/. D. Hague on the Chtano Islands of the Pacific Ocean. 225 



phosphate of magnesia, sulphate of lime, organic matter and 

 water. They generally contain traces of ammonia with a small 

 percentage of soluble salts, but these, which, without doubt, 

 formed an important part of the guano as it originally existed, 

 have now almost entirely disappeared in consequence of the va- 

 rious changes to which the deposits have been subjected. 



The first samples of these guanos were taken from Jarvis' and 

 Baker's Islands in 1855 and sent to the United States for exam- 

 ination, the results of which led in 1858 to the occupation and 

 working of the deposits. The importance and value of these 

 having once become evident, the Pacific, within a kw degrees 

 north and south of the equator, was carefully explored and 

 many other islands were visited, on a few of which beds of gu- 

 ano of some extent were discovered. 



In the following paper I propose to describe some of these. 

 I shall have reference chiefly to Baker's, Howland's and Jarvis' 

 Islands, on each of which I resided several months for the pur- 

 pose of studying the character and formation of their deposits. 

 I also spent some months in exploring this region of the Pacific 

 and visiting many other islands, having a small vessel employed 

 especially for that object. In this service, altogether, I was en- 

 gaged more than two years, from 1859 to 1861 inclusive, in the 

 employ of William H. Webb, Esq., of New York, by whose 

 courtesy I am permitted to publish these results. _ 



I^hese islands are all of coral formation. They are situated 

 ^ear the equator and between the meridians of about 155° and 

 180° longitude west from Greenwich. They are without fresh 

 ^'Hterand almost entirely destitute of vegetation, and are the 

 resort of countless thousands of birds whose accumulated ordure 

 and dead bodies have formed extensive deposits. _ 

 ^^^her^s Island.— This island possesses the most important of 

 these deposits. It is situated in lat. 0° 13' north and long. 176 

 ^2 west from Greenwich. Excepting Howland s Island, torty 

 ^'les distant, it is very remote from any other land. It presents 

 [l^e usual features of an ordinary coral island. It is surrounded 

 Va fringing reef, which is from 200 to ^00 feet wide and 

 ^k^htly elevated above the sea level at low tide It is about 

 one mile long and two-thirds of a mile wide, trending east and 

 f est. The surface is nearly level, the highest point of which is 

 twenty,two feet above the level of the sea, showing some evi- 

 dences of elevation.* 



..ing exhibits a .—<■ *^-estem (lee) beach which 



