964
HONGKONG
The approaches to the harbour are strongly fortified, the batteries consisting of well-constructed earthworks. The western entrance is protected by three batteries on Stonecutters' Island and two forts on Belcher and Fly Points, from which a tremendous converging fire could be maintained, completely commanding the Sulphur Channel. Pine Wood battery, on the hill above and west of Richmond Terrace, has a wide range of fire. The Ly-ee-nun Pass is defended by two forts on the Hongkong side and another on Devil's Peak on the mainland, and if vessels survived that tire they would then have to face the batteries at North Point and Hunghom which completely command the eastern entrance. Another battery on the bluff at Tsim-tsa Tsui, Kowloon, commands the whole of the centre of the harbour. The batteries are armed with the latest breech-loading ordnance.
In addition to the fortifications the Colony possesses a small squadron for harbour defence. This consists of the obsolete turret ironclad Wivern, 2,750 tons, now dismant'ed and being used as a disti ling ship, and six torpedo boats. The crews of these vessels are borne in the receiving ship Tamar, which is also the headquarters of the Commodore and his staff. The Naval Yard is an extensive range of workshops and offices east of the Artillery Barracks, and the Naval Authorities have another large establishment on the Kowloon side near to Yau-ma-Ti.
CLIMATE
As intimated in earlier paragraphs, Hongkong formerly enjoyed a most unenviable notoriety for unhealthiness, and in years past the troops garrisoned here suffered grievously from malarial fevers. A great deal of the sickness in the early days of the Colony was believed to have been caused by excavating and otherwise disturbing the disintegrated granite of which the soil of the island mainly consists, and which appears to throw off malarious exhalations when upturned. At the present time, however, the Colony is one of the healthiest spots in the world in the same latitude. The influence of the young pine forests created by the Afforestation Department and the training of nullahs on the slopes have 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 1995 was 17.45 as comparedwith 16.94 during the previous year. The death-rate among the British and Foreign races was 17.03 and among the Chinese 17.46.
The following table shows the fifteen years' means of the annual and monthly values of the principal meteorological elements, taken from the Observatory Reports for 1898---
Bar. Mean pressure Maximum
Mean temperature
Jan. Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Year .30.150 30.132 30,055 20.958 29.833 29.761 29.738 29.755 29,824 29.982 30.103 30.1-1 29.959 .30.367 30.390 30.308 30.158 30.45 29.88 · 29-882 29.851 92.984 30.157 30.311 30.444 30 444 .....29.686 29.421 20.552 29.570 29.447 29,284 28 762 29.88 23.876 29.089 29.575 20.757 28 762
50.7 57.7 62.2 69.9
9.4 76.2 69.2 62.4 71.5 64.1 61.7 66.4 74.5
85.3 80.7 74.3 67.5 76.1 50.0 54.5 58.9 66.7 79.2 79.0 82.1 89.6 40.3 45.9 55.6
Minimum
76.6
Mean maximum
81.2
80.7 81.6 85.2 86.2
81.0
86. I
Mean minimum
73.5 77.4
73.0
77.3
76.6
72.5
65.3
55.3
67.9
Maximum
91.5 93.6
04 0
92 9
94.0
93.8
85 6
81.9
94.0
Minimam
32.0
01.1
69.2
721
71 6
65 6
60.8
50.6 4.7 32.0
Mean daily rnuge
8.1
7.2
7.4
7.7
7.7
7.8
8.2
8.7
8.7
8.3
0.0
Mean humidity
74
79
84
8.5
83
83
83
83
77
71
#15
Mean rain
1.545
2.001
2.901
5.980 13.159 16 496
14.210
13,482
8.833
5.794
8.2 87 1302 098 86.867
9.9
Maximum in 24 hours 3.920
2185 3.580
6.210 20.495 12 630
13.480
6.555
5.855 10.190
6 875 01.7 · 20.456
Mean max in 24 hours 0.683
0.710 1.160
2.256
Maximum iu 1 hour
0.510
0525 1.570
2 420
4.814 3.400
4 438
3.973
3.257
2.550
3 480
2.140
1 720
Mean max. in 1 hour
0.188
0.249 0.484
1,018
1.406
1.369
1.933
1.187
1.004
Hours of rain.
05
Wind direction
04 .E15oN E14°N E8′′N
87
85
94
90
79
73
57
2.951 2743 1.650 0.702 0.285 0.165
44
34
0843 0.522 8.649 1,020 0 500 3,480
20
Wind velocity menn Maximum
Hours of sunshine
14.4 15.0 165 46 53 49 136,7 77.7 79.5
E2" X 14.9 46 110.7
42 152.1
48 108 155.4 197.6
E11°3 839°E S43°F 833o E E15 N 21°N E29°N E27°N
13.5 12.5 11.2 9.6 12.2 E 14.7 13.8 12.7 13.4
66
Во
85
49
63 108 197.2 200.1 214.5 190.2 189.7 1907.4
2.116 838 E3°S
It has been remarked that the meteorological returns indicate a progressive change in the climatic conditions generally of the Colony. The average yearly rainfall for the ten years ended 1904 was 20 inches less than the average for the immediately preceding decade.
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 1905 the following tonnage entered and cleared
Digitized by
ögle