106 REPORT—1852. 
of an isolated individtal deprived of all resources wheh at such a distance from 
Europe, may appear to have been almost desperate ; but, strange to say, I sueceeded, 
through the influence of the English name, in borrowing funds from the very indi- 
viduals who had previously robbed me, and the descent by Babylon to Bassorah, and 
ultimately across the Persian Gulf, was happily accomplished. 
I must not attempt more than a very general description of the Euphrates, but I 
may observe that I found it deserved even more than its celebrated name as the 
fourth river of Paradise. : 
It is wide, deep, and highly picturesque, flowing between ancient aqueducts and 
irrigating mills, some of which are of modern construction also, with frequent vil- 
lages and occasional towns, sometimes seated on islands, at others on the banks of 
the river, amidst luxuriant groves of date-trees, and occasionally, as in the neigh- 
bourhood of Babylon, surrounded by the richest wheat cultivation. 
I now laid down and sent home, a map of that part of the river which had been 
exainined ; and recollecting that my temporary captivity had deprived me of the 
Opportunity of visiting the country between Seleucia and the river Euphrates, 
above and below Bir, 1 traversed about 1700 miles of Persia, passing through 
Ispahan and several other great cities of that kingdom, to the sources of the 
Euphrates, and also travelled over some 1800 miles through Asia Minor, which 
enabled me to examine the country between the Mediterranean and the upper part 
of the river. 
These explorations occupied three years and a quarter; their result was a printed 
report to Government, submitting at the same time, that a steam communication 
with India should be opened alternately by the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. I 
believed then, as I do now, that our great kingdom requires a second line, even if 
we were free from all chance of interruption; and even irrespectively of the mercan= 
tile and other advantages which belong to the route through Arabia. 
This report had scarcely appeared, when I was summoned to St. James’s, aiid 
after going into the question in much detail, the King (William the Fourth) took a 
lively interest in the comparative merits of the Red Sea and River Euphrates lines, 
observing, that as a sailor, he considered that about one-half the distance of open 
sea gave a manifest advantage to the latter. 
The subject was next taken up by Lord Palmerston, Lord Ripon, the Marquis of 
Lansdowne; and Mr. Grant, now Lord Glenelg, and after a lengthened examination 
by a Committee of the House of Commons, £20,000 were voted for an Expedition 
to the Euphrates and Tigris, in the command of which I sailed early in the 
year 1835. 
It consisted of two flat-bottomed iron steamers, the fifth and sixth of the kind 
that had been built, with a competent staff of scientific and other officers, together 
with detachments of artillery and sappers, all of whom, having been originally boiler- 
makers, mill-wrights, &c., were prepared to assist in putting up the vessels, which 
we carried out in pieces. 
The upper Euphrates near Bir was the place selected for this purpose, as we 
considered we should there be less likely to meet with opposition from the Arabs, 
than if we had landed with this object at the mouth of the river; moreover there 
are two cities, Antioch and Aleppo, on this line, and many villages which offered great 
facilities in men, animals, &e. 
Accordingly the Expedition landed at the mouth of the Orontes, where, contrary 
to previous promises and arrangements, we found ourselves stopped by the Pasha of 
Egypt, who was then in authority. 
In this dilemma, I determined, instead of sailing away to go round to India, to 
disembark the steamers and their equipments, and having formed a camp, about 
400 tons of materials were deposited on the banks of the Orontes, and the Co- 
lumbine sloop of war and transport which had brought them, took their departure, 
by way of proving to Mohammed Ali that the Expedition was not to be stopped. 
Open impediments ceased after a time, but underhand opposition still met us in 
every quarter, when we had roads to make, waggons to construct, and men as well 
as animals to collect. The delays consequent upon this state of things brought us 
to the ordinary impediments of the rainy season; but at length all difficulties were 
6vercome, the diving-bell was rolled under the surface of the water to be carried 
