178 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



There are some who owe for three years, and 

 though applied to, they have neglected to pay. 

 We feel that it is but justice to ourselves to no- 

 tify such delinquents that if they do not settle 

 by the first of July, we shall be compelled to 

 strike their names from our lists. Though we 

 shall continue to send their bills out periodically. 

 We mean no offence to these delinquents, and 

 beg that none may be taken. We doubt not there 

 are many very excellent gentlemen in the list, 

 and possibly some personal friends, whom we 

 should, beyond all things, regret to displease. — 

 We know that nearly all of them intend to pay, 

 but the putting it off is a serious matter to us ; 

 and the rule we have determined to adopt, and 

 hereby give notice of, is a financial measure — 

 one intended to save our money — and not spring- 

 ing from any feeling of irritation against anyone. 



In adopting the foregoing rule it may happen 

 that we may discontinue the paper of some of 

 our subscribers who have made payment to 

 agents, who have failed to make any return of 

 their agency to us. Should this occur, we will 

 promptly make the necessary amend when noti- 

 fied of the fact. 



Sale of Devon Cattle, South-Devon Sheep and 

 Berkshire Hogs. 

 It will be seen by reference to our advertising 

 columns, last page, that Lewis G. Morris, Esq., 

 of Mount Ford ham, New York, intends to dis- 

 pose of his whole stock of the above animals at 

 auction and without reserve. His stock are all 

 excellent, and he is no jockey. Gentlemen who 

 wish to purchase may be assured that his stock 

 are, in point of pedigree, what he represents 

 them to be, and in point of form and style what 

 he thinks they ought to be. He has spared no 

 expense in his importations and selections. At 

 least that is our opinion from what we have 

 heard of Mr. Morris. For catalogues contain- 

 ing description, &c, address Mr. Morris, as per 

 advertisement. 



THE GUANO* CONVENTION. 



If we do not agree with poor Edgar, that " the 

 Prince of Darkness is a gentleman/ 7 we yet have 

 very good authority for saying that he is not al- 

 together so black as he is sometimes painted. 



For somewhat the same reason, we suppose 

 that Mr. Barreda, that dog with a bad name, 

 ought not to be hung outright, nor even execra- 

 ted as heartily as is the fashion just now with a 

 good many very excellent gentlemen. His ad- 

 ministration as agent of the Peruvian Govern- 

 ment for the sale of the guano of which it holds 

 the monopoly has been more and more censured 



as the price has risen, until at last a convention 

 of Guano-using farmers is called for the purpose 

 of memorializing Congress to lay a sliding duty 

 on that article, which shall amount to prohibi- 

 tion, when its price shall exceed a certain maxi- 

 mum — we think forty six dollars per ton. 



We shall not undertake, in objecting to the 

 proposed action of this convention, to defend Mr. 

 Barreda from all the charges that have been 

 brought against him ; nor to hold him up as a 

 model in manners, ethics, or commercial trans- 

 actions. We doubt not he is a bear; not re- 

 markably scrupulous in his dealings ; and with 

 as little of the true spirit of commercial liberal- 

 ity as any other Spaniard. But we shall try 

 and deal him some measure of justice by way of 

 inducing our friends to- look at their own inter- 

 ests through a somewhat clearer medium than 

 their present prejudices afford. 



Of one ground of complaint againstthis agent, 

 his alleged breach of faith with Mr. Sands of 

 the American Farmer, we think an erroneous 

 view has been taken. The facts of that transac- 

 tion are no doubt candidly and truly stated by 

 Mr. Sands, to whom we would by no means im- 

 pute impropriety. But the policy of such bar- 

 gains, and the interest of farmers in resenting a 

 non-compliance with them, are altogether different 

 .questions. If we understand the case, Mr. Sands 

 agreed with Mr. Barreda to take from him a certain 

 number of tons of Guano, which he in turn was 

 to sell to cash customers at less than the ruling 

 retail rates, and on terms which would allow him 

 less than the usual merchants' profit. Now we 

 know that the commission merchants who deal 

 in this article advance money to its purchase 

 and extend credit to its sale, no great number of 

 farmers paying cash for it. But this arrange- 

 ment of Mr. Sand's assumes, against the proba- 

 bilities, as the facts present them, that the mer- 

 chant's profit on this venture is exorbitant, and 

 that he can stop it by an arrangement, whose ef- 

 fect, so far as it goes, is to deprive the merchant 

 of his cash customers, and of course to raise the 

 price on time payments ; or drive him from the 

 trade, and deprive the credit dealer of his guano. 

 From this would result a double inj ury : first to 

 the productiveness of our own country, and se- 

 cond, to the Peruvian government through Mr. 

 Barreda ; who, if he could make such a bargain 

 with his eyes open, would thereby prove sense- 

 less to his own interests, and faithless to the gov- 

 ernment he professes to serve. It was an inva- 



