'The Expedition for the survey of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, carried on by order of the British government, in the years 1835, 1836, and 1837; preceded by geographical and historical notices of the regions situated between the rivers Nile and Indus. In four volumes. With fourteen maps and charts, and embellished with ninety-seven plates, besides numerous wood-cuts. Volume the first.' [‎584] (675/905)

584
THE CAMEL.
[CHAP. XXIT.
Swiftness of and Antioch, a distance of about. 560 miles. And it may be
the camel. ac [ c [ e( j j as another case of endurance which came under the
knowledge of the writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. , that a Russian gentleman went from
El Arish to Jerusalem in two days, with merely one relay at
Gaza ; but he was in motion about 21 hours of the 24 each
day On several occasions of late, the mails have been car
ried from Baghdad to Damascus, in the short period of seven
days, 1 a distance of about 482 miles; and Burckhardt gives
an instance of 115 miles having been accomplished by an
Egyptian hajin in the space of 11 hours. 2
The swiftest But owing to the expense of keeping and training such
camels rare. anima | s are ra ther rare; and we frequently find large tribes,
without even one of the swift kind. Those of Nedjd are m
very high estimation ; but the best, according to Edrisi, belong
to the people called Mehret or Mahrak, among whom the
animal is taught to understand what is to be done, and to dis
tinguish the name by which he is called. 3 In this part of the
country, the camel is fed upon a kind of dried fish.
Mule camel. Besides the Bactrian camel, the Turkomans have a mule
breed between this and the Arabian animal, with a hump
which can neither- be called single nor double, though more
near the latter than the former. This is a large, useful, and
highly prized animal, capable of transporting from 1,000 to
1,200 lbs. with ease ; but the creature is short-lived, and the
Arabs do not breed from him ; giving as a reason, that the
progeny are intractable, and bad-tempered.
Powers Of the The ordinary Arabian camel usually carries a burthen of
Arabian camel. ^ OI1 0QQ lbs., to receive which, he is accustomed to kneel
down, and having a joint more in his hinder legs than most
animals, he is enabled to double them beneath his body m a
peculiar manner. In Egypt, and some other places, he is used
for draught, and his power would be great, if he were properly
trained, and provided with suitable harness; this would, how
ever, be attended with some difficulty, on account of the shape
1 Under the directions of Mr. Farren, then Consul-General for Syria, and
subsequently under the care of Mr. Werry, the Consul at Damascus.
8 Beddwin and Wahhdbi, p. 262.
8 Edrisi, par Jaubert, tome V., p. 150.