Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1854-01-12

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they do not fall under the charge Of this
department, have not attempted to present
them; nor have l deemed it proper, in this
communication, to offer my views as 10 the
means or the mode by which the general
government may constitutionnl'y aid i'll the
attainment Of the contemplated object.
The absence of navigab'e streams in a
large portion Of our recently acquired ter
ritory, and the existence of the vast arid and
mountain regions described in another part
of this report have entailed upon the gov
ernment very heavy charge for the trans
! pGrtstion Of supplies, and for the service Of
troops stationed along our new frontier, and
operating against the predatory and nonadic
Indians of those regions. The cost of trans
portation within that country for purposes
connected with military defence, amounted,
in the year ending June, 1853, to $4Jl,-
775 OF.
The modes Of transportation now used
wagons drawn by horscs' mules or oxen
besides being very expensive, are neoessa-
rily circuitous in the routes Travelled, slow.
and generally SO unsatisfactory as 10 prompt
inquiry for means which may be attended
with better results. In any extended move
ment these wagon trains must depend upon
grass for forage, and their progress will
seldom average more than twelve miles per
day. 1t often happens, in trEyersing tie
country just referred to, that long spaces
are encountered in which there is neither
grass nor water, and here the consequence
must be severe privation and great destruc-
ton of the animals employed, if not the
failure Of the objects of the expeditions -
These Inconvenience are felt in all move
ments between the distant posts of that
section, and seriously obstruct, sometimes
actually defeat the pursuit of the mounted
Indians Of the plain, who, by their intimate
knowledge Of the places where the small
supplies Of water and grass are to be found,
are enabled to fly across the most arid re-
gion after having committed depredations on
our frontier population, or upon the trains
Of merchants and cmgrants.
Beyond the d,tfc,]Iir, here c,,i.ru,lato1
IN couue%ion with transportation 20 the in
terror, it is proper 10 look TO those which
would arise in the transportation ol supplies
for the defence Of our Pacific coast, in the
contingency Ct war with maratimc pow
! er. Cur experience ha, been conuned 10 4
state o. peace, and 10 the use Of routes of
communication which PASS beyond thc LIN
IFS of our territories. Reasoning from the
difficulties which have been cncounleral in
supplying points y mere it was necessary en-
! y % traverse a part Of the space which les
between he Pac1'.e eaa'o and tic points d
supply 1t may be canned as a conclusion
mat 1t Would no, be practicable with the
/ means NOW possessed to send across tie
continent the troops, munitions, ana proTlS-
IONS which would be required for the de-
tence o! the Plc.t.c coast. \ railroad,
SHcn as has been contemplated, T. connect,
/ oy the most eligible route, tie Mis>,>,iy j
river with the Pacific Ocean, would hut par
italy Eemorelhe d.td"t,!y. /, would serve
10 iran, troops amt % supply depots
along the route and "t the extremity Of the
I'nei but there would still he vas region
Of the inferior too remote from its depo.s
materially to feel its effect.
On the older continents. n regions reach
/ ing from the tcrrid TO the frozen zones, en-
bracing arid plains and prpcipiions noun
tains covered with snow. ca,He,s are used
with the best results They are the rcan<
Of transportation and communication in the
immense commercial intercourse with Cen
tral Asia. From the mountains OF Cir
cassia 10 the plain Of India, they have been
used for various military purposcs-to
transport Il pies, TO draw ordnance, and as
substitute for dragoon horses.
Napoleon, when in Egypt, used with
marked success the dromedary, n fleet IN.
rety of the same animal. in subduine the
Arabs. whose habits and country we're ver,
similar to those of the mounted Indians Of
our western plains. | learn. from what is
believed to be reliable authority, that France