437:. Chesney, ranked to Major, found it very difficult to pick up his career as he had returned to England under "a cloud of official displeasure". He devoted much time to pushing for the establishment of a line of communication with India through Turkish Arabia as he believed that the information obtained through his expedition, that is, rapidity of transit and commercial advantages "require no exemplification". However, the preparation of his two volumes on the expedition (published in 1850) was interrupted by his being ordered out in 1843 to command the artillery at
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471:. Carried on by order of the British Government in the years 1835, 1836, 1837 ; preceded by Geographical and Historical Notices of the Regions situated between the Rivers Nile and Indus. In Four Volumes. With Fourteen Maps and Charts, and embellished with Ninety-seven Plates, besides numerous Woodcuts. By Lieut.-Colonel Chesney, R.A., .F.R.S., F.R.G.S., Colonel in Asia, Commander of the Expedition. By Authority. Vols. I. and II. London : Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1850. Presentation copies, 4to. Ordinary copies, Royal 8vo.
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489:. With a View of the Present State of Affairs in the East. By Colonel Chesney, R.A., D.C.L., F.R.S., Author of "The Expedition for the Survey of the Rivers Euphrates and Tigris." With an Appendix containing the Diplomatic Correspondence between the Four Powers, and the Secret Correspondence between the Russian and English Governments. With Maps. London: Smith, Elder, and Go., 1854; and Redfield, New York, 1854. 8vo.
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296:, the appointed surgeon and geologist of the expedition, mused that "the scream of the startled pelican or the gurgle of some large siluroid wallowing in the waters, was no longer necessary to break the silent ripple". At their first point of anchorage in Beles, they undertook trials of the two vessels under controlled conditions with and against the current. The
441:. In 1847, his period of service was completed, and he went home to Ireland, to a life of retirement; but both in 1856 and again in 1862 he went out to the East to take a part in further surveys and negotiations for the Euphrates valley railway scheme, which, however, the government would not take up, in spite of a favourable report from the
483:. With a Proposition for Reorganizing the Royal Regiment of Artillery by a Subdivision into Battalions in each special arm of Garrison, Field, and Horse Artillery, with Suggestions for Promoting its Efficiency. By Colonel Chesney, D.C.L., F.R.S., Royal Artillery. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1852. 8vo.
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was nowhere to be seen. The following three days were spent in vain searching for more survivors and trying to locate the sunken vessel. By that time, Chesney had to disclose to his crew that he had been given orders to break up the expedition by the end of July. However, he trusted that the wreck of
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and left on 21 March 1835 in order to transport all the materials and construct both iron steamers in the Bay of
Antioch. It took a little over a year to render the steamers into floating shape so "as to put the expedition in motion". The 16 March 1836, Chesney's forty-seventh birthday, was picked as
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wrote that "we have now this moment anchored at a narrow winding, past which we cannot get". Since there were no new orders from India or
England, Chesney was forced to make a decision about what to do with the expedition during the remaining ten weeks until the scheduled end of the mission, on 31
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ones were very satisfactory. The expedition's progress was overall leisurely and stops were made in several cities along the way for wood, fuel as well as historical research. On
Saturday 21 May the expedition left the town of Saliggye and Chesney remembered later that the weather that morning was
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great undertaking (in 1869 Lesseps greeted him in Paris as the "father " of the canal). However, before the creation of the Suez Canal, Chesney wanted to test an alternative route to India. He reached
Istanbul in April 1832 and concluded in his report that the Euphrates should be traversable for
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suitable steamers. For the next three years, Chesney undertook a campaign in order to persuade the government to accept a trial experiment of the
Euphrates route. After lengthy reports and meetings, the British government finally accepted in early 1835 to send two iron-hulled steamboats, the
235:. Secondly, it aimed to prevent Russian expansion in the Near East, as some understood it as a threat to Britain's control of India. In 1835, Captain Francis Rawdon Chesney was put in charge of the expedition and carefully selected his associates, about fifty persons in total and for which
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then anchored at the small city of Ana, where they repaired and refuelled the steamer as well as wrote reports regarding the previous unfortunate events. Numerous episodes of "comic melodrama" then unfurled during their ensuing descent of the river. For instance, on 31 May 1836, the day
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had changed their circumstances, and believed that the government would not stand to lose their prestigious reputation by cancelling a major
British project after one steamer had been inadvertently lost. Therefore, the party collectively chose to continue the descent of the river aboard
495:. Carried on by Order of the British Government during the years 1835, 1836, and 1837. By General Francis Rawdon Chesney. Colonel Commandant 14th Brigade Royal Artillery, D.C.L., F.R.S., F.R.G.S., Commander of the Expedition. London: Longman, Green, and Co., 1868. 8vo.
