| News |
|
|
 |
| Janet
Silvera Photo - Camels at the Prospect Plantation in St. Mary. |
Story of J'can camels
An article titled 'A Camel is born', which was carried in Hospitality
Jamaica of April 25, received much feedback from our readers. Here,
Lloyd A. Cundy sent us a research he did on camels in Jamaica and
Barbados.
Mr. Cundy believes there must have been other camels born in Jamaica,
owing to the fact that several of them were imported here in the
1600s.
A 1657 map of Barbados shows, of all things, the presence of camels.
It has not been possible to determine who first brought these beasts
into the island, but Richard Ligon, 1657, makes the following colourful
statements about them in A True and Extraordinary History of the
Island of Barbados.
"First I must name camels and these are very useful beasts,
but very few will live upon the island: divers have had them brought
over, but few know how to diet them. Captain Higginbotham had four
or five, which were of excellent use, not only of carrying down
sugar to the bridge, but of bringing from thence hogshead of wine,
beer or vinegar, which horses cannot do, nor can carts. A good camel
can carry 1600 lb weight and can go the surest of any beast."
importation
Some light is thrown on their importation into Barbados/Jamaica
by George Glas in A Description of the Canary Islands (Dublin, 1767)
where it is mentioned that a number of camels were once exported
from Fuerteventura (Canary Islands) to Jamaica and other parts of
the West Indies; but the andencia stopped this traffic. Edward Long
in his History Of Jamaica (1774, vol. 111) gives us an amusing picture
of the camel in Jamaica:
originally bred here
"The animals were originally bred here, with a view of carrying
sugar and rum to the market instead of mules. Great expectations
were formed from this project, as the camel was known to be far
more docile and tractable and equal to bear much heavier burden;
but upon trial, it appeared that the roads were much too rocky for
their hoofs, that the hills were too steep and that nature had designed
them only for extensive and level sandy deserts. They answer no
other purpose here at present, than that of terrifying people, travelling
the roads and causing overturn of carriages now and then.
The humanity of their owners preserves them from extinction, though
at the hazard of many a man's neck. The young ones are said to be
good meat and often used by the inhabitants of those countries where
they are more common, but the epicures of Jamaica have not yet thought
it proper to introduce the Asiatic dainty into their bill of fare.
They attain hair in their growth; and some advantage might doubtless
be found by shearing their hair; at present they are the most useless
animals belonging to this island."
|
