170 
THE DESEETS OF PEETJ, AND THEIE WEALTH. 
[Nature and Art, June 1, 1867. 
rain, such is this quantity, that certain places are 
inundated ; after which there is a spontaneous 
vegetation, of pasture, flowers, and fruit. Close 
upon this state of things, follows the great desert of 
Sechura, of nearly one hundred miles across.. The 
atmosphere is calm, surprisingly clear, and, during 
the day, excessively hot. 
The quantity of fish in the waters of this portion 
of the Pacific, and the still large numbers of huano- 
producing birds, may give some idea of the still 
greater number of the latter in former times, when 
they could so deeply cover the Lobos Islands in 
6° to 7° S. Did rain but fall in this or other por- 
tions of the coast of Peru, there would be no huano ; 
however numerous the birds, their droppings must 
have been washed into the sea. In 8° 30' S. are the 
huano islands of Guanape. 
We now arrive at the extraordinary deposits of 
huano at the Chincha Islands. There are three, 
the North, Middle, and South, in latitude 13° 30' 
S. The North island is the largest ; a mile in 
length and half a mile wide. In 1862 the South 
island was examined, when no portion of the huano 
had been touched. A plain exists on this island 
covered with the bodies of seals, which, on being 
turned over, were found to be converted to a large 
extent into huano; some of the borings gave 105 
feet of solid huano. About 1840, the first ship- 
ments of this substance were sent from Peru. Eor 
years past the quantity annually exported is about 
500,000 tons, giving employment to say 700 ships. 
The net proceeds per annum of huano to the 
Peruvian government is about three millions 
sterling. A late survey gives for the quantity still 
remaining at the Chincha Islands over seven 
millions of tons, which, at £6 per ton net proceeds, 
amounts to £42,000,000. The value of the huano 
trade to the shipping interest alone, averages annu- 
ally a million sterling. It will be seen by the 
following that huano exists in other localities on 
the coast of Peru, and the quantity still there is, in 
The Chincha Islands - 
TONS. 
- 7,000,000 
The Lobos Islands 
- 4,000,000 
The Guanape Islands - 
- 3,000,000 
Chipana - 
500,000 
Point Lobos 
- 1,500,000 
Huanillos - 
- 2,000,000 
Pavellon de Pica 
- 3,000,000 
Puerto Ingles, &c. 
- 1,500,000 
22,500,000 
Showing a net value to the Peruvian government 
of about 138 millions sterling.* 
There can be no doubt that there are other 
collections of huano, exclusive of more ancient 
deposits, known as Costra or Caliche Huano, some- 
thing like that of Ichaboe. 
The possession of the huano deposits mainly gave 
* See Illustrated London News, February 21, 1863, for 
some admirable drawings, from photographs, of the Chincha 
Islands. 
rise in 1854-5 to the lengthened revolution of 
General Castilla against the then president, General 
Echenique, in which Castilla was successful ; but 
it threw the whole country into ferment and war. 
In the province of Tarapaca, I was present at two 
fights of the opposing parties, in which blood was 
spilt. The use of huano in Europe and the United 
States, independently of increasing the yield of 
crops, it is asserted has even tripled the value 
of some sorts of lands. It may be said to be 
the political ruler in Peru, and in the “ good old 
times,” would have been canonized as a saint. The 
Peruvians have a saying, that although the huano 
is no saint, yet it works miracles in more ways 
than one. 
But for the excessively desert character of the 
country, there would be no salt, nitrate of soda, or 
borax. Some 125,000 tons in 1865-6, of refined 
nitrate of soda (selling in Europe at £12 to £13 
per ton), and a quantity of boi’ate of soda and lime 
is annually (the borate by special permission of the 
government) shipped, principally to England, from 
the province of Tarapaca. Mr. George Smith, the 
early originator of the nitrate of soda trade, has 
calculated that the nitrate of soda ground covers 
some fifty square leagues, and a hundred pounds 
weight being allowed for each square yard, there 
still remain sixty-three millions of tons on the 
ground ; and at the present rate of consumption, 
there is a stock for about 1,000 years. 
Iquique, the principal port of shipment for this 
valuable article, when I first knew it in 1825, was 
composed of a few fishermen’s huts. For some 
years past it has had a population of some 5,000 
inhabitants, and has lately, in consequence of its 
great commercial importance, been declared a 
ciudad, or city. This spot is a complete desert ; 
the water drunk there is distilled from that of the 
Pacific Ocean ; still every comfort and even luxuries 
are to be obtained. There are two churches, a 
theatre, club, newspaper, and a good circle of society. 
The coast valley of Cahete yields sugar to the 
amount of £200,000 ; Pisco and Yea, 70,000 jars of 
brandy, 10,000 barrels of wine, 800,000 pounds of 
cotton, and 40,000 pounds of cochineal. Other 
valleys in the south produce sugar, wine, olive oil, 
&c. The northern valleys yielded much cotton, 
and more was expected in future. I will not par- 
ticularize here the produce in silver of such mines 
as Pasco, the exports of alpaca and sheep wool, 
hides, &c. 
In 1859, the Peruvian budget showed a revenue 
of 21,893,180 dollars (five dollars to the pound 
sterling); of these, 15,875, 352 were from the sale of 
huano. The expenditure was 20,387,745 dollars, 
showing only a surplus of 1,505,435 dollars ; the 
army and navy of a state (containing only 1,880,000 
souls, including all the Indians), alone requiring 
11,877,306 dollars ! This was under the military 
President, Castilla. The customs exports of Peru 
for 1862 amounted to 22,492,259 dollars, but 
26,000,000 is nearer the truth, as there is still 
some smuggling of precious metals out of the 
country, to escape paying duty. 
