ABSTRACT
The program of land and marine surveys inaugurated in 1828 occupied the attention of the Indian Navy for nearly a generation and made possible the development of regular steam lines covering long distances in eastern seas before there was any comparable service in European waters. The Euphrates Expedition and the possibility of opening a line of communications between India and England through Mesopotamia gave new point to the inspection of the Gulf and the Shaat-el-Arab. The military and civil sections of the Indian Government were suddenly compelled to devote their whole energies to a series of eastern wars which lasted for a considerable period. Aden was the sole remaining port along the otherwise inhospitable coast of Arabia which appeared to give promise of suitable accommodations for a growing steam service. The acquisition of Aden was one of the last steps in the definite establishment of the Suez route for the regular transportation of mails and passengers to and from India.
