Melbourne, and the Chincha Islands; with Sketches of Lima, and a Voyage Round the World. by Peck, George Washington - 1854

New York: Charles Scribner , 1854. v, (13)-294 pp. b/w frontispiece and illustrations in text.

Peck sailed from Boston in ... 1853. Most of his fellow passengers were bound for the Australian gold diggings. He returned across the Pacific to Peru and then made his voyage home round Cape Horn. - Hill 1320. The Chinchas were a center of the guano trade, and Peck has much to say about this interesting and forgotten branch of maritime commerce. Don't laugh. Before the advent of chemically manufactured fertilizers, the guano trade was big business. This is a first edition in original blind stamp covers, which are worn. Scattered foxing throughout.