Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-04-22
COZ nN ROBINSON.

plrsue in the present crisis OF ailai'e' 80 -
fish on MONDAY rs also some verses ho'' '"'
for ever "Unce Solon'' is aroused W uo p''.'s
,o oo,,r 70 mould his wise suggestions INTO poe'lca
appeal ,,.1,,c, ABOUT GUANO.
To The Editors o. the Enquirer n oddress few
Do"i s I'm, whose number is so great, that IL Is IN
~ o" "a address lnem privately although me mater
m,u annrar 10 others altogether personal IN lis ciIc'e w
hope most OF my star.'le.',So ""'
one "t" se n,da about the history of this wonderful
fertilizer 1t the excrenent OF nsh .eu.s IND. @ ,i
G,r untold ages, upon the lsiands near li'e
, - ,r where little rain TAILS, ana IS o"Iu IN 'e
Sr" ~ d1y Dungcnl, yeowish powder win an onnsVe
smell Of the E1en see buE Te islands are
d Nv he government and the guano Is dus ana put on
hins bv free laJorers in the government employ VINO
ave- nJrnG worse slavery than any gang OF negroes III
ae pr nav worse feed, hard treatment ana unhcaithy
Invmnni make death frequent The handing oil guano
in usngit in the open air upon pian'ao 10 NOT
unhealthy r o ;,,o ,,;s country worthy
e ,o was by nv esteemed friend and co-lahorer In eve
nv thing that might tend toward te - m, ~
c,n Agricuufe the amened John s. SKINNER. put MS
M were 100 early-he people were not ready 10 improve
d lands while the lands OF the great est hea OUT IN
nr.n,o,s almost equal the California hunbug 10 ara"
ho oay from their old homesteads that only neeaea 10 DC
mnroyed TO make them more productive OF wealth. uu uup
pincss than the peslentia plains OF some OF the ms"
that have peupled by the foy ana rowing uneasy pro-
nrnsitics Of the people of the old ones
ne most successful pioneer in the introduction oil guaho
was A. b. Allen, Editor of the American Agricutuins.' IN
Nsw York who without having any interest Whatever IN
The sale oft at that Iime commenced by distributing small
printed directions for It's USE 10 every person
who woul try the experiment OF lis value upon various
,anrs He afterwards established the great New ok aer
cultural Warehouse and A. g. Allen & Co. became tne pm
cipal dealers in the article in that city inns was IN loio
r. was Then as now imported into this country INTO Inc
por,s of New York and Baltimore only ana sou 10y inc agent
If GIbbs IL Co.. of London who had an exclusive contract
with the Peruvian Government, ana he!a coPce ohop
DIV of the trade with rng exception OF ot hat came
in through merchants OF Havana 10 woi as 10 uioos
g. Co. the corrupt Government OF feru were III eo ana aa
nothing pay only as tiloy u'S" upon ~ "' - s'"'0
at the Chinche Islands ;,,r c-;,L 9
Co.'S contract last year, when The Peruvian government
ndsr,ooI 10 supply the demand directly through the
AGENTS OF outrageous nlquity and abominaby wicked
Of OF these agents TO hold back cagocs
and create panic Of short supply, &c, &c, 10 enrich him
self at the expense of the farmers II is not my purpose now
TO speak, But do purpose TO caution those who wish 10
use guano that they rely upon any statement,
have any guarantee Of quantity or price The article while
the trade is monopolzcd by men whose only God Is money
without regard tU the manner OF obtaining H. contract
that has termination has been made by The government
with Peruvian merchants, who will probably put II 10 The
hands OF the agents sell at The highest price and in the
greatest quantities. that they obtain by means what
ever il statement in the spring mat there Is
an unboundcd supply expected and that prices will rule low
place confidence whatever in It, for il is probably only
out forth induce farmers make such calculations that
they do without 1t only at great Inconvenience and
so they will submit to the swndng shave they may be sub
mitfed To in the fall
The price realized by the Peruvian government does no,
exceed 10 SIC per long and the freight paid is rarely
over SIS that the so or $50 per short on which the
has 10 pay affords very pretty crop for somebody
besides Tie farmer Instead OF its being profitable
poly the people of Peru il is only the contractors,
agents and officials who er2e upon the properties of the
guano passing through their hands 1t is even provided in
the thar the guano should not sell for enough
in this country freight, storage interest," and commits
SION the shall have preferred claim upon the
treasury Of Peru for compensation Guano ought TO be sold
in this country $40 and afford handsome profit 10
the dealer and il tho business was conducted honestly,
would give the Peruvian government more money than they
of this country beyond calculation During the adminu
ton Of Gsn Taylor, feeble efforts were made TO in
duce the Peruvian government TO break up this wicked
monopoly, and open the trade 10 fair competition
During last fall, by untlrlng efforts in Washington l
