Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-01-29

haunu, Slgnl1ying the eXcfement oil ANIMALS, but
altered to huano by the Spanish Peruvians; and,
owing to their strong aspiration of the h, the En-
glish have taken the word from their lips in the
shape of guano. 1t is found on all parts of the
coast of South America, even SO far south as
Cape Horn; but that obtained from the Chincha
Islands is the most highly priced probably for its
extreme dryness, as the islands lie within those
| ATTITUDES in which-on that coast-rain never
! falls.
| And now, having anchored between the north
and middle islands, at the latter of which we are
to load, we will borrow the boat and have clos.
err look at the huge muck heap. Pulling half
round the island to the landing place, we step
ashore on a narrow slip of sandy beach, which
appears to be cleared from the surrounding rocks
for our special convenience. Our appearance dis
turbs thousands of the web footed natives: these
thousands count with the old hands nothing.
for they tell us that the shipping have driven all
the birds away. Sailing above US is flock Of
pecans, lowering over the clear water like hawks.
which they resemble in their mode of darling
down or STOPPING their prey. One Of these
every instant drops from. the flock as though a
ball had whistled through his brain, but, after a
plunge, he is soon seen rising to the surface with
| fish struggling in his capacious pouch
Nearer to us whirling round our heads, are gan
| nets, news, mutton.birdS, divers, gulls, guano-
birds, and host of others whose names are I'M
known to the vulgar On the detached rocks and
the lower edge of the island-member of pref
| ty numerous convocation-stands the penguin
! the parson- bird of the sailor, whose good name
is fairly earned by his cut-away black coat, white
| tie and solemn demeanor. His short legs plant
ed far back and his long body, do not fit him for
a walk ashore but he will sit for hours on lit
| tie rock just washed by the waves, apparently in
| such deep absence of mind, that passers-by are
tempted to approach in hope of catching him.
just as the boat nears him, and hand is already
stretched out to grasp his neck, away he goes
| had haolc n nc;
manner dives under the boat, and shows his
head again about quarter of a mile out at sea-
where the sailor may catch him who can, for he
| is the fastest swimmer and the best diver that
ever dipped. Stepping over the mortal remains
of several sea-lions, in few strides we are on
knees.
The guano is regularly stratifed the lower
strata are solicited by the weight Of the upper,
| and have acquired dark red color, which be-
come gradually lighter towards the surface. On
the surface it has Whitley brown light crust, We
ry we'll baked by the sun; it is a crust contain
| ing eggs, being completely honeycombed by the
birds, which scratch deep, oblique holes in it to
serve as nests, wherein eggs, seldom more than
| two to each nest, are deposited. These holes Of
ten running into each other, form long galleries
with several entrances, and this mining system is
so deliberately carried out, that you can scarcely
put foot on any part of the islands without
sinking to the knee and being tickled with the
sense of hard beak digging into your unpro-
tected ankles. The egg shells and the bones
and remains of fish brought by the old birds for
their young, must form considerable part Of the
substance of the gnano, which is thus great
measure deposited beneath the surface, and then
thrown out by the birds.
Having, with some difficulty and the loss of
sundry inches of skin from our legs, reached the
summit of the island, we descend The side lead
ing to the diggings, and soon arrive at the capi-
tai. 1t stands on small space cleared of qua
no, and consists of twenty or thirty miserable
shanties, each formed by four slender posts dri-
ven into the ground, with fiat roof of grass
mating and pieces of the same material stretch
ed on three sides, the other side being left open.
Scarcely on article of furniture do these town re-
sidences contain, except a few rude be ,ches two
or three dirty cooking-pans, and some tin potts.
In one or two of the huts stands small ssboti-
ga" Ia curiously shaped earthen jar) filled with
psco, the spirit before mentioned. The beds are
simply thin mats, and only few of the inhab.
tants possess the usual red blanket of the Peru
Wan.
Clothes seem to be almost discarded an old
poncho and ragged pair Of calico trowsers, form
the dress of the aristocracy, but many are all
but entirely naked. One hut of greater preten-
Sions than the rest is occupied by two English
sailors, who have taken fancy to the island, and
call themselves pilots, as they profess to moor
and take charge of the ships during the business
of loading.
Close to the town is rough and steep path to
the sea, up which are brought the provisions and
water, the latter supplied by shipping in turns.
On the north island is similar but larger collec-
ton OF dwellings; there, too, resides the COM
mandant, military looAing old gentleman--one
of the high aristocracy, for he lives in house
that has window in it. On the north island are
about two hundred men, on the middle about
eighty, usually; the number varying with the
demand for guano. These people are nearly all
II dams, and appear to be happy enough in their
dusty territory; though everything about them,
eatables included is impregnated with guano.--
They earn plenty of money, live tolerably we'll
according to their taste, work in the night, and
smoke or sleep all day. To get rid Of their wages
they take an occasional trip to Pisco, where they
spend their money much in the same fashion as
sailors, substituting pisco and chincha (maize
beer) for rum and ale, and the guitar and landau
go for the fiddle and hornppe. ~
In getting the guano, the diggers have CON-
menced originally at the edge of the PERCEPTIONS
side of the island, and worked inland; so that the
cutting now appears like the face of quarry
worked into the side of hill. The steep, per-
pendlcular face of the rock, which rises from the
r sea like wall, and the boldness of the shore
there is seven fathom water close inhave afford
ed great facilities to the loading of ships. On the
top of the cliff is large enclosure formed of
stakes, firmly bound together by strong chains
passed round the whole. This enclosure is capa-
BILE OF holding four or five hundred tons of guanO.
, 1t is made wide, and open at the upper end, and
gradually slopes down to point on the extreme
1 verge of the precipice, where is large canvass
5 shute or pipe, which hangs down the face of the
rock, nearly to the water. The ship, having taken
in by means of her boats enough guano to ballast
her, hauls in to this shute the end of which is
! taken aboard and passed down the hatchway.-
The guano is thus poured into the hold in con-
, tinuous stream. at the rate of about three hun