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Besides these two main ranges, there are cross ranges of lesser altitude, which divide the watershed between Mirs Bay and Deep Bay with low hills in some of the valleys.
The heights of the mountains are taken from the inap sketched by Lieutenant E. G. YOUNG, R.E., which gives a clear idea of the mountain system of the new territory. (Map IV.)*
WATERSHEDS.
The watersheds of the territory being as a rule close to the east and south coasts, the more extensive valleys and plains lie to the west and north, and drain into Deep Bay. Such are the valleys of which the town of Sham Chun is the centre, and the valleys and plains of Pat Heung and Shap Pat Heung, lying to the north-west of the range of Taimò Shán. A remarkable feature in the Shap Pat Heung plains is the abrupt and clearly-defined line between hill and plain. The plain extends from the shores of Deep Bay for some miles into the interior, never reaching an elevation of more than 10 or 15 feet above high water mark, but from this point the hills rise abruptly at an angle of 15 to 20 degrees.
RIVER SYSTEM.
The river system, like the mountain system, is divided into two sections-a northern and a southern. The chief river of the northern section and the largest in the territory is the Sham Chun river, which has three branches or tributaries, a northern, an eastern and a southern. The northern branch rises in the mountains on the borders of the Tung Kun and San On districts, and, flowing in a south- westerly direction, joins the main river to the west of Sham Chun; the eastern branch rises in the low hills west of Starling Inlet, and flows in a westerly direc- tion, joining the main river to the east of Sham Chun; the southern branch has its source in Kau Lung Hang, to the north of Taipó Hü, and flows in a north-westerly direction, falling into the main river a mile below Sham Chun. All these branches are good-sized mountain streams, and most valuable as irriga- tors of the cultivated land through which they flow. They are, however, of no value as highways of trade, as they are too shallow to be navigated by even small craft. The Sham Chun river, from the town of Sham Chun to its mouth, is at high tide from 60 to 80 feet wide, has a depth of 7 to 12 feet, and is navigable for junks and launches. The bar at its mouth is about 6 or 7 feet in depth, and is reported at low tide to be only 3 feet in depth.
The Sham Chun river system is separated from the Un-Long and Kam T'in, or southern river system, by the Kai Kung T'au range of mountains. The Un- Long river rises in the northern slope of the T'aimò Shán range, and, flowing in a northerly direction, empties itself into Deep Bay. The Kam T'in river, which has its source at the foot of Taimò Shán, flows in a north-westerly direction, joining the Ün-Long river at the village of Kam Tin. The Un-Long river is navigable by small junks as far as Ün-Long, a market town three miles distant from Deep Bay to the north.
The Kam Tin river has a depth of from three to six feet at high tide all the way from its mouth in Deep Bay to the town of Kam T'in, a distance of about six miles.
The first steamer that ever went up this river was the pinnace of H.M.S. Plover, which had no difficulty in conveying the members of the Commission as far as the market town of Kam T'in, with a cutter in tow.
Within the basins of these two river systems are found the most fertile soil and the most populous villages in the area about to be leased.
WATER SUPPLY.
The water supply appears to be excellent everywhere. During the month of August, when the inspection of the territory was made, there were streams of water pouring down the hill sides in every direction, and the village wells contained ample water, as a rule within six or eight feet of the surface. Sufficient water to raise two crops of rice a year seems always to be available throughout the district.
* Not printed.