History of Southampton 1844 . On the 25th August a large consignment of guano from Ichaboe Island was unloaded at Southampton Docks . It had been imported by John Boyd & Co . in London , and two agents in the High Street were employed to sell the guano locally . Ichaboe , lying just off the west coast of Africa , had been discovered in 1828 by Captain B. Morrell , who reported "birds manure to the depth of 25ft " Its use as a fertiliser was unparalleled and the "guano rush" began . At its height , in 1844 -1845 , there were no less than 450 boats lying off the small island , while 6,000 men were scraping guano . Guano had built up over centuries from the dropping of the island`s seabird population . The word is derived from Spanish for "dung" . This shipment , carried by the ship Blucher , filled several dock warehouses and was declared to have " an unusual extent of fertilising matter and had been analysed by an experimental chemist of the highest competency " . This amazing product would be sold at £9 per ton , or a hundredweight sample bag costing 12 shillings . There was no charge for the bag .
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 00:49:09 +0000
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