'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎408] (427/622)

408
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
In 1860, Lieutenant Whish, in the ' Mahi,' made a partial
survey of a channel inside the great shoal called Yarron, off
Bahrein, of which island he wrote a memoir, which appears in
Vol. XV. of the "Journal of the Bombay Geographical Society;"
and, in 1870, an accomplished surveyor—Mr. Girdlestone, for
merly midshipman An experienced sailor, but not a commissioned officer. of the Indian Navy—of the Topographical
Survey Department, completed the survey of the reefs and
channels between Bahrein and El Kateef on the mainland.*
In the latter part of 1856, Lieutenant C. Forster, a talented
and popular officer, who died in the year 1876, completed
single-handed, in the ' Nerbudda,' cutter, in a remarkably brief
space of time, all the deep sea soundings Measurements of the depth of a body of water. from the Bombay
Bank, to seaward of what Commander Montriou and Lieu
tenant Taylor had done, as far as Cape Comorin.
A prominent name in these pages, has been that of Com
mander Felix Jones, who, during the Persian War, in critical
circumstances, filled the post of Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. at Bushire,
with credit to himself and advantage to the Government. We
bave detailed his services to hydrography and geographical
research up to May, 1847, when he returned to Mesopotamia,
from Bombay, as Surveyor.f From that date to the spring of
1853 be was assiduously engaged in adding to our limited geo
graphical knowledge of those regions, and extending our inter
course with the tribes of Arabs who roam over them. The
ancient cities of Nineveh and Babylon, with the surrounding
districts, and the system of canals—which formerly converted
this wilderness into a smiling garden, affording grain to a vast
population—were surveyed in these Expeditions, as well as
numerous additions made to the knowledge of the modern topo
graphy of Turkish Arabia A term used by the British officials to describe the territory roughly corresponding to, but not coextensive with, modern-day Iraq under the control of the Ottoman Empire. . Captain Jones' various maps and
plans were published by Government and the learned Societies^
and for them and his numerous contributions of natural history
specimens, as well as for the energy he displayed in the prose
cution of his public duties, he repeatedly received the thanks of
the Home and Indian Governments.
His expedition in 1844, in conjunction with Sir Henry Eaw-
* Mr. Midshipman An experienced sailor, but not a commissioned officer. Girdlestone, after the abolition of the Indian Navy, was
employed up to 1868 in the Topographical Survey Department as Assistant-
Surveyor, and, from that date to 1875, as Deputy-Superintendent in charge of
the Khandeish Survey, on a salary of £1,400 a year. He writes to us:—"In
1870-71, I was lent for a year to the Eombay Government, to fit out and start
the survey of the reefs between Bahrein and El Kateef, and was in command of
the ' Constance.' Having put the whole thing into proper shape, I returned to
my own department in 1871." This young officer had graduated in the Survey
Department under Lieutenant "Williams at Sedasheghur in 1861.
f Under date the 6th of February, 1852, the Surveyor of Mesopotamia was
allowed, in addition to his pay, 150 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. a month ; and by order of the 31st of
May, 1859, his assistant was allowed four rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. a cay batta An extra allowance of pay granted to soldiers involved in special field service or to public servants on special duty. .
^ The memoirs and maps will be found in the " Bombay Selections," JSTo. 43
(new series), and most of the memoirs also appear in the " Transactions of the
Bombay Geographical Society,"