'Travels in Assyria, Media, and Persia, including a journey from Bagdad by Mount Zagros, to Hamadan, the ancient Ecbatana, researches in Ispahan and the ruins of Persepolis, and journey from thence by Shiraz and Shapoor to the sea-shore. Description of Bussorah, Bushire, Bahrein, Ormuz, and Muscat, narrative of an expedition against the pirates of the Persian Gulf, with illustrations of the voyage of Nearchus, and passage by the Arabian Sea to Bombay.' [‎137] (168/582)

TO BISITOON AND KENGAWAR.
137
the villages, the multitudes of flocks and herds, and the sounds
of people whom we saw every where around us, gave a highly
favourable idea of the activity and improving state of the popu
lation of the country in this immediate neighbourhood at least.
In some caravans which passed us, were camels of a much
larger size than any I had ever seen before; and as different in
their forms and proportions from the camel of Arabia, as a mas
tiff is from a greyhound. These camels had large heads and thick
necks ; from the under edge of which depended a long, shaggy, dark
brown hair ; their legs were short, their joints thick, and their car
cases and haunches round and fleshy, though they stood at least a
foot higher from the ground than the common camels of the Ara
bian Desert. As they were laden with heavy burthens, I could not
discover whether they had the two humps which distinguish the
Bactrian camel; or one only, like the camel of Arabia; the only
answer given to our enquiry, by their drivers, being, that they
were of the Turcoman breed from the north. #
Among a party of well-dressed and well-mounted Persian
gentlemen, who appeared to be returning from an excursion
* The current opinion entertained in Europe is, that the animal with one hump is the
camel, and the animal with two humps the dromedary. This, however, is an error. The
Bactrian camel, which is the largest, strongest, and heaviest species, and is covered with a
thick, shaggy, dark brown hair, fitting him to endure the rigours of a northern climate, has
two humps invariably ; while the Arabian camel, which is common to Africa, Egypt, Arabia?
Syria, and Mesopotamia, and which differs from the Bactrian in being less fleshy and more
slender in all its parts, and having only a thin covering of light fawn-coloured hair, has inva
riably one hump only. The difference between the camel and the dromedary is just that
which forms the difference between the cart-horse and the race-horse; the former is trained to
carry burthens ; the latter, trained only to speed. There are, therefore, one-humped camels
and one-humped dromedaries, as well as two-humped camels and two-humped dromedaiies,
the only difference in each case being, that the camel is the beast of burthen, and the drome
dary the animal of speed. The former name is pronounced indifferently, either Ghemel, or
Jemel, among the Arabs : the latter, which is a Greek word, is unknown among them : the
camels trained to speed, being known by the appellation of Hedjeen only. The rate of the camel
seldom exceeds a walk of three miles an hour ; while the dromedary or hedjeen will ordinarily
perform ten, and sometimes trot at the rale of fifteen miles an hour. Each will bear great
fatigue, and sustain themselves for a long while without food or water.
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