of Abraham, where they witnessed the
cattle supplied with water out of the numerous troughs by the
women, as in the days of the Patriarchs, 64 which did not fail,"
says Lieutenant Lynch, 64 to recall the beautiful descriptions of
such scenes in Scripture." From Haran they proceeded to visit
the Sheikh of the Guiess tribe, whose tents occupied both banks
of the El Belik, and thence journeyed to the tribes whose
habitat is around Racca, proceeding thence by the streams of
the El Belik to the 44 Great Eiver,"t as the Euphrates is called.
After engaging in a skirmish^ with a raiding party of the Aniza,
in which one of the English party was seriously wounded,
* Colonel Chesney gives the date of departure of Lieutenant LyncTi and his
party as the 5th of September, but we have given the date which appears in
Lieutenant Lynch's report on the result of his Mission, addressed to the com
mander of the Expedition. See Appendix V., p. 432, of Colonel Chesney's
work.
t Euphrates, says Sir Gore Ouseley, was styled " Great" by ancient authors ;
and also emphatically "the Hiver" in the Book of Joshua and other parts of the
Bible. The etymology is unknown, though probably the root is the Hebrew word
Prat or Perath. Eight hundred years ago, Firdousi, author of the famous Persian
epic, Shahnameh, or Book of Kings, relates the history of Queen Humai, and
calls the river " Ab i Forat."
X Colonel Chesney says :—" The belief had somehow prevailed among the
Arabs that Lieutenant Lynch's mission was in reality sent by Mehemet Ali with
sinister objects; and they had caused a hostile feeling on the part of the Subha
Arabs, a branch of the Aniza, who commenced their intended attack on their
guests by wounding one of the party. The tact with which this serious affair
was treated by Lieutenant Lynch, not only produced amicable relations with the
tribe, but led to their rendering assistance to the Expedition; Lieutenant Lynch,
with this object in view, allowing the affair of blood to remain as an unsettled
claim between the Arabs and ourselves."
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