PURCHASE OF CAMELS FOR MILITARY PURPOSES. 157 



Camp Verde, Texas, September 24, 1856. 



Sir : The last mail brought me your instructions, through the 

 quartermaster general's office, to deposit with the Treasury of the 

 United States the sum of $9,920 77 of the appropriation for the pur- 

 chase of camels, now to my credit on the books of Messrs. Riggs 

 & Co., bankers, of Washington city. I have accordingly directed 

 the transfer lo be made at once to the assistant treasurer of the 

 United States at New Orleans, the most convenient point for me to 

 draw upon, and have advised that officer of the fact, requesting him, 

 upon receipt of the money, to place it to my name under the head of 

 " appropriation for the purchase of camels." 



The camels are doing well, though beginning now to show a little 

 the effects of the climate and of the unusual heat and drought of the 

 past summer. One of the Bactrians and four of the Smyrna camels 

 have particularly suffered from heat. The shelters for them are 

 coming on rapidly, (thanks to the energy and interest of Captain 

 Palmer, and of his Lieutenants Chamblis and Van Camp,) and I hope 

 soon to have completed the accommodations for them, and for those 

 expected in December. 



Since my arrival in Texas I have endeavored to obtain from the 

 stock-raisers and farmers of the State as vcmah. practical information 

 as possible in regard to animals, and to their care and management 

 in this climate. I have thus obtained much useful knowledge that 

 my own observation and experience subsequently has approved. 

 Among the opinions advanced to me, and it seems universal among 

 old residents, for I have not yet heard a dissent from it, is orie that 

 will affect materially our experiment, and that bears also with force 

 upon the mounted service in Texas. This opinion is, that no animals, 

 full grown, brought into Texas from other countries, or from the old 

 States, are here as vigorous and as serviceable as they were in the 

 countries or States they left ; the process of acclimation im[)airing, ap- 

 parently, vital energy and endurance. This deterioration does not, 

 however, extend to animals born in Texas or brought into it very 

 young. On the contrary, they are said to equal and often to surpass 

 the parent stock. If this be so, we must look to the produce of the 

 present importations for a fair exposition of our views, accomplishing 

 in the meantime as much as we can with deteriorated animals in de- 

 monstration of the experiment. Of course, from my short residence, 

 I am not competent to decide upon the correctness of this apparently 

 universal sentiment ; but grant it to be true, I am fully satisfied that 

 the camels we have, though deteriorated, will amply sustain the posi- 

 tions we have assumed in regard to their probable usefulness and 

 advantage, if they can be successfully introduced upon the continent. 

 Indeed, I think we may almost claim to have already done much towards 

 it. On the 28th of August I sent down six camels under my clerk, Mr. 

 Ray, to San Antonio, for oats, in company with three wagons from this 

 post. The camels could, as it turned out, have gone down leisurely in two 

 days, but governed in their movements by the wagons, (though they 

 were empty,) they went down in three, the wagons being restrained in 



