"تاريخ البحرية الهندية. (١٦١٣- ١٨٦٣)." [‎٤‎٢] (٦٢٢/٦١)

42
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
in the attempt to ascend the river, brought up at Mohamrah
alongside;the ' Hugh Lindsay,' Commander J. H. Rowband, on
board of which the necessary repairs were effected; and, as the
funds voted by Parliament would cease to be available for the
Expedition on the 31st of January, 1837, and his instructions
directed him to place the steamer under the orders of the Bom
bay Government, Colonel Chesney surrendered the command
to Major Estcourt, and proceeded to Bombay in the 'Hugh
Lindsay,' which left Bushire on the 17th of November, and
reached Bombay on the 1st of December. Lord Auckland
having decided to postpone the opening of the overland route
through Mesopotamia, and to abandon his intention of placing
steamers on the Indus, Colonel Chesney, having nothing further
to do, volunteered to proceed to England with important
despatches relating to the outbreak at Mangalore, which the
' Hugh Lindsay' was about to take to Bussorah, for despatch by
dromedary dak to Aleppo. The 4 Hugh Lindsay' sailed on the
28th of April, and, on the 14th of May, was alongside the Hon.
Company's brig ' Tigris' at Bussorah Creek. Here intelligence
was received that the Directors proposed to send out some iron
steamers to open a mail communication to Europe by the
Euphrates. On the day after his arrival, Colonel Chesney
commenced his long journey to England, and delivered his
despatches at the Board of Control on the 8th of August. He
was accompanied as far as Zobeir, in the desert near Bussorah,
by Lieutenant C. D. Campbell, of the 'Hugh Lindsay,' "who,"
he says, " had rendered me the very material service of laying
down the compass bearings to Damascus—viz., north-west by
west-half-west to aid me in directing my course by day, and
had also ascertained that the stars Castor and Pollux would
be above the horizon to serve as my unfailing guides by
During Colonel Chesney's absence in India, Major Estcourt
ascended the Karoon river to Ahwaz—the ancient Aginis—
be3 7 ond which^navigation was impossible; returning to Mo
hamrah, the 4 Euphrates' steamed up the Tigris to Bagdad, and,
passing through the bridge of boats which spans the river at
e historic capital of Haroun-al-Raschid, proceeded twenty
miles up the stream, when an accident to the rudder neces
sitated _ her return. It was now the 3rd of January; and. as
the period for making over the steamer to the Bombay Govern-
ment had almost arrived, she was left in charge of Mr. Hector,
a British merchant at Bagdad. The seamen borrowed from
the. Persian Gulf squadron were sent down the river, and
Major Estcourt prepared to proceed overland to England with
the remainder of the officers and men. At this time an order
was received from the Bombay Government to continue the
Expedition, but, as it was no longer effective in point of men,