108 - REPORT—1852. 
placing his head between his knees, was heard to exclaim, ‘ Has God only made 
one such creation’’? The Arabs had a kind of prophecy that when iron should 
swim on the water, their dominion was to end, and they came in consequence hun- 
dreds of miles to ascertain the fact that it really did swim. 
On descending again to Bassorah, we found the Hugh Lindsay with a mail and 
passengers from Bombay. We took both on board, and immediately commenced 
the ascent of the Euphrates. But when we had reached the distance of nearly 200 
miles, the cross-head of the engine snapped, and it became necessary to drop down 
to Bassorah, and to send the mail by land to England. 
The officer who took charge of it is now Captain FitzJames, one of those Arctic 
voyagers, to ascertain whose fate England is now making such meritorious, and let 
us trust they will prove successful exertions. 
I now proceeded to India to urge the continuance of the enterprise, and the 
engine having been repaired, Colonel Estcourt, who was left in charge, ascended to 
Baghdad, after exploring the river Karun, &c. Fresh orders were however received 
to break up. the Expedition, and the party returned to England by land, while I 
followed taking from Bombay important despatches. With these documents I made 
a desert journey of nearly 1000 miles from sea to sea. My party consisted of two 
Arabs with four camels, The compass guided our steps by day and the stars by 
night, and thus the journey to Damascus was accomplished in nineteen days. We 
occasionally halted in Arab tents, when I heard them speaking of Chesney Beg, who 
having shaved off his beard was not recognized by them. 
On reaching England, I received a communication from Prince Metternich, ex- 
pressing his readiness, his earnest desire indeed, to meet the supposed Indian line at 
Scanderoon ; but the British Government did not enter into the question at all, 
beyond turning it over to the East India Company. Three river steamers were 
however afterwards floated by the Company on the Mesopotamian rivers, and Cap- 
tain Campbell of the Indian Navy successfully ascended the Euphrates as high as 
Beles. Captain Lynch of the Indian Navy (who was one of the officers of the 
Expedition), in his descent of the river, crossed by one of the ancient canals flowing 
from the Euphrates to the Tigris, into the latter river. The necessities of the ser- 
vice during the Affghan war, caused these vessels to be taken to the river Indus, and 
the question of their navigation remained in abeyance till last autumn. The Turkish 
Government then took the matter up, and after some reference to me, two steam- 
vessels of suitable dimensions have been constructed by Messrs. Laird of Birkenhead, 
and will speedily be launched on the rivers of Mesopotamia. I feel, however, no 
small anxiety lest a great undertaking should fall to the ground from want of 
competent management, such as might be found by British enterprise, either on this 
or any other line. 
Of late the Eastern Steam Navigation Company, in competing with the Peninsular 
and Oriental Company, appears to have come to the conclusion that long and 
powerful steamers, using both the screw and paddles, might reach India by the Cape 
in about thirty-two days, and it is understood that vessels of this description are 
now being built. Admitting that the most complete success should attend this 
great undertaking, and that a distance of 10,790 miles should be accomplished 
within the specified time, it is quite clear that this line will have to compete with 
vessels of similar power on the shorter lines, namely, the one of about 5238 miles 
by the Red Sea, and that of 4823 miles by the Euphrates. 
Of another line, that by America, which is to be brought before this Section, I 
know little or nothing, but it seems clear to me that either of the other two must 
lave manifest advantages. As the communication by the Red Sea has for a long 
time been as regular as can be desired, it only remains to notice the facilities belonging 
to the line through Asiatic Turkey and Persia, and again by the same line of country, 
partly by railroad and partly by steam-vessels. 
A railway already exists from London to Hungary, and ere long it may reach 
Constantinople, either by crossing the Balkan partly by means of stationary engines, 
or coasting the sea-shore by way of Varna, in order to turn this chain, and thus 
reach Constantinople with facility. The great chains of Asia Minor present, as I 
know, and as you have seen by Mr. Ainsworth’s paper, very serious impediments, 
but not such as might not be overcome by the science of the present day; and having 
