British Association. 317 



Europe passed in this canal to Suez. During the other ten months, 

 the commerce passed up the Nile, and then to an ancient port, 

 where theyembarked on the Red Sea. Now, it was proposed to open 

 that canal, and to lo^ it as far as Suez, if no physical obstacle arose. 

 The Red Sea was the next point for consideration, and much had 

 been said about the difficulties which existed in the transit through 

 this sea, owing to the beds of coral ; but they were confined to the 

 coasts, and were well known to the local pilots, and created no more 

 difficulties than the rocks which existed on our own coasts. The 

 steam navigation of the Red Sea was practicable and convenient, 

 and there were several safe harbours. Proceeding downwards, they 

 came in a run of about 300 miles, to Corsair, from whence they 

 would go 300 or 400 miles, from thence to Jedda, on the opposite 

 side of the coast, which was the port of the city of Mecca.* 



There was another town, Mocha, where there was a safe road-stead. 

 On the coast of Arabia there were two or three harbours, all of 

 which were convenient ; so far there was no practicable difficulty. 

 He should state, however, that the voyage from North to South of the 

 Red Sea was more easy than from South to North ; for ten months 

 the North wind blows so violently, that no steam packet could face it. 

 They now came to the real difficulty in the case ; when they pro- 

 ceeded from the ports on the Arabian coast, they had a long run to get 

 to the nearest port in India, namely, Bombay, that being 1200 miles : 

 now, when they had to encounter a run of this kind, which approached 

 very near the extreme limit of our present power of steam naviga- 

 tion, it became a question of the last degree of importance, whether 

 or not they should have average weather : now, the seas between 

 Arabia and Africa and India were subject to periodical vicissitudes, 

 which were unknown in our climate. There was a periodical wind 

 which blew as regularly as the sun rose and set, and blew with an 

 intensity with which we were little accustomed, they were known 

 by the name of the north-east and south-west monsoons ; the south- 

 west blew from June to September. They would readily perceive 

 there could exist no steady atmospheric current of that kind, without 

 passing some counter current to produce an atmospheric equilibrium ; 

 accordingly, they found the counter current flowing in the opposite 

 direction between November and IMarch ; but, although they blew 

 about equal time, they were very different in intensity, and in their 

 effects on the water. The north-east monsoon was a wind against 

 which a steam vessel could go without any difficulty ; consequently, 

 during the months from June to September, the navigation was im- 

 practicable from Bombay, but it was practicable during all the year 

 from Europe to Bombay ; the swell for 800 miles from Bombay was 

 such, that if they attempted to use sufficient power to propel the 

 vessel, it would drive her into the sea. 



The other route was from Malta to any part of Syria, and was 

 without difficulty from these ports to the banks of tlie Euphrates ; 

 but then there were some other difficulties ; the passage was not 

 across a sandy dessert, but it was infested by savage tribes, who were 



• See these various distances, Records, i. 474. 



