§ MR. CAIRDsaid, that that being the case he would take another opportunity of referring to the matter. He would now proceed to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the question which he had given notice with reference to the Peruvian guano monopoly. At present the English farmers have to pay very much more for their guano than had the farmers of America; but since he had given notice of this question the agent of the Peruvian Government had reduced the price £1 a ton. Still, however, there was a large difference between the price here and the price in America. He was aware that the Peruvian Government could charge what price they pleased, and all he asked was that the Government should point out to 874 them the unfairness of placing the English consumer under a disadvantage as compared with the consumer of America. There was now a very large quantity of Peruvian guano in the docks, and if there was a proper combination against this gigantic monopoly the price would be brought down to what it was in America, if not to the old price of £9 a ton.
MR. SEYMOUR FITZGERALDsaid, the question was doubtless one of importance, and he was not surprised, considering the deep interest which the hon. Gentleman took in agricultural matters, that he had turned his attention to it. He was glad to say that he had received a communication from the agent of the Peruvian Government, which he hoped would be found satisfactory. There were certain circumstances affecting the consumption of this article which ought not to be forgotten, especially that the interest of the whole bonded debt of Peru was charged on the produce of the sale of guano. In the communication he had that day received he was informed that in the first place the price of guano would be reduced to £13 15s. to £12 a ton, and in the second place, the same price would in future be charged in this country as was charged in America. This would produce a saving to the agricultural interest of something approaching £400,000 a year.