28 PURCHASE OF CAMELS FOR MILITARY PURPOSES. 



[Circular.] 



United States Ship "Supply," 1855. 



Sir: In executing the duty with which we have been charged by 

 the President of the United States, under a recent act of Congress pro- 

 viding for the introduction of the camel into our country, we deem it 

 important, to the thorough fulfilment of the commission, to obtain, as 

 comprehensively and as accurately as we can, all the information pos- 

 sible as to the different varieties of the animal, their homes, their 

 relative powers of endurance , and burden, the climates and soils to 

 which they are subjected, their capabilities of withstanding changes 

 of temperature, &c., &g. 



For this purpose we take the liberty of addressing to you the fol- 

 lowing questions, to which we respectfully invite your attention, re- 

 questing such answers as your own knowledge of the subject, and the 

 means of information within your reach, will enable you to furnish 

 to us : 



1. How many varieties of the camel are known in , and from 



what parts of or do they respectively come ; in what do the 



varieties differ essentially ; what are their different sizes and weights, 

 and how are they named ? 



2. What are the relative powers of these different varieties as to 

 burden (in pounds weight;) how many days consecutively can they 

 travel with these burdens; what distance per day, (in miles,) and how 

 many hours, without easing them of their packs ? 



3. What climates, in respect to heat and cold and changes of tem- 

 perature, are they subjected to in their journeys, and over what kind 

 of country (mountainous, broken, or level) and soils (sandy, gravelly, 

 stony c^ or rocky) do they travel ? 



4. What effect do long journeys have upon their feet, especially in 

 traversing rocky ground ? 



5. How often are camels fed, and what is their food; how often are 

 they watered ; are they stabled at all in any seasons of the year, and, 

 in general, how are they treated? 



6. What precautions are taken on a journey in loading and unload- 

 ing camels, and what precautions (if any) to jirevent them from fall- 

 ing when travelling in a slippery soil ? 



7. When does the camel rut ; what is the treatment when rutting, 

 and how is copulation managed ; is sterility common ; are there any 

 males and females reserved expressly for breeding, and, on that ac- 

 count, not put to labor; how soon, after birth, is the mother put to 

 labor ? 



8. What is the treatment of the calves at birth, and afterwards, and 

 how long are they allowed to remain with the mother; at what age 

 are they accustomed to burdens, and how are they trained to carry 

 them ; how many years are they capable of performing labor ? 



9. What are the diseases to which camels are liable, and what the 

 remedies ; what plants are hurtful to them ? 



10. What are the prices of males, of females, and of females with 

 young nursing by the side (the best?) 



