CONTENTS. 



— Arab propensities — The river Gozan of the Old Testament — 

 Crossing the Khabur river — The Mesopotamian steppe — A well 

 in the desert— Reach the Jebel Sinjar — The Yezidis — A punitive 

 expedition — An uncomfortable night — The country between Jebel 

 Sinjar and the Tigris — The aspect of Mesopotamia in spring and 

 in summer — Description by Sir Henry Layard . . .62 



CHAPTER VII. 



THE LANDS OP THE TIGRIS. 



Curiosity concerning the past — Collections of ancient records — Time 

 the destroyer — Koyunjik and Nebi Yunus— Nimrud — The Ger- 

 mans at Babylon— Mossul — Down the Tigris on a raft — A useful 

 escort ! — Samara and its objects of pilgrimage — The Malwiyeh — 

 Latent wealth of the lands of the Tigris— Sir William Willcock's 

 scheme — British Government must interest themselves — Chaldsea 

 described by Herodotus— Reach Baghdad — The romance of Bagh- 

 dad is of the past — A gufa — Described by Herodotus — Baghdad 

 a commercial centre — Shortcomings of the Turkish Government 

 — Fate of a public benefactor — Trade of Baghdad — Lack of trans- 

 port — Extraordinary rates of freight — Great Britain must control 

 the country from Baghdad to the Persian Gulf . . .70 



CHAPTER YIII. 



THE BAGHDAD RAILWAY. 



Railway projects in the past — The success of Germany— Lack of 

 interest of British Government in the past — English concessions 

 pass to other countries — The prophecy of the deputation of 1857 

 — The German Commission of 1899 — The concession of 1902 — 

 Proposed route of the line — Branch lines — Description of the 

 country through which the line will pass — The Taurus barrier — 

 Possibilities of Asia Minor — Lawlessness of Mesopotamia — Im- 

 portant towns all lie to the north— The right bank of the Tigris 

 preferred to the left — Centres of pilgrimage — Points to be re- 

 membered in criticising the line — The financial prospect— Inter- 

 national complications — Germanophobia in England — The line as 

 an alternative route for the Indian mails — The conditions upon 

 which Great Britain must insist as essential to her co-operation — 

 The position of Great Britain with regard to the railway— The 

 state of affairs at the present time . . . .84 



