PURCHASE OF CAMELS FOR MILITARY PURPOSES. 73 



either return with the caravan, or by the same way he came ; or the 

 dromedaries can be sent to Cairo, without his making the voyage, by 

 giving the order to the British consul at Jedda, (we have none there,) 

 who is an intelligent Englishman, well acquainted with the people 

 and the country. 



In my recent interview with the viceroy, when he gave the permis- 

 sion to export ten dromedaries which I asked of him, (although he 

 has refused similar requests from several of my colleagues,) and who 

 has liberally proffered six of his own dromedaries as a gift, in addi- 

 tion, he suggested the Hedjas as the proper place ; and volunteered, 

 in the event of the return of the expedition next year, to furnish such 

 firmans' (on my application) as would ensure the respectful treatment 

 of its members, and the free passage of the animals through his do- 

 minions to the place of embarkation here. 



I need scarcely add how pleased I shall be to greet the return of the 

 expedition, and give it all the aid in my power; and, with the expres- 

 sion of the hope that the results of the enterprise may be commensu- 

 rate with its importance, take this occasion to express my own decided 

 judgment both of its utility and practicability, if a fair trial only 

 be given it. 



You will be kind enough to communicate to the Secretary of War 



the suggestions and proffers of the viceroy, as I deem it his due that 



his courtesy should be known ; and accept my warmest wishes for the 



successful issue of the important enterprise in which you are engaged. 



I remain, dear sir, very truly yours, 



EDWIN DE LEON. 



Major H. C. Wayne, U. S. A., 



U. 8. Ship Supply, Alexandria Harbor, Egypt. 



Cairo, December 3, 1855. 



My Dear Sir : I mentioned the subject of your note of the 15th 

 November to H. H. Ilthamy Pacha, who has, he says, no camels to 

 dispose of, which, however, will not be of much importance to your 

 purpose, if I rightly understand its object, since camels of almost 

 every kind may be procured in Egypt at moderate rates. Those 

 proper to Egypt are bred in the country, and are known in lower 

 Egypt as "kufury," or village camels, and in upper Egypt as " saidy." 

 There are, also, camels in upper Egypt of the tribes frequenting the 

 adjacent deserts, such as '^Bisharyeh/' and the "ababdeh," and other 

 tribes, which may readily be known by a reference to the great French 

 work on Egypt, or to Buckhardt and other travellers well known. 



Of the two tribes above mentioned, the " Bisharyeh" camels are the 

 most esteemed, but they are not reckoned equal in powers of endurance 

 to the Arabian camel in the estimation of the Arabs of Arabia, who 

 may possibly have some prejudice in favor of their own stock. 



Of the Arabian breeds, the Namanyeh are the most prized. They 

 are, I believe, from the neighborhood of Muscat. After them come 

 the camels of the Beni Jakkar, near Mesopotamia, and of the Arabs 

 of Gilbet Thanimar, although each tribe may be able to boast of one 

 or more dromedaries, (in Arabic, heigin; in the singular, begin;) of 