284:. After the habitual morning service, the king's commission was recited, listing the purpose of the expedition and praising "his dear and powerful ally", the Sultan. Indeed, good relations with the Arabs were essential for a successful descent of the
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recorded that "a warm dry wind, laden with the fragrance of the aromatic plants of the wilderness, followed in a few instants by a tremendous blast of wind, with some rain in large drops". After twelve minutes, the storm abated and the
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left Ana, Chesney left
Ainsworth on the bank of the river during a momentary loss of memory. Ainsworth finally made his way to the vessel after having walked more than fifty miles for over two days. Another episode unfolded when
381:, to the orders of the President of the Board of control, at Bagdad, 25 January 1837, and Chesney returned to England in 1837. According to the Captain, the expedition proved the practicability of the Euphrates route to India.
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in 1805. But though he rose to be lieutenant-general and colonel-commandant of the 14th brigade Royal
Artillery (1864), and general in 1868, Chesney's memory lives not for his military record, but for his connection with the
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recorded that "the unusual sinewy length and thinness of their limbs, a peculiarity of development which, as seen on a smaller scale in the shrimp girls of
Boulogne, we could not but attribute to their living in a marsh".
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from the
Anatolian mountains to the Persian Gulf. The objective of the party was twofold; firstly, to set up a new trade route between Britain and India which avoided the lengthy voyage around the South African
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429:, having meanwhile been to India to consult the authorities there. He was later assigned the task of writing the official account of the expedition with a grant of ÂŁ1,500 by the
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arrived at New Lemlum on 13 June 1836 and the steamer was compelled to secure itself close to town. Soon after, the ship was encircled by half-naked native of the Khezail tribe.
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Following these events, Chesney noted that the descent and survey of approximately 1200 miles of the Euphrates river had been completed by 18 June 1836. The River
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305:"very fine and promising". But a few minutes later, black clouds in the sky presaged an approaching storm. Indeed, the vessels were caught by a terrible
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and Bah-a-Mishir were then examined throughout September 1836. This constituted the final step of the expedition, that is, the ascent of the river
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Chesney′s widow Louisa survived him by 30 years, dying in her 86th year at Beaumont Cote on 11 December 1902, in the residence of her son-in-law.
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288:. They were also crucial to the preservation of a fixed service along the river that might make Russia hesitate before invading Iraq. As the
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He was a son of Captain Alexander Chesney, an Irishman of Scottish descent who, having emigrated to South Carolina in 1772, served under
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and dated 11 May 1832, was addressed to Sir Stratford Canning and was printed in Parliamentary Papers, 1834 No. 478, Appendix, pp. 93-8
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committee in 1871. In 1868 he published a further volume of narrative on his Euphrates expedition. He died on 30 January 1872.
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to Bagdad. However, as the steamer crossed the twisting river of the Lemlum marshes, the canal narrowed and, on 24 October,
465:. Submitted to Government by Captain Chesney, of the Royal Artillery. Taylor, printer, 7, Little James Street, Gray's Inn.
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Royal Artillery in Malta, he submitted a report on the feasibility of making a Suez Canal. This was the original basis of
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Vol. XVIII November 1841 "Lieutenant Colonel F.R. Chesney" pp 574–580, published William Curry, Jun. and Company, Dublin.
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Papers of General J.B. Estcourt, Gloucestershire Records Office (D 1571). Estcourt to Father, 22 October 1836. p. 128
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Observations on the Past and Present State of Firearms, and on the Probable Effects in War of the New Musket
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Evidence on Steam Communication with India. Papers Ordered to be Printed by the House of Lords
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Louise Chesney and Jane O'Donnell, "The Life of the late General F.R. Chesney", edited
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in the course of his military duties in 1829, and his making a tour of inspection in
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Parliamentary Papers. 1837. No. 540, pp. 43–6, Chesney to Estcourt, 8 November 1836.
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Travels of Doctor and Madame Helfer in Syria, Mesopotamia, Burmah and other Lands
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Official Narrative of the Euphrates Expedition by Captain Francis Rawdon Chesney.
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Lane-Poole, Stanley; Stearn, Roger T. "Chesney, Francis Rawdon (1789–1872)".
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January 1837. The captain decided to go to Bombay himself aboard the steamer
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Dead Sea Level: Science, Exploration and Imperial Interests in the Near East
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157:(16 March 1789 – 30 January 1872) was a British general and explorer.
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gives a description of Chesney's remarkable expedition down the Euphrates.
511:(Evidence in) Report from the Select Committee on Euphrates Valley Railway
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Minutes of Evidence of the Select Committee on Steam Navigation to India
965:. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 93.
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and reduce expenses by sending the survivors of the wreck back home.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
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1034:(London, I.B.Tauris, 2011) (Tauris Historical Geography Series).
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The Expedition for the Survey of the Rivers Euphrates and Tigris
173:, and subsequently received an appointment as coast officer at
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Recipients of the Royal Geographical Society Founder's Medal
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Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1836). "poetical illustration".
177:, Ireland. F. R. Chesney was born there, on 16 March 1789.
532:; participated in and wrote about the Euphrates expedition
526:; participated in and wrote about the Euphrates expedition
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On the Reorganization of the Royal Regiment of Artillery
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and the Tigris. The Expedition was finally broken up by
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voted ÂŁ20,000, in order to test the navigability of the
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501:. 14 July 1834, p. 52, and Letter, pp. 88–91.
