friction and asperity of feeling between the official and unofficial elements, but nothing of the sort has displayed itself during the present session, and I feel assured that we shall see no recurrence of it during Your Excellency's term of office; and that you will always receive the support of the members of this Council. I think no one will deny that the re-constituted Council has been a success. It may be said by some people that our new unofficial members have not given us any great oratorical displays since the session commenced, but the organisation of the various committees where every measure is thoroughly discussed and threshed out before coming to the Council, has rendered these displays unnecessary. In conclusion, I consider Your Excellency has brought this Council into good working order, and I am sure you will have the support of all the official and unofficial members in maintaining it in that state.
11
His Excellency the Governor closed the Session with the following Speech :----
"HONOURABLE GENTLEMEN OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL,
1. The business of the Session, which has lasted for more than four months, having now been brought to a close, I am enabled to release you for a time from your attendance in Council.
2. During the recess, several measures of importance, to which your attention has in some cases been already directed, will be matured by my Government, and will be submitted for your consideration at your next Meeting. I believe that it is universally agreed that the public convenience will be best consulted by opening the annual session of the Council in the month of November of each year.
3. I thank you, in the name of the Queen, for the supplies which you have granted for every branch of Her Majesty's Service in this Colony. It will be the duty of my Goverament to exercise a watchful supervision over their expenditure, and to practise such economy as may be consistent with the efficiency of the several Departments. As you are already aware, it has been my object to reserve as much money as possible for the prosecution of the important Sanitary and other Public Works which are urgently required. The Report recently laid before you by the Acting Auditor General shows that the probable assets of the Colony on the 1st January, 1885, will amount to $659,402. This sum will probably suffice for next year's expenditure on the Extraordinary Works connected with Sanitation and the increased Water Supply; so that it will not be necessary before the close of 1885 to take any steps for raising the small loan not to exceed one year's revenue, which you have already sanctioned in principle. It will be recollected that Hongkong is one of the very few communities in the world which is now absolutely without a
Public Debt.
4. With regard to legislation; Twenty Bills have become law during the Session. Of these several are of much public importance, and received your careful attention; such are, in particular, the Ordinances for the Registration of Medical Practitioners; for the facilita- tion of the business of Savings' Banks; for the regulation of the Post Office; and for the re-arrangement of the Stamp duties; together with several measures amending former Ordinances which experience had proved to be defective. It may be confidently expected that valuable and permanent results will be developed from legislation of such a character, based on no abstract theories, but on practical experience; and neither impaired by haste, nor influenced by favour, nor impeded by faction.
5. With regard to Public Works; I am happy to be able to announce that a large instalment of the Sanitary improvements sanctioned by you has already been accomplished. The reclamation of the unhealthy lands at Yaumati, on the Kowloon Peninsula, is nearly completed; and the reclamation from the sea at Causeway Bay will be finished before the end of this year. In both these localities, extensive areas will be thrown
open for building purposes. Moreover, under arrangements with several owners of marine allotments in that quarter, the construction of sea-walls and embankments has also been initiated at the Western extremity of the City; and the early erection is expected of an important suburb in that neighbourhood.
6. Owing to the length of the negotiations with the War Office and the Admiralty, I have not yet received the final decision of the Imperial Government on the proposal to unite the Eastern and Western Prayas by an embankment and road in front of the Naval and Military Establishments. But steam-dredging machinery has already arrived from England, and will shortly be put into operation along the noxious foreshore. An aggregate length of two miles of new and improved main sewers has been constructed in the streets principally of the Central and Eastern districts, forming portion of the com- prehensive system of drainage in contemplation for the entire City. But in respect of the equally vital question of private house-drainage, it has been found necessary to defer action pending the passing of the new Building Ordinance, which will be presented for your consideration during the next Session.