AMERICAN INSTITUTE- 



415 



duced to the club Mr. A. G. Benson, President of the American 

 Guano Company, and invited him to speak of the recent very 

 important discovery by friends of his, citizens of our country, of 

 an immense deposit of guano in islands hitherto unknown and 

 uninhabited, and Mr. Eenson described them without, however, 

 disclosing their position, and desired the club to represent to the 

 government at Washington, the propriety of possession being 

 secured forthwith. The honorable Secretary of the navy on re- 

 ceiving a note from the club, took measures to possess. The 

 Journal of Commerce of January 31, and of February 1, contains 

 the following viz. : 



THE NEW GUANO DISCOVERIES. 



"The following is an extract of a letter received by the last 

 California steamer, from the special agent of the American Guano 

 Company, despatched to co-operate with the Commodore of the 

 Pacific squadron, in his expedition to the guano islands in the 

 Pacific, recently discovered. It appears that the Commodore 

 has decided to proceed in person to the islands designated." 



"San Francisco, Jan. 4, 1856. 

 '^A. G. Benson, Esq., President of the 



American Guano Company, JYew-York: 



"I have the pleasure to inform the company of which you are 

 president, that the Commodore (Merwin) has decided to take me 

 to the islands in the United States frigate Independence, and that 

 he will take possession of both islands, it being within the scope 

 of his powers. 



"I am waiting orders with instructions to be in readiness within 

 twenty-four hours' notice, and in my next, expect to advise you 

 of my departure. The Commodore has treated me with marked 

 consideration and kindness diu-iug all my business intercourse 

 with him, and has crowned the whole by inviting me to mess 

 with him in his cabin on the voyage. At first, he intended to 

 detail the steamer Massachusetts for this service, but upon exa- 

 mining the subject, he came to the conclusion that the magnitude 

 of the interest involved, would not permit him to entrust it to 

 second hands; consequently he goes in person in the flag-ship. 

 "Your obedient, GEORGE W. BENSON, 



" Special agents 



GUANO. 

 D. Jay Browne, Esq., of the Patent office, submitted a paper on 

 the subject of guano at the recent session of the U. S. Agricultural 



