HONGKONG
281
young pine forests created by the Afforestation Department has no doubt been beneficial in checking malaria, and the attention latterly bestowed on sanitation has not been without its due effect. The annual death rate per 1,000 for the whole population in 1897 was 18.85, for the British and foreign population 14. 9.
The following table shows the barometer (reduced to mean sea level), temperature, rainfall, humidity, and wind velocity. The figures are the average of ten years' observations (1884-93) made at the Observatory at Kowloon, 108 feet above sea level, and are compiled from tables given in the annual report of the Director of the Observatory for 1893 :-
BAROMETER (in inches).
TEMPERATURE
RAIN
HUMIDITY. WIND VELOCITY, (in inches). (percentage of (miles per hour)
(in deg. Fahr.).
saturation).
January
February
30.14
Mean. Max. Min.
30.16 30.37 29.69 30.39 29.57
Mean. Max. Min.
59.4
Mean.
Mean. Min.
Mean,
75.0
32.0
1.67
74
5
14.8
67.3
79.0
40.3
1.70
79
11
15.2
March
30.06
30.31 29.55 62.0
30.3
46.3
4.08
85
24
16.9
April.
29.96
30.18 29.58 09.7
88.6
55.6
7.58
86
20
14.8
May
29.87
30.02 29.48
76.2
90.9
64.1
15.00
84
June
29.77
29.88 29.28 80.5
92.6
69.2
16.97
83
July
29.73
29.88
28.91
81.5
92.9
72.1
15.98
August.
29.76
29.85
29.20
80.9
92.9
71.6
13.89
September
29.82
29.98
28.88
80.1
93.9
65.6
8.58
October
29.09
30.19
29.23 76.3
93.4
60.8
4.78
November
30.12
30.31 29.59
69.0
83.0
52.1
0.81
December
30.18
30.35 29.76
62.5
81.9
44.2
1.21
Year
29.96
30.39 28.88 71.3
93.9
32.0
92.31
***FREER
34
83
83
46
77
70
65
65
78
GOED*****
35
13.7
12.4
11.1
9.4
12.1
14.7
13.6
12.9
13.5
TRADE.
Hongkong is a free port, and there is no complete official return of the imports and exports compiled, but the value of its trade is estimated at about £50,000,000 per annum. During the year 1897 the following tonnage entered and cleared :
CLEARED
NATIONALITY
ENTERED
CLEARED
NATIONALITY
ENTERED
Vessels. Tons.
Vessels. Tons.
American
Austrian
British
114 27 3,392
76.867 66,594
Chinese
198
Chinese Junks.. 28,989
4,133,151 255.619 1,718,739
112 27 3,301 198 28,814
70,889 66,594 4,135,615 255,889
Hawaiian Italian
Vessels. Tons.
4
Vessels. Tons,
8.256
4
8,256
14
19.707
14
19,707
Japanese
152
299,658
152
299,618
Norwegian
142
144,175
143
144,819
1,722,556
Russian
5
14,585
5
14.535
Danish
73
35,898
72
35,112
Siamese
3
1,621
3
1,821
Dutch..
1
3,289
+
3,288
Spanish
6
2,766
5
2,050
French
145 170,782
145
170,782
Swedish
13
12,218
13
12,218
German
682 818,655
682
818,916
A total of 18,324 vessels of 6,836,5 tons entered, and 17,923 vessels of 6,901,923 tons cleared with cargoes. There also entered in ballast 15,639 vessels, of 945,828 tons, and cleared 15,861 vessels of 881,592 tons.
The trade chiefly consists in opium, cotton, sugar, salt, flour, oil, cotton and woollen goods, metals, earthenware, amber, ivory, sandalwood, betel, vegetables, granite, &c., &c. There is an extensive Chinese passenger trade, now chiefly restricted, however, to the Straits Settlements, Netherlands India, Borneo, the Philippines, Siam, and Indo-China, Hongkong possesses unrivalled steam communication. The P. & O. S. N. Co. and the M. M. Co. convey the European mail weekly, the Norddeutscher Lloyd Co. maintain a regular fortinghtly mail service between Bremen and Hongkong, the P. M. S. S. Co. and the O. & O. S. S. Co. maintain a mail service with San Francisco, the Canadian Pacific Railway Co. a regular mail service with Vancouver, B.C., a regular line has been estab- lished by the Northern Pacific S. S. Co. to Tacoma, another by the Oregon Railway and Navigation Co. to Portland, the Eastern and Australian S. S. Co. and the China Navigation Co. keep up a frequent but rather irregular service with the Australian Colonies, and the Nippon Yusen Kaisha maintains services to Europe, Aust- ralia, and the United Stales (Seattle). In addition to all these, several great lines of merchant steamers run between London, Liverpool, and Hongkong, of which the China Mutual S. S. Co., Ocean S. S. Co. and the Glen, Warrack, Mogul, Ben, Union, Shell, and Rickmers lines are the most conspicuous. The Austrian Lloyd's steamers also ply from Trieste to Hongkong, those of the Kingsin line from Hamburg, and the Navigazione Generale Italiana Company's steamers run monthly from Genoa. There is frequent but irregular steam communication between Java and Hongkong. Between the ports on the east coast of China and Hongkong the steamers of the Douglas S. S. Co. ply regularly twice a week, and there is constant steam communication with Hoihow, Manila, Saigon, Haiphong, Tourane, Bangkok, Borneo, đẹ With Shanghai, Tientsin, and the ports of Japan there is frequent communication by steamers of the Indo- China, China Navigation, and other lines, in addition to the English and French mail steamers, which leave weekly. Between Hongkong, Macao, and Canton there is a daily steam service.
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