The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1844-08-30
GmanO in the Hand OF TchuSoc.

lHe bldsgO tleGalu, tlat II was through
the information Of the master Of an Amer
lean whaIer, at the Cape Of Good Hope,
given to Captain Farr, an Englishman,
that the first cargo of guano was brought
to this country from Ichaboe, by the lat
ter, who has since made second VOYAGE
to the island. and pointed out the way TO
other ships, in accordance with negocia-
ton entered into with their owners. The
writer in the Herald thus concludes
"At the time Of Captain Fairs first Vi
sit, the island was covered with pcnguins,
gannets, &C., but principally the former,
in number which altogether defed calcu-
laion. They seemed to have no acquaint-
ance with, nor fear Of man, and in fact
offered a resistance to his encroachment
on domain which had been peculiarly
their own for thousands of years. Since
the crews of so many ships, however.
located at the island, the birds have al
most entirely deserted their former terri
tory, and retired to fulfill the purpose of
their natures in more remote and lnacces-
slble shores. The specimens of the pen
gum from Ichaboe which we have seen
are about two feet in height, and as
great portion Of their time is spent in the
sea, they are furnished with small flaps
or paddles, instead Of wings, which ena-
BILE them to progress through the wafer
with great velocity, though they are una
bic TO fly. The female lays and sits on one
egg at a time, and whole scratched in
the deposit subserves all the purpose of
nest. In this way succession of the
incubations 60 on for several months in
the year, the young bird making its way
to the sea as soon as it is able. 1t is the
opinion OF the seamen, however, that vast
numbers Of them never reach their desin-
ed home IN the waters, but are crushed to
death in their progress to it, by the dense
battalons of birds which have almost to
maintain a struggle for bare standing
room; and in this way the guano heaps
are increased as well by the bodies of the
birds as by their droppings. The bodies
of seals are also found on the surface of
the guano deposires, which leads to the
belief that they may have occasionally ia
ken shelter there from a storm or hurri-
cane, and having been overpowered by
the ammoniacal vapor, have been unable
to return to the water, and died where
they lay.
The guano which is brought to this
country is found under loose covering
of decayed birds, recent dung, &C., and is
so firmly imbedded that it requires to be
dug out by the laborious operations of the
pick-axe. When thus disengaged, 1t is
put into bags, and transferred, by means
of sort Of rope ladder, from the island to
a boat which lies at the outer edge of the
surf, and thence it is duly empIied into
the hold Of the vessel which is anchored
at short distance. Ten men will lift
about fifteen tons day, but the operation
is very laborious one, and the sun is so
powerful that few of the crews escape
wi;hG@t having their faces and hands bis
tered so that the outer skin is pcaied OF.
The trip to or from the island extends to
from iifly-iive to seventy days, or, includ-
ing the time necessary TO take in cargo,
a voyage out and home extends to from
six to seven months. When Captain
Farr left lchaboc, he estimated the guano
deposite on that island alone to extend to !
one thousand feet in length, by five hun.
,lred feet in breath, with an average depth
Of thirtyf five feet, containing, perhaps,
from 10000 to 100000 tons. 1t is evil
lent, therefore, that this supply will soon
pc exhausted in ierliIzing the soil of
Great Britain and her dependencies, but it
S to be hoped that vast stores Of it vet cx-
st, which have hitherto not yet been dis
urbed by man. On this subject we quote
he following cheering statement from the
South Commercial Advertiser, published
1t Cape Town in January last:
son the rocky hcadands, or on the
'ocky and unmolcstcd islands on the west
coast, both within and beyond the bound
Try of this colony, where the sea-fowl,
rom a vast eXpanse Of open ocean, come
o breed, enormous masses Of this manure .
lave recently been discovered and it
seems probable that all the way up the
'oast into the gulf Of Guinea. and beyond
t, similar treasures await the agriculture
If the world, by which means the sea will
ender back to the land much more mat
er fitted TO form organized, that is, vege.
able and animal substances, than the ri.
'ers carry down into its depths, or the
leets Of the nations deposite in their
course over its sur'ace.--karmer'S Jour.
a large Omthed Man.-The n. Y.
Sunday Atlas tells a funny story of a man