New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1855-12-19


officer in charge Of the expedition OF this Gov
ernment to procure camels to be brought hither
with the view Experimenting for their future
employment in U. 8. Military transportation,
especially on our great Western deserts. II ID
as follows:
CoNsTASTNoPLE, Oct 81, 1855.
sr IN accordance with my report Of the
ilth OF October, Lieut.. Porter and myself left
tn's for Balaklava the next day, the 18th. in
the british transport steamer, the Imperador.
and landed in the Crimea on the nth. Calling
on MAJOR Boss, the Deputy Quartermaster Gen.
eral at Balaklava. and, further to the front. ON
General simpson, the commander of the British
forces, we received from these gentlemen kind
welcome, and every facility for the prosecution
of our duty was promptly afforded to u.s. was
further fortunate in receiving an introduction to
Col McMurdo, in charge under the Ourtermas-
ter General, General Eyre, of the land trsns.
port service in the Crimea, and who, as Omar
termaster General to General Napier in the
expedition against Sinde, had used cameIs ex-
tensively for military purposes. He gave me
much interesting information in relation to the
milIi ary use Of the camel; and from General
simpson, also, who had served in the same expe-
dition under General Napier, we had additional
accounts Of the value Of the animal, and Of the
favorable opinion entertained of it by the army
Ior the services it was capable Of rendering.
Inc engagements of Colonel McMurdo were such
that could occupy but little of his time, and
IN consequence obtained from him only few
material facts without going into details. NV
thanks are due to him for the moments he dego
ted to me. pressed az he was with she many and
various duties Of bis position
We found in the Crimea both the Bactriau
two bumped camel, and the Arabian, or one
bumped; but the latter alone seemed to be used
for the purpose of military transportation. The
/ rrrlar uyar xrynd ~ ~ ~ 4AtGs
mencement Of the war; the latter were carried
there since from Asia Minor. The former were
but little thought of; the latter were highly
esfeemed--the only objections to them we heard
OF being the room they occupied in the narrow
streets, and their frightening the horses. The
two are very distinct species Of the same genus;
differing from each other as much, should say,
as the buffalo OF our western prairies do from
the common OK. Doubly bumped, the Bactrian
is strongly built, powerful animal, standing
not quite SO high as the Arabian, of coarser and
more shaggy coat, slower in motion, but capable
OF carrying immense burdens From the forma.
tion Of its back tits two humps) there is diff
Guilty in adjusting to it pack saddle, and
without one there is always more or less per-
piexity in loading and securing the load. This,
| rather think. is the principal source of obiec-
ton to its use, though believe the opinion sd
vanced to us to be correct, that it is not as SER
viceable an animal as the Arabian, It's use in
the Crimea before the war we understand to be
chiefly for draught, and on one occasion we saw
two yoked to Tartar wagon, as oxen are, but
guided by rope reins. The result of our exarui-
| nation determined US not to procure one, as it
would only complicate cur experiment without
producing such results as we anticipate from the
Arabian stock. At some future day, should the
camel become donesticated with us, it NAV then
be worth while to import q few males for cross-
ing upon the Arabian females, as il liz said ia
done with advantage in Persia, the issue always
taking after the mother-that is, being one
bumped. Sketches of the Bactrian camel were
made by Mr.. Heap, which will convey very clear
ideas of the animal and of its difference from the
Arabian. @
| Col. McMurdo informed me, that in the expe.
dition against Sinde he had in service about
twenty-five thousand camels, and that from his
experience he esteemed them highly; so much
so, that ne had then at Sinope three thousand
OF them, in addition to the few now in use in the
Crimea, in readiness for the campaign next
spring. The loads they will carry depend much ,
he said, upon the service in which they are, en-
ployed-rapid movements naturally requiring
light burdens; but their average loads, under
favorable circumstances, he stated to be about
six hundred pounds. and these they will carry
easily, without pushing, twenty-five to thirty
miles day. He mentioned the interesting fact,
| which l do not remember to have heard before,
L ue,
Napier organized most efficient CORPS of one
thousand men, mounted upon five hundred drom-
edaries-two men to each dromedary--the men
sitting back to back, one facing the head, the
other the tail, and both armed with rifles and
sabres. The man facing the head was the ami
mails groom and driver, and the manner of using
the corps was as follows: Upon arriving at the
scene OF operations the dromedaries were made
| to kneel, in square, under charge of their five
hundred drivers, forming, as it were, a base Of
operations, from which the other FIVE hundred
operated as infantry. As the advanced body
moved, the square, or squares, if more than one
was formed, if required, were also moved; and
in case Of extremity, the square offered cover
under which the one thousand men could find
comparative shelter behind the animals, who
| were prevented from rising by hobble on the
fore leg, and use their rifles most effectively.
This corps. Col. McMurdo informed me, could
be readily marched seventy miles in any diree-
tion in twelve hours, Is 6-6 miles per hour, ]
and rendered throughout the campaign most
efficient service.
Gen. Simpson stated that in the same CAM
paign he found the camel so serviceable that he
procured five or six for his personal use. and
that with them he frequently went seventy miles
between sunset and sunrise To direct ques-
tion by Major Dela6eld (whom we met in the
Crimea,) whether he would not have preferred
the best English horses to camels, could he have
obtained them, the General answered No, tina,
he would have preferred the camel, as packing
his baggage upon them in light loads, he could
move more quickly and continuously.
In relation to our visiting Persia, the enqui.
ries we have made lead us to the conclusion that
though We might readily get there. our return,
owing to the blocking up Of the roads by snow,
would be impossible until next spring. AS this
would detain US much beyond the time fixed for
our return to the United States, and unneces-
sarily delay the experiment we are engaged in,
we have reluctantly abandoned the journey
though we desired much to see the varieties Of
the Persian camel. and particularly the Leur-
bourck or dromedary artillery.
| A journey into Persia, with the intention Of
returning Immediately, must be commenced, ",
find, about May. Our course from this will be
think. to Syria or Egypt, for dromedaries, anG
then back to Smyrna for burden camels. viii
the expectation of commencing our return home
sometime in February.
i The enquiries in relation to dromedaries for
the French army, reported in my letter of the
11th of October, produce no result.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
/ HENRY C. WAYNE,
| Major U. s. Army.
Hon. JEFFERSON DAVIS, Secretary of War.