PURCHASE OF CAMELS FOR MILITARY PURPOSES. 197 



rest with tlie officer selected for tlie duty, subordinate to the authority- 

 controlling the experiment. 



Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 



HENRY C. WAYNE, 

 Major United States Army. 

 Major General Thomas S. Jesup, 



Quartermaster General U. S. Army, Washington^ D. C. 



Washington, February 2\, 1857. 



Sir : The court of inquiry referred to in my letter of the 4th ultimo 

 adjourned on the afternoon of the 10th January, and the next day I 

 commenced my return to the Verde,, where I arrived on the morning 

 of the 17tli of the same month. Adjusting my business on the 17th 

 and 18th, I began my journey for this place, under your orders 

 of the 13th and 29th December, 1856, on the 19th January, 1857. 



During my absence at Indianola, the remaining Bactrian died. 

 Making in all five animals that we have lost, up to the time of my 

 departure — two by violent injuries, one by epilepsy, a disease to which 

 the camel is said to be peculiarly liable, and two, the Bactrians, by 

 what I believe to have been the acclimatory disease of Texas_, known 

 as the "Spanish fever," These two Bactrians are the only animals 

 that have shown any serious effects of climate in Texas. This is 

 attributable, I think, to the unusual and excessive heat of the past 

 summer, to confinement on ship-board, and to an error, I believe, we 

 committed in blanketing them two warmly on the voyage. Accus- 

 tomed to rather a cool climate, their systems yielded to the combined 

 injurious efiects of confinement on ship-board, sea voyage, over care, 

 and acclimatory process in a new, and unfortunately, unusual hot 

 summer temperature. The remainder of the camels I left in as good 

 condition, apparently, as animals could be, I could notice no diiference 

 in condition between the dromedaries from Esfypt and the burden 

 camels from Asia Minor, though on the night of the 17th (the day after 

 my return from the coast) the thermometer went down to 8° (Fahren- 

 heit.) The climate seems to agree with them equally well, and I 

 have been much gratified by the assurances of many gentlemen in 

 Texas, (among them the present able commander of that department, 

 an old and experienced Texan,) that we have been more fortunate with 

 our camels than is usual with the same number of horses or mules, 

 brought from other States. 



At Indianola I arranged with Captain Van Bokkelen for the care of 

 the new lot expected ; and at New Orleans I left my clerk and overseer, 

 Mr. Kay, to receive them from Lieutenant Porter, upon the arrival of 

 the "Supply" in the river, and to conduct them to Texas on the 

 steamer awaiting there for that purpose. 



On the 13th May, 1856, the first camels were landed on the shores 

 of Texas ; and after our now eight months' experience with them, (from 

 my own continuous observation, and from recent statements to me 



