The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-04 00:00:00

ALLEGED DISCOVERY OF GUANO.

The Spanish Consul-General presents his com-
pliments to the Editor of The Sun,, and begs to for-
ward the translation of an article relative to the
probable discovery of guano on the southern coast
of the island of Cuba, which appeared in the
Madrid Gazette of the 23d ult., in hopes it may
prove of sufficient interest to merit insertion.
JOSE J. DE MORA, Consul-General.
Consulado General de Espana, en la
Gran Bretana, 1, Cushion-court,
Old Broad-street, June 3.

" Havannah, March 24,
"We have lately spoken of the discovery of a
deposit of guano upon the Keys (Cayos) adjacent
to the island on its southern side ; we announced
the appointment and departure of a commission
deputed to make a detailed survey of the said
rocks, and also notified the fact of the arrival of
some cases of samples sent from Trinidad by the
commission ; from which place, according to the
intelligence published in our number of last Sun-
day, it was announced that the guano had been
met with in abundance and of fine quality. We
this day propose to occupy ourselves more fully
with this discovery, entering (although briefly)
into its history ; for we are of opinion that the
facts which have come to our knowledge, and
which we are now about to relate, will not be
found wanting in interest, more especially since
the recent publication of the decree of his Excel-
lency the Governor-Superintendent.
"According to our information, then, the exist-
ence of a species of guano upon the Cayos, adja-
cent to the island, and even upon some point of
the island itself, was a circumstance 'that bad been
long since ascertained.' One of our friends assures
us that, happening to be some years back at
Trinidad, he had been commissioned by a merchant
, of Havannah to withdraw from the stores of that
city certain bags of guano, with the object of remit-
ting the same to France for the purpose of its being
examined with a view to ascertain whether its ship-
ment to that market would likely to be advanta-
geous, subsequent to which he had learned that
its transmission having taken place, the answer
which had been returned was that the guano was
found to be of excellent quality. Again, we learn
that D. Tranquilino Sandalio de Noda has declared
that among his youthful recollections he remembers
that upon the occasion of his sailing towards Bata-
bano from the direction of Vuelta Abajo his vessel,
having to make her escape from the pursuit of
pica' es, had been obliged to take refuge upon one
of the southern Cayes, where the passengers found
that they could scarcely sustain the bad odour
emitted from the soil ; which strong smell, he pre-
sumed must have proceeded from an abundant de
posit of guano. But, at all events, we are not
aware that up to the present moment any serious
investigation has been made of the matter, al-
though it is certain that very powerful reasons
exist to lead us to suspect that the greater portion,
if not the whole, of the guano which for a long
time has beenconsumed in the United States under
the name of Mexican guano has been taken from
the Cayos upon our southern coast.
However this may be, in the course of:thelpast
year Captain Green, of the American brig Mon-
cure, succeeded in convincing the firm of Tyng and
Co., of this city, that guano in large quantities did
actually exist upon the Cayos of Jardines and
Jardinillos, and that a large profit would be de-
rived from its exploitation, if permission could be
obtained to work it. The house of Tyng and Co.
applied to his Excellency tire Superior Civil
Governor, Captain-General and Superintendent of
Finance, requesting such exclusive privilege for a
certain term, and presenting a sample of the sub-
stance in question, submitting that they had esta-
blished a right to claim that or an equivalent re-
ward for the information which might be conceded
without prejudice to the State, since from the be-
fore mentioned Cayos alone as much as 150,000
tons might be annually extracted.
" As it may naturally be presumed, our supreme
authority gave immediate orders that the sample of
guano should be analysed, committing this task to
the case of the intelligent director of the Labora-
tory of Chymical Investigations. Those who are
acquainted with the activity and scientific attain-
ments of that distinguished professor will not be
surprised to learn that this commission.was promptly
and conscientiously performed. Although the an-
alysis did not furnish results entirely conformable
to the qualities which had been attributed to the
sample of guano submitted, it, on the hand, gave
others more than sufficiently satisfactory and valu-
able to render it highly advisable to continue the
investigation ; for, although no guano equal to that
of Peru had been found, still the substance which
