Their unsavoury views have encouraged the European officials to do their work as it was formerly done under the Administration of Sir Arthur Kennedy, when Hong Kong was said to be the cleanest city in the Far East. But our efforts on behalf of the villages of the island amongst the junk people have been equally fruitful. I enclose a copy of the draft project and part of a covering letter I sent to Col S on 23 July 384, which was endorsed with remarks by the Colonial Surgeon and myself, and it was eventually pigeon-holed without any attempt on the part of the Governor to substitute anything in its place.
13. The conscientious inability of Ryder and myself to concur in Mr Stennessy's morbid admiration of Chinese insanitary habits, however much we might have desired to do so, was solely to secure our own peace of mind and avoid molestation from attack, and our honest endeavours to maintain to the best of our ability the good order and stability. The cleanliness we had succeeded in achieving during Sir Arthur Kennedy's administration have so inflamed Governor Stennessy, with reference to the sanitation of villages - where reform is urgently wanted. The project, which I submitted to Governor as far back as July 1877...
Page 363
...
Page 363
...
Page 363