THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, May 25, 1858. 
We liave only further to observe, that Captain 
Bulford is a person perfectly trustworthy, and is well 
• known to us. 
« Guano, or Huano, is composed of the decomposed bodies 
of seals, aquatic birds, and their deposits. The birds are pen¬ 
guins, pelicans, Solan geese, and a small bird resembling the 
divers seen in our channels. There are other kinds, but those 
I have mentioned are the most numerous. Perhaps, were I 
to describe the present state and appearance of one of the 
islands, that, as yet, is undisturbed, it may better convey 
an idea how guano has been formed, than anything else I 
j could write. 
“The Chincha Islands are three in number, extending 
J about seven miles in a north and south direction, about 
twelve miles to the west of the town of Pisco, on the coast 
of Peru, and about 120 miles to the south of Lima. The 
north and middle islands are those from which all Peruvian 
guano has been, and is yet being taken. The south island 
I is untouched, and remains in its natural state. I landed 
• several times on this island, for the purpose of getting bird’s 
| eggs. It is about three miles in circumference, and the 
middle and highest part is about seventy feet above the level 
of the sea, with a deposit of guano of twenty-five feet at its 
greatest depth. Like the other two islands, there is no vege¬ 
tation of any kind on it; and, from the innumerable bird holes 
in the guano, it has the appearance of a rabbit warren. These 
holes run about a foot or two feet from the surface, in every 
possible direction, and, as they are from five to ten feet long, 
frequently running into each other, the guano for two or 
three feet from the surface is perforated like a honeycomb. 
In each of these holes are birds like divers sitting on their 
eggs ; and, in turning up the guano to get at the eggs, we 
often turned up dead birds, old ones, that had, doubtlessly, 
crawled into these holes to die, and would in all probability, 
if we had not disturbed them, added, in the course of ages, 
to the stock of guano. 
“ I believe it is well known to naturalists, that seals gene¬ 
rally congregate to one place in common, to die; and ob¬ 
servation on this island goes to establish that fact, for al¬ 
though thousands of seals are seen on it, in every stage of 
decomposition, none are seen on the main land. The general 
opinion is, that the seals, when ill, have crawled up as high on 
| the island as they could. The guano being soft, from the in¬ 
numerable perforations, they soon work a bed for themselves, 
which may account for their being found generally half buried, 
and prevented from decomposing as fast as they would 
on rocks, sand, or any other substance ; for guano is well 
known to preserve dead bodies from putrefaction. I have 
seen many dead seals on the south island, in a dried state, 
like mummies ; the skeletons of others, that a kick woidd 
send into dust; and parts of skeletons, fins, &c., bodies of 
pelicans and other birds in the same state; which, in my 
opinion, all goes to prove that guano is composed of the 
bodies of seals and birds, more than the excrements of birds. 
My friends told me it was ten years since they first visited 
the islands, and that the south one had undergone no change. 
The bodies of the seals were then as they now are, which 
i proves decomposition of bodies in and on guano takes a 
! long time. Eggs, in a sort of petrified state, are frequently 
| found many feet deep in guano. Much sal-ammoniac, in 
I pieces from the size of a marble to a man’s fist, is also found 
; some ten to twenty feet from the surface. I have some now 
; in my possession, the scent of which is as powerful as any sal- 
• volatile I ever smelt. 
“ When last I was at the Cliinclias, in October, 1857, they 
were shipping 40,000 tons of guano monthly, to Europe and 
America, and, at that rate, it was expected to last eight years. 
The guano on the north and middle islands is about half done. 
The greatest depth on the north island is fifty-five feet, and 
[ on the middle about forty-five. The south has the least— 
twenty-five. The base of the three are the same, viz., rocky; 
of what kind I cannot say, but the same as the rocks on the 
south coast of Ireland. On each of the islands that are 
being worked, are many miserable huts for the labourers, and 
vagabond Peruvians, with merchandise from Pisco. The 
governor is a Peruvian colonel, who has 100 soldiers under 
his command, to keep ,the Chinese slaves and the Peruvian 
labourers in order. There are about 800 Chinese, who were 
brought over from China in English ships, chartered by the ! 
Peruvian government to bring Chinese emigrants to California, , 
but w'liich were to call at Pisco for orders ; and, when the ships 
arrived at Pisco, the poor Chinese were landed, and made 
virtually slaves ; but, as they each get two dollars per month, 
they receive a wage. 
“ Ships anchor close to the islands, in deep water, from 
twenty to fifty fathoms. I anchored in forty, about half a 
mile from the shore. Beef and vegetables are brought from 
Pisco. The price of meat, which is very inferior, is 7 d. per 
pound. Ships bring water with them from Callao, and are 
bound by charter-party to land a certain quantity on the 
islands, by which means they are supplied with water. The 
ships are loaded either by boats or under a shoot, where the 
ship is moored close to the rocks, and the guano run down 
from a height of 110 feet. I loaded by the latter, and took 
in 1,300 tons in four days. The place abounds in fish, but 
not of a very first-rate quality, being principally albecore, 
horse mackerel, and a sort of mullet. At certain seasons 
flying-fish are very abundant. The islands are the property 
of the Peruvian government, who commission Messrs. Gibbs 
to charter ships and sell the guano.—J. Bulfokd. 
BEDDING OUT. 
Every gardener has his own way of planting Lis 
bedding plants, and, if we could gather up the different 
methods into a long yarn, I would vouch for it, that 
Captain Marryat never spun a more droll story—the 
shifts, the accidents, the mistaking one kind for another, 
the misunderstanding of orders, the breaking down of 
the hand-barrow, and the mixing of tallies, are but as 
drops in the bucket, compared to the ups and downs 
of these three weeks’ chronicles of the bedding out 
“principle.” Botheration to the whole system! Why 
could not people put up with the old, honest, mixed 
borders? Why give heed to those crack-brained 
writers on bedding plants, fancy ribbons, love-knots, 
shaded and pincushion beds, and goodness knows how 
many more fancy plantings besides, to say nothing of 
the trouble, the loss, and the danger of removing 
spring flowers in the face of a burning sun, or a 
searching easterly wind; enough to drive a man to 
madness ; and, with it all, not a “ collection ” of plants 
to be met with now in the best places in the three 
kingdoms; nothing but bedding plants. Very hard, 
certainly ; but who can help it? Eashion will carry 
the day, no matter how it comes, or when it goes. 
The highest aim of the deity of fashion in the flower 
garden, is still the shaded bed, and, that point once 
gained, we may expect some changes for the better; 
but that is all we may look for in our day. Mixed 
borders we all have, or ought to have ; but the mixed 
border of these days is as the Linnaoan system of 
botany at tne present period—very good for children’s 
gardens, and to make a beginning with in the world 
ol flowers. The whole thing lies between the Doctor 
and the ladies. He would put the “ natural system ” 
of botany into the -mouths of babes and nursing maids ; 
and they, the ladies, will have their bedding out, their 
shades, their colours, and their crinoline, as naturally 
done, as any “system” that was ever invented. To 
abuse the “ system,” therefore, or to find fault with 
those who write about it, is just like fighting against 
the air. We take no heed of such things. All you say 
against that system must necessarily go in at one ear 
and out at the other, and be as if it never had been said. 
The richest colour we had in the Experimental 
Garden, this spring, was that of the vermilion Brilliant 
Tulip ; and, after trying it with all our spring flowers, 
we have come to the conclusion that not one of them 
will do to contrast with it, that is, to “ set it off,” or 
heighten its own effect. Therefore, we shall have it 
next year in six, or eight, large vases, which will be 
bordered, or edged, with Aubrietia purpurea, a pale 
