The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-06-18
WASHINGTON, d. C.
MONDAY EVENING, JUNE is, 1919.

-to-NDfh 'S' is-Nh-Noi SS-Nfs 49, 1900 D.
no THE EDITOR or THE NATIONAL WIG
MEL INTO OUR INDIAN WARFARE.
| beg leave, through your columns, to at
tract public attention in still greater de-
gree to the interesting article which appears
in the hieligencer, Of this morning, Over the
signature Of " A Swiss Traveller in Syria
and Arabia" This acute and intelligent
gentleman, whose ipse DIRT is endorsed by
the high editorial authority OF the venerable
paper, through which he speaks, proposes an
enterprise at once novel, interesting, and
withal practicable. Extraordinary as it may
seem at first view, it is no less than the in
PRODUCTION, by importation from Arabia Of
the camel of the deserts upon the great pra-
ries and sandy, wide, unwatered wastes Of
our immense southwestern Territories. This
correspondent suggests the immediate i'm
portation Of cargo Of these meek-eyed,
long-necked, long-legged and hunch-backed
STRANGERS, as commercial enterprise to bear
party Of adventures TO the Sacramento,
across the plains with all their heavy packs,
in less time and at less expense than the
journey can be otherwise performed. Upon
this particular suggestion he says, what is
most directly to the point, namely:
6 have seen camels OF burden sold for 50 and 70,
$50, and running came!s for $50 and for $500. The
cheapest and the best are to be procured in those
places where there is least foreign trade; for example
Mogadore, in the Khalifat Of Morocco.
With regard to transport, vessel Of $50 tons would
hold sixty camels. II such vessel were to &c te
Mar8eilles with cargo OF American goods, and leave
that port on her return under ballast with tons o.
linsend oil cake and two hundred and forty bags o
Egyptian beans, stop at Mogadore and take on boart
the camels which should already have been purchas
cd and held there in readiness, they would probably
be in Galveston in three months from the time tn,
vessel left America. Twenty-Five dollars cost, ant
twenty-five dollars freight OF each animal, would,
think, be the maximum Of the expenses At all events
for $4,000 sixty cames could be brought to Galveston
which would enable a company Of fifty Americans
with ten African servants, to the continent t
San Francisco, with the greatest comfort, in two
months and half. They could take $50 cwt. o.
baggage, besides arms and ammunition; and could
also carry food and water for and beast sufficient
Tor four, II necessary even eight days Two strong
extra camels might be employed to carry two small
field howizfrs, the weight not to exceed onefourtf
Of ton each; and another camel might be used fol
draught where the read was level.o
will be pardoned for saying that it was
to the cheapness Of the experiment that
first desired to attract attention in these times
Of cheap travel, cheap invention, and cheap
everything; but the great point which is
in reality made, half ANONYMOUSLY, in this
well-timed and sagacious paper, is that which
must at once strike every one at all previ-
ously acquainted with the natural history Of
the camel, namely, its extraordinary adap-
tation, both in habits, powers Of endurance
and every other physical quality, to the ext
gencies Of Indian warfare in our southern and
new southwestern Territories. The Apaches
are and have been, for long time, ravaging
the provinces Of Sonora, Chihuahua, &c,
with entire IMMUNITY, and we are, by the ar
ticles Of the late treaty, bound to defend these
people from such incursions, But leaving
this supplement to a treaty out Of view, we
are certainly bound 10 protect our own citi-
zens, within the limits Of our own territory,
from such depredations. Every mail and
telegraphic dispatch from the South brings
US new confirmation of the fact, that from
Corpus Christi south to the Rio Grande, all
our newly acquired territory has been and is
yet being terribly ravaged by the Camanch-
es-a uuch more formidable confederacy
than the Apaches.
Now what is the most apparent recourse
The government in regular course will send
TO the rescue Of this devastated frontier
the regular troops which have already beer
ordered upon this line to establish posts a
the Paso, the ella, &c. Although no ont
has higher opinion Of the proves ane
availability ofthe regulars in the Dragon ser
vice in any other species Of warfare known il
this extraordinary period Of universal war
Yet must be permitted to suggest that as
they are only armed, equipped, and MOUNTED
according to the modern acquisitions of mod
efn civilized warfare, there exists wide diff
ference between such equipment and tina
demanded in such a war of races and exter
mination even as has now absolutely super
yened upon our Southwestern fronter--be
tween the Saxon and his sNomadc antipode
Gentlemen, we cannot fight these light
heeled gentry BY rote We must look in
to the PLAIN rules Of adaptation, through
experience, for suggestions Of the mode
These Nomads are mounted upon horses o
the true Arabian blood The horse was al
unknown animal among the aboriginal Mex.
leans, and upon the whole hemisphere as
much so as the camel is now. Yet the true
Arab was the steed upon which the cavaliers
Of the conquest led by Cortez were mounted
the same animal, which escaping from
them upon the grassy plains Of the South tc
freedom, is now known in different latitudes
as the mustang-the Mexican horse-the
mountain horse-the wild horse OF the prai-
ries-the Canadian or Indian pony, as
usage, climate, &C., may have modified the
breed. The mountain Indians breed and train
their horses with the utmost care, and local pc
culiarities force the same game-blood- which
is world-renowned through Barb Arab upon
the sandy plains Of Saharah,--to accomplish
here like feats Of almost incredible endurance
over wide and arid stretches which even
the patient mule cannot traverse and live.
or course these mountain horses are to
be preferred as they are quite equal to
mules in endurance, and certainly superior