The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-06-16

guano from this inaccessible island. Nor was
this all: Mr.. Arthur Benson made a careful
survey of the island and its roadstead, all which
have proved to be true. This guano has been
scattered ever the country with results so salts,
factory, that the American Company are nov
at this time sending out vessels to bring in this
bird-lime by the cargoes, and it sells readily a.
thirty dollars ton in the New York market.
Nor is this all new company has been formed.
through the enterprise of Mr.. A. G. Benson.
called the United States Guano COMPANY
with ten millions capital, for the importation Of
guano from four islands, owned and secured by
that company, under act of 18th August, 1886
These are known as Howland's, Christina.
Malden's, and Arthur's islands, all Of which srs
covered with vast deposits of guano OF the ysr7
best quality. Christmas island has harJ9,
for vessels of the largest class, and is, for hi,
reason, place of great importance to our com,
merce in the Pacific ocean. There have been
discovered by American whaling captains. in
all, between fifty and sixty islands, the primer
pal of which are situated between one and four
degrees Of the equator, north and south and
from one hundred to one hundred and eight
west longitude.
/ The vast importance of these Pacific guano
islands to the commercial interests of the United
States is beginning to be felt in the great cities
of Boston and New York There have been hun.
dreds Of ships lying idle in our ports for the last
three years, which would have found employment
in bringing in guauo from these Pacific islands,
bat for the unfavorable reports of our naval com
manders. The Journal Of Commerce, Of New
York, paper of the highest authority in the
commercial world has recently leader, emu.
tied " The Pacifc ocean Gudno Islands" We
give the following extracts, showing what j,
now doing in this guano trade, and what il
/ promises 10 do for our commerce as well as tr
/ agriculture:
| The numerous cargoes of the new fertilizer
/ already or soon TO be on the way home, will H.
sure for it trial IN almost every variety Of Sol.
and climate and demonstrate its value. u
/ worthlessness. Chemical ANALYSES and spec.
/ lations Of whatever kind will be superseded 4,
the tests of practical agriculture. Should H..
sanguine expectations of those immediately r
terested be realized, employment is secured Gr
all our surplus tonnage for years to come and
I the agricultural interests OF the country ale
immeasurably enhanced.
" The organizations engaged in working me
Pacific guano islands are respectively named
the American and United States Guaro
Companies, the former holding Jarvis and
Bakers Islands the latter, all the rest Of
which Howland's Christmas, and Maiden S. ale
the principal. The Jarvis Island guauo varr,
materially in quality, though appearing muA
h "a
containing about 30 per cent. OF phosphate ii
lime and magnesa, which are the essential
constituents Of cereals while other specimen,
comprise over GO per cent. of sulphate of line,
a substance largely absorbed by plants Of the
dubious kind. We have seen vegetables OF
enormous size, Ia beet which it would BE- hard
to beat, among the rest also corn not less IT,
markable, said to have been grown by the use
of these different varieties The guauo from
Bakers Island is of uniform quality, and rep
resented TO he the richest ever brought 10 TIL
market. The other islands present the sauy
general characteristics as to the nature of then
deposits and the quantity, according To DE T
results given of the survey, is almost unlimited
Christmas Island, for example, the largest vel
discovered in that part Of the Pacific, is CON
puted to contain not less than 50000OO0 ton,
while the deposits on Jarvis, Bakers and How
lands, are severally believed to be NOT i-S
than 100000 tons III measurement At near
ly all of these islands buoys are indispensab, !
for the security of ships in loading bur two q
them, Christmas and Phoenix, are said 10 har
harbors afording safe anchorage for ships d
the largest class Capt. John p. Jayne Of
! y 2roridence. R-L.says of the former Outside
the reef on the western side there is a slouIug
bank of fine sand, which affords an excellent
anchorage for ships in 10 TO 30 fathoms of
water. The best anchorage is opposite the Z
northern passage into the lagoon, Just off Saudy
Island
he cargo of guano brought to this port b7
the ship Aspasia about year ago it having
been previously conveyed to the Sandwich I
Islands by the schooner Liholiho, was the hg-, Il
received, with the exception of twenty barre,
from the same lot, which was forwarded in al
vance, over the Isthmus, to the L. s. Pateu
Othce, and from thence distributed over tI-
country for trial. The results Of this trial, a, /
published by order Of Congress- were generally /
very favorable. Since then, four ship load, l
have arrived at the Atlantic States, all within /
three months, and are being disposed Of fJI /
about $40 ton. Eight more cargOes are
supposed to be on the way, with from 10 00Ou
! $4,000 tons on board. The latter are under
contract with William H. Webb, who ha,
competent chemist at the islands, instructed =
! select guano Of the best quality The United
| States GuanO Company have taken uB ten o.
| twelve ships on the Western coast, TO load a.
! their islands for New York, which are now o. q
their outward voyage. 1t thus appears tbs,
the alleged guano discoveries are receiving e
more attention from commercial men than n
heretofore. Should the claims advanced IN Il
thelr favor be subStantiated, so that the arricu.
turIsts OF the United States can have access 70 4
vast deposltones OF a rich fertilizer, now hoard 1
ed up IN the desolate islands of the Pacdc Il
ocean, and from which the soil exhausted By [
ioilg image may be constantly renewed, we have E
acquired mine of surprising wealth We are
told that every ton of puano from HowIan3s
Island, II equal to the specimens already ana.
yzed, furnishes to the soil more than fourteen II
hundred pounds of that ingredient which con.
stltutes more than three-auarters of the value
Of every bushel OF wheat raised in the world, /
while ton OF Peruvian guano furnishes only
hVe hundred and twenty pounds, or less than
One-half. A report of experiments recently
submitted to the public by the American Guan5 4
Company, contains the following: We believe
that the natural combination of the phosphate,
and sulPhates of lime, not to be initiated b5
art Is destined, by its indisputable effects, 10
work revolution in the department of scien.
tific agriculture.
There are other facts connected with this
subject, of great interest to our farmers, which
we shall notice hereafter.
The PREsIDEEcY.-The Columbus Ohio Ga
zette issues an extra containing series of able
articles in support Of the nomination Of GOV
ernor Chase for President, and Hon. Edward
Bates, Of Missouri, for Vice President.