1182 Visit to Melum and the Oonta, Dhoora Pass. [No. 132. 



15th October. — Marched at 6h. 50m. a. m., and arrived at Jak-by- 

 toolee at 9h. 20m. a. m. To the foot of the ascent is nearly four miles, 

 we were rather more than a half an hour in reaching the top of it, 

 without halting, the descent occupied about half an hour also ; marched 

 at one o'clock, and arrived at Almora at 4h. 20m. p. m. Distance 

 from Jak-bytoolee between ten and eleven miles ; total distance to 

 Sattralee from sixteen to seventeen miles, but road good from the top 

 of Kalee Muth* to our house, one hour and twenty-five minutes, dis- 

 tance full five miles. 



* The high peak at the Northern extremity of the Alinora ridge. 



On the Wool of the Bactrian, or two-humped Camel, (Camelus 

 Bactrianus,) being a Copy of an unpublished Paper forwarded to 

 the Royal Asiatic Society of London. By Capt. Thomas Hutton. 



Sir, — Having lately seen a letter from Captain Arthur Conolly, 

 regarding some specimens of wools obtained in Armenia and Koordis- 

 tan, I do myself the honour to transmit samples of the "hair and 

 wool procurable from the two-humped, or Bactrian Camel."* 



The animal is so thickly clothed during winter with this wool, 

 and its quality appears to me so much superior to most of those 

 shewn to me by Captain Conolly, that I should expect the article, if 

 imported, to form a valuable commodity in the European markets. 

 Of this, however, you will be better able to judge than I am. 



I shall do myself the pleasure to preface my remarks on this article, 

 by a few observations on the animal from which it is obtained. 



" The Bactrian Camel," as it is termed, is an inhabitant of the 

 Kuzzack country among the Steppes of Tartary, beyond Bokhara, which, 

 judging from the thick warm coat provided by nature for the animal's 

 protection and comfort, must be subject to great severity of climate 

 during the winter season. At Candahar, the animal sometimes ar- 

 rives with kafilahs of merchants, and is termed "Bagdad-i," i. e. 

 " of" or "from Bagdad," but on enquiry I find, that it does not occur 



* Specimens of this wool are in the Museum of the Asiatic Society of Bengal.— Ed. 



