ANCIENT IRRIGATION WORKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12909, 4 July 1905, Page 5

ANCIENT IRRIGATION WORKS.

SCHEME FOR ' RESTORING

THEM.

By Telegraph,— Association—Copyright.

(Received July 3, 11.43 p.m.)

London, July 3. The Frankfurter Zeitung says that Sir Nicholas 0 ; Conor, British- Minister at Constantinople, is pressing the Sultan of Turkey to grant Sir William Willcocks concessions to develop Mesapotamia, and render the Rivers Tigris and Euphrates. navigable, and to construct canals in the plains..; ■ ■ '

Sir William Willcpcks i&at present managing director of the Daira Sanilh ! Company, 1 Egypt. He has been in the British service as engineer in India and Egypt, and was engaged on the Egyptian reservoirs from. 1833 to 1897. ' He has published a' work on " Restoration of Ancient Irrigation Works on the Tigris." Recently he ■ lectured, oh. the subject of restoring the ancient irrigation works in the valleys of the Euphrates and the Tigris. The Euphrates is 1700 miles long, and 1 is navigable for 1000 miles,' and before reaching the Persian Gulf it is joined by the Tigris. In ancient times both rivers had river embankments and fed canals, and large cities arose in the valleys. Among these cities were Nineveh and, Babylon, and Bagdad.is on the Tigris. '