THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE. 
541 
1846 .] 
Latham’s island, situated near the island of Zanzibar, is elevated about fifteen 
feet above high tide, and contains about twenty acres, it apnears to have been a 
breeding place for birds for many years, and consequently about three-fourths ot 
the surface is covered to the average depth of two feet with the substance called 
guano, which is the excrement of several species of sea bird, their feathers, and 
the remains of many that perish. This substance is undoubtedly the richest manure 
known, being composed of the urate, phosphate, and oxalate of ammonia, oxalate 
and phosphate of lime, and undetermined organic substances, of which but a small 
part is soluble in water. These are the principle constituents, according to the 
analysis of Voeclkel. It is only necessary to add a small quantity of guano to a 
barren soil, consisting only of clay and sand, to produce a rich crop of corn. Its 
action by some has been attributed to the organic substances which it contains, 
and which furnish the nitrogen to the vegetable albumen, which is the principal 
constituent of plants. 
The birds which frequent this island appear to feed their young on the flying- 
fish. While on the island, I observed several old birds, after flying round in circles 
for some time, descend where their brood were sitting, so as to touch the ground 
with their feet but without alighting, and at the same time disgorge several flying 
fish. 
Were there enterprise enough among the Arabs on the island of Zanzibar to im¬ 
port this manure, which is but twenty miles distant, and apply it to the sterile hills 
on their island., it would render that beautiful spot one of the most productive on 
the globe, capable of yielding all the tropical productions in the greatest perfection. 
An English man-of-war has latelv been ordered to stop and examine it. 
The rock is a calcareous conglomerate, formed of broken shells, co -als, &c., 
cemented by oxide of iron, and is decreasing in & in consequence of the waves 
of the ocean wearing away the base, when the top, unsupported, falls down. No 
herbage i<~ found on the island, not even a spear of grass, or no member of the ani¬ 
mal kingdom, but birds, which constantly cover about three.fourths of the surface, 
and so tame that thousands might be killed with a stick. 
January , 1845.—Quallah Battoo appears to be on the decline rather than im¬ 
proving either in appearance or importance. This is caused, no doubt, by the 
feuds and jealousies which exist between petty Rajahs, which, in its consequence, 
leads to the destruction of much life and property. The town consists of twenty 
or thirty houses, enclosed within a quadrangular picket fence made of bamboos, 
which are inserted irno the ground and pointed at the top, about eight feet high, 
having other pieces running in a horizontal manner and >ied to the upright sticks 
w T ith hair, so that it would be but little labor wfith a large jack-knife, to make an 
entrance in a few minutes. There are two entrances opposite each other, one 
facing the shore and just large enough to admit a single person. The houses are 
small, and situated in the centre of the enclosure, having one principal street, in 
which fish, fruits, &c., were exposed for sale, forming a kind of bazaar. The com¬ 
parative abundance of fruits, fish, &c., would appear to show, that the Malays 
here have turned their attention more to agriculture than their kindred elsewhere. 
This is probably owing to the extensive cultivation of pepper. The nearest plan¬ 
tations are situated about two miles from town. The cultivation of this spice is 
between the longitude of 90° to 115°, beyond which no pepper is to be found, and 
they reach from 5° south latitude to 12° north, where it again ceases. 
The species cultivated here is the piper nigrum, although, according to Dr. Rox¬ 
burgh, the trioicum yields excellent pepper also. The climbing stem is trained on 
stakes at the distance of about eight feet, and allowed to rise about ten feet high. 
When any of the berries on a spadix change from green to red, the whole are con¬ 
sider d fit for gathering, for if they are allowed to become fully ripe, they are some¬ 
what less acrid, and moreover easily drop off. When collected, they are spread 
out and dried in the sun, and the stalks separated by hand.rubbing, and they aro 
afterwards winnowed. White pepper is prepared from the soundest and best grains 
taken at their most perfect stage of maturity. These being soaked in water swell 
and burst their integuments, which is afterwards carefully separated by drying in 
the sun, hand-rubbing, and winnowing. Mr. Crawford estimates that fifty millions 
pounds of pepper are produced annually, and of this amount, the west coast of Su¬ 
matra alone supplies twenty millions. 
