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Ootober 21, 1807.]
portant of Her Majesty's possessions.—I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient, hum- -ble servant,
WILLIAM ROBINSON. The Right Honourable Mr. J. Chamberlain, M.P., Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, &c., &c., &c.
SRCRETARY OF STATE TO GOVERNOR.
Downing Street, 19th June, 1897. Sir, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 96 of the 27th of April, regarding the proposals for establishing permanent memorials in Hongkong of the sixtieth year of Her Majesty's reign, and I must express my satisfaction at the evidence, which the papers enclosed in your despatch afford, of loyalty and public spirit on the part of all sections of the Hongkong community.
2. I have already conveyed to you in general terms my approval of these proposals, in my telegram of the 22nd of April last, and in my despatch No. 84 of the 23rd of April.
S-I shall be glad to receive from you in due course full particulars of the plan finally adopted for the Women and Children's Hospital and the Nurses' Institute; and also information as to how many miles of the proposed road will be undertaken in the first instance and in what direction.
4. In approving the scheme for a road round the island, I must not be understood to have sanctioned the raising of a loan for the purpose of completing it at an early date, as appears to have been contemplated by some at any rate of the supporters of the scheme 4; but the road should, in my opinion, be constructed gradually out of current revenue, supplemented by whatever subscriptions may be raised for the purpose on the present occasion.-I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient, humble servant,
J. CHAMBERLAIN. Governor Sir W. Robinson, K.C.M.G.,
&c.,
&o.,
&c.
ACTING DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS TO
COLONIAL SECRETARY.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
NURSING INSTITUTE,
7.-A convenient site for this building has been selected near the proposed "Victoria Hospital" and close to the present medical staff quarters. It is now occupied by a tem. porary wooden shed containing a disinfecting apparatus which, in accordance with a proposal made some time ago, will be removed to a site adjoicing the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Kennedytown-a place more suitable for it in all respects.
8.The Institute will provide accommoda- tion, in the first instance, for an assistant matron, 4 sisters, and 6 probationers, and will be so arranged that it can be conveniently ex- tended should occasion arise.
9.-Competitive designs are being invited from local architects for the buildings above described in accordance with the annexed con- ditions, the limit of cost being fixed at $60,000 for the Hospital and $25,000 for the Nursing Institute.
10. The positions of the proposed Hospital and Nursing Institute in relation to the exist ing hospitals and quarters are indicated on the plan which accompanies this report, and can be more clearly understood by a reference to the photographs showing the hospital and grounds as they are at present.
VICTORIA ROAD.
11.-The construction of this road will mark the fulfilment of a scheme which has been long desired in the colony. In the absence of com- plete surveys, which will require some time to make, the scheme can only be described in out- line at present. It consists of constructing 101 miles of new road, pactically reconstructing 4 miles, and effecting minor improvements in other portions of existing roads, the whole, 234 miles in length, forming a nearly complete circuit of the island with the omission of some of its peninsular promontories.
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To avoid this a new line is laid out contouring the hills in such a manner as to admit of an easy descent to the Bay, the gradient being about 1 in 30. The length of this portion of the road will be slightly increased, but this is more than compensated for by the improvement in the gradient and the avoidance of the inter- vening hill which would entail an ascent of about 280 feet
17.-After reaching Deep Water Bay a new and practically level route is continued along the shore and through a flat valley to join the Little Hongkong Road, the existing road again making an ascent and descent of some 300 feet to reach the same point.
18. From here the present road is once more followed, through the village of Aberdeen with its paper mills and docks, for a distance of about two miles and a divergence is then made, the coast line being adhered to until a junction is effected with the roads in the western ex- tremity of the city at Kennedytown. By this deviation a rise of 480 feet in the existing road will be avoided, the new route being approxi mately level.
19. From Kennedytown an excellent road exists through the city back to the starting point, namely, the General Post Office.
20. Roughly speaking, the road may be divided into two sections: a high-level portion from Shankiwan to Deep Water Bay varying from 100 to 500 feet above sea level and a low- level portion for the remainder of the distance practically following the coast line and seldom attaining an elevation of 100 feet.
21.-I estimate that the total cost of carrying out the complete scheme will be $255,000; but in the absence of surveys of the route, this amount must be regarded as approximate only. I believe, however, that it will be found sufficient.
22,-Some reclamation work will be required at Kennedytown, the cost of which is not in- cluded in the foregoing estimate as this will be work of a remunerative kind. I have the hon- our to be, sir, your obedient servant,
W. CHATHAM.
12. The road is intended for the purposes of driving or bicycling, and it may therefore be laid down that, wherever practicable, the width of it should not be less than 20 feet and the gra dients should not be steeper than about 1 in 15.
Acting Director of Public Works. Wherever it can be done, without materially in- The Honourable, the Colonial Secretary. creasing the cost, the width should be increased to 25 feet.
13,-Commencing at the General Post Office and proceeding eastwards a good road already exists as far as the important village of Shauki-
Public Works Office, Hongkong, 8th October, 1897. SIE,In accordance with your request con- tained in Colonial Office despatch No. 114/1897, I now have the honour to forward for thewan, 6 miles distant. The road follows the coast information of the Secretary of State the following report on the works to be undertaken in this colony in commemoration of Her Most Gracious Majesty's prolonged reign.
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2. These works consist of a hospital for women and children, to be called the Victoria Hospital," in conjunction with which a Nursing Institute is to be erected, and a road to be called the "Victoria Road," which will encircle the greater part of the island.
3-Stones, bearing inscriptions which state briefly the circumstances giving rise to the works, were successully laid by His Excellency the Governor on the 23rd June last, at the respective sites.
VICTORIA HOSPITAL. 4.-As this building is intended on its com. pletion to be under the administration of the Civil Medical Department, it will be erected in the grounds of the Government Civil Hospital on a level platean at an elevation of about 130 feet above sea level and within easy access of the main hospital and medical and nursing staff quaters.
5. The accommodation to be provided will be as follows:
*
No. of Beds
2 Wards, each containing 14 Bede...28
For Women
For Children.
2
2
"
22
2
1 Bed
}}
1 Ward 1
8 Beds
#
}}
isolation
1 Bed
2
Total Number of Beds
4
2
8
43
besides a day-room for convalescents, an opera-
tatanging theatre, and a sisters' room.
6.-The building will be two-storeys high and be surrounded on all sides by verandahs, the bath-rooms, sculleries, &c., being detached in small annexes situated at two of the augles whilst the accommodation for the Chinese servants will be provided in a separate building connected by a covered way with the main Book
line passing through Quarry Bay with its large sugar refineries, and is, with slight exceptions, practically level. From Shankiwan it turns southwards and begins to ascend until a gap in the hills is reached at an altitude of about 500 feet 14 miles from Shankiwan. In this portion the existing route is followed for a distance of about 1 mile and a deviation is then made which effects a saving in the length of the road and avoids an unnecessary rise and fall before the gap is reached. The formation of a cutting 30 feet in depth through the gap will enable an average gradient of about 1 in 17 to be obtained all the way from Shankiwan.
14.-Passing through the gap, the present road makes a zig-zag and descends rapidly to the village of Tytam Tuk. Apart from consi- derations of width, the road is quite impractic. able for vehicles, and a new line has therefore been laid out, which skirts the hillside at a higher level and erosses the valley some distance above the village, and in that way an average gradient of 1 in 15 is secured. Contouring the hills at an elevation of about 100 feet until the last valley has been crossed, a slight ascent is once more begun to join the existing road which attains at this part a maximum height of about 250 feet. With slight undulations the road continues along the hills fringing the coast until a point is reached where a descent is begun to the village of Stanley 44 miles from Shan- kiwan.
15. Here the proposed road again deviates from the existing route and, after being carried for some distance approximately level, begins to ascend to a gap at an elevation of 450 feet. This is the last obstacle as regards height which has to be negotiated on the return to the start- ing point and as in the former instance some cutting will be done here also permitting an average gradient of 1 in 15 to be secured.
THE "PRINCESS CHARLOTTE” AND "VICTOR EMANUEL" FIGURE HEADS.
THE COMMODORE AND GOVERNOR CRACK JOKES.
The following correspondence is published in the Gazette
COMMODORE TO GOVERNOR.
Tamar at Hongkong,
11th October, 1897, Sir I have the honour to submit that I am prepared to give the figure head of the old Princess Charlotte, which is now in a somewhat lonely and unfrequented place by the signal gun at Victoria Peak, a home in the Royal Naval
Yard, if it should meet the views of Your Ex- cellency that she should be transferred to a more frequented locality.
I expect that before very long the figure head of the Victor Emanuel will be placed in a pro- minent position in this establishment, and it would seem fit that a Royal Consort should be provided for him.
Provision is made in the yearly Naval Estim ates for keeping these interesting relics of the past in a state of preservation.-I have the hon- our to be, sir, your excellency's obedient servant,
SWINTON C. HOLLAND,
Commodore. His Excellency Sir William Robinson, G.C.M.G.,
Governor of Hongkong,
I
GOVERNOR TO COMMODORE. Government House, Hongkong, 14th October, 1897. Sir,-In reply to your letter of the 11th instant, I have the honour to state that I have no objection to the uniou in the Naval Yard of the figure heads of the Princess Charlotte and Victor Emanuel, but I trust that no objection will be raised on behalf of His Majesty to his proposed Royal Consort on account of her somewhat mature age.~I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient servant,
16.--From the gap, the existing track descends |
WILLIAM ROBINSON. somewhat steeply and mounts another hill before reaching Deep Water Bay, two miles distant. Commodore Swinton Holland, R.N., A.D.C.
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*