304

HONGKONG

in the Italian style of architecture, with a spire, and containing accommodation foe about 500 persons, formerly stood in Staunton Street, but was rebuilt in 1890, on thr plan of the old building, on a new site above the Kennedy Road, together with a parsonage adjoining. This church possesses an organ, and the three rose windows are filled with stained glass. A small Wesleyan chapel stands at the junction of Queen's Road and Kennedy Road. The Roman Catholic Cathedral is situated in Glenealy ravine, near the Botanic Gardens, and is a large structure in the Gothic style; the bell tower is at present incomplete, and the central tower is furnished with an insignificant wooden apology for a spire. It was opened for worship in 1888. St. Joseph's Church, in Garden Road, is a neat edifice erected in 1876 on the site of one destroyed by the great typhoon of 1874; St. Anthony's Church on the Bonham Road, near West Point, is an ugly structure, erected in 1892 by the muni- ficence of a late Portuguese resident; St. Francis' Church, at Wanchai, and the Church of the Sacred Heart, at West Point, are small and unattractive structures. There are two Mahomedan Mosques, one in Shelley Street and the other at Kowloon, the latter being for the accommodation of the men of the Hongkong Regiment. There are also several Protestant mission chapels. St. Joseph's College, a school for boys managed by the Christian Brothers (Roman Catholic), occupies a large and handsome building on a prominent site below Robinson Road. The Italian Convent, in Caine Road, educates a large number of girls, and brings up many orphans gratuitously. The Ásile de la Sainte Enfance, in Queen's Road East, is in the hands of French Sisters, who receive and train up numbers of Chinese foundlings. The Roman Catholics also possess a Reformatory at West Point for Chinese boys, which is efficiently managed. Other denominations likewise support charitable establishments, conspicuous among which are the Diocesan Home and Orphanage, the Berlin Foundling Hospital on Bonham Road, which has a neat little chapel attached (in which services according to the Lutheran creed are held), the Baxter Vernacular School, the Victoria Female Home and Orphanage, &c. St. Paul's College, situated between Pedder's Hill and Glenealy Ravine, was erected in 1850, and was originally founded for the purpose of giving a theological training to young Chinese and others intended for the ministry of the Anglican Church, but is now an ordinary school. A small chapel is attached. The college is the residence of the Bishop of Victoria, who is its warden.

The Protestant, Roman Catholic, Parsee, Jewish, and Mahomedan Cemeteries occupy sites in Wong-nai Chung Valley, and are kept in good order. The Protestant Cemetery is almost a rival to the Public Gardens, being charmingly situated and admirably laid out with fountain, flower beds, and ornamental shrubs. The principal Chinese cemetery is on the slopes of Mount Davis, near the Pokfolum Road, and is dismally bare and injudiciously crowded.

INSTITUTIONS

There are several Clubs in the Colony. The principal are the Hongkong Club on the New Praya, the Club Germania in Wyndham Street, and the Lusitano Club in Shelley Street. There are also the Victoria Recreation Club, which possesses Bath and Boat houses and Gymnasium, on the Praya near the Cricket Ground; a Cricket Club, a Football Club, a Polo Club, a Golf Club, a Hockey Club, a Rifle Assocation, and a Yacht Club. The Ladies' Recreation Club have several prettily laid out tennis courts and a pavilion in their grounds on the Peak Road.

The Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce have a room in the City Hall, and meet annually. The Committee form its executive, and the Chamber is frequently asked by the Government for its opinion on questions affecting commerce. The Freemasons' Hall, erected in 1865, is situated in Zetland Street, and belongs to the parent lodge, the Zetland. The Sailors' Home occupies a site at West Point, and there is a Mission to Seamen. The British Mercantile Marine Officers' Association and the Institution of Marine Engineers have been formed and watch over the interests of those professions. The Hongkong Benevolent Society does good work among the indigent waifs occasionally cast destitute on the Colony. Among other institutions is the St. Andrew's Society, primarily established to ensure the fitting celebration of the anniversary of Scotland's patron saint.

The annual races are held at the latter end of February, under the auspices of the Hongkong Jockey Club, on the Race Course in Wong-nai Chung Valley at the east end of the town, a beautiful spot enclosed by fir-clad hills. On this occasion the whole colony makes holiday, and the stands and course are crowded with one of the most motley collections of humanity to be seen in any part of the world. Gymkhanas are also held monthly during the summer. A regatta is held in December in the harbour, but it does not evoke the same enthusiasm as the races. Athletic Sports are also got

Page 780Page 781

Share This Page