The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1857-09-05

.aa Two lots OF cnMeH nave Deen pfOcurec
from tho East, and are now In Texas
The FIRST lot was obtained in 1855 s.
through the agency Of Major Horny G.
Wayne, Of the u. 8. army, under the
direction Of tho War Department. Thir
tysthrce animals we're obtained At Tunis
Cairo, aud Smyrna, part Of them gifts
from tho local authorities. The SUM cx
pended in securing them was about cigh,
thousand dollars
Major Wayne says he is satisfied tha,
Americans will be able to manage camels
not only as well, but better than Arabs
as they will do it with more humanity
and far greater intelligence. The camels
obtained by Major Wayne were landed a,
Indianola, Texas, on the 14th Of May,
1856, and ne remained in charge of them
until January of this year. In letter
to the Secretary of War on the 18th OF
February, he says that the process of &C,
clima::iion has been partially, and, so far
successfully, accomplished; SO that he
has no doubt of its comp.ete success. lie
proposes that the camels should have o
fixed home for three or four years at
some point on the frontier, where they
may be carefully attended, and their in
crease in number promoted, and from
which they may be used from time to
time in transportation and scouting.
Their present location (Camp Verde,
Texas is recommended as an excellent
one. After the thirty-three camels pro-
cured by Major Wayne were landed, the
United States ship Supply was immedi-
ately dispatched for another lot, which
were duly obtained and landed at Indian.
ola on the 10th of February last They
were forty-one in number, and much finer
animals than the first lot, although their
cost was no greater. The prices Of
camels range almost as widely as the
sums paid for horses in this country,
They are sold at from $3.50 to $1,000
each, according to their breed and pecu-
liar characteristics. They have been
used in Tuscany for two hundred years.
The present Grand Duke owns two hun
dred and fifty, and, although badly cared
for, they will do the work Of one thou.
sand horses.
The report of Major Wayne to the Go.
vernment, giving a history of the expe.
dition sent to procure these "ships OF
the DESERT embraces much interesting
information relative to the camel, the
combined result of his reading and obser.
vation. The limits of 4" camel land
that is, since the camel has been known
and used--lies between the 18th and
52d degrees Of north latitude, and the
18th degree of longitude west of Green,
wich to about the l20th degree east oi
it. The animal, therefore, is not one oi
the torrid zone, as is often supposed, but
rather of the north temperate. Indeed
it suffers as much, if not more, from
great heat as it does from intense cold
The scientific classification of the anima
into the "camel," or the two bumped
species, and the "dromcdary," or one
bumped group, is wrong. The wore
dromedary," or anything like it, is un
known throughout "a camel land" 1t i:
derived from the Greek, and signifies
runner" ga racer" or "a courser,'
and is really applicable to but one varie
ty of the camel--that devoted to ridins
purposes--and is actually so applied b,
the Europeans living in the countries
where that variety is known and used
Major Wayne distinguishes both the two
bumped and one-humped species from
each other by the terms 4" Bactrian' an,
4" Arabian from the countries whenc'
they are said to have originally come
The two-humped is the Baetrian, and th'
one-humped the Arabian.
The Bactrian species is found onl y OF
the southern border of Siberia, in a por
tion of Tartary, and in the Crlmea, ane
is much heavier built, stouter hmbed
and stronger animal than the Arabian
From the difficulty of loading it, on &C
count Of its two humps, its usefulness a
a beast of burden is limited. 1t is some
times, however, used for draught, bein.
yoked to wagon as oxen are. Th
great value of this camel is as breeder
for crossing the male Baetrian with tn
female Arabian, the produce being pow
erful bumped hybrid; and for thi
purpose it is kept throughout northern
Asiatic " camel land" as breeding stal
lions are with us.
The Arabian camel, to which yariet
most of the specimens brought to tai
country belong, is found throughou
camel land, and furnishes beasts both fo
burden and for riding. Its powers an
hardness vary with climate and breed
ing, and as a general rule its strengt
aud endurance are greater the farthe
north it is found.