AVES ISLAND. 109 



cured a cliarter from the State of Pennsylvania witli an authorized cap- 

 ital of one million of dollars. The name of the company is ''The 

 Philadelphia Gruano Company," the office of which is in this city. The 

 whole of the stock has been subscribed ; and the company are making 

 extensive preparations for a large importation of the article to meet tl^^e 

 demand for the spring crops. We understand that the guano will be 

 sold at a reasonable price, and agencies at all the principal marts. 



* * * * * * * :}c. 



David Stewart, M. D., chemist of the Maryland State Agricultural 

 Society, in a letter dated Baltimore, September 14, 1855, says: 



"Highly as I appreciate the Mexican guano, still I do not hesitate 

 to say that I would rather have four tons of Columbian than ten tons 

 of Mexican, and 1 would rather have equal portions of Columbian and 

 Peruvian applied to my wheat than Peruvian alone, or any other super- 

 phosphate alone. The fact that I have purchased seven tons of the 

 Columbian guano for each of my farms should seem to indicate the' 

 confidence which I place in it," 



The guano islands of Venezuela are quite numerous^, including Bird 

 or Aves Island, Los Hermanos or the Brothers, Los Frayles or the 

 Friars, Los Koques, Sola, Orchilla, Los Mongas or the Monks, Tor- 

 tugas, Centinellas, and many others. The quality of the guano upon 

 them, to some extent, varies in the amount of ammonia and of the 

 phosphates contained in it. The wholesale price will be from twenty- 

 five to forty dollars per ton, according to quality and amount purchased. 



Custom House, Collector's Office, 



llarch 8, 1856. 

 I certify (at the request of H. S. Sanford, Esq.) that the schooner 

 Indicator, of Ne^ York, burthen 1*77 19-95 tons, registered at New- 

 York on the 25th day of February, 1856, (Register No. 108,) built at 

 Marblehead, State of Massachusetts, her owners being Benjamin C. 

 Lee and James Lee, of New York, cleared from this office on the Isfc 

 Gay of this month for the port of Laguayra, in Venezuela, with 

 Greorge V. White as master, and the following named crew: "Daniel 

 S. Downe, John Bell, Thomas Smith, Samuel Pearson, William Keys, 

 James Farland, and Joseph E. Hurlbut," and that the said vessel was 

 in ballast; and it does not appear by any document on file in this office, 

 that said vessel had on board any guns, ammunition, or passengers, 

 r ■ -1 Given under my hand and seal. 

 •-^"^'^•J ' HEMAN J. REDFIELD, 



Collector. 



Mr. Marcy to Mr. Samford. 



Department of State, 



Washington, March 24, 1856. 

 Sir: Your communication of the 8th instant, with its accompani- 

 ments, has been received, and its suggestions have been taken intq 

 consideration. 