succeeded in bringing the present adminsl raon 10 full
Of the vast Importance OF the trade TO the asrl-
culture cI Ibis country particularly virginia. and the Pre-
sdent and Cabinet took lively interest in the natter and
the Secretary of State dispatched urgent instructions 10
our Charge Lima TO make strenuous efforts to have all
restrictions removed and offer the Gaano for sale al fixed
prices m the island great greater than they had re-
allied: which would have caused il be imported in such
ounnti,is and sold from frs, hands that have no doubt
ncs would have been able procure ii in every part o the
United States by tho cargo, at S25 $50 ton-andit
would has proved blessing than the dscoveryol
gold in California Unfortunately, the effort made tho
ate,he contract had already been cosed and the people Of
this country left 10 the tender merces OF animals mere
voracous than the curmorants who gorge themselves with
the life blood oil the hsh which forms inc ieZnG proper
lies OF the Guano
only speak OF my agency In the efforts that have
been made for the benefit of the consumers of the article
show my friends that nhuus OF my acts and stale
may have mised and Injured thcu have enGeaYored
in part make compensation by most devoted eSerons 10
open the trade for their Acknowledgement my own. come
little personal explanation in regard TO some trans
actions in Guano, for which my good name has somewhat
suffered and that is The only inheritance expect 10 leave
nv children anxious 10 leave II without blemish
IL will alsu show how little dependence be placed upon
agents Of the Peruvian Government about the article in
the present condition OF trnde
bIcssrs A. 3. Allen g. Co., for whom have travelled so
extensively in Southern States The agent Of their
rcuura warehouse having received the most positive as
suunces from the Peruvian agent last spring. that they
should be supplied with all the Guano they could SELL wrote
10 me while In Virginia 10 that effect offering me an
interest in the sales Knowing the immense advantage
had been and would be upon Of the poorest odhed
land Of the Stale felt though should be doing good
decd could increase the of IT, and thereupon made
propositions the people 4" the Northern Neck and recev
cd applications for upwards of five hundred TONS which
agreed deliver in September the market price in New
York Baltimore oI at SIG tom they might agree
About l5O TONS the price agreed upon at the s49 and
the balance lett for the risk OF rise fall in The market
We did expect 10 make much upon the Guano-as
few but The agents, or those connected with them in
some way, ever have--but did expect to get
profit upon the increased sale of agricultural npe-
mcnts but certainly hud specializing DESIGNS las has been
charged against by somc the farmers of that re-
gon. The contracts were made in good faith that would
fill theB and with the best of motives and for the nte
rests Of my consumers than my own.
Shortly after my return New York. and when was
just tho point OF starting 10 visit my family in Indiana
hold of information that led suspect foul
play had been at work to prevent several ships expected al
New York with guano in June july from coming that
at the earliest possible nio
nation the persons who had agreed with purchase
their supply Of US that were likely to be disappointed
and advising them obtain tho article from other places
Not knowing suspecting the enormiy Of the nqu
~ about he pracsed Mcssrs Aliens unwilling to
say anything that after a might be founded in fact and
only mentioned in ,is circular out of dis
appointment in obtaining supply and knowing il was
contemplated by those who managed the monopoly to raise
the price, they could state 10 their correspondents II
seems they equally unsuspcious they did buy
until after tho unwarantabe increase Of price, md then
charged pretty severely with practising "Yankec trick"
upon hem because agreed furnish them $40 md then
refusing 10 do 30 because the price above that Now,
the Justice which ask Of these gentlemen is this that when
they Informed that supply had failed and advised
them buy elsewhere, the price had advanced We
could have gone into market and bought ST. and then
joned with the monopoiseTs and SPECTATORS and for
nv ton upon our list to be delivered S49 should have
had two deliver at the market price. If
was guilty of "Yankee trick for entering into
holy alliance fleece the farmers hope shall be always
found guilty in the But hope my friends
when they fully understand the case will withdraw Of
the hard churgcs against me- One thing in eStenua
tion several weeks after the circulars sent out
h.ore any complaint maGe-we thought all sas
fed better than ourselves. We felt sorely disappointed
When the first letter Of complaint reached New York. was
ut Quebec Messs Aliens Ieegraphcd the fact to me and