Contracts in forcing 92 him to live under competition and employ a greater number of men has been considerable and this coupled with the rise in the price of labor and of all building materials has added to his losses and in a measure prevented the completion of the work: for instance, during the greatest part of the year little lime has reached the Colony from the neighbourhood of Canton, and the supply has been made almost entirely from the Kilns on the opposite Kowloon shore and for which an exorbitant price was demanded.
Fortunately before the blockade I obtained nearly all the marble tiles I required, the deficiency however I have supplied by slate and stone. The earthenware railings for Verandah are still unable to get from Shiushan where such articles are made, and I have found in procuring gypsum for the mouldings and enrichments of the cornices and ceilings; this I have been obliged to alter the designs in material degree which I much regret: however the work, slowly as it has progressed, is admirably executed, and is perhaps as perfect a building as can be created in China.