No. VI.—Statement of Ships and Tonnage arrived at, and departed from, Calcutta,
Madras, and Bombay, from and to the undermentioned places, in the Years
1836-7.
ARRIVED.
Presidency Countries.
Under
British
Colours.
Under
American
Colours.
Under
Portuguese
Colours.
Under
Arab
Colours.
Under t
Native
Colours.
Ships Tons Ships Tons Ships Tons Ships Tons Ships Tons
Bengal (Arabian and)
\ Persian Gulf j 5 1,947 12 5,295 . .
Madras Arabia .
Gulf of Persia
9 1,536 • * 207
3,358
770 1 100
Bombay Persian Gulf.
Arabian Gulf
Coast of Africa
9
132
2,275
4,171
477
22
398
426
2
1 631
567 • •
DEPARTED.
Bengal (Arabian and)
\ Persian GulfJ 9 3,890 13 5,755 ••
Madras Arabia .
Gulf of Persia
43
4
6,935
692 3 645
140
m
19,990
1,626 4 T ;
Bombay Persian Gulf.
Arabian Gulf
Coast of Africa
56 1,290
1,311 •• ’ S1 s
542
899 : :
(I-)
Bushire, July 17, 1836.
S ir ,
T h e noble and interesting river Euphrates is far too celebrated to require
more from me than a fair view of the facilities afforded by it for steam navigation,
and of the prospect it offers for establishing an economical and more rapid communication
between Great Britain and her Indian possessions, than has hitherto
been obtained:—the brilliant prospects of a new channel being opened to our
enterprising mercantile world, through a steam establishment on the Euphrates,
ought to awaken our best energies.
My personal knowledge of the river Euphrates is limited to the descent made
by the Euphrates .Expedition, from Bireh-jik to its estuary, a distance of 1117
miles, performed during the months of March, April, May, and June; but from
the information of other officers of the Expedition, not a single impediment exists
to steam navigation, upwards from Bireh-jik to Sumeisat, that portion of the river
appearing far more favourable than w'e found the first 88 miles, from Bireh-jik to
Beles, which was much intersected with shingle islands and shoals, making the
navigation intricate, but always affording us a deep channel from 1 to 3, 5, and
occasionally 7 to 9 fathoms, as the river varied its width from 200 yards to 1 and
1-J miles, and sometimes* even more. The average current in this part of the river
was about 4 knots, and it tabes in the very commanding position qf Kal’at en
Nejm, about 40 miles below Bireh-jik.
So far the. tribes on the banks were evidently SQ much awed by tfre appearance
of pur steamers; that instead of the usual hostility shown to individual travellers,
we experienced tbe greatest hospitality and good will; and there was excited in
them an avidity to traffic for our woollen goods, cottons, shawls, cutlery, guns, &c.,
hitherto quite unknown amongst these wild people.
Next to Bfreh-jik, Beles appeared to me the most important station, offering
great facilities for docks and other arrangements, necessary in an efficient halting-
place for the steamers which might here end the voyage upwards. I t is less than
§0 miles from Aleppo, over a perfectly level country, well adapted for either a
rail or post road, making a journey easily performed in five or six hours by ordinary
means.
From Bples the river improves considerably, exchanging the shingle inlands and
shqals for sandy islands with bluff terminations and bold shores, thickly covered
with tamarisk and poplar, as are also the banks, offering an inexhaustible supply
of fuel, with little exception, as far down as ’A'nah, a distance of 406 miles.
At ’Afoah, and below to Basrah, the scenery is extremely beautiful, the date-
tree prevailing, but frequently other wood in great abundance.
The tpwn of f lit is 103 miles below ’A'nah, and produces salt and bitumen to
any extent, from Springs about three-quarters of a mile inland.
The bunds and irrigating walls commence some distance above ’A'nah, and end
about 10 miles below H it: their simple and elegant structures make them beautiful
features on the river, and they did not cause our vessel the slightest impediment
in her descent. One hundred and ninety nules below Hit is Hi Hah, a very
considerable town, having a bridge of boats across the river, which being under
the control of the Musellim of the place, can be always opened by his orders on.
the approach of steamers.
Seventy-six miles below Hillah is Lamlum, b u t for some miles above, the river
becomes so narrow, and winds so much, that OUT vessel could he only gpt round
the turnings with great difficulty and risk to the p addles; and after entering the
Lamlum Marshes the channel became so extremely intricate and narrow (sometimes
barely exceeding the breadth across the paddle-boxes), th a t with the three-
knot current running in it, and sharp turnings, I consider this p a rt of the river quite
unsafe and impracticable for a steamer of our size, b u t easy wprk for a much
smaller ope.
The people about Lamlum are certainly a wild ba4 fOt, and easily excited to
hostility; but, with proper caption, a steamer may be always made secure against
them.
The windings of the channel through the Lamlum Marshes make a distance of
about 42 miles; but from Karayem Inlet the river again recovers its former
dignity, indeed improves at every step for 135 miles to Kumah, becoming navigable
for steamers of a considerable size, and from thence to the sea, a distance of
101£ miles, for steamers of the largest description.
Basrah is about 40 miles below Kurnah, and I consider it admirably suited for
the magazines, dockyards, &c., of a large force.