GUANIDINE 



3723 



GUARDA 



paths for the sexes, and their non- 

 metallic technology (rough pottery, 

 bone and shell ornaments, stone 

 and wood implements) were de- 

 termined by their insulation. Mas- 

 tered by Spain in the loth century, 

 they form the latent substratum 

 of the present hispanified popula- 

 tion of the archipelago. 



Guanidine. An alkaline sub- 

 stance with a caustic taste which 

 occurs in vetch seedlings and sugar 

 beet. It was prepared originally 

 by the oxidation of guanine, and 

 hence received the name guani- 

 dine. Guanidine, which is a poi- 

 sonous substance, forms a series 

 of crystalline salts with acids. 



Guanine OR IMIDOXANTHINE. 

 White powder prepared from 

 Peruvian guano and the pancreas 

 of various animals. It is insoluble 

 in water, alcohol, or ether, and has 

 both acid and basic properties. 



Guano (Peruvian huana, dung). 

 Name originally given to the ac- 

 cumulated excreta of birds found 

 principally upon the shores and 

 islands of the South American 

 coast, chiefly Peru and Chile, and 

 little frequented islands in the 

 Pacific Ocean. The original de- 

 posits of land and sea birds have 

 been much depleted by commercial 

 demand, and artificial substitutes, 

 chiefly of German origin, are largely 

 employed. The principal ingredients 

 of guano are phosphorus and am- 

 monia, and compounds which have 

 these elements as a basis illustrate 

 the difference between a natural 

 manure and a fertiliser. One is the 

 natural excreta of the bird or animal, 

 the other a chemical substitute. 



Guantanamo. Town of Cuba. 

 Situated in the S.E. of the island, 

 it is about 10 m. from Guantanamo 

 Bay, and is connected by rly. with 

 Santiago, 40 m. to the W., and 

 Caimanera, its port, 12 m. to the 

 S. Leased to the U.S.A. as a naval 

 station in 1903, it has a large and 

 safe harbour, and carries on a con- 

 siderable export trade in sugar, 

 coffee, and lumber, the products of 

 the locality. Guantanamo was oc- 

 cupied by a British naval force in 

 1741, and was settled by French 

 emigrants from Haiti about the 

 beginning of the 19th century. 

 Pop. 60,200. 



Guapay OR Rio GRANDE. River 

 of Bolivia, tributary to the Ma- 

 more. Rising in the dept. of 

 Cochabamba, it flows S.E. and 

 then N.W., receiving the Piray 

 and the Yapacani on its right or S. 

 side. The mainhead stream of the 

 Mamore, it is often called the Rio 

 Grande or Great River. Its length 

 is about 550 m. 



Guapore OR ITENEZ. River of 

 Brazil. It rises in Matto Grosso, 

 and flows N.W., joining the Ma- 



more. For part of its course it 

 forms the boundary between 

 Brazil and Bolivia. It has a length 

 of about 940 m., and is navigable 

 for small craft to the town of 

 Matto Grosso. 



Guarana (Paullinia sarbili-s)- 

 Climbing shrub of the natural order 

 Sapindaceae. It is a native of 

 Brazil, and has alternate, compound 

 leaves, tendrils, and small whitish 

 flowers in sprays. The pear-shaped 

 fruit is three-celled, each cell con- 

 taining a single seed partly en- 

 veloped in an aril (like the mace of 

 nutmeg). These seeds are dried and 

 ground to a fine powder, moistened 

 and kneaded into a dough which 

 is rolled into sticks 6 ins. or 8 ins. 

 long. It is grated into sugar and 

 water, and drunk as a beverage. 

 Its essential principle is identical 

 with that of tea, and it is supposed 

 to ward off all sorts of disease. 



Guarani (Caraio, warrior). Term 

 loosely applied to a group of S. 

 American Indian tribes of allied 

 speech, belonging to the Caraio 

 race. They are round-headed, of 

 medium height, and massively 

 built. The light-brown tint of the 

 S. Brazil forest tribes becomes 

 darker westward. The Bolivian 

 tribes retain the long octagonal 

 huts, roomy canoes, long bows and 

 arrows, and body-paint of the 

 early Caribs. See Chiquitos ; Chi- 

 riguanos ; Cocamas ; Omaguas. 



