A PAGE FROM KOWLOON HISTORY (cont.)
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Many of the names of the first lot-holders are familiar as leading men of their time, and some of them have sons or nephews in the Colony at the present day. The list includes the following:-
Daniel E. Caldwell, Joao L. Britto, V. I. Remedios, V.S.T. Engholm (a woman judging by the Christian name) J. D. Humphreys, C.F.A. Sangster, A. G. Morris, N. B. Dennys, H. J. Holmes, J.M.A. da Silva, A.F. Alves, C. F. Degenaer, Dorabjee Nowrojee, Andrew Millar, W. H. Brereton, George McBain (afterwards of Shanghai fame and fortune), J. B. Coughtrie, T. D. C. and J. Parker, M. d'Azevedo, E. R. Holmes, M. J. D. Stephens, Mohamed Fakeera, W. G. Humphreys, F. X. da Chagas, J. A. dos Remedios, J. W. Torrey, F. V. Riberio, A. R. Madar, H. L. Noronha, Frederich Rapp, B. A. Eranee, James Creig, F. d'A Gomes, H. L. Dennys, I. P. Madar, and James Henry Cox.
A good number of these families are still represented in the Colony. It is also interesting to find here the origin of the name for Cox's Path.
We can definitely assign it to Mr. J. H. Cox, who leased several of the Garden Lots where this path now runs.
It might also be noted that the old plans show how from the very beginning areas had been mapped out for the military barracks, known now as Whitfield Barracks on the one hand and Gun Club Hill on the other; also encompassing the Kowloon Cricket Club's ground. The Naval depot had also been demarcated beforehand.
There is another plan showing Crown land for sale by public auction on July 25, 1864, depicting the whole of Kowloon Point and the intended reclamations (since carried out) along the east, south and west sides, the site of the Water Police Station being already allotted.
On the west, where the Kowloon Wharf and Godowns property now exists, partly on a reclamation, these marine lots were divided up for the purposes of the sale into areas of 30,000 square feet each, valued at £160 an acre; on the south and in the middle they were each of 63,000 square feet, and valued at £140 an acre; while on the east, where most of the Chatham Road property is to-day, the plots measured 7,500 square feet apiece, and the value put on them by the Government varied, being in some cases £140 and in others £160 an acre. These values were reduced to proportionate rentals in Hongkong currency.
Another plan shows a sale of Crown land by public auction on November 16, 1864, covering the area sold for construction of the present Kowloon Docks. It is interesting to note that here, too, some reclamation had to be carried out. Immediately behind, on the knoll, was the site for a battery; and the position of the dockyard was then a landing place of some kind, as two stone jetties are shown in the plan.
Extract from the S. C. M. Post of May 18, 1909: "Kowloon has of late turned topsy turvey, especially in so far as nomenclature of its streets is concerned. The European residential quarter especially has suffered. Take Robinson Road, however. The name may die in time, but, we fear, it will die as hard as Pedder's Wharf. The other day a gentleman asked his boy a Hongkong born Chinese and a "Scotchman" at that to take some bathing gear to Blake Pier. It took him the better part of an afternoon to explain where Blake Pier was, and then came the dawn of mutual understanding when the boy ejaculated "Pedder's Wharf: me no savee
Well, Robinson Road is now adorned with the title Nathan Road, and correspondents, grocers, bakers, butchers, tailors, etc., please note. Many old familiar names belonging to other roads have also given place to such names as Hanoi Road, Tientsin Road, Peking Road, etc., etc., too numerous to mention. One would imagine that these roads were thoroughfares leading to the cities mentioned; but no, any old cul de sac, or unimportant by-way seems to have been good enough for such a title. The old names were good enough; why they have been changed we fail to understand."
new name.