38 PURCHASE OF CAMELS FOU MILITARY PURPOSES. 



Translation [into French from Arabic, H. C. W. ,) of the despatch 

 addressed December 23, 1855, (13 Rahik Akar, 12*72) by C. Kahil^ 

 vice consul in charge of the consulate of the United States at Cairo, 

 to H. E. Zoulfokhor Pacha, minister of finance and confidential 

 secretary to his highness the viceroy of Egypt, 



Excellency : When I had the honor of visiting you yesterday in 

 company with Major Wayne, a distinguished officer of our army, and 

 Mr. Heap, I communicated to you the mission with which these gen- 

 tlemen were charged, that of having heen expressly commissioned by 

 the government of the republic of the United States to procure speci- 

 mens of camels and dromedaries of different^inds, and from dif- 

 ferent climates, for the purpose of testing by experiment which of them 

 could most readily be acclimated in the United States ; and requested, 

 through the intercession of your excellency, an order from the viceroy 

 to the governor of Alexandria to permit the embarkation upon the 

 vessel-of-war, expressly sent for the purpose, the animals, to the num- 

 ber of twenty, that might be purchased. Your excellency was kind 

 enough to promise me to solicit the permission requested from his 

 highness. 



It is, then, with confidence that, under the necessity of the case, I 

 request your kind and friendly influence to obtain, as soon, as pos- 

 sible, the permission requested. The vessel-of-war has been now 

 some time anchored in the harbor of Alexandria, awaiting the 

 animals ; and persuaded of receiving an answer to my request, in 

 accordance with the liberality with which his highness uniformly 

 treats his friends^ the foreign governments, I again press my request 

 upon you, presenting to his highness, in advance, my own personal 

 acknowledgments, and assuring him that the American government 

 will appreciate highly the facilities he may give upon this occasion, 

 and never forget them, granted, as they will be, for an object which 

 has so much merited its attention as to induce it to send out for it a 

 sjjecial commission. 



I take this opportunity to offer to his highness my best wishes. 



C. KAHIL, 

 United States Vice Constd, in charge of the 



United States Consulate at Cairo. 



Translation from the Arabic of the reply addressed, on the 14th Rabik 

 Akar, 12*72, {24th December, 1855,) registered the IQth, by his excel- 

 lency Zoidfokhar Pacha, minister of finance and confidential secre- 

 tary to the viceroy of Egi/pt, to C. Kahil, vice consul, in charge of 

 the cons!u.late of the United States at Cairo. 



To our distinguished friend the American consid at Cairo : 



In accordance with the communication that you were so kind as to 

 address to me on the 13th Rabik Akar, (23d December, 1855,) in 

 which you ask for the exportation of twenty camels, required by the 

 American government, your request was laid before his highness the 



