The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-12-31
GUANO AND sALTPETRE.

Die OASIS.
GUANO AND sALTPETRE.
In attempting in our last to give our readers
an account of the disgraceful diplomatic mud
die in which our state department at Washing
ton had involved the country in the affairs OF
Chill and Peru, to promote ahuge and disrep
utablc job, we stated that the whole spccula
| ton WAS based on the claim of one Landreau
the precise nature of which was not fully re-
vealcd. The papers since then, however, bring
tull details on the subject The claim of Ian
dreau, like that of Cochet, was based wholly
on alleged guano discoveries, and, like the
Cochet claim, had always been repudiated 10y
the Peruvian government. All these claims had
the Peruvian government, like that Of MeXi.
co at a latter date, to repenish an exhausted
treasury, entered upon the laudahle business
of robbing the churches, she issued the follow.
ing decree:
That any one after the publication of these
presents who shall have discovered property
belonging to any suppressed converts, or 9th
4 right to a third of the sad property.
This of course related to nothing but con.
cealed church property, having been issued
quarter of a century before such athing as gu
ano IN Peru was heard of. Later, however,
on the discovery OF guanO and when that artl.
Gle obtained high commercial value, certain
Peruvian spectators undertook to make The
clause IN the above decree, cor other property
belonging to the state" apply to guano. The
first to put forth such clam, 1t appears, WAS
the Frenchman Cochet Meantime another
Frcnchman named Landreau, who had been
expelled from Ecuador tor cheating the gov.
eminent in the wine trade, HAD set himself up
in Lima as dealer IN arms, IN which, in a
country in state of chronic revolution, he for
a while drove brisk trade But as things
settled down this business fell off Then tins
stir about guanO arose, and Landreau, who
didn't know guano from gum.arabc, went Il
prospecting, and coming back TO Lima dccar.
ed he had found guano at fifty places, cover
ing all the spots where gnano was likely to lie
discovered; and as thirty or forty persons
made similar claims, the Peruvian government
inally shut down on all OF them. 1t is to be
noted, however, that in his claim upon the Pc.
ruvian government the highest figures Ian
dreau ever put IN were $7000000 which the
New York Company, now pretending to own
we have SAID like Cochet WAS Il Frenchman,
but he had brother in New York, and to him
he conveyed an interest IN the claim on condi.
tion Of his becoming naturallzed as a citizen
of the United States, and it is IN this way that
the Landreau happens to differ from the Coch.
ct claim In being an american clam 1t is
to be noted, however, that the New York Com.
pany has bought up both claims estimating
the two, which, as made on Peru by Landreau
and Cochet never amounted together to over
$l4,000,000, al 5000, 100000, and thus owning
both and consolidating hem, put IN the whole
rs an American claim"
1t was to promote the recognition of this
claim that Blaine instructed Minister Hurlbut
to use his good Offices" after Iurlbut him
self had written to Blaine that he had mo
faith whatever IN the honesty or value Of these
claims and less in J. II. Shipherd and his
New York Company" 1t was to promote
this claim that Blaine instructed Hurbut so
hastily to recognize the government of CALDER.
on, after the latter had agreed with the New
York Company TO sign the papers binding the
Peruvian government to pay IT. AM it was to
promote this monstrous job that under Blalne's
instructions, Minister IIurlbut insulted the
government of Chilli by reading to Command
er Lynch a long lecture on the cnormity OF
Chilli demanding territorial indemnity of Peru |
for war expenses, and animated that any such
attempt would provoke the interference of
my government"