LAYSAN 
ISLAND (HISTORY) 
REFERENCE No. 10 
Papers in this matter filed with Agreements 
Mar. 29, 1890 
March 24, 1890 
Messrs. C. IT. Soencer and. G. D. Preith 
Honolulu. 
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Gentlemen 
I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of 
vour several communications of the 20th and 21st inst. in 
which you state that you have recently "been to Laysan Island, 
and have secured from them specimens of phosphates and guan(n)o 
and in which you state that if the same can he obtained, in 
-caving quantities and qualities you desire to remove the same 
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the purpose of nianufPicturing the same into fertilizers 
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nd in which you ask for a lease or an exclusive privilege of 
working the Islands for thirty years and requesting that you 
be allowed to operate for the term of two years free, and 
thereafter offering the sum of fifty cents per ton for such 
■oho achates or coian(n}o as may be removed by you n your ex- 
x>er imeri ts shall prove that the same is in suliicient qu&h ui u v 
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and is of high enough quality to make a paying investment. 
In reolv I would say that Laysan Island, being Government 
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land, having been taken possession of by the Hawaiian Government 
some years s-ince. comes within the purview oi me law concern¬ 
ing the lea.se or sale of Government lands, and therefore I 
•go 
would be unable to grant you a lease or what amounts to the 
same thing, an exclusive privilege to work the Island, except 
at Public Auction. 