Guarantee (old Fr. garanfie, 

 warranty). Term of English law. 

 It means a promise to be answer- 

 able for the debt, default, or mis- 

 carriage of another. Guarantee 

 necessarily supposes three parties 

 and two obligations : (1) the credi- 

 tor or person with whom the prin- 

 cipal obligation is entered into ; 

 (2) the principal debtor, or person 

 who enters into an obligation with 

 the creditor ; and (3) the surety 

 or guarantor, who enters into a 

 secondary obligation with the 

 creditor that the principal debtor 

 shall perform his obligation. 



The obligation guaranteed may 

 be a mere debt, or it may be the 

 performance of a contract, e.g. 

 when someone guarantees that 

 another shall do certain work in a 

 certain way, or in a certain time. 

 The common fidelity guarantee is 

 merely a contract to guarantee the 

 faithful carrying out of his con- 

 tract by a servant, etc. A guarantee 

 must, under the Statute of Frauds, 

 be evidenced by writs signed by 

 the guarantor. A guarantee is a 

 contract requiring the utmost good 

 faith. The creditor must disclose 

 everything he knows which might 

 affect the mind of the guarantor, 

 e.g. if A is to guarantee the honesty 

 of a servant of B's, and B knows, 

 and does not tell A, who does not 



kno\v,that the servant has previous- 

 ly been guilty of theft, the guar- 

 antee is bad. During the currency 

 of the guarantee the creditor must 

 not deal with the principal debtor 

 behind the guarantor's back so as to 

 make the guarantee more onerous. 

 The Partnership Act, 1890, pro- 

 vides that a continuing guarantee 

 given to a firm or to a third person 

 in respect of the transactions of a 

 firm is, in the absence of agree- 

 ment to the contrary, revoked as 

 to future transactions by any 

 change in the constitution of the 

 firm, to or in respect of which the 

 guarantee was given. 



Guarantee Association. So- 

 ciety for guaranteeing persons 

 against loss. In the United King- 

 dom the most usual kind are those 

 that, in return for annual pay- 

 ments, undertake to make good 

 any defalcations on the part of 

 persons occupying positions of 

 trust, e.g. a cashier. In the United 

 States there are- many societies 

 that guarantee titles to land, rents, 

 trade debts, investments, and 

 things of that kind. See Fidelity 

 Guarantee; Insurance; Lloyds. 



Guard. Word used in several 

 senses, generally with the idea of 

 protection. In one sense the guard 

 are the soldiers on duty to protect 

 the person or residence of the 

 sovereign, or military headquarters. 

 In London and Windsor mount- 

 ing the guard and changing the 

 guard are ceremonies of some in- 

 terest. At the Horse Guards, 

 Whitehall, the ceremony is per- 

 formed at 11 every morning. 

 From guard comes the word 

 guards to denote regiments of 

 soldiers, although yeomen of the 

 guard is an example of the older 

 use of the word. Armies on the 

 march usually include an advance 

 guard and a rear guard. See 

 Guards ; Sentinel. 



Guarda. District of Portugal, 

 in the prov. of Beira. Situated S. 

 of the river Douro, it is bounded 

 on the E. by the Spanish prov. of 

 Salamanca. The Serra da Estrella 

 traverses the S. part of the district, 

 which is well watered and pro- 

 ductive, containing several impor- 

 tant towns. Guarda is the capital. 

 Area, 2,1 16 sq. m. Pop. 271,816. 



Guarda. City of Portugal, 

 capital of Guarda district. It is the 

 highest inhabited city in the penin- 

 sula, standing at an alt. of 3,369 ft. 

 on the N.E. slopes of the Serra da 

 Estrella, 105 m. by rly. N.E. of 

 Coimbra. Enclosed by ancient 

 walls, it has a ruined castle, built 

 as a "guard" against the Moors, 

 hence the name. The stately 

 cathedral dates from the 16th cen- 

 tury, and there is a large sana- 

 torium. Pop. 6,500. 



