PURCHASE OF CAMELS FOR MILITARY PURPOSES. 35 



tliem from Smyrna. The whole cost will not he more than three 

 hundred dollars each. 



It is my desire to sail from here as soon as possible, so that we may 

 have plenty of time to pick our camels in the interior of Smyrna, and 

 sail for the United States on the first of March, by which time the 

 rutting season will be over. 



It would be impossible to foresee what circumstances may detain 

 Major Wayne, or what difficulties he may have to contend with in 

 procuring the dromedaries. I hope, however, to be able to land the 

 camels in Texas on the sixth of May. 



I have the honor to be, very respectfully, 



DAVID D. PORTER, 

 Lieutenant United States Navy. 

 Hon. Jefferson Davis^ 



Secretary of War, Washington. 



Caieo, Egypt, December 28, 1855. 



Sir: My last report was from Constantinople, and dated October 

 31st. Within a few days after our return from the Crimea the itch 

 reappeared upon the camel that we thought we had cured, and enter- 

 taining apprehensions that it had been communicated to the animal 

 next to it, Lieut. Porter and myself determined to sell them both, for 

 fear that the disease might be communicated to the third, and that 

 the hold might, moreover, become contaminated and convey it to the 

 others we were to procure. We accordingly landed them and sent 

 them to our consul, Mr. J. P. Brown, who kindly offered to dispose 

 of them for us. Their sale produced one thousand and ninety-six 

 piasters, equal to about forty-four dollars. 



Leaving Constantinople on 21st November for Alexandria, Egypt, 

 where we designed procuring ten dromedaries and four camels of bur- 

 den, we arrived at the latter port in the afternoon of the 29th Novem- 

 ber. Learning that the United States consul general was in Cairo, 

 but daily expected in Alexandria, I delayed my departure into the in- 

 terior in the hope of seeing and advising with him in relation to our 

 purpose. The arrival of Commodore Breeze, however, on the 4th in- 

 stant, (whom Mr. De Leon expected,) and his dei^arture for Cairo on 

 the 7th, determined me to accompany him, as it insured my meeting 

 the consul general. 



The harbor of Alexandria, where our ship lay, being a little exposed, 

 Lieut. Porter thought it to be his duty to remain on board. Accom- 

 panied, therefore, only by Mr. Heap^ I arrived in Cairo on the morn- 

 ing of the 8th December, and was politely received by the consul 

 general, who, in the intervals of his engagements, introduced me to 

 two or three gentlemen, as able to furnish me with useful information. 

 From them I learned that good dromedaries could only be obtained 

 in the deserts^ at a distances of from five to eight hundred miles ; but 

 that as many as I wanted could, no doubt, be procured in and around 



