Title 48, Territories and Insular PossessionsRelease 119-102
§1414 Exclusive Privileges of Discoverer
Title 48 › CHAPTER 8 — GUANO ISLANDS › § 1414
Summary
Allows a U.S. citizen who finds an island, rock, or key (or a person they choose) to be given, if Congress agrees, the exclusive right to live on it and take guano to sell to U.S. citizens. They may charge up to $8 per ton for the best quality when delivered alongside a ship in proper tubs within reach of the ship’s tackle, or up to $4 per ton for guano taken from its native place of deposit.
Full Legal Text
Title 48, §1414
Territories and Insular Possessions, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The discoverer, or his assigns, being citizens of the United States, may be allowed, at the pleasure of Congress, the exclusive right of occupying such island, rocks, or keys, for the purpose of obtaining guano, and of selling and delivering the same to citizens of the United States, to be used therein, and may be allowed to charge and receive for every ton thereof delivered alongside a vessel, in proper tubs, within reach of ship’s tackle, a sum not exceeding $8 per ton for the best quality, or $4 for every ton taken while in its native place of deposit.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Codification R.S. § 5573 derived from act Aug. 18, 1856, ch. 164, § 2, 11 Stat. 119.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
48 U.S.C. § 1414
Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102