The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-12-26

the thirteen passengers perisned. poor boy, Ter
merly "shoe. black" in this town, who had slowed
himself away and did not make his appearance until
three days after the vessel left the Mersey and who
was then adopted as one Of the crew, was also lost.
As the weather continued boiterous, and the crew
30 diminished in strength the captain deemed It pru.
dent to put back to Liverpool and after lying 70 for
thirty hours the vessel accordingly put about the
captain mate steward, and helmsm An being the on
y persons uniDjured, and only six seamen abe to do
duty, After the 3Oth the weather proved favorable
and the vessel arrived at the Ormeshead at 1880 A.
NJ ON Tuesday, and subsequently ran into this port
The four disabled seamen were Immediately conveyed
The following are the names Of the passengers who
were lost:-James Fitzgerald, Mary Fitzgerald, john
Fitzgerald, Ellen Fitzgerald, Mary, Fitzgerald,
Bridget Fitzgerald Margaret ao anr J Rom
nett, Mary Madden, Mary Maoihill, Mrs. smith, and
John Smith. The only passenger saved was named
John Ryan.
SIMPLY OF Guano I'm the Chinca Islands.
From the Loudon Times, Dec 8
Not long ago very learned lecturer enlivened an
elaborate discourse upon national destnies by some
startling specuations on the supply Of coal The
observations delivered not. it is true of that
particular character which the high price of fuel has
recently suggested but were addressed to the great
subject of supply in genera-of its influence on man.
nfactures, on navigation and on countless other de-
partments OF commerce and government. On the
1ath of statistics lately collected 1t alleged, with
some plausbty, that the yield of coal in the British
islands certainly terminable, and that, with such
prospect before us, we should at leas. abstain from
all waste in the extraction and use OF this precious
commodity. We doubt whether the warning pro-
dueed its intended effect, but no longer ago than
yesterday morning we published q statement of
precisely analogous character relating to an artcl
Of less direct necessity, doubt, but nevertheless
exalted by modern science to most important place
in the economics OF the kingdom. Twenty years
back guano was scarcely heard Of. 1t now acts 80
Influential a part in the production of our daily
food, that the announcement OF its possible failure ID
pnO Oh tn
The deposits of this celebrated manure are con
fined, as the reader Is aware, to certain island per
tanning to the government OF Peru. 1T is not sup
posed that these in reality can be the only acsumu-
laons OF such material but at present they form al
most the only known sources from which guano of
the desired quality can be obtained. Hitherto the
but more circumstantal report has now been given
with very different results. Admiral Moresby the
Commander. IN Chief in the Pacific, has caused an
mvestiga to be made into the actual extent 0!
the deposits remaining the Chincha Islands, and
the conclusion OF this inquiry extracted from the
columns Of mercantile contemporary, appeared in
cur impression OF yesterday. The inspection was
made by Mr.. Intosh, naval instructor who, though
observes that the proceeding resembed rather cur
Bory examiE alton than deliberate survey, unhesi-
tatingy asserts that his report certainly not
derestmate the quantity Of manure still available.
After making plans and sections and allowing
considerable excess upon the measurements given,
Mr.. MIntosh concludes that, at the rate Of one ton
Of gusno to forty cubic feet Of space there cannot
tons Of guanO.
If we now turn to the process Of consumption we
discover that the expOrtation or, in other words,
the ABSORPTION OF this manure, is maintained at q
very startling rate. Some results obtained by
Mr.. NJ 'Intosh from two sources of evidence. gen.
tleman with the omnous name OF K0ssuth but who
appears in this instance to be engaged in the highly
pacific employment Of experimenting the exports Of
guano, allowed Mr. M'Intosh to inspect his books !;
and he further observed that whereas in December,
1852, the digging or excavation exten led inwards
L. foofe vnup thn nltR In
1859 reached $50 feet in direct line to the deepest
part Of the cutting. On calculation, this state
ment gave consumption of 240 0C0 tons in seven
or WITH tons day. result gen ne
superintendent But the same work was going
on at other points of the group Of islands |;
and, moreover, it is not every part of the de-,
Is required for the British market 1t is to be under
stood, also that the demand is on the increase and
that other nations are beginning to direct their in
quiries to that superior quality Of the article which
ct first was principally in request for the English.
Altogether, therefore, Admiral Moresby may not be
far wrong in his opinion that at the present
rate Of expectation, the islands would be exhausted
the English market, in eight or nine years"
This Is certainly no encouraging prospect, and
The subject might well attract some attention even
amid topics Of . character more Immediately
exciting It is to guano that we have been lately
taught to look for those means of fcrtilizng the
earth which our present requirements demand. 1t
u guano which is to provide the farmer with wheat
and stock, and the nation with bread and meat.
Its value, as the increased demand shows, vas just
beginning to be correctly appreciated, and it il by
no means agreeable to hear that we must lose such
We think, however, that by way of reinsurance two
or three points may be suggested for public con-
sideration We should like, in the first place. to re-
Ceve some further confirmation Of the facts now re-
ported. No doubt the examination was conducted
as efficiently as circumstances would permit Mr..
NIntosh himself describes it rs rough and imper.
feet" and it would be desirable to obtain additional
evidence In case where the results are opposed
to those previously accepted In the next place. it is
perfectly certain that deposits must exist in many
other places. and indeed, the exorbtant price affixed
10 this commodity by the monopoly of its SALE has
already caused researches to be made for more
open market. As these researches must almost in
faiply be successful no great harm will If
additional stimulus is given to the inquiry by the
prospects no. announced from the Chincha Islands.
Nevertheless, new supplies themselves must be ex-
haustble likewise, and though the production of the
commodity is doubtless necessarily going on, it is
hard TO believe that the coves of this Peruvian
can be numerous enough to provide for the cocsu mp
ton of three thousand tons of guano day. Ia fact
this rate OF absorption would probably be largely
increased under more open trade, so that after a
Iepse CT years the services OF this singular article
would, perhaps, be really beyond our comEand.
10 this consideration we can only reply that the
Fame interval Of time which absorbs the sup.
ply OF guan0 will have been but i'll employed il
1t has not enabled us to discover some method of
compensatng the deficiency. Agricultural science
has scarcely passed its infancy even yet and as
guano appeared TO supersede farm manures, some
ming may appear TO supersede guan0. We know
what guan0 is and on what ingredients its fertziog
properties depend. Already on the ground not of
its eXbaustibty, but of its dearness premiums have
been offered tor the discovery of an efficient suosti
tute, and the idea OF Ash manure was proof of the
philosophical sagacty with which the question had
been examined. As guano was nothing but fish do.
composed by its passage through the body of SCI
bird and left to the action of sea air, an inge-
NOUS protector suggested thst an approximation
at least, TO the natural rs1ut might be
obtained from the fish which are found
in such prodigious numbers she coasts of these
Islands. and often left absolutely &c waste. Ia the
west OF b. gland tie of pjlchards FOR has
long been common, and they probably answered to
some extent the purposes of guano ITSELF Into these
points, however, we are not called upor to enter 1t
as enough for to show the bearings C. the general
question and We do not think that either our agri