246
Horning observations at the stations in Indo. China whose reports we receive, made at an earlier hour, and as a result these observations now usually reach the Observatory in time to be incorporated in the China Coast Meteorological Register which is a distinct advantage. The observations made at Hoibow and Pakhoi con. tinue to reach Hongkong too late to be of any service. Representations are being made by the Government with reference to this matter and although..some slight improvement has been effected no practical advantage at present can be derived from these observations.
8. The thanks of the Government are due to the Telegraph Companies who continue to for. ward meteorological telegrams from outports to Hongkong, free of charge; and also to the staffs of the Eastern Extension and Australasian Telegraph Company at Sharp Peak, Iloilo, Bacolod and Cebu who make and transmit observations twice daily.
9. Telegraphic connection with Victoria was interrupted as follows:-January 29th, 9.30 a to81st, 10.258; March 26th, 10.50 a. to 28th, 11.5 4.; July 2nd; 8.25 a. to 10,20 a. ; 2 th, 5.30 p. to 30th, 10.0 s.; Angust 20tb, 11 55 s. to 20 p.; September 13th, 10,0 p. to 15th, 11, 5 a., 16th, 11.0 s to 18th, 8.55 a.; November 20th, 6.10 p. to 21st, 9.40 a.; December 11.0 a. to 4.30 p. Interruptions occurred therefore on 19 days, and, of course, during thunderstorms.
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10 During 1907, in addition to meteorolog. ical registers kept at 40 stations on shore, 2,685 ship logs have been copied on board or for- warded by the Captains. The total number of vessels, whose log-books have been made use of, was 325. The total number of days' obser | vations (counting separately those made on board different ships on the same day) was 19,740
11 The entry of observations made at sea in degree squares for the area between 9 deg. South and 45 deg. North Latitude, and between the longitude of Singapore and 180 deg. East of Greenwich, has been continued by Miss Doberok and 324,954 in all have now been entered.
12. The typhoons of 1907 bave been investi. gated and the track will be published a soon as possible.
13. Meteorological instruments forwarded by observers who regularly send their registers to the Observatory are verified here free of cost. During the past year several hundred baro- meters and aneroids on board ship were com- pared with our standard.
14. In 1907 the number of transits observed was 460. The axis of the transit instrument
was levelled 278 times and the azimuth and
collimation errors were determined 16 times by aid of the meridian mark. The whole of these observations have been made by Mr. Plummer, No alterations have been made in any of the standard clocks during the year, but the Mean Time Clock which is in e'ectrical connection with the Time Ball has been
cleaned. The going of all the clocks has been fairly satisfactory.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
18 The rainfall in inches recorded by the gauge placed in the Police Compound at Taipo, Now Territories, was as follows:-January 3.70, February 0:07. March 0.21, April 12.29, May 10 15 June 9.97, July 7.20, August 18.79, September 30.26, October 10.58, November 1.38, December 1.56, the total for the year 1907 being 106.16 inches, or about 13 per cent. above the amount recorded at this Observatory.
19 The Director, Dr. W. Doberck, went on leare at the end of May and retired on pension in September after 24 years' service. I was appointed to fil the vacancy
so caused, and consequent on these changes Mr. C. W. Jeffries, formerly at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope, was appointed first assistant and arrived in the Colony in October last.
CRIME IN THE COLONY.
Police and of the Superintendent of Fire The report of the Captain Superintendent of Brigade for 1908 states:
The total of all cases reported to the police increase of 396 or 3.55 per cent. was 11,540 as against 11,144 in 1906 being an
and Minor Offences there appears a decrease as In the division of these cases into Serions compared with 1906 of 27 cases or 81 per cent. in the former and an increase of 423 0.868 or 5.41 per cent, in the latter.
The decrease, as compared with 19.6 in Serious Offences of 27 is shown as follows:-
Robbery
DECREASE.
Unlawful Possession...
Murder
INCREASE.
6
Burglary or Larceny from dwelling 58 Kidnapping and Protection
Women and Children..... Larceny Felonies not already given.........
Nett Decrease...
13 229
242
of
10 109
32
215
.27
2. Table I shows the number and character of the Serious and Minor Offences reported to the Police during the past year, and the number of persons convioled and discharged in oon. nection with these offences.
MURDER CASES.
3. On the 7th of March Chan Sing, Master he, his wife, and a brother were going in a of Cargo-boat No. 7468, reported that while
small boat from the Harbour Master's Pier to his Cargo-boat, his boat was capsized by the back-wash from a steam-laanch. The occupants he said were precipitated into the water and his wife drowned.
One day later the body was picked up and there were several wounds on the head. It is
supposed that the husband and his brother hit
the woman on the bead with an oar and threw their crime. Both men absconded after making her into the water aud made the report to cover the report. No arrest has yet been made.
[April 18,1.908.
On the 4th of April a Japanese named Araki Tuxo, age 32 years, unemployed and of no fixed abode was attacked in a Japanese boarding house at 55 Connaught Road Central by a number of Japanese men who stabbed him on the head and body with knives and swords causing such injuries that he died before removal to Hospital. Tuzo the deceased man was the head of a party who imported Japanese women for immoral purposes and some differences arcs) between soms of the party when it was suspected that Tuzo was not acting honestly towards his own party. They decided to remove him and appoint some one else as their head. Some of the party set off in search of Tuzo who apparently took shelter in the boarding house where they fou.d him and murdered him. Four men were sr. rested and indicted for murder; they were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to ten years hard labour each. A number of others connected with the party were arrested and banished from the Colony.
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On the 15th of May an Indian named Mels, age 40 years, employed as a watchman by Essabboy & Co., who lived at No. 4 Hing his hat by other Indians who no doubt went Lung Lane East, West Point, was murdered in
there to rob him. Deceased was known to have
$400 in his box, the box was found by the Police broken open and the money and other property whom were convicted of murder and sentenced stolen. Six Indians were arrested, four of
to be hanged. The sentence was commuted to penal servitude for life. The charge against the other two was withdrawn.
On the 21st of July about 10 am. To Cheung, age 30, employed as a foreman in Messrs. A. 8. Watson & Co.'s aerated water factory was found lying in Des Voeux Road near the Taiwan Bank in a dying condition with a wound in the region of his heart. The man died beĵore removal to Hospital. It appears that deceased had been the means of causing the dismissal fron the Factory of one or two men who were slack in their work this led to a fight and resulted in the man's death. Five man were arrested 3 were convicted and sentenced to be hanged, one was hange', in the case of the other two the sentence was commuted to penal servitude for life and two were discharged--- information filed against them.
-no
The conduct of the European contingent of the Police Force has been on the whole good. The total number of reports against them was 56 88 against 59 in 1906. There were 16 reports for being drunk or under the influence of drink (same as last year), 3 for disorderly conduct and as against 10 in 1906; one for sleeping on duty
2 for neglect of duty. Nine of the 16 cases of drunkenness, and 15 of the other offences, were committed by men who are no longer in the by the Police Magistrate for being drunk and Force, One European Constable was convicted
iucapable when off duty, one for assault and one for desertion. 90 men had no offence recorded against them.
fair. There were 465 reports, as against 448 The conduct of the Indisu contingent was
23, as against 33, for neglect of duty 52 as for the preceding year. For drunkenness there were 61 as against 45, for disorderly conduct
against 107 and for sleeping on duty 40 as against 46, for absence from duty 51 as against 65, for gossiping and idling on duty 91 as
against 35, Anxiety to get away to Cansda
15. The Time Ball is not dropped on Sundays nor on Government holidays. There were no failures during 1907. On one occasion (Aug. 3) after a typhoon the line was in contact with others and the ball could not be dropped. After December 7 the ball was not dropped as the apparatus was in course of removal to Signal Hall. It was resumed åt chopper and attacked Yim Hung and his two caused men to commit themselves in order to be
the new site on January 8th, 1908. It was dropped successfully 281 times in 1907. The probable error was in January + 08. 16, in February + 08. 18, in March+os 15, in April +08. 12, in May+os, 16, in June + 08. 14, ia July + os. 16, in August + os. 14, in September + os. 13, in October + or. 13, in November + os. 18 and in December + 08.09.
16. The cisterns of the barograph and stan-
dard barometers are placed 109 feet above
Mean Sea Level. The bulbs of the thermo- meters are rotated 108 feet above Mean Sea Level and 4 feet above the grass. The Solar radiation thermometers are placed at the same
height. The rim of the rain-gauge is 105 feet above Mean Sea Level and 21 inches above the ground.
17. The meteorological, instruments in use and Colonial Observatories: The most import are of the standard patterns adopted in British ant part of the equipment is fully described in the annual report of the Director for 1884.
gardener residing in a matshed with his mother On the 25th of March Cheung Tai, age 30, a and a man named Yin Hung and his family at Telegraph Bay, Pokfulam, ran amok with a
died from his injuries before he reached the children aged 3 and 6 respectively. Tim Hung
recovered and the elder died on the 7th of April Hospital. The younger of the two children from his injuries, Cheung Tai was convicted of murder and sentenced to be hanged, the sentence was commuted to penal servitude for
life.
released from their engagemen's. 211 men had no report. Nine Indian Constables were con-
anfit for duty. 1 for disobeying orders and 1 for victed by the Police Magistrate, 5 for assault, 1 for indecent behaviour, I for being draak and
larceny,
showed improvement. There were altogether The behaviour of the Chinese contingent
body of Cheang Kiu, a widow, age about 41,104 for sleeping on duty as against 113, 11 On the 3rd of April at about 5.30 am, the 1,086 reports, as against 1,129 in 1906. There were five reports for drunkenness as against years, residing alone in a house at Nor 6 San Shan in the Hung Hom District, was found dead on the floor of her house by a neighbour who saw the door open. From the appearance of the
body and medical testimony death was probably the result of strangulation, a piece of cord was tight y fastened round the neck and robbery
over $100 and this she was wearing the day Deceased was known to have jewellery valued before her death. When the body was found the jewellery was missing. No arrest.
appears to have been the motive for the crime.
for minor offences as against 337. for disorderly conduct as against 23, and 356
Two sergeant interpreters were convicted by
the Police Magistrate, 1 for larceny and 1 for forging the signature of a Europeau sergeant 3 for assault, 1 for giving false testimony and sight Constables for the following offences: for demanding money by manages and 1 for larceny.
167 men of this contingent were not reported during the year.
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