-28
IN
conveniently situated for bathing.
There
are also other
Considerations which should
not be overlooked in coming
to a decision
upon
this
subject. Kowloon contains at present nearly 10,000 Chinese inhabitants. Proprietary claims have been advanced to the whole territory, and under the Treaty these claims must be respected. The land must therefore either
be regranted to the present proprietors or their rights purchased - and a
Commission
is
now sitting, appointed by Lord Elgin, for inquiring into these claims.
The land in cultivation
in the interior is all low
swampy paddy fields situated in the hollows between the hills, &c. It is valueless except for Chinese cultivation and villages. If regranted to the present proprietors, however, it might be found inconvenient.