Extensive afforestation works which have been organised embrace the planting annually of nearly a million trees over the available spaces of the island and on the mainland opposite, which it is believed are exerting a beneficial influence on the climate, and certainly on the general appearance of the colony.
6. An extensive foreign and local correspondence on botanical and kindred subjects has grown up.
7. To these has been added a system of botanical explorations in the Chinese Empire in order to improve our scanty knowledge of the useful and interesting vegetable productions of that country. These expeditions are conducted in person by myself. The work which they necessitate is exceedingly laborious, but the results have been greatly appreciated, and the future of the work is most promising.
8. It will thus be seen that my duties embrace two departments, viz. the Botanical Department and the Afforestation Department.
9. Reference to the Hongkong Estimates & Blue Book will show that my salary as Head of the Botanical and Afforestation Department is much less than that of any other head of one department and compares very unfavourably with the emoluments of a number of subordinates whose duties do not, at least, require more intelligence, culture, and training than those of my office.
10. The following salaries of the Heads of Botanical Establishments in other colonies are considerably larger than that of the Hongkong...