Page 209 - Gulf Precis (VI)_Neat

Chapter X. 183

dnne sa misc it execution, In condition expressc quo lo nombro dcs bateaux h, vapour destines k
cetto navigation sera definitivement fixe a deux. Commo ils' agit aujourd’hui de romplacer
uu dcB deux bateaux qui font d6jj\ lo service lo Gouverncur General do Baghdad a rc?u l'ordro
do no pas e’opposcr a l’nrrivcc du nouveau bateau a condition quo cclui qu'il est destine a
rcmplncor quetto immddiatomont lo fleuve cl quo sous aucun pretoxte aucun bateau a v.npeur
sous pavilion dtrangor en dehors dcs deux qui y Bout autoriscs nepuisse stationnor cu circular
dans les caux du susdit fleuvo.”
It will bepcrcoivod nt onco that Ali Pasha rocites as applicable lo merchant steamers on
tho Tigris conditions contained in a document which relates solely to the navigation of the
Euphrates by two steamers the property of the British Government.
55. Her Majesty’s Chargd d’Ailaircs (Mr. Stuart) sent the above note to Colo­
nel Kcmball with his despatch No. 17, dated 3rd October 1861, and observed:—
"You will perccivo that the Governor General of Baghdad has been instructed to permit
the arrival of the new English steamer,* upon con­
• Prciutnvbly referring to tlio Dfjleh.
dition that the one which it is destined to replace
should leave the Tigris, immediately, but to prevent all other steamers bearing a foreign £ag
from stopping or circulating in the wators of that river upon any prctcnco whatever."
56. In order to understand the full import of the word “ foreign ” we should
read hero a report, dated 7th September 1861 sent by Colonel ICemball to the
British Embassy about an attempted FreDcb enterprise on the Tigris :—
“ I take this opportunity to mention to Your Excclloncy that for some time past a French
Company has proposed also to navigate the
Political A., Not. 1864, Nos. 180-181. (No. 181)
Tigris with steamers carrying the national flag,
while Namik Pasha supposed that no limit would bo assignod to the number of English vessels.
His Excellency seemed disposed to encourage such a speculation, but latterly, to the dis­
appointment of the parties concerned, His Excellency has stated that the privilege conceded to
Her Majesty's Government, both being in its origiu and in its nature exceptional, it could not
be arrogated by any other nation. Tho reply of the French party to this argument is, that,
however valid the execution in the case of the public vessels of a foreign State, it could not
be extended to the merchant vessels of the State, without conferring a general right under
"the most favored nation" clause; and acting upon this viow of the case, they have now
reforred the question for decision to Constantinople."
57. Colonel ICemball in commenting upon the noto of Ali Pasha, I
observed
** Presuming that the resolution of the Porte restricting to two the number of river :
Despatch, dated 2ud November 18C4. steamers of whatever denomination bearing the
Pollicnl A., December 1864, No. 2G4. English flag which may be permitted to navigate
the rivers of Mesopotamia has been admitted by Her Majesty’s Government, I will, by the
first opportunity, transmit to the Government of Bombay a copy of Your Excellency’s
despatch No. 17 of 3rd October 1SG4, with enclosure, in order that arrangements may be made
for the immediate withdrawal to India of the Residency despatch boat Comet, as well as the
Satellite, which vessel had been sent to Basrah to relieve the Comet. I would, however, beg
respectfully to remark to Your Excellency that the assumption of Ali Pasha to the effect that
the additional vessel, called the DijfeA, belonging to the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Naviga­
tion Company, was destined to relieve tho Comet, is certainly erroneous, the former vessel
being the property of a trading company, the latter of Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for
India to withdraw tho Comet in order to make way for tho Dijleh should the Porte decline
to allow more than two vessels under a foreign flag to navigate the Tigris " I
58. The British Embassy then prossed this clear view of the case upon the
Porte. Permission was at first given to retain the Comet temporarily for tho
protection of the working parties engaged in constructing the telegraphs between
Basrah and Baghdad. Subsequently the position of the Comet was further
discussed and the fact established that it was an armed vessel belonging to the
British Government and not a private trading vessel.
59. In September 1868 the Government of India was informed by the Poli­
tical Agent, Turkish Arabia, that tho Comet
Political A., October 18C8. No. 37.
which had been condemned so far back
as 1862, was then in a most dangerous condition, as the cost of putting the
vessel into thorough repair would be excessive, it was considered preferable to
carry out the original intention of replacing the Comet by another boat of the
same size and capacity. Accordingly a recommendation was made to Her
Majesty’s Government that if tho proposal was not considered objectionable, the
consent of the Turkish Government should be obtained to the arrangement
(Despatch No. 168, dated 7th October 186b).
60. Finally tho Secretary of State intimatod in his despatch No. 166, dated
lOtb August I860, that the Porte had given its consent to the employment of a