Chesney, Francis Rawdon (1789–1872)

Irish explorer and general. It was his report on the isthmus of Suez, drawn up in 1829, that made de Lesseps project his canal scheme (see Suez Canal). His life's ambition was to devise an overland route to India via the River Euphrates, but the French and Russian opposition was so great that the idea was abandoned.

He was born in County Antrim (now in Northern Ireland). In connection with his scheme for a route to India, he made three journeys to prove how far the Euphrates was navigable. He wrote accounts of his expeditions, one of which was Narrative of the Euphrates Expedition (1835–37).