" CHESNEY, COLONEL FRANCIS ItAWDON, was born in 1789. He is • native of Ireland. He commenced hie military education at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, es a second lieutenant In the Royal Artillery, May 9, 1501. He became lieutenant. September 20, 1805. In ISOS the troops to which his company was attached were tent to protect the Channel Islands. lie became captain of artillery Juno 20. 1815. In 1821 he married, and alertly afterwards was sent to Gibraltar, when his wife died, and with her his only daughter. lie afterwards travelled • good deal at interrals, chiefly an order to exa mine the battle-fiehla of Europe and Western Asia. In 1S29 Captain Chesney was peat to Turkey for the pnrpose of lending his assistance in fortifying the pewee of the Balkan against the advancing armies of Russia ; but before he had reached his destination the Balkan had been crossed, and the war between Russia and Turkey was soon after wards cooeluded by the treaty of Adrianople. In 1830 Captain Chesney travelled in Eaypt, where be examined the route across the desert from Cairo to Suez, and sent home • report on the passage by son from Bombay to Suez, and by the Egyptian desert and the Nile from Suez to Cairo and Alexandria. In the same year he made a journey in Palestine and Syria. He crossed the Syrian desert to El Kayem, ou the Euphrates, and followed the course of the river to Anah, whence be descended the Euphrates to the Persian Gulf, a distance of 638 miles, on • raft supported by Inflated skins, his only companions being three Arabs to manage the raft, and an interpreter (a Turk) with his boy (a slave). Ile sent home a map and memoir of his track and explorations along the course of the river. After travelling some time in 'Persia and Asia Minor he returned to England in 1832.
In 1834 a committee of the Ileum' of Commons received evidence as to the comparative advantages of the route, to ludia by the Red Sea and by the Euphrates, and the House of Commouts voted a aura of 20,0001. for an expedition to examine the route from the Mediterra nean to the Euphrates, and the course of that river to the Teraina Gulf. For this purpose two iron steam-vessels were constructed so as to take to pieces, Captain Chesney being appointed to the command of the expedition with the temporary rank of 'colonel on particular service.' The expedition sailed from Liverpool on the 10th of Feb
nary 1835, and reached the mouth of the Orootes, on the coast of Syria, on the 3rd of April The two iron steamers were trsosported in pieces, with executive labour, partly on rafts and pontoons and partly on waggons, from the mouth of the °recites to Bir on the Euphrates, a distance of 133 miles. At Port William, near Bir, the steamers were put together, and on the 16th of March 1836 they com menced the descent of the Euphrates to the Persian Gulf, a distance of 1117 miles. They had proceeded 509 miles to Salahiyah, when a hurricane overwhelmed and sank one of the steamers (the Tigris') and everything on board was irrecoverably lost. The other steamer (the Euphrates') escaped with difficulty, but without much damage, and reached 'hurrah, on the Persian Gulf, on the 19th of June.
Besidse the surrey of the river Euphrates, which was the main object of the expedition, materials wore collected for a correct map of Northern Syria, a line of levels was carried from Iskeuderoon on the Mediterranean to Sir on the Euphrates, Northern Mesopotamia was explored, the river Tigria was twice asceudod to upwards of 400 miles fain its junction with the Euphrates, a line of levels was carriod between the Tigris and Euphrates, and other valuable labours per formed and Information collected. Captain Chesney became major December 2, 1836, and his last arduous and dangerous tank connected with the Euphrates expedition was that of taking a mail from the Persian Gulf across the great Arabian desert to Beirut on the .3Iediter ranean, which he did unaccompauled by any European.
On the 27th of April 1846, Major Chesney attained the rank of lieutenaut-colonel. In 1850 he published ' The Expedition for the Survey of the Rivera Euphrates and Tigris, carried on by Order of tho British Government In the years 1835, 1836, 1837; by Lieutenant Colonel Mammy, Commander of the Expedition. 4 vols. Vol.. I. and IL' lie became colouel Nov. 11, 1851. In 1852 he published ' Observations on the Past and Present State of Fire-Arma, aud on the Probable Effocta in War of the Now Musket, rte. ' 8vo. In 1854 ho pub lished a narrative of 'The Russo-Turkish of 1828 and 1829; with a View of the Present State of Affairs In the East, with Maps.'