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'Field notes. Mesopotamia' [39r] (82/230)
The record is made up of 1 file (111 folios). It was created in 1915. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
( 67 )
CHAPTER IV.
RESOURCES.
Water.
Kuwait .—See page 41.
U'inm Qasr .—There are three small wells of brackish water
in the Turkish fort about 8 feet deep. It is reported that there
are other wells “ with a plentiful supply ” about 250 yards to
the north of the fort. The level of fresh water, which is only
slightly brackish, is said to be only 8 feet below the surface.
It would probably be advisable to arrange to supplement the
water-supply from ships, for any body of troops exceeding two
battalions.
Fao .—At the Fao telegraph station there are seven tanks,
each with a capacity of 400 gallons. Drinking water is also
obtained from the Shatt-al-’Arab.
Basrah .—Best water is from the open stream of the Shatt-al-
’Arab, but this is not very wholesome owing to drainage from
swampy areas. The water from the ’Ashar canal is drunk by
the poorer classes, but as they use the canal as “ wash-tub, bath,
dust-bin and cess-pool,” it had better be avoided.
Norton tube wells would be useful at any camps away from
the river, and their use was recommended after the 1857 expedi
tion. Watering animals in the river is difficult, as the banks
shelve and after the fall of the tide near Muhammareh a large
extent of muddy b .nk is exposed. To obviate this difficulty
pumps, with a length of pipe to run the water into troughs,
should be taken.
Baghdad .—In some quarters of the town water is laid on
by pipes from the Tigris ; the water is pumped up by an oil en
gine, but no attempt is made to filter it, and the silt is not even
allowed to settle. In other parts of the town water is provided
by carriers.
Many houses have private wells, but the water in these is not
sweet and not suitable for drinking ; the level in the wells varies
with the level of the Tigris.
About this item
- Content
The file consists of a publication of field notes concerning Mesopotamia. Produced by the General Staff, India, and published in Simla by the Government Monotype Press, 1915. Marked for official use only.
It is divided into the following chapters:
- history – an expedition to Muhammareh [Khorramshahr] (1857), the political situation, and the British position in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ;
- geography – boundaries and geographical features;
- population – inhabitants, particularly Arab tribes;
- resources – including water, supplies, transport, and trade;
- military - distribution, strength, qualities, and camping grounds;
- maritime - distribution, strength, navigation, and landing facilities;
- administration - territory divisions and the system of organisation;
- communication - including lines of advance, railways, roads, telegraphs, telephones, and a list of principal routes used in Mesopotamia and Arabistan.
Also included are four appendices: notes on Qatar Peninsula and Dohah [Doha]; details of important personages; a glossary of Arabic and Turkish terms; and information on weights, measures, currency, and chronology.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (111 folios)
- Arrangement
The file consists of a single publication. A list of contents at the front of the volume (ff 4-5) and index at the rear (ff 103-111) both reference the volume’s original printed pagination.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 113; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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'Field notes. Mesopotamia' [39r] (82/230), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/15/49, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100035495108.0x000053> [accessed 5 April 2025]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/MIL/17/15/49
- Title
- 'Field notes. Mesopotamia'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:112v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence