380 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



blished among us, so much to our inconve- 

 nience, annoyance and injury. This use- 

 less, not to say mischievous machinery, of 

 an exclusive company here, might be dis- 

 pensed with, with as much profit to that 

 government as to ourselves. They might 

 well spare themselves the trouble of em- 

 ploying ships to send us guano, and hav- 

 ing an agency here to dispose of it for 

 them. The simplest, the easiest, and the 

 most profitable mode of conducting the 

 trade, would obviously be to throw it open 

 to the world. Let those who wish it go to 

 the Chincha Islands and buy the guano. 

 Let merchants and farmers send their own 

 ships, and bring it here, and let free com- 

 petition bring down the price to a proper 

 standard. Why should the sale of this 

 commodity be placed on a different basis 

 from that of every other? What would 

 be the feelings of the people of the United 

 States, if the Chinese should establish 

 here a monopoly for the sale of tea, and 

 should refuse to permit it to be brought or 

 sold here in any other way than through 

 the exclusive agency of their own com- 

 pany? 



From all the information which this 

 committee has been able to obtain, it is 

 believed the Peruvian government receives 

 about $12 per ton for their guano; and 

 that at present an average of $18 per ton 

 is paid for freight, malting an aggregate 

 of $30 per ton for this article, delivered in 

 our ports. Allowing $5 for commissions 

 and profits and other small expenses, it 

 would cost here $35. Yet we pay $46, 

 and all of this sum, except the $35, is lost 

 by the cumbrous and pernicious machinery 

 of monopolies. It cannot be doubted that 

 the Peruvian government would gain more 

 and our farmers pay less by a change of 

 system. 



When Mr. Clayton was at the head of 

 the State Department he addressed a com- 

 munication to the Peruvian Minister at 

 Washington, urging the adoption of free 

 trade in guano. He received an answer 

 from the Minister, that the contracts made 

 by his government with commercial com- 

 panies, giving them exclusive privileges, 

 were then in force, and that it would be 

 impossible to make any change of system, 

 until those contracts had expired; but he 

 expressed a hope that, then, a more favor- 

 able system might be introduced. Those 

 contracts did expire, and new engagements 

 of a similar kind, it is believed, were en- 

 tered into, with one or more companies, 

 without further effort on the part of this 



government. But since the present Ad- 

 ministration was inaugurated, the Secre- 

 tary of State addressed a despatch to our 

 Minister in Peru, directing him to bring 

 this subject before the Peruvian govern- 

 ment, and to insist on the adoption of free 

 trade. 



The committee is happy to say that the 

 President expressed the most favorable 

 disposition in the interview, which he was 

 pleased to give them; and declared he 

 would use all the means within the sphere 

 of his power to rid us of the present odious 

 system. He seemed fully impressed with 

 the magnitude of the interests involved, 

 and the great importance of the subject. 

 But he expressed a fear that the same ob- 

 stacle would present itself now, that was 

 urged when his predecessor attempted a 

 negotiation. It is not believed by this com- 

 mittee that this obstacle is insuperable. 



All of which is respectfully submitted, . 

 William Boulware, 

 Philip St. Geo. Cocke, 

 Lewis E. Harvie, 

 B. J. Barbour, 

 Frank: G. Ruffin. 



The above report was received and laid » 

 on the table; and then, on motion, was re- 

 ferred back to the same committee, with 

 instructions to report resolutions in accord- 

 ance with the report. 



At the same sitting, the committee re- 

 ported the following resolutions, which 

 were unanimously adopted: 



Resolved, That the present mode of con- 

 ducting the guano trade in this country by 

 the government of Peru, is subject to such 

 objections as to constitute a grievance to 

 which the people of the United States 

 ought not to submit. 



Resolved, That the President of the U. 

 States be requested to have the negotia- 

 tion with Peru conducted with energy and 

 urgency, and that he be earnestly solicited 

 to adopt all the means which are in the 

 range of his powers to rid this country of 

 this odious monopoly. 



Resolved, That the above resolutions, 

 together with the report, be communicated 

 to the President of the United States. 



The Society then resumed the conversa- 

 tional discussion on the subject of guano as a 

 top dressing for wheat, &c. 



Mr. T. Jones of Richmond county, who was 

 then called for, made some very interesting 

 statements of his expetiments with this agent. 



To the inquiry whether guano could be suc- 

 cessfully used as a top dressing after the wheat 

 is seeded, Mr. Fleming of Goochland, replied 

 that he did not think it could be advantageously 



