61
"Rather a large outlay for Public Gardens but as the Revenue is very flourishing and the object (?) one of general public advantage
He sanctioned the costs!
+
etc."
In addition to the actual cost of the gardens themselves, an extra provision of $3,562.24 was made on November 7th, 1862, "for the erection of Quarters for the Government Gardener and the foreman of works…". During the final stages of construction, there were the inevitable changes in plans and, in addition, the ground being levelled was so rugged and rocky, requiring much blasting, that a final supplementary funding was approved on July 13th, 1864, totalling $15,643.98.
It is difficult to establish who, apart from the Governor, were the people striving to establish the Botanic Gardens, which were comparatively expensive to develop and would, by definition, divert funds from other seemingly more important projects within the Colony. One such person was Dr. H.F. Hance, a distinguished botanist who later became vice-consul at Whampoa, and who played an active role in pushing the project forward. He wrote, for example, to George Bentham of Kew Gardens in November 1859:
“When in Hong Kong, I had a talk with Sir Hercules Robinson (then Governor of Hong Kong) on the subject of a Botanic Garden, and he seemed to look hopefully, I thought, on the prospects of one being established."
His involvement in the project was confirmed later in his obituary, which appeared in the Hongkong Daily Press dated 26th June, 1886:
"When Hong Kong began to think of establishing a Public Garden, Dr. Hance was consulted as to the suitability of a site, and it was on his recommendation that that was chosen on which the old portion of the Botanic Gardens now rest.