had been examined possessed qualities, as a man-
ure, of an exceedingly valuable nature, which would
render its employment in our agriculture highly
profitable and even afford ample returns to the ex-
chequer by the granting licenses for its exportation,
which would not have been so earnestly sought for
without well-grounded reasons for counting upon a
profitable return.
" The sample submitted to examination was a
substance which, taking the result of its qualitative
analysis, was found to contain sulphate of lime or
gypsum, traces of salt; chloride of sodium, phos-
phate of lime with oxide of iron, carbonate of lime
with indications of magnesia, silica and silicate of
iron, vegetable organic matter and water corn
bined ; the quantitative analysis showing that the
sulphate of lime and:, -the traces of salt en-
tered into its composition in the proportion of
40 parts in the 100, the phosphate of lime 20
parts, the carbonate of lime 12, and the silica and
silicate of iron 2, organic vegetable matter
6, and water and loss 20 parts. Mr. Casaseca very
justly called attention to comparison of this analysis
with that of the guano of Peru, from which the
sample examined materially differed, since the
latter contained neither uric acid, utate of ammonia,
or ammoniaeal salts. while the average qualitative
analysis of the Peruvian guanosupplies no sulphate
of lime, the sample analysed contained no less than
40 per cent, of that substance it being to be ob-
served that no guano hitherto examined had yet
furnished gypsum, on which account Mr. Casaseca
considered himself authorised in terming it a cal-
careous stone.
" But Mr. Casaseca was notwithstanding of
opinion that this substance was to be considered as
a mineral manure of great utility, on account of
the large quantity of gypsum it contained, and to a
high degree valuable in particular descriptions of
cultivation, no less than on account of the remark-
able proportion it contained of phosphate of lime,
one of the best mineral manures known. He Was
of opinion, therefore, as we have already stated,
that the subject was a matter calling for thorough
investigation ; and this accordingly is the object
with which the commission appointed has set out
on its voyage, accompanied by the before-men
tioned Captain Green, sent by the firm of Tyng and
Company.
" The commission left Batabano on the 6th ; on
the 7th the steamer arrived, conveying it nearly as
far as the extremity of the= Rosario Channel; and
anchoring near the Cantiles Cayo. 'This cayo was
examined, and an abundance of white guano,
similar to that sold in the United States as Mexican
guano, was found upon it. Ou the Bth the Rosario
Cayo was 'examined, and on the 9th the Pasages
Cayo, upon which was found guano equal to that of
the Cantiles.• On the 10th after going in the direc-
of the Largo• Cayo, their explorations were con-
tinued with various results, but they had found on
some islets in sight of the said cayo an immense
number of birds and a considerable quantity of
guano.
" On the 11th, directing their course along the
south of the Largo reef and. cayo towards the Bel-
lenatos CAyoR, they found upon the larger one to
the east some guano of superior quality. On the
12tb, at daybreak, the steamer went in a direction
E. by S. of the Largo Cayo, and visited some cayos
which they had not examined on the 10th, meeting
with a dark-coloured guano, and upon one of them
so immense an assemblage of birds that the very
sun was darkened by them ; the soil of this cayo
was covered with eggs, it being calculated there
were as many as a dozen to every square yard. The
guano appeared to be abundant, and of excellent
quality. The steamer afterwards sailed to Trinidad,
from which place the commission was about to leave
for the cayos of Dice Leguas, and to continue their
explorations as far as the Cruz Cayo, also reserving
ler examination the cayos situated etween the Ro-
sario Channel and the Isle of Pines.
" But before resuming their labours the commis-
sion took care to remit to his ExCellency the Go-
vernor and Captain-General six cases of samples of
the qualities of, guano, •to all appearance distinct,
which it had rust with at different spots. Some at
least of these samples, which we have had the plea-
sure of insp,.!cting, must differ considerably from
that previously analyzed by Mr. Casaseca. ; for, if
we are not, mistaken, it cannot be doubted that they
exhale aramonia in abundance, and that conse-
quently that essential point of distinction betiveen
it and the guano of Peru no longer exists.
" Th'e samples have now been since Tuesday last
in the hands of Mr. Casaseca, with the view' of his
so that the ,de-
innaiktiir.7;eg
rneeswaitasnbalyyses of the same,
which we Are to abide cannot
it is our firm conviction
b.).
what they
long in being made known q, .Blitthc4;
that the cannot fail