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A sum of $100,000 will be required; $50,000 having been voted in the Estimates for 1867, transmitted this mail.
2. The works hitherto constructed, and now in course of construction will supply during the dry season only 405,000 gallons per diem to a population, which I cannot regard as less than 140,000, although the ineffective manner in which the census has hitherto been taken, and the peculiar difficulties in the way of taking an accurate census of the Chinese, have fixed the number at a much lower figure.
In the above I include only half of the Chinese living in boats. This supply is clearly insufficient, being less than 3 gallons per head,
that I have directed a scheme to be prepared for remedying the evil as far as possible by increasing the water supply.
3. I regret to find that the hilly and uneven character of the Island and the limited area available makes it impracticable to form a very extensive Reservoir. The one which it is proposed to construct will contain only one hundred Million Gallons and increase the water supply to 7 Gallons per head per diem, during the dry season.
4. This supply will be but barely sufficient for domestic purposes, and will not allow of the drains and sewers being constantly flushed, as for sanitary purposes they should be, during the dry season.