405:), published in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837
1051:"Archival material relating to Francis Rawdon Chesney"
924:. No. 36951. London. 15 December 1902. p. 1.
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421:Upon his return to England, Chesney was given the
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197:valley, which started with his being sent out to
679:A Personal Narrative of the Euphrates Expedition
255:During the Euphrates expedition, two steamers,
986:. Vol. 10. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
882:Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1836). "picture".
574:Chesney’s survey of northern Syria, entitled
8:
997:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
487:The Russo-Turkish Campaigns of 1828 and 1829
180:Lord Rawdon gave the boy a cadetship at the
134:Royal Geographical Society's Founder's Medal
309:. In his personal narrative of the events,
280:the date of the first trial voyage for the
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729:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
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650:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
538:; participated in the Euphrates expedition
463:Reports on the Navigation of the Euphrates
226:, to survey the long stretch of the river
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1112:Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society
169:(afterwards Marquess of Hastings) in the
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994:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
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885:Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837
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717:Narrative of the Euphrates Expedition
493:Narrative of the Euphrates Expedition
403:Antioch, on the Approach from Suadeah
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1097:Military personnel from County Down
677:Ainsworth, William Francis (1888).
397:. to an engraving of a painting by
209:. In 1830, after taking command of
1127:Irish officers in the British Army
576:Additional Memoir on the Euphrates
300:trials were disappointing but the
193:, and with the exploration of the
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384:This expedition is referenced in
983:Dictionary of National Biography
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715:Chesney, Francis Rawdon (1868).
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182:Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
147:Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
27:British Army general (1789–1872)
973:"Chesney, Francis Rawdon"
1025:The Dublin University Magazine
1021:, published W. H. Allen (1885)
809:Ainsworth, 1888, vol. 2, p. 42
507:. p. 7, 23 February 1838.
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184:, and he was gazetted to the
1137:19th-century Irish explorers
1107:Fellows of the Royal Society
1011:UK public library membership
970:Lane-Poole, Stanley (1887).
863:Chesney, 1868, Preface, p. 9
369:on 1 December 1836, leaving
171:American War of Independence
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423:Royal Geographical Society
271:The expedition arrived in
211:7th Company, 4th Battalion
123:7th Company, 4th Battalion
640:. London. pp. 183–4.
636:Nostitz, Pauline (1878).
530:William Francis Ainsworth
409:Life after the Expedition
388:'s poetical illustration
294:William Francis Ainsworth
41:
1117:Royal Artillery officers
800:Ainsworth, 1888, p. 430.
433:and smaller sums by the
386:Letitia Elizabeth Landon
275:on 12 March 1835 on the
247:The Euphrates Expedition
962:Encyclopædia Britannica
957:Chesney, Francis Rawdon
888:. Fisher, Son & Co.
879:. Fisher, Son & Co.
779:Chesney, 1868, p. 261.
761:Chesney, 1868, p. 260.
752:Chesney, 1868, p. 248.
719:. London. p. 251.
681:. London. p. 391.
617:Chesney, 1868, p. 352.
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399:William Henry Bartlett
292:commenced her voyage,
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155:Francis Rawdon Chesney
36:Francis Rawdon Chesney
1087:British Army generals
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910:Chesney, 1868, p. 354
818:Chesney, 1868, p. 352
524:Johann Wilhelm Helfer
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103:Years of service
1055:UK National Archives
836:Guest, 1992, p. 133.
901:Guest, 1992, p. 150
854:Guest, 1992, p. 137
743:Guest, 1992, p. 82.
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78:(1872-01-30)
29:
1082:1872 deaths
1077:1789 births
167:Lord Rawdon
1071:Categories
1013:required.)
933:References
920:"Deaths".
237:Parliament
191:Suez Canal
142:Alma mater
85:Allegiance
60:1789-03-16
922:The Times
725:cite book
687:cite book
646:cite book
439:Hong Kong
344:Ainsworth
340:Euphrates
335:Euphrates
330:Euphrates
326:Euphrates
311:Ainsworth
307:hurricane
302:Euphrates
290:Euphrates
286:Euphrates
282:Euphrates
265:Euphrates
261:Euphrates
241:Euphrates
228:Euphrates
220:Euphrates
195:Euphrates
106:1805-1847
518:See also
431:Treasury
401:(titled
371:Estcourt
360:Estcourt
222:and the
215:Lesseps'
119:Commands
93:Service/
67:Annalong
980:(ed.).
950::
395:Antioch
114:General
88:British
1007:
944:
449:Family
356:Tigris
321:Tigris
316:Tigris
298:Tigris
257:Tigris
224:Tigris
136:(1838)
130:Awards
95:branch
976:. In
543:Notes
375:Karun
352:Karun
273:Malta
207:Syria
203:Egypt
731:link
693:link
652:link
319:the
259:and
205:and
161:Life
111:Rank
73:Died
54:Born
999:doi
959:".
425:'s
1073::
1053:.
894:^
784:^
727:}}
723:{{
689:}}
685:{{
669:^
648:}}
644:{{
610:^
551:^
243:.
1057:.
1005:.
1001::
733:)
695:)
654:)
565:.
267:.
62:)
58:(
20:)
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