The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1903-05-28
If THE COAST OF PERU.
CELEBRATED GUANO ISLANDS.
AN An UNsAvoRY INDUSTRY AND HOW
.r1S CONDUCTED.

| IT IS NUN
.j.r correspondence of The Journal
Nan PERU. April 10, 1908. In the
..t Plsco, about one hundred miles
nf Callao and twelve miles out
,,.. main land, lie the celebrated
.r..5 Islands, three in number,
,..,, the guano is found that has
..t.,a an enormous source of wealth
1-u. TO form some idea of the ex-
...., the deposit and the magnitude
.t.. industry, it may be stated that
ing twenty years. between 1858 and
.1art eight million tons of guano
s..qped from here. The amount
.,.....,.y which Peru has derived from
...... source of revenue cannot be
....... accurately estimated than the
.., the plumber taken from the
ae
.. .o8u exports have amounted
uIrly milton dollars, and this
.oUltIY which never contained
. ..u two million people, two
.....-.. A4om were Indians who had
..... 4l The profit. Yet in the midst
-... ,.-nrIity the improvident cOun-
.l... ed somehow to incur debt
. ndred and fifty million dol
... could never have been paid
. .... |le saving Grace-Dononghmo
% l.,
... stands, which when first dis
..,t Iad been accommodating Ill an
.... as, deposit for unnumbered
.,... .- was even more easily avail
r the gold and silver which
... ,..e the Inca land the Ell Dorado
.rd. and contributed as much
....u is downfall, for the latter-day
r.....- If Peru is the poorest III all
}uerIca. When plenty of money
.n.... 'aoUt effort to generation after
- .If the careless ariStocratS took
..el, onward improving or preserv-
.. I'll. source of their revenue; and
.,-. 20 .aSt these springs ran low and
.. wmIy was pillaged by war of
... .ag else that was valuable, the
...s people, reared in the idea of
- nt-stors that it had been ordain-
u beginning of the world that
sale 10 have no part III the degGa-
a labor, did not know how to
... .M-eveS to work. In the matter
euauo beds the Peruvians have
..a r less sagacity than did the
OF the olden days, but have
ID the supply was literally
.ad. They abolished taxes and
twry upon guano for all the
...r e lired by the government, i'll
.. enormous sums expended III
When the Chincha Islands
-Hy exhausted, they turned
ltou to other groups, but
tarm proved SO rich aud eX-
,Hr original source of supply
H- ancestors so carefully pro
Nd guano is a corruption of
. ud lIuano, meaning fish ma
enlightened Incas under
will its value as fertilizer.
tells us that it was not only
used throughout their en-
... .' tsat the punishment of death
Ted upon any one who dis
r birds during the breeding
... Who killed one of them at
either ON the islands or else
rs 18th such care were the Chin
Aectrd that it was not lawful
Htou them at any time, under
I-ath, lest the birds should be
NAY and frightened from the
..- Each island was set apart for
If 4 particular province and
-Ao was carefully divided, every
.-. reteiying its fair proportion.
raerable guano is yet found in
Ieraeopa Island, the Lobos and
iule groups, the Vieja Islands OF
N-itHliCC Day, liiO IoDllio anu
Ato groups in Cheopana Bay, and
-s al 'unta Alba and Pabellion de
HE best of them, however, in
NG all the workings of PadelliOn,
"J aud EIuanellof, now 60 to the
Ar1 aondholders, under the Grace
." gilmore contract.
egltimate guano bird is kind
'+- Its bill and legs are red; the
'oit -c head and the tip of the tail
.a| 9ngS are black, while the lower
te head is white, with long,
Fsa- Ike feather curling from under
-ar EAR. The body is dark slate color,
'at S length is about ten inches.
"e', pelicans and variety of sea-
-'S also visit the islands, and the ex-
ieIt'ut IS mixed with their eggs and
.' rmnants of shells, and also with
a- 't-dyed flesh and bones of thou
Sands t seals. 1t is asserted, but with
f-ai mth, | do not know, that when
N4 Us about to die it will invariably
-- io the highest poiut on the near
-'tb At any rate the Chincha Is
t."s covered with their remains, al
'is they have been SO much hunt
iraouuts during recent years that
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