"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الجزء II. ج. ج. لوريمر. ١٩١٥" [‎٢‎٤‎٠‎٢] (١٢٦٢/٩١٩)

2402
Negotiations were continued meanwhile at Constantinople witli the
object, on the part of the British Government, of ensuring the ultimate
efficiency of the line as a means of communication between England and
India. In September 1860 a draft Convention embodying the result of
the discussions that had passed was prepared, but it was not signed; and
the position remained unregulated by any formal agreement until 1864.
In the draft Convention a wire for Indian traffic along the whole length
of the Turkish line from a point on the Austrian frontier to a point on or
near the Persian Gulf was conceded to the British Government, and the
term of the whole arrangement was fixed at 50 years. A principal cause
of the non"execution of the agreement was a difference of opinion which
arose between the contracting powers in regard to the line between
Baghdad and the Persian Gulf: this the Porte contended should be
subfluvial for the sake of security from damage by Arab tribes, while
the British Government preferred an aerial line as being less expensive
to construct and more easy to maintain.
In the meantime construction of the northern section of the linej
between Baghdad and Constantinople, had been steadily proceeding; and
by June 1861 through communication had been opened between the two
cities. In the spring of 1861 Colonel A. B. Kemball, British Political
Besident at Baghdad, marched from Constantinople to Baghdad, inspect
ing by the way the entire line of telegraph between those places; an
his report fully justified the adoption of the aerial system in this region.
Extension of the line in Turkish Iraq from Baghdad to Fao
and from Baghdad to Khanaqin, 1861-65.
The work of connecting Baghdad with the Persian Gulf, which was th ^
next step towards the establishment of direct communication between^
rope and India, was not immediately undertaken, as it was u y icer ^ a i 11 v^ e
route would be the best, below Baghdad, for a great intercontinen a ^ v
follow. At one time it was considered that a line through Turkish ei ,
from Baghdad to the Gulf would be exposed to perpetual interrup i ^ ^
the Arabs through whose country it passed ; and the authorities we ]
posed, in case it should be decided to rely on a single ^ route, to l? re p . | c ]j
reaching the Gulf by means of a detour through Persia. Colone
Stewart, however, whose views with reference to the scheme as ^ ^ad
will be described further on, regarded a direct line from Baghdad o ^
of the Persian Gulf as an indispensable part of any general sys ®
recommended that the political arranaements with the tribes n 1 | ve fl
^Iraq should be made through British officers. It was ultimate y i ^ ^
to construct a line connecting Baghdad with the head^of ^ i-j mee tft
way of Basrah, and it was arranged that this land ^ ne ?f 0U - Qulf-
cable from India which it had been decided to lay in the rersw
In the spring of 1863 Colonel Kemball, by arrangement