142 
Report of the Consulting Chemist for 1869. 
Coinposition of Pound's British Guano. 
Moisture 18-97 
*Organic matter and water of combination .. 20-27 
Oxide of iron and alumina 2-21 
Sulphate of lime and a little carbonate of lime . . 55-11 
Sand 3-44 
100-00 
* Coniainiug nitrogen 1-09 
Equal to ammonia 1-32 
This so-called Britisli guano, it will be seen, yielded only 
1^ per cent, of ammonia, and contained no phospliate of lime 
whatever, nor any akaline salts. On the other hand, it contained 
a good deal of water and a high percentage of gypsum. In point 
of fact, the sample of Pound's British gnano analysed by me was 
nothing else but a mixture of gypsum and some rather strong- 
smelling organic refuse matter. It was sold at 51. 5s. a ton, but 
is scarcely worth more than SO^. a ton. 
It is to be greatly feared that with the near approach of the 
time when the supplies of best Peruvian guano from the Chincha 
Islands will be finally stopped, inferior descriptions of guano 
will find their way into the wholesale guano trade, and be eagerly 
bought up for the purpose of mixing with best Peruvian guano. 
. I have recently analysed two samples of guano from the Guanape 
Islands, and find that both, representing large cargoes recently 
imported into England, were much inferior to Chincha Island 
guano, as will be seen by the subjoined analysis : — 
Composition of Guanape Guano. 
Moisture 
*Organic matter and animoniacal salts 
Phosphates of lime and magnesia (bone) 25-4' 
phosphates) f 
Sand 
No. 1. 
No, 2. 
17-7'J 
20-10 
42-62 
38-67 
25-45 
32-53 
11-92 
5-97 
2-22 
2-73 
100-00 
100-00 
1004 
7-87 
19-19 
8-95 
4-7.''> 
3-19 
10-37 
6-98 
* Containing nitrogen 
Equal to ammonia 
t Containing soluble phosphoric acid 
Equal to tribasic phosphate of lime 
These samples, especially the second, were much damper than 
best Peruvian guano, and much poorer in ammonia. No. 2, 
indeed, only contained about half the amount of ammonia which 
occurs in best Chincha Island guano. The preceding analyses, 
moreover, show evidently that the guano from the new guano 
islands (Guanape Islands) is not uniform in character. If these 
samples fairly represent the general character of the Guanape 
